"Mmmmm... no. I still feel like I belong to myself."
Tabula Rasa grinned. "I was able to lure you in here easily, wasn't I? Where no one can hear your screams."
Po's jaw slackened. "How do you know I didn't lure you here? Maybe I didn't want to have to pay for any more damages to my dad's shop. I think he's had to deal with that enough from me."
Her laugh could have lain waste to nations and turned men to salt. "Even in the face of death, you still try to act like you knew what you were doing. Just what I'd expect from the Dragon Warrior. You think you stand a chance against me? Try to land a hit on me. Just. Try it."
"Well, can't refuse that offer." Po said, readying himself to do a flying kick. "Get ready to feel the-AHHH!" The floorboards beneath him broke and he fell straight down to his stomach, the splintered wood scraping the sides of his legs and leaving tiny slivers embedded in his hips. "Gah! Right when I thought I was losing weight. Don't worry, I'm gonna be kicking your ass in a second... Ow. Ow." He struggled unsuccessfully to free himself, but only succeeded in driving the splinters deeper into his flesh.
Tabula Rasa crouched down on her haunches, her red eyes meeting his. She didn't make a single move towards him. "Fate," she said, "Is a cruel son of a bitch, no?"
"Ah... no. Just gotta lay off on the bean buns for a bit."
The clattering sound of many tiny objects rolling across the wood made him stop trying to free himself and look up. Dozens of white pieces were scattered on the floor a few feet in front of his face. "You know, caltrops only work when I don't see you place them." He pointed out as he pushed with all his might on the undamaged planks on either side of him, feeling his hips slide past the hole he'd made in the floor. I'll just blame it on some young hooligans when someone wants to buy this place.
Tabula Rasa cocked her head intently, watching him as he broke free of his wooden constraints. When he had almost gotten his knees up, she casually flicked one of the white objects a few inches to the right. Po realized that they were actually tiny bones. Right after she did that, he heard the floorboards crack perilously loudly. "Are you kidding me?" He got out right before the floor collapsed and plunged him into darkness. He landed hard amidst broken wood and drywall, coughing as particles of dust filled his lungs.
"Such an easy thing to manipulate, destiny is," Tabula Rasa murmured, looking down at him with an almost pitying look. "The bones can tell me your fate, and I can change the course of it. No matter how hard you try, you will never hit me while your blood is in my system. But I can do whatever I want with you."
"No, you can't!" Po retorted, standing up and getting ready to jump up to the main floor. He'd practised jumping quite a bit in the Training Hall, and though he'd never be able to match Tigress's prowess, he could clear this little hop easily. Bunching his muscles, he leaped up to the main floor. The she-wolf snatched up the bones before he landed and walked backwards a few paces with a wicked slasher smile.
"Finally! Now we can battle for real!"
"Let's test that theory of yours, panda."
Before he launched another attack, Po pressed on the floorboards in front of him with one foot to test their structural integrity. They creaked a little but otherwise seem sturdy enough. "Alright, now-" Something heavy came down from the ceiling and smacked him on his head, knocking him down. It was one of the supporting rafters from the ceiling. His ears were ringing from the force of it. "I thought this house was brand new! What did that guy do to it to make it fall apart like this? No wonder he moved out."
Tabula Rasa was chuckling. "He did nothing. Fate is the driving force. Fate is a manifestation of my will."
"I think... you may have partly convinced me." Po panted, getting to his feet and struggling to maintain that position. The room was spinning around him, and it looked like there were three Tabula Rasas standing in front of him. It seems I'm gonna have to bring this outside. I can't get anywhere when all this stuff keeps breaking on me. Focusing all his willpower, Po's gaze locked on the door behind her, readying himself to charge at it. Maybe if I don't directly try to attack her, I could beat her. Let's see if this works.
With a roar that caught her off guard, Po bum rushed the door. Tabula Rasa's eyes widened in surprise when her manipulation of fate didn't stop him and leaped out of the way. He crashed through the door and spun around in midair to land on his feet in the street outside, facing the yawning threshold he had just exited the building from. Tabula Rasa casually strode out the door as though nothing of any particular concern were happening.
"Brilliant strategy, Dragon Warrior." she said. "Go outside, where a meteor could suddenly drop on your head, or an earthquake could tear the land beneath you asunder. Like I said before, fate is a cruel son of a bitch." As if in agreement to her words, a faint tremor resonated through the ground under his feet. Tabula Rasa's smile proved that it was her doing. A chill ran down his spine.
"Being in that house won't protect me from either of those things, anyway." Po said, but then he heard the faint sounds of footsteps coming up beside him. When he looked, he saw the rabbit child Tao- no, Mèng- shuffling towards him. The gansu pika's ears weren't covering his expression anymore, and now Po saw why he'd been hiding his face before.
The kid's eyes and mouth were stitched shut.
It was Po's turn to be caught off guard. He jumped back when Mèng got close to him; despite the fact that the little rabbit was only a child, there was surely a reason he served the Master. He slowly lifted one tiny, trembling paw and pointed at the panda. Just pointed. Po frowned as Mèng held that pose, and then that's when things got weird.
The buildings, the ground, even the sky itself gradually began to melt, and he became aware of the distant cacophony of screams- a symphony of agony. Then the sun vanished in the blink of an eye, and the world quickly morphed into an endless black void. What the hell is going on? Po wondered uneasily. He was still in his battle stance, but now was on high alert for anything that might manifest along with this strange nightmare. The stench of death was strong now, and the screaming became thunderous as shapes began to take form. He pressed his hands over his ears to shut out the noise, but he quickly realized that they were inside of his head.
"Mèng, stay out of this." Tabula Rasa's voice boomed louder than everything else, making Po wince. "Remember the Master's instructions? If he- or any of the Five- die, then we will suffer a much worse fate than them."
In an instant, the world went back to normal. Tabula Rasa was standing next to Mèng now, in the middle of the street, Po's head still spinning as he readjusted to the earth's timeframe. That was the weirdest thing ever. Was that some kind of illusion? Or did Mèng take me to another world. Po rubbed his forehead. And why the hell aren't they attacking? It must be something to do with the Hero's Chi. The Master did let me live because of it.
"Why are you guys even here?" Po asked them- well, asked the she-wolf, since Mèng wasn't going to be saying anything. "What is it about this urn that your Master wants so badly?"
"I am not here for the urn," Tabula Rasa said. "I am here to gather information. In fact, I believe I have gotten what I need to know from you already. You see, I-" A foot struck her in the side of the face, and she went flying until she hit a house and made the entire wall tremble on its foundations. "Tigress!" Po shouted in delight. "You're alright! Sweet outfit."
There she stood, like a goddess of war. She had swapped her red vest- probably because it had been torn up- for an elegant golden tabard decorated with images of red leaves and branches. Min stood beside her, dressed in the brown and green robes he always seemed to be wearing.
"Are you alright?" Tigress asked him, concerned. He nodded. "Alright, bring me up to speed on what's happening. How does she fight?"
"I don't know! She hasn't actually used any fighting techniques. She's some kind of witch; the only thing I can really say is don't let her taste your blood."
Tigress frowned. "Odd. But I suppose that's an easy enough thing to avoid."
Po chuckled nervously. "Yeah... yeah."
"She tasted your blood, didn't she?"
"...yes."
Tabula Rasa had recovered from the tremendous blow, standing unsteadily with blood dripping from her mouth. "Master Tigress, I presume. Unless if you are misnamed." She said, still smiling despite the injury she just sustained. If anything, she looked healthier and more enlivened from being hurt. Mèng, seemingly unconcerned by the entire ordeal, strode up to stand behind Tabula Rasa, then turned to face them.
"A child?" Tigress frowned. "Why is there a child with her?"
"They both serve the same Master that Sârmă did. Don't underestimate either of them."
Tigress nodded curtly. "So, have you two finished talking yet?" Tabula Rasa asked, leaning against the wall and looking bored.
"Just about." Tigress said. "Po!" As one, they both leaped into the air, Tigress performing an aerial kick while Po used his feet of fury. Tigress was there a second before he was, her kick hitting Tabula Rasa directly on the top of her snout, driving her face-first into the ground. Po froze in midair. "What? Come on!" And the world began distorting again, the same way it had before. "Mèng!" Tabula Rasa shouted from her position on the ground, struggling to get up. "What did I just tell you?"
Tigress threw another punch as Po was released from the spectral grasp. The she-wolf was knocked down again, but this time she used the momentum and rolled back to her feet. She wasn't smiling anymore; her bloody teeth were bared, and her chin and neck were stained red. "You are beginning to annoy me, masters. I'm done playing games with you." She pulled something out from one of the pouches around her neck. It was a spearhead, snapped off right at the end of the shaft and crusted with recently dried blood.
"Remember this?" Tabula Rasa said, waving it in front of her. "I should hope so. You were stabbed with it last night. The Puppet Master is a truly generous man to give it to me." She licked the blade, and then sliced open the palms of her own hands. The blood came abundantly, and she raised her arms into the air. The red streams fell towards the ground, but to Po and Tigress's amazement, they never hit the ground.
Every drop dispersed in the air, turning into a harsh bloody mist. It swirled around Tabula Rasa like the embrace of a hellish demon, and the grin reappeared on her face. "Remember what I told you in the house, Dragon Warrior? About pain and blood being the two greatest pleasures in this world? You will both see what I meant about that. You will be begging me to increase your suffering; everyone else does."
The red mist thickened, filling the air between them. Po and Tigress leaped back to avoid it, uncertain as to what it would do if they came in contact with it. The crazy wolf seemed pretty sure that it was going to bring them agony. "Hemomancy!" Min exclaimed; Po had forgotten he was there. "I heard legends about such an art before, but I thought they were myths. Impressive."
"Yes, I think I'm the only practitioner," she said. "One of my less intriguing abilities, but still quite powerful nonetheless. I would use something better, but I'm supposed to let Masters Po and Tigress live. You, on the other hand..." Tabula Rasa gestured, and a bolt of lightning shot out of her hand, going directly into the mist. The electricity crackled as it bounced from droplet to droplet, almost blinding the three of them. It was clearly an intimidation technique rather than an actual attack, but the only purpose it served was to make them shield their eyes for a moment.
"Po, Tigress, stand back." Min said, stepping forward and facing the crazed she-wolf. "Defeating rogue mages used to be my job. Let me handle this."
"Mèng isn't gonna be causing any trouble, unless if she's in a pickle." Po said, disappointed and more than a little surprised at his decision, but he knew that neither he or Tigress could do anything since their blood was in her system. He stepped back, and nodded for the feline to do the same. Her eyes widened. "Po, we can't let him fight her alone! He's a healer, not a warrior."
"Before he became a healer, he was a Kung Fu Master." Po said. "Besides, Tabula Rasa tasted your blood. We can't hit her until our blood is out of her system. Trust me, I know. Just stand back and watch. If it looks like he's in any trouble, we'll do what we can." Tigress still looked unhappy with letting the healer fight the witch alone, but she nodded and stood back. "Be careful, Min," she said to the sable.
"Thank you for your concern, but she stands no chance against a stronger mage like myself." he said, taking another step forward and extending his hands forward. An energy charge jolted through the air as he did that, so powerful it was almost visible. "You have made your last mistake here, gypsy." he snarled at the she-wolf. "You shall know endless torment at my hands!"
...
Min stared into Tabula Rasa's chilling red gaze, unfazed by the blood cloud that had resumed its spiralling pattern around its owner. She was incredibly powerful; even someone who couldn't use magic could see it, but what really frightened him was the thought that someone was strong enough to control her. He couldn't hold back his own power in the slightest, or she would kill him. Fortunately, he was easily the strongest warlock in China, maybe in the world.
Min took a deep breath, and the heat itself was sucked out the sun as he inhaled the living fire from the electrons in the air. He spat out an incantation as though it were a curse and channeled the absorbed power into a massive, superheated shockwave of fire and destructive will. The entire world twisted like Pangu had a little too much to drink, and the sonic boom was so loud it perforated his eardrums. Everything between him and the she-wolf was incinerated, sand turned to glass then shattered and rocks glowed red in the wake of the inferno. The spell wailed like the lost souls of the dead.
Tabula Rasa and Mèng were consumed by the fire, the bloody mist evaporating as the greedy tongues of flame engulfed them. It was almost a full minute before the blazing cyclone began to relent and the wailing to cease and fade into memory. The aftermath was a wall of blue smoke that twirled and danced, unlike natural smoke. He smirked. "Was that all? Damn, I was hoping for something more. Now I see why you're the only hemomancer I've ever met; they're too weak to last long."
The smoke gradually lifted, and Min's jaw dropped. Tabula Rasa rose languidly from the middle of a crater, the edges of which had been turned to glass from the indescribable heat of his attack. She was completely unscathed; not even the slightest residue of soot stained her white fur. Mèng was also fine, his stitched-up eyes and mouth twitching as though trying to laugh.
"That," she said. "Was impressive as hell. And right after I thought there were no real mages in this country. I'm going to drag your torture on for decades."
This was impossible. That spell was designed to bypass any magical protection wards the enemy may have erected around themselves. Min hadn't felt anything of the sort, and there was no reason that his adversaries should be immune to it. "What the hell are you?" he demanded.
"What am I?" Tabula Rasa said. "Now, is there any real answer I can give? I have been so many things that I have no true definition. Suffice it to say I am your death."
"Min," Tigress said. She looked shocked at the power the healer had just shown. "Do you need our help now?"
"No. Just sit back and enjoy the show. No one can best me in a battle of magi." Right after he said this, he clapped his hand and a thunderclap shattered the air. Invisible blades of wind flew from every direction and bombarded Tabula Rasa. Min didn't stop there. He shouted a word of power and part of the sky itself detached and descended on her. It hit her head-on and exploded in a tremendous flash of blue and white. When it cleared, she was hardly fazed, standing with one hand on her hip.
"My turn." she said, and the haze of blood rematerialized and shot towards Min. It was so incredibly fast that he couldn't even react. The red mist engulfed him, and Tabula Rasa sent a bolt of electricity through it. The lightning had a powerful reaction to the water in the blood, and Min was barely able to throw up a defensive ward in time. The energy crackled against it, but the ward took most of the damage before shattering and singing him. They were only minor burns- little more than distractions. It did, however, buy him precious seconds to draw some of the power from her spell and throw a counterattack in the form of a lightning spear. She dodged it and laughed.
"You know, you look very familiar to me. I know someone you looks a lot like you. Different magic, but the same arrogant disposition. You are a little more powerful, though. Unfortunately, I am a goddess."
Tigress attacked her from behind, sending her flying with a mighty kick. Po was ready on the other side, and he mirrored her kick, making her land hard on her back between them. "Ha! Can't manipulate our fate when you're distracted, can you?" Po said. "Bummer, huh?"
This time, she was much slower in recovering. The fate manipulation, the hemomancy, and deflecting Min's attacks were clearly taking a heavy toll on her. "You..." Tabula Rasa panted, rising to her feet yet again. "Are a tactless shitkicker. To think you could actually land a hit on me. The Master really did underestimate you."
Min send a pulse of heat through the glass that he'd created, making it glow white. Within a few seconds, it exploded and sent thousands of shards into her. Tabula Rasa spread out her arms and laughed as they ripped her open. "Thank you." she said. "You just made my hemomancy stronger. How I wish I could use one of my powerful abilities, but, alas, they would kill all three of you. A true shame."
There was a flicker of distortion around her. Min frowned at first, then gasped when he realized what was happening. The air was filled with the stench of rot and corpses as the demons tore open the veil of reality and forced themselves into existence. The smile slipped from Tabula Rasa's face. "Are you serious? Already?" She snarled, and her eyes glowed as she gave voice to her frustration. "Well, I suppose you already told me what I came here to learn anyway, panda."
"Oh really?" Po smirked. "And what was that?"
"I came to learn about the Five's family, people who would surely be missed when they turned up dead. I didn't even have to try to get answers, you freely gave them. Excellent job." She clapped drily.
"I never told you anything!"
"Mei Ling?" Tabula Rasa said. "Great Master Viper? I simply brought up the Furious Five, and you told me their stories without any prompting. We can get to them much faster than you can."
A cold lump of dread formed in his belly. "Ah, crap."
"Yes." she said. "Ah, crap. Anywho, these demons are my cue to leave. Enjoy. Mèng, let's hightail it."
The ground burst open and a gigantic worm came forth from the wound gouged in the world. It opened up a vast, cavernous mouth and swallowed Mèng and Tabula Rasa whole, before vanishing into thin air. It left no crater in the ground when it disappeared. "Whoa!" Po shouted. "What in the hell was that?"
"It seems like some kind of escape device they've had ready this whole time," Tigress said. "Honestly, after seeing what those two can do, a giant worm isn't exactly a huge shock"
By now, the demons had fully materialized and were standing there, snarling. They were monstrous; rotting corpses with long, red tongues that hung out of their mouths like putrid vines. There was a noose wrapped around each of their necks, the ropes dangling down their backs.
"Diao si gui." Min said. "Shit, these guys are annoying. They were summoned up by a ritual, too, rather than an accident. That means that we can kill them again and again, but they'll keep coming back until we find the ritual site and reverse it. These were not the gypsy's creations, no doubt."
"They can't come back right away, can they?" Tigress asked. Min shook his head. "Then we can kill them now, and deal with the ritual site later. You've done enough, Min. Let Po and I handle this."
Min sighed, rubbing his eyes. He looked much older now than he had ten minutes ago. His fur was blackened from Tabula Rasa's relentless attacks, and burned off in some places. Clearly the mage battle had taken quite a toll on him. "Alright. I'll stick around in case you need help, but I'll just watch." After saying this, he sat down on the soot-stained street, panting hard. Po and Tigress took up their positions side-by-side as the Diao si gui charged. Tigress punched one in the face when it came close to her, breaking its neck but not slowing its advance. Its tongue shot out and wrapped around her wrist; it felt like a slimy worm. Tigress unsheathed her claws and severed it with a deft swipe, then used her signature double-palm strike and knocked it away. She leaped forward with a frontflip and crushed its head under her feet. The skull shattered into dust and bone.
Po dodged the tongue of one of the hanged ghosts and grabbed it, swinging the demon around like a meteor hammer and throwing it into another one. They were both bowled over easily, but they quickly rose to their feet. Tigress grabbed one from behind and spun it around. She gripped it by the chest and with a grunt of effort and one mighty heave, tore its ribcage right out of its torso. She shattered it over the Diao si gui's head and kicked it away, where it fell and didn't get up again.
"These things are pretty flimsy, aren't they?" Po said, sweeping one off its feet as it ran at him with a guttural screech. He shoved it face-first into the side of a building and punched the back of its head into the stone. There was a meaty crunch, and the demon collapsed to the ground without moving. Now there was only one hanged ghost remaining, but it didn't seem to notice that it was the last. Po and Tigress looked at each other.
"Do you want this one?" she asked
"No, you take it, I insist." He politely gestured toward the demon which was shambling towards them, gaining speed to charge. Tigress shrugged, and then ran at it on all fours. The Diao si gui roared in excitement, picking up its pace, but was taken down by a single double-palm strike. It fell back onto the pavement, the front of its skull crushed and splintered.
"They really do go down easily." Tigress commented. "Did their conjurers really think those things would be a threat to us?"
"The ritual site is clearly a good distance away, at least a few miles." Min said, unsteadily rising to his feet. "That's why they were so weak. If you went to the grounds where they were hung, they would be much more durable and have better coordination. I think they were summoned to be a slight distraction, or maybe just to show you what kind of creatures they could bring to life. I can't say anything for sure, but I do know that they weren't summoned by any of the Master's servitors. They were created and brought here by a Chinese mage, like me. A Sellspell, I think, or some other kind of magical contract killer."
"So, you're a mage, then." Tigress said to him. "Why did you never tell any of us? Your skills could have been invaluable to us many times in the past."
"Yeah." Po agreed. "Why would you want to hide how awesome you are? If I could do all of that, you guys would never hear the end of it!"
"There is no doubt in my mind that we ever would." Min said. "But my abilities are another reason why I decided to leave the Jade Palace. That, and drug abuse, illegal experiments, infernal rituals... you know, the usual. I had a much different way of doing things than Oogway did, so I left, fortunately on good terms with the Grandmaster. The main reason, of course, was so I could become a healer without having to fight anymore. I think I pushed myself a bit too hard today with the destructive spells. I haven't used such powerful magic in almost a decade."
"Then we need to get you back to your shop to rest," Tigress said.
"No. You must go up to the Jade Palace to show Shifu and the others that you are alright. I can get back myself. Besides, I think the Grandmaster would be more inclined to believe you than the Dragon Warrior when you explain why these damages occurred." He gestured to the area behind her. The vacant house was now a vacant patch of soot and ash, and most of the street was blackened from fire or simply melted into glass. A crowd of spectators had gathered and were staring at the three of them, wide-eyed. Tigress sighed.
"Good thing there weren't any witnesses," she muttered under her breath. Po smiled faintly, then stepped forward and addressed the crowd.
"Alright everyone, there's nothing more to see here. We've taken care of the problem. Go on, enjoy the rest of your day." It took a few moments, but eventually the crowd stopped gawking and hesitantly dispersed and went about their day, whispering amongst themselves. "It's strange how quick they are to believe that everything's alright when a Kung Fu master says so." Min observed. It looked like he was already starting to recover from the exertion he had to endure mere minutes ago.
"Now that that inconvenience is over with," Tigress began, turning back to Po. "Who were those people?"
"The wolf was Tabula Rasa, and the bunny was Mèng. They're both crazy, and they work with the Puppet Master."
"I figured as much. So, what happened last night? After the chase."
Po opened his mouth, about to tell her about his crucifixion and the meeting with the Master, but before he could begin, Min interrupted. "Look who's coming! I'm surprised they were this late, really."
When Po and Tigress turned, they saw the rest of the Furious Five rushing towards them. They stopped when they saw the aftermath of their battle with Tabula Rasa and Mèng, taking in the utter carnage that greeted them. "Tigress!" Viper was the first to call out her friends name. "You're alright!"
They all rushed up and embraced her in a group hug. Po and Min sat back, smiling when Tigress tried pushing them all away after a minute of being completely swarmed by them. "Okay, that's enough. You can let go now"
"We thought you were going to die!" Viper exclaimed. "But Po brought some kind of potion that healed you when he arrived."
"I know. Min told me about that. He also warned me of any... potential side effects it might bring."
"So, what the hell did you guys do in the twenty or so minutes we left you?" Mantis suddenly asked. "This seems like too much destruction for you two to have caused alone."
"Apologies, that was me." Min said, bowing humbly.
"I was attacked by two of the Master's servants." Po explained. "Tigress and Min came and helped me out. Min can apparently destroy lots of stuff in a small amount of time. Anyways, they've gone away now. Some Diao si gui attacked us too, right after they ran off. They went down really easy. Speaking of which, where did their bodies go?"
"Hanged ghosts generally don't leave corpses." Min said. "I take it one of the bystanders were the ones who informed you of this situation?" He directed the question at the Furious Five.
Viper nodded. "It was Mrs. Yoon. She ran all the way up the thousand steps to tell us that the Dragon Warrior was in trouble. I guess it was before you two got here to help him."
Po shrugged. "Guess so. We should probably go up to the palace now. Shifu's probably wondering what I've gotten myself into. Hey, Tigress, I'll tell you what happened on the way."
"Fifty janitors chewing coco leaves couldn't clean this mess up." Min gestured towards the obliterated street. "But on the bright side, it'll probably be a tourist attraction. Good thing that house was abandoned before I annihilated it with a fiery cyclone."
"Oh yeah, there was a house there." Mantis said, looking at the remains. It was just a black outline now. "We were all wondering what the origin of that blazing tornado was. You seriously caused that, Min? Pretty impressive for a healer."
Min shrugged in response, but didn't say anything more. "I've got to get back to my shop now. I now recall a pig sitting in the main floor with a broken arm. So much for my day off... Goodbye for now, friends. Po, Tigress... remember what I told you both."
"About what?" the panda frowned.
"I think he means the Water." Tigress told him. "Come on, let's get to the palace. I want to hear your story on the way."
"Oh yeah!"
Together the six of them turned around and headed towards the thousand steps that lead up to the palace. It was well past noon now, and the heat of the day promised to only increase in its intensity. It was so bright and sunny out that Po could easily forget about the whole ordeal of what just happened, and the events of last night. But he was just dying to tell Tigress what awesomeness he had been up to last night.
"So, I got nailed to a cross last night-" He started.
"What?!"