Freeman's Odyssey
Chapter: 12
The Not-so Midnight Stranger
It is midday as Gordon Freeman wandered closer and closer to some sort of village for he is wearing a clock to cover his hazmat suit he has on. He figured that the locals would fear him as it would appear so far that he is in another dimension full of talking animals and in ancient China too. Gordon felt like he was stepping back in time and he spent a few days trying to find out if there was any Combine activity at all.
However there was none!
Gordon got a glimpse of some sort of large palace off in the distance to the village itself. It doesn't look like the Forbidden City that once houses the Emperor of China back in his own dimension. The one-Free-man kept on walking and walking as he got closer to the village until something caught his attention in which it involves to warthogs and a machine of an oddly design. The machine doesn't look like a Combine design but some sort of ancient mechanical armor of some sort. In a form of a wart hog animal!
"Behold my son," said Taotie "My mechanized armor of terror, will finally destroy kung-fu once and for all."
"Lame dad," said Bian "Very lame."
"Bah," said Taotie "My genius is unparallel, I will create weapons of war for him once he finds out that I destroyed the Furious Five and Kung-fu, I will start with this town."
"Dad he told you before," said Bian "He wasn't interested in weak minded machines."
"Nonsense once-"said Taotie as he turned his attention to the stranger looking at them "And who might you be."
"He looks like the midnight stranger dad," said Bian "But he looks pretty weird."
"Well then I heard the midnight stranger is a kung-fu master," said Taotie "He will be the first to fall."
"I don't know who that is," said Gordon "But your machine looks kind of lame."
"Lame, lame…." growled Taotie as he got in the machine and it started up fair quickly "The sheer power of this machine is-"
Gordon just sighed, brought forth is gravity gun and fired at the machine as the energy surrounding the machine hovers in the air with a simply flip of a switch and then Gordon flipped the trigger in sending the machine with the two wart hogs in the opposite direction far away off in the distance. Wordlessly the One-free man kept on moving towards the large village.
That was twenty minutes ago!
Twenty minutes later Gordon Freeman found himself in a noodle shop owned by an enthusiastic Goose whom seemed to love noodles. Gordon ordered some and paid with a piece of gold. When he first entered this village he got strange looks from the locals he put it off as in being a stranger in town and there were whispers of him being the mid-night stranger, however it is only midday, other whispers as well about someone called the Dragon Warrior
He ate peacefully in what had seemed to be a decade. He hasn't eaten Chinese food since his college years when he was studying several courses. Overall great noodles. Then suddenly a noise is heard in the background.
CRASH!
Gordon finished his noodles and headed out of the noodle shop. He looked around as he spotted what all the commotion was about it would seem some thugs that looked like white panthers are making a mess of things. The animal-people are running in fear as Gordon stepped in front of the thugs that looked like rams.
"Leave these ummm…..people alone," said Gordon
"Who are you?" asked one of them
"Is that the midnight stranger people are talking about," said another one.
"No way he looks like a freak," said another one "Let's get him anyway…..the boss is trying to please him in becoming one of the Ferocious five"
The white panthers charged all at once in different directions using acrobatic skills like none Gordon has ever seen. He stood there calmly for a moment.
"Shields," muttered Gordon
His suits shields went up. At the same time Tigress appeared on the scene as she was nearby and heard all of the commotion. She stood there looking at what had transpired as the white panthers were charging at the cloaked stranger and then suddenly they were knocked backwards in all directions by some invisible force. Perhaps kung-fu and most of the white panthers were knocked into several hard objects and knocked out cold.
Someone had yelled midnight stranger as Tigress wondered if this stranger is the real deal and so far not bad as she is smitten by what this person is doing. Gordon took out his trusty crowbar and whacked a white panther upside the head, then kicking him to the side and another once lunged at him as Gordon punched him square in the face as the white panther is thrown into the wall in a hard crash.
"Let's get out of here," said one of them "This stranger is a freak."
They all dash off in a hurry leaving the people watching cheering as well. Gordon just shrugged it off as he walked towards the tallest person around a tiger that is actually standing. By the looks of it she is smitten for some reason and also by her blush as well.
"Something can I help you with." said Gordon
"I…uh, good job in getting rid of them." said Tigress with a smile "You…must be the midnight stranger, you're kind of cute,"
"No, I am a stranger passing through." said Gordon "Tell me have you seen anything out of the ordinary, anything odd."
"Just you," smiled Tigress "How did you do that Kung-fu move"
"Perhaps it is best to answer questions later," said Gordon "Tell what is that palace."
"That is the Jade Palace where Master Shifu is and is where I and the furious five train at." said Tigress "Along with that idiot dragon warrior. If you like I will escort you there."
"Then lead the way pretty kitty," said Gordon
He's cute thought Tigress as the both of them move on ward from the village to the steps leading up to the Jade Palace. It is a long trek up stairs as Gordon did not mind as he is used to long walks and trekking up places that were destroyed or naturally made. Gordon caught Tigress looking at him at times despite him wearing a cloak of some sort. What seemed like an hour or so gone by as the both of them finally arrived at the Jade Palace as noises are going on behind the walls. There are two large doors wooden of course as Tigress glanced back him.
"Welcome to the Jade Palace." said Tigress
To be continued:
Chapter: 13
Welcome to the Jade Palace