Chapter II: The Phantom Ship
After ascending the rusted anchor chain, Shang grabbed a ledge and pulled herself upward unto the main deck. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before on a ship. Ripped tarp hanging from the mast, standing torches well-lit across the ship, crates and barrels scattered about; all the signs of a dead ship. Shang walked along the wooden floor searching her newfound area. A door was spotted in her vision from where she stood. It most likely led to the lower cabin. Above the door, looked like a leveled platform with no way up to it.
Shang inched towards the door, afraid that something else was on board... hiding. Her hand reached for the knob, when suddenly there was a loud splashing noise; like a geyser sound. Shang ignored it for a second as she turned the knob. Locked... damn it!
A weird grunting noise could be heard from behind her. Shang quickly spun a one-eighty just in time to see... oh my god. Standing before her was an amphibian human-like creature. It was little bit taller than her with webbed hands and feet. Slime oozed from its pores down its blue-scaled body. In the blink of an eye, something impaled the wood next to her. A spear jabbed into the wall and Shang now knew what it wanted. Its snake eyes followed Shang as she zoomed past him. The creature pulled the weapon out of the wall and hollered once more. Shang played with the handles of her chakrams as the creature began its advancement. Fight was in the air and she could feel it. The lizard-man broke into a run and withdrew his spear for a thrust attack. Shang hastily unsheathed both of her weapons and took position. Within a matter of seconds, the thrust attack had been released. The spear shot through the air in a rapid motion; luckily she'd been trained to be evasive. She dodged its attack and then slashed the spear in half with her left chakram, leaving the creature defenseless. It faltered for a second before recovering from its confusion. Then Shang slashed her right chakram in a horizontal motion towards its neck and decapitated it. The headless body stumbled forward before collapsing onto the floor, lifeless. It was a sweet victory.
Another noise was heard. Next to her feet, a piece of metal had fallen off the corpse. A key! This might unlock that door. Hopefully...
Without further ado, Shang shoved the key into the keyhole and turned it. At that moment, Shang fully understood the horror concept. The opening creak was definitely a sign of another attack. Without hesitation, she forced the door opened, with the rings in hand and discovered nothing. No surprise, no attack, just a simple hallway. Something else was on the other side of the room, though. What is that? Shang Xiang studied it momentarily before slapping her forehead with stupidity. "An elevator, duh!" she said aloud. She stood upon it, surprised that it supported her body weight and remembering her troublesome curiosity, she pushed the button on the wall next to her. She began to descend into the unknown.
Shang was now even more surprised to find another hallway after landing on the lower level. Considering her location, she thought that she might be in the middle of the ship, like where the cabins were, but to no avail… Shang faced a solid wooden door that was unlocked. Unsure of the current situation, she opened the door anyway. The young warrior felt a sudden vibe. This room was where the base of the mast was. More wooden objects, such as crates, surrounded the area. Her eye caught sight of a familiar figure. Except now, there were three of them. Three scale-bodied creatures with spears, wandered the room as if they were awaiting Shang Xiang's arrival. Once again fight was in the air, although Shang was at a disadvantage. Three on one. Not fair! She knew this fight would end rather quickly… with her. So, during her thinking time, her eyes wandered about searching for a solution. Yeah, right there! A pile of crates stacked upon one another leading up to another level of a walkway. Shang immediately ran for it. The lizard men caught sight of her and shrieked. Startled by the noise, Shang turned her attention towards her pursuers. Oh shit! Run! Run, run, run! Her heart beat faster than that of a war drum as she made her way across the room. Without notice, a spear shot through the air, missing Shang's head by inches and impaling the wooden floor ahead of her. Bad accuracy! That's good… Then something happened. At that moment, Shang felt the palm of her left hand being ripped apart by pressure, gravity and pain. Another spear-head had pierced her left hand. If she ever was a true Tiger, like her dad always said, she'd endure the pain.
After another unnecessary thought, she winced as she pulled out the spear-head and threw it back at the creatures. Blood gushed from the wound, but Shang would treat it once she was out of harm's way. The closest lizard-man gracelessly tripped over the spear and immediately the others followed his actions. Thank god. Shang pressured her hand as she ascended to the walkway.
After losing their prey, the lizard men ran about the room, confused. Shang was free, but paid the price. Her hand continued to drip with blood as her other hand pressed against it. She reached into her lower pocket and pulled out some gauze and wrapped it around the wound. After securing the knot, Shang glanced towards an open door that led to the outside of the ship. Without hesitation, she ran towards the door and suddenly felt a cool air breeze rush against her sweaty face. She stepped outside to see that she was at her destination. The Island.