Nemesis

The Furious Five followed their escorts closely. The main daemon, who went by the name of Sarkan, led them into the Infernal Wastes. If the daemons were planning to assassinate their guests, they showed no sign of it. The Five had them throw away their weapons, despite the fiends' bickering.

What the group had earlier thought were rain clouds had actually been smoke from the magma fields surrounding the mountain. The entire land was made of an ebony volcanic rock, dotted with canyons, chasms, and cliffs. Every five minutes, it seemed, they crossed an old, rickety bridge. Tigress became frustrated with this, for every time they crossed one, it reminded her too much of her defeat at the Thread of Hope by the hands of Tai Lung. He had spared them that day, and none of them knew why, but they assumed it was to make their master both grieved and afraid.

"Look," The head daemon pointed out over a cliff. In the distance were dark red rooftops and buildings that mimicked their owners hearts; black. From the Five's point of view, it seemed deserted, as there were no torches lit, and if there were people in the streets, they couldn't be seen from atop the crag. "That is Tsu'utera Village. We will spend the night there, as there won't be another town for some time."

The daemon guide led the Furious Five down a steep and thin passage down the face of the cliff to the gates of the town. The streets had indeed been fairly bare. Only several people walked among them. Several stalls had been set up, but none were accompanied by their owners.

"Where is everyone?" Crane stretched his neck to get a better view. "Did something happen?"

Mantis jumped onto Crane's shoulder. "Yeah, they had all their men hide in order to ambush and kill us," he joked, mocking Tigress' paranoia.

Tigress overheard this and considered it. It wasn't a small possibility. She stopped Sarkan. "What the hell are you planning here? Why is the town so desolate?"

Sarkan almost looked surprised. "I assure you, it's not what it looks like! These towns are usually this way! Most of the villagers stay in the tavern, seeing as there aren't many actual villagers. A lot of them are travelers and mercenaries."

Tigress drew the daemon closer and put her claws next to his throat. "Take us there, and after we're convinced that it's not a trap, show us were we can stay."

"Fine," Sarkan sighed. "Though I had hoped to stay clear of the tavern. It would only put you at a greater risk should your presence be known."

Tigress released him, and the shaking daemon nervously turned to lead once again. Retreating back to the rest of her group, Tigress noticed Crane giving her a curious look. She stared back for a moment. "What?"

"Don't you think you're being a bit harsh? I mean, even if they did ambush us, we're masters. It'll take more than a few rogues to defeat us."

Tigress' face twisted, almost in disgust. "Too harsh? Are you blind? They're daemons! How could you trust them? How could anyone trust them?"

"Racist," Mantis replied.

Tigress had to try really hard to keep from squashing the insect.

Monkey shrugged. "He's got a point. They've brought us this far."

Realizing that the argument would lead nowhere, Tigress rolled her eyes and grunted. She quickened her pace to get away from the group, murmuring a steady stream of insults as she walked.

"I thought her 'monthly gift' was last week," Monkey quietly commented.

Viper hissed.

The inn, named Di Sulrafur Ezhen, or 'The Sulfur Pit", as Sarkan translated, was situated deep within Tsu'utera village. When the group entered, a renewed sense of life seeped into them. The tavern was bustling with activity. It had two stories, a bar, and a large organ placed against the wall. People of all kinds were present, from shadowy wolves to bulky minotaur. As Sarkan mentioned, most of them carried weapons and were wearing armor of some sort. The two smaller daemons headed straight for the bar, fast, high pitched laughter bursting from their throats.

Just seconds after the Five entered, Tigress noticed another group of four catch the door just before it closed. They were all cloaked in light brown hoods. Have they been following us? She thought. Tigress caught one of their eyes, but the stranger quickly broke contact. In that short moment, Tigress could tell that one of them was feline, as their eyes were slits and glowed yellow, similar to her own. The group headed in the opposite direction of the Five, and just before they were swallowed into the crowd, Tigress' attention was drawn to a small spider standing on one of the cloaked figure's shoulder, the same way Mantis sometimes stood on Monkey's. Pushing it out of her mind, Tigress quickly caught up to the rest of her group.

Upstairs, Sarkan showed them to their one room. It was completely empty. No beds, no shelves, not even anything to sleep on but the floor. A single window in the far wall provided a limited view of the town. "Is this a joke?" Viper slowly entered and gazed around.

Sarkan, obviously nervous, said, "I had thought this would upset you. It's not that we don't offer beds and furniture, it's that the countless number of bandits and rogues that spend their nights here tend to steal them. Di Sulrafur Ezhen does have a few guards for this, but the crafty bastards always find a way around them, so the inn just stopped buying new furniture. A punishment, I suppose."

"So," Crane started, "we just sleep on the floor? No blankets, or anything?"

"Correct. I am sorry for this inconvenience, but this is all I can offer. It's a lot safer than sleeping outside, though. I'll be sure to tell my minions to stand guard outside for the night."

Tigress snarled. "Perfect chance to assassinate us, isn't it?"

For the first time, Sarkan appeared frustrated. "With all due respect, ma'am, if we had orders to kill you, we would have done so a very long time ago. We've had our chances." The daemon closed the door as he left the room.

Immediately, Viper whirled her gaze toward Tigress. "What is with you? You're so paranoid! Sarkan has a point! If they wanted us dead we would already be dead!"

A low growl emitted from Tigress' throat. "I've had enough lecturing from you people. Whether I trust them or not is my choice."

Crane, trying to split up a potential fight, stepped in. "I don't like it as much as you, Viper, but so long as she doesn't kill them, her attitude shouldn't be a problem." Crane peered out the window. "For now, we should try our best to sleep."

Tigress crossed her arms and sat down against the door. For a long while, her and Crane exchanged cold stares. Eventually, Tigress closed her eyes, though her frustration kept her from going to sleep. The others got as comfortable as they could and dozed away.

Knock knock!

Tigress slowly opened her drowsy eyes.

Knock knock!

Who the hell is it? Stretching her arms, Tigress yawned and rose to her feet. When did I go to sleep? She looked out the window, but it was impossible to tell the time of day with the large curtain of smoke clouds blotting out the sky.

Knock knock!

Alright. Alright. Still half asleep, Tigress opened the squeaky door. When she saw who was on the other side she gasped, and was instantly wide awake. Standing out in the hallway was the cloaked feline she had seen earlier. Or so she assumed. All Tigress could see in the darkness were two glowing yellow eyes staring back at her. Tigress shifted into a fighting stance.

A soft whisper came from the hallway. "Step outside."

"I'd like to see your face first."

There was a pause, and then the voice repeated, "Step outside."

She didn't know if the stranger was armed, but she didn't want to take the chance either. Tigress did as instructed. As she took her first step, Tigress felt something slither past her foot. The door shut behind her. The moment it did, Tigress' eyes began to adjust. Her suspicions had been right. The same strange figure she saw downstairs stood before her. "Good," it said. "Now follow." The cloaked cat began to walk away.

"No."

"Hm?" This had obviously not been the answer they were expecting.

"I stay with my group. You either take all of us, or none of us." Tigress knew the situation was bad. If this stranger turned out to be skilled in combat, she would be at a great disadvantage. Her muscles were still asleep, and she was almost blinded by the darkness. " Just who are you?"

Suddenly, Tigress felt something cold placed against her neck. She froze. "I am a servant of Yao Mo, head of Jiao De An Ying. Your friends are in the same position as you. If you do not do what I say I will give the order to dispose of them. Now follow."

At knife point, she had no choice. Tigress began to follow her captor. The one time I don't have my weapons... She tailed the stranger downstairs, keeping her paw on the wall to avoid stumbling. The entire tavern was dark, which was surprising. Usually, taverns keep open most or all of the night. But now there wasn't even the slightest bit of sound, other than the two's footsteps.

The figure stopped, and Tigress nearly bumped into them. No longer whispering, the stranger said, "Stay." The voice was male, but not very deep. It was shadowy, and sent a chill down Tigress' spine. He crept over to one of the tables, pulled a glowing, dark red object from out of his cloak, and placed it at the wick of one of the candles. The room faintly glowed from the light, and Tigress could make out distinct details now. The man was a panther, which explains why she couldn't see him even with her eyes adjusted. He was rather buff, and his general shape reminded Tigress of a darker version of the now dead snow leopard she so hated.

With a burst of speed, Tigress dashed toward the panther. She curled her paw into a fist and punched him right below his left eye. The panther's head jerked back, but other than that, he didn't even stumble. He growled and looked at Tigress with the eyes of a killer. With lighting reflexes, he kicked her in the chest. Tigress was sent soaring, flipping head over heels until she smacked against the wall with a yelp. She felt dizzy from the blow, and could barely see her attacker marching toward her.

Breathing heavily with rage, the panther picked her up by her vest and slammed her into the wall once more. "Wench! You will watch your friends die a slow and painful death!" With one arm, the panther dragged Tigress up the stairs back to her room. Enraged, he swung the door open and let it crash into the wall. Inside, the rest of the Furious Five had been taken hostage by four other assassins. Crane was being held captive by a tall raven. A cobra coiled the end of its tail around Viper's throat. Monkey had been pinned to the floor by a large gorilla. Mantis hung from the ceiling, encased in a thick coat of spider silk.

Raising his own knife to her neck, the panther drew closer to Tigress' ear and whispered, "You will be witness to their agony." He brought his attention to the spider holding the thread that imprisoned Mantis and slightly nodded. The spider began crawling down to Mantis, carefully placing it's sleek legs on the thin strand of web. As it crawled, Tigress saw a red, hourglass shaped marking on the underside of its abdomen. When it reached the large bundle of silk, the spider drew its head back, and then sunk it's fangs into the encasing. Mantis screamed in pain, and struggled to get free, but failed. It was only a few moment before the twitching stopped, and Mantis became still.

Tigress wanted to scream, and she tried, but there was only silence. Tigress tried to break free of the panthers grip, but she was slightly concussed, and his grip was too strong. In response to her wriggling, the panther pressed the dagger against her throat even harder. A small trickle of blood ran down her neck.

Now skittering across the floor, the arachnid made its way to Viper, who had already given up hope of being released. She was crying uncontrollably. The spider slowly inched its way up Viper's long frame, soon stopping just below the spot the cobra was constricting. The spider's fangs pierced deep into Viper's body, injecting the fatal concoction of venom into her bloodstream. Viper cringed and squirmed, whipping her slender body at anything in range. Like the victim before her, Viper's flailing slowed, and soon, she became as silent as the grave.

The pain was unbearable. Tigress was forced to watch the only friends she had be slaughtered like lambs, and she couldn't do anything to save them. Tears began streaming down her cheeks, and she started to sob. Her captor quieted her by placing his paw on her mouth, muffling the noise.

After Viper was killed, Crane and Monkey followed in quick succession to the same fate. Now, Tigress was all that was left of the Furious Five. The panther smiled and said, "Your turn." He laughed sadistically, and then everything went in slow motion. Tigress felt the blade began to slide across her neck, and her life flashed before her eyes. All her hopes, her dreams, all she had ever worked for... could it really end like this? Tigress squinted and braced for the pain, and then...

Nothing.

What she expected to be sharp pain was nothing more than a sensation that was almost tickling her. Tigress reluctantly opened her eyes, afraid of what she would see. The room was now in shambles. Holes, cracks, and hanging pieces of wood were all that were left. To her joy, Tigress' friends were still alive, but were being held by the four other members of Jiao De An Ying, and their eyes were hollow and blank. She looked behind her. The panther was still holding her, but what Tigress had thought to be a blade was merely the criminal's claw being softly dragged against her fur. "How did...?" she stuttered out.

From the corner of her eye, Tigress noticed something begin to take form. It was only a faint outline at first, but steadily morphed into a tall, horned frame. Obviously a daemon, the appearing figure was practically covered in weapons. Daggers and knives protruded from a thick belt strapped across his armored chest. Two katana hilts poked out from over his shoulders, and a large, studded mace hung at his hip. The collar covering most of his face, his blood red scarf gently flapped in the soft breeze. "What you have seen was merely an illusion. Everything you have seen since you entered the Infernal Wastes has been created and manipulated by me. Right now, your friends are experiencing the same fate you just awakened from. While your pathetic little group was trapped within my spell, I had my students take your frail bodies here." He gestured upwards, and what Tigress saw made her flinch. They were now at the base of Daemon Mountain, and at its peak sat an enormous, terrifying black castle.

"Oh, excuse my rudeness. I am Yao Mo. Leader of Jiao De An Ying, and first student of the Wrathlord."