Hey guys, DemonBlade1410 here, trying my best to update as much as possible what with JC assignments. I'm actually supposed to be doing my work, but as you can see, I'm not XD. SO anyway I've decided to write more short chapters than work towards long ones since I won't have much time to do so anyway. I apologise for any cliffhangers and I will try to post more often. Though I seem to be unable to keep my promises.
"Whoa!" Taiki scrambled up the mast of the ship, his mouth hanging open, slipping on wooden post in the process. He looked back up, finally managing to clamp his jaw shut.
In the distance stood the massive city of Quantou, the martial arts hub of the ages. From where he hung, clinging to the side of the mast, he could see the massive docks in the distance. He could make out boats, larger than the one he was on, and far greater in number. He stared out over the city, with buildings and structures as far as the eye could see, before finally sliding down to join the others.
"So this is Quantou City huh? Nice place." Mantis hopped onto the deck, narrowly avoiding a puddle of water. Taiki silently paced forward to stand beside Tigress. He felt the sea breeze brushing past his fur, and rubbed away the moisture that appeared there. He took her paw quietly, rubbing his digits over the back of it.
"This is going to be fun." Taiki whispered, grinning at her. She glanced at him, and smiled, before returning her gaze to the wonder of the city that had practically materialized out of the fog.
The six masters stepped off onto the docks, taking in the sights. The architecture was breathtaking, distinctly Chinese yet carrying a certain flair that was no longer seen in other cities. The designs were old, embodying a true shaolin village like those long lost. To the Five, this was a place of serenity, peace, and power.
To Taiki, this was the coolest fieldtrip ever.
"This is amazing!" Taiki quietly freaked out as they passed by a series of never-ending stalls and shop houses. Everywhere, in the alleys, in the backs of shops, in the trees, everyone was practicing kung fu. Even the children were training together at the playground. It was a fighter's dream come true.
The five made their way down to the center of town, the main town square, Taiki basically gawking at everything they walked past.
"Close your mouth, you look like an idiot." Tigress swatted Taiki on the head. Taiki snapped his mouth shut, grinning sheepishly.
"Sorry, it's just that everything here is like a dream come true to me!" He sighed happily, spinning in circles around Tigress. She rolled her eyes.
"He's such a child at heart." She thought to herself, smiling.
At long last, the six of them finally made it to the town square. A huge palace like structure overlooked them. It was similar to the Jade Palace in design, but much larger. Taiki's jaw dropped again, earning him another swat from Tigress.
"That's the HuQuan Palace. It's the home of the Kung Fu masters in this city." Tigress explained. Taiki simply nodded, unable to quite say anything at the moment, and started up the stairs.
Entering through the gates, they were greeted by a large open training/meditation area. Students were everywhere, strolling about, talking, sparring with each other, a few meditating under the trees. All in all, it didn't look much different from the Jade Palace.
"Looks pretty similar to back home honestly." Taiki remarked, brushing a butterfly off his whiskers. A goat walked into him, met his eye, flinched and looked down, muttering an apology and hurrying off. Taiki raised an eyebrow, but pushed it to the back of his mind. They neared a massive set of doors.
"So is this their version of the Hall Of Heroes?" Mantis smirked, scratching at his antennae, and Taiki shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets.
Two attendant ducks pulled the doors open for them as they entered. Taiki briefly acknowledged them, before his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
This place might have resembled the Jade Palace on the outside, but its interior was worlds apart. Taiki was greeted by a massive hall, endowed with beautiful carvings and tapestries. Twelve pillars stood in two rows, leading down to a massive Tiger sitting in an equally massive throne, facing them, a huge sword leaning against the table by his side. He was heavily built all the way through, with an air of power practically radiating from him, dressed simply in a silver and gold robe.
The masters approached silently, bowing respectfully to the Master. The Tiger rose from his throne, and returned the bow. Taiki gawked slightly; the Master towered a good head and a half above him.
"Master Hu, it is an honor to be here." Tigress said, and the Tiger nodded.
"The honor is mine. I welcome you to HuQuan Palace, my home. Rest assured, I will do everything in my power to ensure my hospitality to you is second to none. Come, let us walk." The Tiger slung his sword over his back, and beckoned them to follow. Unconsciously, Taiki's hand fell to the swords at his waist, and Tigress shot him a glare.
The walk turned out to be a short tour of the buildings and facilities. The Palace, whilst seemingly big, was specially structured so that every building was within convenient and quick walking distance of each other. The six were impressed, to say the least. Finally, the group came upon a large hall with heavily built doors. Master Hu stopped, and turned to look at the group.
"And this, esteemed guests, is the training hall." He announced, smiling wickedly, pushing the doors open. The group was met by a vast array of training equipment, wooden dummies, wooden warriors, sandbags, target posts, a whole selection of weights, and….people?
"What are those?" Viper exclaimed, watching as a student fought the oddly shaped creature. They were similar to the different animals in terms of shape and size, but were featureless, nothing but shadows. Even as they watched, those that fell to the ground disappeared, vanishing into smoke. Master Hu chuckled deeply.
"Those, young ones, are what we call shadow warriors. They are made from the shadows of the hall by a magical item called the Orb Of Silhouettes. It is a precious item, not easily crafted, and it is not only our greatest training tool, but also our pride and joy." He waved his hand across the hall.
"All the other tools can simply help to condition you, but the Orb Of Silhouettes can mimic real combat perfectly. It is the best form of training we have to offer, and thanks to it, our students are better than any other."
Taiki quivered in excitement.
"This is going to be so AWESOME!" He squealed, barely able to contain himself. Monkey chuckled.
"You said it brother." He started towards the door, only to be met by crossed spears. Yelping, he leapt back in surprise.
"Hey! What gives?" Monkey yelled, glaring angrily at the spear bearers. Master Hu laughed, a deep throaty rumble.
"You didn't think that we'd just let you walk in here and use all of our equipment did you?" He laughed once more, the deep boom nearly deafening the six warriors.
"Uh, we sorta did? I mean, this was supposed to be a training trip, right?" Taiki shrugged, glaring down the Master. Master Hu shook his head.
"Only the best may train here. Everyone student here has earned their place, their right, to be behind those gates." He leaned down to Taiki's level, locking eyes with him.
"Only the strongest should be nurtured, wouldn't you say? It only makes sense, that the strongest should win, it is survival of the fittest after all. Why do you think there are so many fighters in the valley, yet only so many students in here?" He declared, and Taiki's eye twitched. He clenched his fists, and stared back into the Master's eyes, not showing the slightest hint of fear. Master Hu grinned dangerously.
"They weren't good enough. That's why they're down there and we're up here. Obviously we can't just go about letting anyone and everyone train here, now can we? So of course there will be a selection test, to ensure that only the strongest enter." He smirked, and Taiki's eye twitched again.
"Uh, well, then why can't we train here? We're the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior. We're kinda the best." Mantis interjected, scratching his head nonchalantly. Master Hu finally broke eye contact with Taiki, whirling to face Mantis.
"Oh? And I suppose you've fought everyone in the world and concluded that you are, in fact, the best fighters on the planet? You've beaten anyone and everyone, and no one can best you?" He challenged calmly, and Mantis suddenly found his 'pincer thingies' extremely interesting. Taiki took a deep breath and steadied himself.
"It doesn't matter. We deserve to train here, and we'll prove it to you. Bring us your test." He declared, locking eyes with the Master again. Master Hu laughed once more.
"Very well then. Bring out the contenders." Four Tigers approached from behind. Master Hu smirked and waved towards them.
"You will fight each of my students. Those that defeat them may train here, and those that do not can join the rest in the valley." He announced, smirking infuriatingly. Taiki cracked his neck, planting his fist into his palm.
"Alright, who's first?" He challenged, stepping forward into his Muay Thai guard. He assessed the four Tigers. They were only slightly smaller than him, but built almost the same as he was, and he guessed from their muscle builds that they were they types to focus on raw power rather than speed. Master Hu laughed again.
"Oh don't worry boy. You and the lady there are already allowed to train here." He said, gesturing lazily at Tigress.
"It is the others who must pass the test." Taiki turned to face him.
"Tigress and I pass? Why? We haven't done anything yet." Taiki narrowed his eyes, and Master Hu looked condescendingly at the other four Masters.
"Simple." He said, smiling so wide that he bared his teeth.
"You are Tigers."
Whoa ho ho, cliffhangies! Sorry but I've always wanted to do that XD
So anyways, I'm working on the next part of the story for now, and hopefully I'll get it posted soon! So until then, chill out, have some ice cream, and don't forget to follow/review! Anyways, my computer is being a douche and not letting my upload my story files, so if anything goes wrong it's cuz i had to use the copy and paste function.