Sometimes, one must bear with the silence, and wait for that golden opportunity. The once in a lifetime chance that always comes when you wait patiently enough, keep your head down enough, stay silent enough, and overall just look as small as you possibly can so that no one noticed you, thus picks a fight with you. That's now some people at Jinzhou were. That's how some needed to be in order to survive such a chaotic place. To pretend to be powerless in the midst of such dangers.
Ke-Pa hated it.
Every day he was locked up in this prison with his weak mortal body-a freaking PIG of all things! Come on!-he could do nothing but stew in his rage and humiliation at having been reduced to such a sorry and pathetic state. Every waking moment, he's had to endure such powerlessness was worth a lifetime of building rage. But, he was not so angry to the point of not keeping up with what was transpiring in the outside world. Thus, he remembered three key details.
Firstly and majorly, Oogway was dead.
Which was absolutely perfect, as he was the only mortal who ever had the slightest candle of a chance against him at full power. And even then, he very nearly killed the stupid reptile if he hadn't been literally saved by the heavens themselves, via the Peach Tree. Divine cheaters.
Second, the Valley of Peace has been destroyed, nearly all of its residents killed.
He honestly burst out laughing when he heard that. All that trouble to craft a home of his precious peace and prosperity in a Valley where the mindless rabble could go about their everyday lives without knowing what fear truly feels like. How he had wished he had been there to witness it. That must have been quite a show.
Third, the Dragon Warrior emerged.
From the tales he heard, he hadn't been what the legends would expect of him. Not only was he a panda, but a rather chaotic one, too. There wasn't anything that could keep him down for long, and he didn't really kowtow to many symbols of authority. Even punched the Emperor in the face. If Ke-Pa had any respect for mortals, he'd find the panda's sheer audacity impressive, especially since he got away with it.
No matter. All the same, he poses no threat to Ke-Pa. He was still a mere mortal.
The pig slowly opened his eyes, his back turned towards the cage, as several bolts of lightning trickled from paw to paw. It's with this, that he's made a forth and final conclusion, the one that matters most.
His power was beginning to return. Which means...
"The Peach Tree...is dying." Ke-Pa muttered with an ever widening wicked smile.
This was perfect. The Peach Tree was beginning to die. Oogway was already dead. The Valley of Peace has been destroyed, with surviving residents leaving the destroyed home behind. Which means: There's no one protecting the Peach Tree.
Fate has begun to smile upon him. His golden opportunity has finally arrived, and it's given him quite an easy path to work with. He'd pluck that stupid weed from its roots and scatter it's ashes into the wind. And turns he'd be able to reclaim his full power as well as his rule over the world.
One step at a time, though. First he has to escape from this prison. And fortunately for him, he has several somewhat competent fools to help him do just that.
He turned around in his cell, and turned towards Shirong. "Are you ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be." Shirong smiled towards the others, before he suddenly gasps, chokes slightly, and promptly falls down on his face, eyes rolling towards the back of his head as he continues to try and regain his breath.
"Oh my gosh, Shirong is having a heart attack!" Wu Kong gasps as he jumps against his cage and shouts into the hallway. "Help! Guards! Somebody call a doctor or something?!"
"Pipe down!" One of the rhinos slammed into the room with a grunt, walking over towards Shirong's cell, who has stopped convulsing, as well as breathing altogether, his eyes vacant. "Good grief, old man. Did seriously croak? You gotta let us know ahead of time. Gets awkward leaving corpses in these cells." He grumbled as he goes over to unlock the cell and move forward to grab the small animal. "Better let the others know that another-"
The rhino was briefly silenced by a swift kick to his head, which bashed against the wall next to him, instantly knocking him out. Shirong took several seconds to regain his breath, before dusting himself off and grabbing the keys from the fallen guard.
"You scared the hell outta me, old man! I thought you actually died!" Wu Kong gasps, his hysteria no longer an act.
"Then that proves that I'm still an extraordinarily gifted actor." Shirong smiled cheekily as he twirls the keys around his finger. "Alright boys, I'll get ya out one at a time."
"Yes yes, do pick up the pace." Ke-Pa waved off as the red panda began releasing several of his cellmates one by one, the main ones being Wu Kong, Bing, and finally the pig himself. Ke-Pa stepped out of his cell and stretched his arms. At last, he was free.
He honestly could have broken himself out now that he had regained some of his power. But these particular mortals made his imprisonment somewhat bearable with their entertainment, so he allowed them this victory.
"There we are!" Shirong smiled as he and the others gathered together. "Whaddya say we get out of here, boys?"
"I'm definitely not sticking around. Not when there's a chopping block with my name on it." Wu Kong jabbed a thumb towards himself.
"I'll definitely need to leave. I'm not a fighter like the rest of ya." Bing lightly scratched the back of his neck. "Also, I, uh, need to get my recipe for the Terracotta Warriors, back."
"You mean you don't know it by heart?" Shirong blinked.
"Wow, your memory must be shit." Wu Kong deadpans.
"Shut up!"
"Anyway, Ke-Pa, what's next?" Wu Kong turned towards the pig, and he still could not get rid of the chills being sent down to his very soul just by looking at him. The pig gazed at him with what felt like indifference at worst and apathetic amusement at best.
If he didn't know any better, he'd felt that he was eying him like he was food.
"What's next? Do what you like! If you need to sneak out, sneak out. If you need to cause as much chaos as possible to cover your escape, do so!" He spread his arms. "They caught you all by mere chance. You're all strong and smart and skilled enough to get out on your own, so do so!"
"You're seriously crazy, pig. What if the guards come this way?" Bing protested, in which Ke-Pa hummed and folded his arms.
"If they do, I'll deal with the bulk of them. You simply focus on getting out of this wretched place. I'll even stay behind and cover you."
Wu Kong looked skeptical at the offer. He couldn't help but wonder that the pig was leaving several things out. But he didn't know or care enough, so he shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat, man. I'm out." Wu Kong saluted him and the others, as he scurried off in the other direction.
"Ooh! Jail break! How fantastilicious!" Shirong beams as he swiftly exits the large room quicker than even Wu Kong.
"Now, where am I gonna find that recipe...?" Bing muttered, sneakily making his way down a different route where no one was seen.
Ke-Pa waited for them all to leave, them chuckled at the loud protests of the other prisoners about how only several of them got to escape. "Settle down now, rabble. I haven't forgotten about you."
Within this, Ke-Pa waved his paw, and suddenly all of the cell doors were ripped from their hinges, landing on the ground with loud clangs sounding about the entire room, and beyond. The inhabitants all gasped min surprise at the sudden action, while the pig took delight in their shocked awe.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Run free! Does it matter how it happened? Cause as much mayhem as possible on your journey to the outside world, now you're free to continue your acts of heinousness to your heart's content! Why question such a golden opportunity hefted at your lap?! Go on, be free!"
All the prisoners didn't need to be told twice, for they all cheered as they burst out of their cells and began rushing for nay exits they could find, down to the last door/window/secret passage of the like. Ke-Pa found their squirming about quite amusing, which is why he released them all at once.
Well that, and a confirmation that more of his powers were coming back. All he had to do was destroy the Peach Tree and he'd not only regain his full power, but his true form. He might even be more powerful than ever, once he does so.
"Stop right there!"
"Hm?"
Ke-Pa turned to see that more guards finally showed up and began to fill up the impressively large prison room, until they eventually managed to surround him. He looked amused by the prospect, standing up straight and greeting them.
"Can I help you, gentlemen?"
"All of the prisoners escaped?! How did this happen?!" Every one of the guards that appeared trained their weapons on him, and it seems they prepared quite an variety of them. "Why are you the only one here?! Did you help the others escape?!"
"That's impossible! He's just one pig!"
"Precisely!" Ke-Pa clapped, playing along. "I'm just a poor, small, helpless pig, after all! So do you really need to train all these weapons only me? I find it to be a tiny bit overkill, don't you think?" He shrugged. "If I were you, I'd focus on recapturing all those dangerous criminals that somehow freed themselves, before they're let loose into the city. Wouldn't want that to happen, now would we?"
"Enough games!" One of the larger rhinoes thrusts a spear into Ke-Pa's eye, quite close to gouging it out. He looked unimpressed, and had the audacity to yawn. "You're returning to your cell, inmate. And when Chairman Qing gets word of this-"
"Ah yes! Chairman Qing! A crane that can't be bothered to take a fresh look outside and enjoy the breeze. I'm sooooo scared of someone who almost never leaves their precious chair. I mean seriously, is that why they're called chairmen? Please." Ke-Pa mockingly squirms a bit with terrified eyes. "Oh no, please don't send me to the big bad bird! Don't make him leave his big boy seat! I'll be good, I swear it!"
"That's it, you're going to-" The rhino next to him made to grab the pig's shoulder.
He was suddenly launched against a cell, greatly denting it, before sliding to the ground, covered in electric shocks. Startled, the rhino guards turned back towards the cause of such a surprise.
"Ah, I'm still a good shot. Although to be fair, he was point-blank, so maybe it doesn't count." Ke-Pa hummed as lightning trickled up and down his arm, sighing pleasantly as power surged through him.
"W-What did you just do?!" One of the guards stammered.
"Ah, that look on your faces. Seeing mortals quake in fear of what they cannot understand never ceases to amuse me. Especially once the reality sinks in for how easily the unknown can kill them. Like I did just now." Ke-Pa sighed as he lightly gazed at his paw. "A shame, really. I guess mortals are simply too fragile. It makes sense, after all, but they simply break too easily for any real enjoyment to be squeezed out of them, not that it isn't fun to try. Oogway was at least able to make me work for my conquest, but if this is the best you've got, then conquering this world is going to be embarrassingly easy."
The rhinos regained their resolve, training their weapons on him once more. "Don't move, pig! W-We won't hesitate to kill you right here!"
"You say you won't hesitate, yet you're shaking like leaves. I always wonder why mortals choose to lie like that. Then again, it may be just so they can cover up their unfortunate weakness. Oh well, it's simply in your nature, after all." Ke-Pa stretched his arms and yawned. "Anyway! Since you're all here, I might as well get to work."
"Get to work? What insanity are you babbling?" The guards were running low on patience, yet the chilling aura in the air...they couldn't bring themselves to come closer. Nor to potentially run away, which was quickly beginning to cross their minds.
"You see, I haven't practiced my powers in a long time, so I need a bit of a crash course now that I'm getting them back. Not only that, but I'm finally free from this wretched prison! I'm honestly in such a good mood right now, that I almost don't know what to do with myself!" Ke-Pa laughed, before he brought his arms together and did a mocking bow. "Thank you all."
"Huh?"
"I mean, thank you for providing me a place to rest and regain my strength! Not only that, but the time has finally come for me to gain even MORE of it back! I haven't felt this much joy in centuries, and it's going to be even more joyous once I'm at my full power and I've freed my brethren!" Ke-Pa sighed as he calmed himself down and wiped a bit of sweat from his brow. "Whew. Sometimes having a pig body makes you unnecessarily sweaty, you know?"
The guards have fully accepted the possibility that this pig was insane. Unfortunately for them, they were unprepared for what would transpire next, as Ke-Pa sighed and brought his paws together once more.
"I'm feeling excited today. Fate's finally in my corner! How can I not be happy for myself?" Ke-Pa clapped as a malefic aura began pouring into the area, and the chill everyone felt became akin to a blizzard. "To celebrate my release from prison...I'm going to kill every single person in this room."
Suddenly, primal fear began filling the souls of all that stood before him. Simply by saying what he wished to do, and what he may very well make happen.
"I mean, I was going to flat-out slaughter everyone in this entire prison, but I'm in such a good mood right now! So, I'll start out a bit smaller." Ke-Pa took a brief look across the room. "Let's see. Maces, spears, swords, arrows, yada yada yada. Ooh! Those are some sharp axes! Yes, yes, all of these weapons will do nicely."
It was then, that he slowly raised his arm up. All of a sudden, everyone's weapons were suddenly form from their grip, much to their surprise and shock. Each and every one of them gathered and circled around Ke-Pa's head, above his raised paw. Until they slowly stopped. Then they slowly adjusted themselves, until they are all aimed and trained on the guards themselves. Ke-Pa grinned.
"You won't mind if I borrow these, will you?"
He brought his arm down, and the terrified screaming began.
A serene smile spread across his face as the various noises of the guards sounded through his ears. Several maces beating down on them, via breaking their homes before bashing their heads in until audible sickening cracks were heard. Swords and spears where swiftly thrust through several throats and hearts, a couple pierced straight through their heads. Arrow heads were first pierced right through their then right in their eyes, then in-between them. And the axes started swinging, several horrific gashes began appearing on their bodies, with some of the rhinos losing their limbs and screaming from the sudden pain, before being silence by another weapon striking them down. In the rare occasion, Ke-Pa swore he saw several heads flying due the the sharpness and actions of both the swords and the axes.
It was a complete symphony of pain, terror, and death.
Reminded him of the old days. Now he was feeling nostalgic.
Ke-Pa allowed the weapons to drop to the floor, amongst the corpses that began filling the room with their blood. He lightly brushed himself off as he floated above the floor to avoid their blood getting on his feet.
"Ah yes, that was a nice little refresher. Thank you for your cooperation, gents." Ke-Pa smiles as he thrusts his paw to the side, completely busting the wall through as he began levitating his way out of it. His immediate next destination would be the dying Peach Tree.
He wondered what the ramifications of these actions would have on the populace. Having not only freed a majority of the prisoners, but killed a majority of the guards, too?
Jinzhou City was about to be drowned in chaos. Even worse than it's ever been in its history.
The thought of such an event made him smile with pride. Perfect. He considered that a rather worthy warm-up for the return of a Demon King.
"The time is coming. To show China once more, then the world at large, after they've has scattered my memory into the wind...they will remember true terror."
Heya readers! Say, whaddya get when we take a biggol Draconic Demon King from a kids show and remove a wee bit of the kiddiness?
This chapter. This chapter is what happens. Hopefully I'm doing his personality justice. I know some of you wanted to see him for a while ever since I teased him, so here he gets a short chapter mostly to himself before we focus back on our heroes.
And trust me, he's only gonna get worse. I fully intend on trying to top his malevolence from the show to fully bring out the 'Demon' in 'Demon King'.
On a little side note...
Ooh boy, Wu Kong and the others are gonna be soooo surprised when they eventually find out just who exactly they helped set loose upon the world. That's sure to be a nice and civil conversation, right? :D