"Mike? Are you ready"?
I snapped out of my thoughts to see Viper speaking to me at the kitchen entrance, carrying with her some throwing stars- correction, MY throwing stars. I pushed all other thoughts to the side of my head and chuckled. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me? I didn't question it. Probably some sort of side effect from lack of sleep. Wouldn't have been the first time. Still, wouldn't hurt to remain alert, just in case. But for now, I slithered over to Vipers side before the pair of us left for the training hall. After I had finished cleaning the large pot of course.
"Care to explain why you're carrying my weapons"? I asked kindly, curious as to why she decided to bring those old things along.
"Relationship or not, I still prefer to help teach you one or two useful tricks you've still to learn. Besides, when was the last time you used these"?
She held the shirukiens up to me, allowing me to see them clearly. They did, at the least, seem a little dull.
"... Sometime in the past"... I muttered quietly, but not quiet enough for Viper to hear, causing her to smile at my misfortune.
"Exactly. One thing you've yet to learn is that a weapon can become another extension to your body. You don't mind do you"?
Even if I wanted to, I just couldn't have said "Yes, I do mind". Though maybe because I knew that I'd get into serious trouble if I dared object. Instead, I gave a smile and shook my head, giving her the answer she wanted. She smiled back. Neither of us said a word to each other until we reached the training hall.
From there, with Shifu's permission, Viper watched me like a hawk as she supervised my skills with the throwing stars. I tried to concentrate as hard as I could at the wooden dummies I was aiming at. Partly because I needed to take this form of training seriously, but the main reason was because I... may have been a bit afraid of the fact that Tigress was glaring at me once or twice. I assume the reason for that is because the first time she showed me how to use these things, she made it clear that I had to stick with it in order to progress. Last time I used the throwing stars was... say... two months ago... so I imagine she'll have a lot to say to me after this session. Or, if I'm really unlucky, she'll bring me over for some sparring and will most likely end up kicking the shit out of me, as she always does whenever we spar. Either way did not seem all that fun.
Twenty minutes of practicing over and over and over again, I finally got some respite, and took a small break. Throwing things may not be enough to tire you out, but it can get incredibly frustrating when you practice so many times, and upon that, hitting my target with as few as five percent of my total throws. And I'm not talking about good hits either. The only one lucky hit I achieved was when I hit the wooden dummy in its chest. The only thing that that managed to bring me out of my frustration was when Zeng the messenger burst through the doors, searching frantically for master Shifu.
All eyes turned to the two as Zeng passed a scroll over to Master Shifu. The red panda read it carefully and then, to my displeasure, sighed heavily. To make matters worse, he turned to me and signaled for me to jump onto the catwalk and slither over to his position. I did so at once as his stern gaze never left.
"Python. I believe you should take a look at this". Shifu spoke as he presented me with the scroll. I took it at once and begun to read it.
To the master of the Jade Palace
As the third member of Gongmen city, I feel that it is only fair to warn you that I, along with Superintendent Wu, will be visiting the Jade Palace to inspect its performance as well as checking on your newest member, the Valley of Peace Guardian. During our arrival, Superintendent Wu has ordered, on more occasions than one, that we are to be welcomed at the front entrance of the Jade palace on the 25th of this month. We trust you will not let us down.
As for the Valley of Peace Guardian, he is expected to show and perform what he has learned over the last six months. For this performance, he will need to demonstrate his skills within your training halls and also show respect at all times in order to test his discipline. Failure to pass these tests will result in serious consideration on whether he is fit or unfit to continue training at the Jade Palace.
By the time you recieve this scroll, we will most likely be over the halfway point of our journey. I suggest that preparations are set up as soon as possible.
On a personal note, I have one thing to say to the Valley of Peace guardian. Said note will be listed below.
Mike, make sure not to screw this up otherwise you'll most likely never be able to train Kung Fu ever again. No pressure.
From the Third Council member of Gongmen City
Yinshen.
... Well shit.
I handed the scroll back over to Shifu.
"I trust you understand how important this is, for all of us python"? Shifu asked. I drew my attention from the scroll and bowed.
"Yes, of course Master".
"Then I suggest you prepare at once". Shifu turned to Po and the five below. "Master Viper, you are to assist Master Mike with his training. Do what you deem necessary to make sure he is capable of a performance suitable for Superintendent Wu's arrival"!
Upon hearing the name, I heard a series of groans.
"Tell me he doesn't mean THE Superintendent Wu". Mantis snapped to Monkey.
"SILENCE"! Shifu spoke up, gaining our attentions again. "The rest of you, I expect the palace to be swept from top to bottom by the time our guests arrive"!
We all bowed and respected our masters wishes before everyone departed to do their given jobs. Only myself and Viper stayed. I jumped back into the pit and collected the stars from the wooden dummy. I doubted I would be receiving any breaks until after the 25th... which happened to be tomorrow... talk about a late reminder. I turned to Viper.
"So... I take it we're cutting my break short"?
"Looks that way I'm afraid". She smiled sheepishly.
No surprise there. Still, there was one good thing about that scroll. The fact that Yinshen was visiting. It'll be nice to see how she's doing since the last time we saw each other, providing I get the chance to ask her. But my main worry was on this Wu guy. I've heard only a little about him. He has a daughter and is extremely important. But that's as far as my knowledge goes. Everyone seemed rather down when Shifu mentioned him. Don't know why but I'm sure I'll find out.
So hour after hour, I had to train my hardest until Viper AND Shifu saw my performance as excellent. I had to go through every inch of the training hall, learn on how I needed to treat and respect the Superintendent, upon reviewing a few scrolls on that knowledge so that I understood clearly everything to the letter. Even the slightest mistake could ruin and destroy my career here, so I couldn't afford to make any mistakes. The only times I WAS able to rest was during dinner, then straight back out to work on stances and a walk through of what I need to perform and when to do it, then, I could finally crawl into bed at midnight an get some sleep. By the time I had finished, I doubted that the was a single art of my body that didn't ache after being pushed to the limit. But at the least, it was sufficient to say I had a good nights rest this time round. Just as well too. Falling asleep halfway through Wu's stay wouldn't have gotten me any favors that's for sure. Even when morning approached, I was dragged out of bed to fit in one more hour, make sure I didn't forget anything. I passed Shifus inspection and was allowed to join my friends for a quick breakfast. I had only one thing on my mind.
"This Wu guy certainly better be worth the bloody trouble"...
No doubt I was failing to hide the scowl on my face.
Finally, at noon, I, Po, and the five just stood awaiting Yinshen and Wus presence in front of the Jade palace, our backs to the large wooden doors. I, being the main reason of this visit, had to stand at Shifus side, just before everyone else. The fact that it was cold did not help at all. We had to wait for ten minutes until there was some sort of recognition of either the Gongmen council member or the Superintendent. Then, at last, I could make out at least six dots travelling up the stairs.
Looks like this is it.
...
The original idea for this chapter was to introduce the demon, as mentioned in the last chapter, but I figured that it was way too early to introduce the villain prematurely and would have seemed pointless so I decided to replace it with this instead, so for now, the demon is kept a mystery. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it ^^ Also, Yinshen returns!
Cheerio!