(Warning. This chapter will be a little gory)
I continued to follow the trail until I reached the training room courtyard. The rain was starting up as a few drops begun to dampen the dust and sand around me. I reconsidered my last thoughts on going back to the barracks and warn the others of what I had come across so far. It would have been the more sensible thing to do as I'm sure everyone would admit, but I couldn't. I felt worried to say the least. I mean who wouldn't after hearing a scream before following a trail of blood on a suddenly rainy night. The whole thing had horror movie written all over it. However I still had a duty as a kung fu master to protect those from harm, and I had wasted more than enough time already. Any longer and the owner of all this blood will likely end up unconcious from losing it if they haven't already.
..."Dammit". I cursed in my head before slithering forwards past the courtyard and into the training hall. From there... well most of what was in front of me was consumed in darkness. Almost the entire training hall had an eerie feel to it. The rings and spiked clubs swung slightly due to the wind I had just let in. But that wasn't what made my blood run colder than normal.
From behind the Jade tortoise I heard someone moaning and sobbing weakly, as well as the sound of something metal scrapping against something. Taking caution I remained on the catwalk and slithered round the right side. I could see the area behind the Jade tortoise come more into view until... oh my God...
I could barely keep the remains of my dinner inside of me as I saw what the trail of blood had led to. Right behind it was the goat as well as Jerry. But instead of them just sitting down just sheltering from the storm, the goat was leaning over Jerry with a knife fully soaked in blood and... and... just, Jesus! It looked like a surgery gone wrong! From what I could see the poor rabbits chest had been sliced open! From his neck all the way down to his stomach where both sides had been pulled open exposing everything inside! Good God, I could see the guys ribs and everything! It didn't end there either! all four of the rabbits limbs stuck out at weird angles as well as the hands and feet being held down with a nail through each of them!
"There there". I heard the goat speak up, snapping my eyes away from the body. His eyes carried the look of a psychopath! The bastard! "You need only wait a little while longer. Only when he finally shows up will you be allowed to die".
"You're not killing anybody"! I hissed angrily, finally finding my voice as I jumped down from the catwalk and charged right at the heartless maniac! I was fast enough to jump and flick the knife out of his hooves with my tail before landing in a defensive position between him and Jerry. "You sick monster"! I snarled, wanting nothing more than to tear his head off. "Why would you do something like this"?!
Much to my confusion and building anger, the goat laughed. Like full on crazed laughter! He was quick to settle down.
"Just deliver the message". He giggled to himself. "Deliver the message deliver the message DELIVER THE MESSAGE"! He started yelling. The guy had clearly gone insane!
"That is all my master told of me to do! Just deliver the message. deliver deliver deliver"...
"Master? Who's your master"? I questioned, not allowing my stance to lower.
"Then she promised she'd end them for me". He continued, ignoring my question. "The nightmares, the never ending nightmares"!
I was beginning to feel more and more uneasy with every passing second he talked like this. He shook and twitched violently every time he mentioned the word nightmare. It didn't take long to click who he was talking about. Unfortunatley.
"TWO DAYS"! He burst out. "Two days since she came to me and already it's too much"...
Oh good God please let Po and the Five be heading to the training hall right now. I felt very uncomfortable right now as he continued to ramble on.
"Of course my associate here was not so easily convinced... he began to refuse. So I broke his legs so he couldn't run. Then his arms when he tried to crawl away... hehe, silly rabbit".
Oh God... That explains why Jerry's limbs are sticking out like that!
"And... exactly what is this... message"? I had to ask, even though I knew I would regret whatever would come next.
At my words he became rather... still I guess is the best word to describe it. His eye connected with mine, Oh how I wished I could look away as he did, but I couldn't. Then, he revealed the message that I had waited all day to hear.
"Was it worth it now"?
What? Worth it? Was what worth it, what did he mean?!
"The bond of friendship between yourself and... him".
He raised his hoof and pointed it at me. Or to be more precise behind me. I turned, realizing that he was pointing at Jerry! My mood changed from angry to sympathetic. God, I wanted to help him, but if I so much as touched him it would do nothing more than cause him serious pain. I don't know how the hell he's even still alive for Christ's sake!
I ripped my gaze from the poor guy and back to the goat.
"What has that got to do with anything"?
"Master has told me of how you surround yourself with those you call friends". He smiled widely once again. "A mistake you keep causing again and again. Can you not say that you now feel broken from within seeing him suffer so much? Not that you'd have cared if you hadn't known him to begin with. That's why master will ask".
"Ask what"?
"Ask one more time for you to see the light and stand by her. Prevent you from feeling such frail emotions you are experiencing even now. Be free from the burden of life as well as the freedom to do what you wish".
I hissed angrily. "You can tell your damned master that she can take her offer and shove it up her"-!
"Oh no, not yet".
"...Excuse me"?!
"She'll be expecting your answer when you both meet again".
"Oh, and when will THAT be"? I all but spat out as though something was stuck in my throat.
"In time. Until then eheh... perhaps you should think about what could have been prevented tonight had you submitted".
That was the last response I recieved. The goat turned round and dislodged the knife from the wooden frame of the catwalk where it had embedded itself when I whacked it out of his hoof. I assumed he was going for Jerry again and kept my stance, ready to knock the damn goat out if I have to. However it didn't come to that as the goat stared at the knife a while longer before bringing it up to... his...
"WAIT, DON'T"! I yelled, dropping my stance and charged at him as quick as I could!
I was too late as the blade sliced across his throat. From there, all I could do was just watch as he fell backwards and choked on his blood...
The last hour became a blur. Not long after... THAT had happened, Po, Shifu and the Five had found me in the same spot looking over Jerry. They all had a different reaction once I had explained what had happened. I don't think I need to explain their reactions since they all were the same, which were shocked, horrified and so forth. Still, I kept my gaze on Jerry a while longer. Or... what remained of him... I don't I need to tell you that his injuries where too great to recover from. Needless to say that I was shaken up by the whole experience. I could nearly hear the beating of my own heart as I just stood there motionless, as though I had become a statue. It took a while for me to hear Crane asking me something.
"Pardon, what was that Crane"? I asked.
"I asked if you're okay"? He repeated with concern.
I took a look at the carnage surrounding me.
"... No Crane, I am not okay"...
Having enough, I slithered out of the room. Thankfully no one stopped me, otherwise... I don't know what I would have done.
I slithered silently back to the barracks, into my room. My mind was nothing but a blur as I just... sat there in silence. Still, it didn't stop something from just... snapping inside of me and... just losing it.
"GODDAMNIT"! I yelled out and threw my now curled up tail straight into the cupboard with enough strength to break it! It didn't stop there as I pulled my tail out and repeated the same process again and again until my tail became sore! It didn't matter to me anymore as I gave it one last hit as hard as I could! The whole damn cuboard slammed onto the ground with a huge bang!
I was panting heavily with nothing but pure malice running through my blood! I had been angry before yeah, but I've never expressed it through violent means. I just... just... SHIT!
I was about ready to go round two on the wooden box until I heard the door open behind me. I turned to see Viper herself. She looked upset... I guess it's not hard to see why since half the room's a complete mess made up of wooden pieces and the like. Oh, and the two dead people lying in the training hall probably had an effect on her as well. Kung fu master or not I'd imagine it's hard to swallow... that! Especially since they turned out to be ways for the damn demon to hurt me. And she succeeded...
In a second, I unexpectedly found myself quickly pulled into a hug by said snake.
"Mike... whatever's going through your head right now, it's not your fault what happened"...
I wanted so badly to just rip myself from her grip. Just... scream to her, at the world that she was wrong. But she was right. They were dead BECAUSE of me, that I couldn't deny no matter how hard I wanted to believe the opposite, but it wasn't my fault... ... I suppose not... Doesn't stop me from feeling like shit though.
"I know"...
A moment of silence passed between the two of us. The longer she hugged me the easier I felt. At least only a little bit.
"You realise she's behind this, right"?
"Who"?
"The Mèngyǎn".
"Why do you think that"?
"I heard the goat telling me that he had been having endless nightmares for two days. Not very long after we expelled her from my head. She must have instantly planned to torture the two into submission and... well, I don't think I even need to continue".
I'm not all too certain about poor Jerry though... Not like I got much of a chance to ask.
"...I thought those two said they were from Beijing? That's a long way to travel in just a day".
"Yeah. They must have lied about it"...
"And the fact that they were fine earlier on"?
"... I don't know. I guess I can always ask the Mèngyǎn herself. Once I..."...
"Once you what"?
"...Nothing. Just... nothing".
I guess there's only one more thing for me to do now...
I broke the hug and started slithering out of the room. I'd make a note to clean up the mess I made later. Right now there was something else on my mind.
"Where are you going"? I heard Viper ask quickly.
"The scroll room. There's something I want to check".
Viper didn't reply. That was just as well too. I slithered out of the room at a calm pace. Inside of me however, I could barely control myself. My teeth nearly grinded and I was determined to go on another mini rampage! Two people dead because of me! Two too many! I had made up my mind now! I was definetley on my way to see the Soothsayer now! But for more than just a friendly hello! Once I find her, I'll learn what it is I have to meet her for, then get her to tell me where the Mèngyǎn is, and once I find out I'll track her down, and kill her!
Present...
Guess sleeping on a boat isn't any easier than on the barracks beds back at the Jade palace. It's been half an hour, least it feels like half an hour, yet I'm still awake. Viper on the other hand was sleeping like a baby. I took a peek next to me to see her coiled up with eyes closed. Cute. I slithered out from the storage area and into the open on the front deck.
Least the sky looked beautiful enough. Cloudless with several dozen stars shining. Doesn't get more relaxing than this. What made it all the more dashing was Gongmen city in the distance, not so far away.
Unknown to myself at the time, a dark smile crawled onto my face.
"Well, look's like we're about to find out if this trip was worth it or not"...
The only thing that ran through my head now was knowing that the Mèngyǎn's days were now numbered.
...
Well this was an unusually dark chapter eh? I'd explain why I've written it but I've already given you the answer. If you still don't get it, check my notes on the last chapter ;)
Besides, let's admit it. Ever since the start of the third act, my story telling has gone a little... stale. Hopefully I can pull it back together and make it more interesting by making it more intense, but that's for you guys to decide, I mean you are the ones reading this. It's only fair that I try to make the story as entertaining as I can. Anyway, I've got to go and start brainstorming for the next chapter. Cheerio!