Yes. I had thought long and hard about this subject, and I was confident with where I stood with it. I was on my own mission. A mission to take a life. Or whatever kind of life a demon has. Was it the right course of action? I believed so. Every part inside of me wouldn't stop boiling in anger as I reminded myself of that day. I mean, how would anyone feel knowing two innocent people were tortured and killed in an attempt to get to you? Not a great feeling is it? If anything, killing that thing was too kind! Still, I hadn't wanted anyone to learn of these thoughts. Not Shifu, the five, and most certainly not Viper! Shifu I can imagine going at me on how it's a dishonorable act or something along those lines. The five, including Po would probably have mixed emotions about the whole thing. And as for Viper, well, If she knew that I had come to do more than just see the Soothsayer then I don't know what she would do. At this point I'm not sure if I cared anymore. Especially since we're so close to reaching where I want to be. The boat is just minutes away from docking at the city's harbor. From there I just need to get to Gongmen tower and speak to the Soothsayer, and then... well that all depends I guess. I can't say that I feel nothing, all sorts of thoughts and sensations ran across my body. Worry and anger more than anything else.
I took a moment to look back at the still sleeping body of Viper. Another emotion struck me. Regret. And for good reason too. Viper usually has her way when it comes to... persuasion, but this was one of those times that I should have done more to stop her from coming with me on this trip. After all, I do love her, anyone can see that. It makes me all the more guilty that she may also become a target against me. That was something I could not bear.
I gave a worried sigh. At least there was still the chance that she wouldn't be caught up in this if I can get her to stay here in Gongmen while I plan my next move. Just this time, if push comes to shove, I'll have to use more than arguing back to keep her from following me like some lost puppy. Whatever happens after that... happens... No changing that.
Still, no point of focusing on the subject right now. We had finally reached the harbor. The yells and cries of ferrymen, fishermen and the like were surely enough to wake up even Po after falling asleep after six hours straight training, so you can take a guess on how loud and even chaotic the harbor was. And if that didn't get you, the smell of rotting fish certainly would. My theory was quickly proven right as I heard Viper moan softly inside of the boats storage area as she awoke. Next thing I knew, she was standing right next to me, looking just as determined to enter the city as I was.
"I have to admit, it's a much more beautiful sight looking at the city with your own eyes rather than on some map". I pointed out, refering to the maps of Gongmen city I studied back at the Jade Palace, just as the boat came to a stop next to a wooden dock covered with ropes and nets.
"I wish I could say the same for the smell". Viper complained as she tried to wave the fishy smell away from her nose with her tail. Something I couldn't help but smirk at.
"Yeah. If I had known it was this bad I'd have made sure to pack several out of the hundreds of bottles of perfume you keep in our room". I couldn't help but joke as she gave me an annoyed glare.
"Oh don't exagerate". She scoffed back with a slightly annoyed expression, to my own amusement.
The pair of us headed off of the boat and walked along the dock and up the stone stairs leading to the entrance of the great city itself. How to describe such a big city? It was just like any other popular city I suppose. Only this one was... more formal. Unlike most cities where the streets are packed with hundreds of thousands of people, Gongmen was nowhere near as bad. It was calm, the ground and buildings were clean and free of vandalisation and litter, and the smell of baked food was incredible. Much more so than compared to the harbor we were just at. The scent of fish was quickly replaced with the aroma of noodles, Wonton soup and all other sorts of Chinese delacacies. Just... wow! Least I know where I'll be living once I retire, right? Anyway back to buisness.
"So, Viper, any clue on where we'll find the soothsayer"?
"Mike, where do you think we'll find her"? She asked as though I knew the answer. She then passed on a look that told me that I SHOULD know.
"I don't know, I'm the one asking". I shrugged. "I always thought she lived in a hut on the outskirts of the city like a hermit or something".
...
...
...
"So...no"?
Viper slowly shook her head.
"Ah... well in that case I have no clue".
"I thought you said you studied scrolls on Gongmen city"?
"I studied the maps. Other than that I know eff all about this place".
"Well look at it this way. The soothsayer is well known to all of Gongmen city and was the advisor to the peacocks who once ruled here. Surely that must give you some sort of idea on where we need to go".
...
"She's most likely with Yinshen, one of the Gongmen council members..."? She pressed on.
"So, out in the city helping the public? Viper, it's going to take hours to search the whole of Gongmen with just the two of us so that doesn't really help us does it"?
...
"...So... it does..."?
"The palace Mike. She'll be at the palace".
..."Oh"... Was my response. "Well, that was going to be my second guess anyway"...
"Of course it was". She smirked playfully, much to my own annoyance, before heading forwards, most likely in the direction of this palace. Thanks to the large buildings that dominated the area, it was next to impossible to see any further parts of the city. However, back on the boat I do remember seeing a large tower that stood much higher than any other building. If anywhere, that was where we would find the soothsayer. According to Viper anyway...
Anyway, to make a long and uninteresting walk short, we arrived at the gates of the city. The guards let us through once we were close enough. Guess they were also breifed of our trip here just like the guards at Jinzhou were. And let me just say, inside of the gates? Holy moly this place was huge! I mean, the courtyard alone was filled with its own river, bridges and trees! It was like being welcomed to paradise it was that beautiful. All that was missing was chirping birds and before you know it, it would be like you walked onto some kind of animated disney set!
We both slithered across the stone courtyard whilst I tried not to gasp in wonder. Even so, I managed to break my gaze off of the courtyard after reaching the other side of it, in front of the large tower-type palace itself. The guards stationed on each side of the entrance opened the door for us and we walked in, only be welcomed in by a single figure. An old ibex who greeted us almost at once.
"Ah, masters Mike and Viper. Such a pleasure to meet you both". He smiled, bowing in front of us. We bowed back.
"Thank you sir". I responded. "And who do I have the pleasure of speaking with"?
"I am Kānshǒu rén (Chinese for caretaker). I am the personal caretaker of the palace".
Oh good, we found the janitor. Yippee for us.
"Nice to meet you sir. Though with respect, I had expected for someone more... important to meet us"... I spoke, feeling a little guilty for my bluntness and rudeness. However that thought passed upon hearing the guy chuckle.
"I assume you mean the council members"?
I nodded.
"Unfortunatley, masters Ox and Croc are in the city sorting out a raid of some sort if I recall correctly".
"And councilman Yinshen"?
"She's currently on her way to to an abondoned settlement which lies several miles from Gongmen".
"An abandoned settlement? Why's she going there"?
"I can't really say other than it's for a personal mission of sorts".
"Gee, the one day I come to visit and she can't even be here. What are the odds of that"? I joked. Knowing Yinshen, she had her reasons I'm sure. I guess I can always ask her when she returns. If I'm still here that is. I was planning on pressing on, eager to find out about this mission Yinshen was apparently on, but a more important matter crossed my mind. "Anyway, I better get to the point. I'm here to see"-
"The Soothsayer, I know Master Mike. She's waiting for you up there".
I looked up to see at least thirty sets of stairs leading upwards to the very top of the large building. Figures I have to be the one to go see her instead of her coming down to see me... Well, no point wasting time.
"Thank you sir". I responded before slithering over to the first set of stairs.
"Want me to come with you"? Viper asked.
"Not this time Viper, I think this is something I'd much rather do on my own".
"Oh... okay then. But, just please be careful".
"Come on Vipes, it's not like I'm going up there to cause havoc or anything. Besides, when am I not careful"?
Not the best choice of words as Viper raised an eye and looked at me with a face that clearly said "Seriously"?
"Yeah... on second thoughts don't answer that". I took another look upwards. "Well, here goes nothing"... I smiled at her before beginning my long, and might I add tiring journey up the staircase equivelent of mount Kilomanjaro. This was it. The moment I had been waiting days for had arrived. My nerves were shot in fear of what could possibly happen, what the Soothsayer had to tell me. Was it good, was it bad, would it even be of any help at all? Still, the more I stopped to think about it, the more time and tension grew. But I couldn't let that stop me, not now at least. The best I could do for now was steel myself, climb these stairs and met this Soothsayer, face to face at last.
EVENTUALLY...
I swear, this place has more steps than the bloody Jade Palace itself!
I finally made it to the very top of the building. Upon climbing the last of the stairs I found myself in a large circular room which sported a large throne in the middle. The doors leading to the outside were closed, making the room look darker than it should have been. It was almost like walking into a trap. Even so, I continued to move forwards until I was right in front of the throne itself. It seemed that I was the only one here. At least that's the feeling I recieved for a few more seconds until...
"I see you have arrived safe and sound". Came a voice from behind.
I turned my head round. It was her! The elderly goat herself.! She looked the exact same compared to the visual I had first seen of her, down to the clothes and walking stick she carried. Heck, she even had the beard to match. She gave a sweet smile as she begun walking over to me.
"With the council unable to bid you a warm welcome, I suppose it is only fitting that I should do so, hm"? She chuckled. "Unfortunate is your timing, otherwise you may have had the chance to greet your panther friend before she embarked on her own quest".
"Well, I never had good timing anyway I guess". I answered back with an awkward laugh, not too sure what else to say. "I hear she's on an important mission of some kind. Knowing her, it'll be a piece of cake".
I got no response as the Soothsayer as I watched her stop in front of me. She just looked right at me whilst I stood there in silence, unsure whether to speak up. After a few seconds, she broke the silence with a sigh.
"I know what it is you seek python, but I'm afraid I am of little use to you".
What? Wait, was she trying to tell me I had come all this way for nothing? That couldn't have been it, surely!
"That can't be right. I- I thought you could predict the future, tell me what I need to do next"? I asked, trying not to get angry. And how couldn't I? Despite already predicting this possibility, it wasn't enough to get myself to believe it. But there was more that had to be said.
"The future can't always be predicted python. It is your choice alone that can alter it, which is as much power as one needs to predict the outcome".
"And what exactly are my choices"?
The Soothsayer didn't speak. Not yet anyway. First she made her way over to a cotton mat in between two pillars near the throne. I followed, unsure what she was up to until I saw her throwing a powder of some sort into a small clay bowl in front of her. This must have been her performing her, well, magic I suppose would be the best word to describe it. I watched in silence as she did what she did best. In seconds, I slithered back in shock as I saw two grey balls of smoke emerge from the bowl, growing until they were a foot in diameter each. They floated above my head before the one on the right turned black while the other one, white. I looked back to the Soothsayer.
"What are these"? I asked, pointing to the balls now floating at my sides. The Soothsayer looked at me with a serious look.
"Your choices".
She then gestured for me to look to my left, towards the white ball. I did what she wanted and turned my head towards the smoke. To my surprise, it morphed into a white sillouette of a snake. It seemed to glow with warmth. As though heat was generating from its core. I didn't question it, but instead continued to stare at it.
"A choice of light and dark stand before you". The Soothsayer spoke as my eyes remained glued to the smoky figure before me as it started acting out, as though being narrated by the Soothsayer herself. "If you take the light , a long and rocky road you will travel down. Pain and anger will cross your path many times on this road. But through all this, you will prevail. And with it, you will find what all beings seek within the struggle of life".
"And what would that be"? I asked almost at once after hearing her short speech. However my question went unanswered as she gestured to the black ball. Clearly I wasn't going to get an answer until after the magic show, so I obeyed and looked right. The ball transformed yet again into a snake. Yet this one, it felt... cold. Like every positive emotion had been drained out of the lifeless figure. I didn't have high feelings on what I was going to be told next.
"On the dark path, the same road you will endure. But on this, you will allow yourself to be consumed by your anger". The soothersayer spoke an a slightly darker voice as the black snake slithered in front of me and grew before continuing its path, slithering left and at once, absorbed the white snake until no trace remained of it. Once it did, the black snake morphed into a face with a crooked smile. One that made me look away back at the Soothsayer. "Should you take this path, you will lose everything you hold dear".
I said nothing for a moment. I just allowed what I had heard to sink in. After it had, I said something even I didn't expect to say.
"Would the dark path be nessercary? Because from where I'm standing Soothsayer, I think I'm beginning to understand where you're leading me with this". Indeed I did. Without me even telling her she knew my emotions towards the Mèngyǎn. She knew I was planning on finding a way to kill it, stop it from tormenting me and anybody else it chose to target. Unfortunatley the only problem was that even though the Soothsayer knew, it didn't mean to say she understood.
She nodded. "Your frustration towards the demon is understandable Python. But by killing the monster you seek, you risk to take its place".
"... Yes, I'll admit it. I do plan to kill that... thing! But considering that it has taken lives itself, it needs to be stopped, one way or another"! I almost snarled as she continued to question and judge my decision.
"And it is worth losing everything that you hold dear"? She asked calmly.
"Yes! I don't expect to come from this unscathed Soothsayer, I'm prepared to lose many things"!
"But are you prepared to lose yourself"?
I was about to respond with anger. However, I found that I couldn't. As much as I didn't want to admit it, she... actually had a point there. What's more surprising that it got me more than everything else. However, the hits kept on coming.
"The choices one makes alone affects those around him the greatest Python. Can you walk away from this knowing how much this would hurt her"?
...
...
"I don't expect to come out of this unscather Soothsayer"... I repeated loud enough for her to hear, lowering my head whilst a sadden expression covered my face. "I'm prepared to lose many things. ... Many things"...
Odd. The more prepared I feel, the more I feel like my world is about to come crashing down. But this was something that I felt so strongly on, making it near impossible to see past my own ideas and goals. I turned back round to her.
"Dark path or not, I know what my choice is on this is Soothsayer. So please, answer me this. Do you plan on stopping me? Prevent me from doing the right thing and risk more people dying"?
"It doesn't matter whether I do or not Python. Only one person can change their own fates. Themselves. All I can do now is wish you luck, and hope that in time, the correct choice becomes clear to you, before it is too late".
"I... understand. Thank you for your time Soothsayer".
I begun to head back towards the stairs, until...
"Oh, and python? If you would allow it, can you send Viper up? There is much I need to discuss with her".
I glared at her as she smiled softly. Surely she wasn't stupid enough to-
"Worry not. What has just been discussed is between ourselves".
I nodded. "See that it is. For your sake".
I didn't even realise what I had just said until too late. I traveled down the stairs, away from the top floor, away from the Soothsayer, focused on getting back down, sending Viper up, have her come back down and leave! This was just great, fan-fecking-tastic! What a huge waste of time that was! Now we've no destination on where we're supposed to go, what to do or anything! Bright side, dark side, what a bunch of baloney! So what, do we go back home now?! Just wait for our charming demon friend to show up whenever she wants?! No! There has to be more to it than that, there has to!
Clearly, I wasn't in the best of moods anymore. I continued to mentally argue with myself, choosing to ignore the Soothsayers warnings, passing them off as superstition. After all, how helpful had superstition been to humans in the past?People once used to believe that when they recieved headaches that their minds had been infected by demons, and that the only way to cure it was to literally drill a hole into the skull to release the demons. I don't think I need to explain how many people survived such an extreme operation. Therefore, despite some flashing lights and special effects, I doubt that the Soothsayer was of any actual help at all. Nothing could be salvaged from her so called words of wisdom. It was difficult to hide the anger and malice portrayed on my face as I found Viper staring directly at me with worry. She slithered right on over the moment my scales touched the floor.
"Mike, is everything okay? What happened"? She asked at once, not even giving me time to breathe. Once I made time, I responded flatly.
"I just didn't get the answer I expected is all Viper, no need to worry".
Of course, I had to be extremely lucky to think such a blank and empty sentence would be enough to steer her off course.
"Mike, please. Tell me. I think considering that I followed you here, I have as much a right to know as you do, don't you think"?
"... She's asked to speak with you as well Viper. It'd be rude to keep her waiting".
That bought me a little time at least to think up my next move. Though I knew I was only delaying the inevitable. And just like all the other times before this one, Viper would bust this mystery wide open and voice her opinion, most likely against me. I looked to see her slither past me with her annoyed expression.I had been recieving it a few times on this trip but considering how serious it was this time, things were going to be different. I knew it and she knew it. And before she began her journey up the stairs, she made it so I wouldn't forget so soon about it.
"Once I return, you and I are going to have a talk about this".
That was all she said before heading up the staircase. Now all I could do was just wait while my frustration builds up. By all means Viper, take as long as you need to. I'm not going anywhere...
Viper POV...
I could tell the second Mike came down those stairs that the Soothsayer had told him something he didn't want to hear. How many times I confronted him on these issues, I worried on what it may be leading him to. The past few days, it was easy to see how determined he had been to come here. Now that I have seen the result of the Soothsayers words against him, I feared that anything I could say to try and cheer him up would be as effective as getting Po to clean the Jade Palce top to bottom. All and all, I pushed my worries for Mike out of my head as I made it to the top of the palace. It certainly brought back a lot of memories, only this time I was thankful that I wouldn't have to try to escape this place as it came down on top of me. I found the Soothsayer at once and a smile reached my face. Even with Mikes negative attitude I wouldn't allow it to effect my own, at least not while next to the Soothsayer. I slithered on over until I was but a foot away. I allowed her to speak first as she looked up to me with her own smile.
"I see that the python did what I asked of him". She spoke before getting up and adopted a more serious face. "At least he is able to keep his word. Despite being unable to keep his head".
"A pleasure to meet you Soothsayer". I spoke, choosing to ignore what I had just heard. "I apologise for being blunt on this but, may you please explain what it is that has Mike so upset"?
The Soothsayer looked down. A hint of regret could be seen on her face.
"His mind is clouded with thoughts of his own ideas. To say more however I fear I would only be breaking both his promise and trust".
"Oh. I see". I responded, a little down with that being the only answer I would get on the subject. Seems I really would need to speak to Mike about it. "So, if you aren't here to speak to me about that, then what for"?
The Soothsayer looked back up at me. Her face became stern as she just stared for a good few seconds, directly into my eyes, as though looking into my very head itself.
"Tell me my dear, have you lately felt as though you've been hearing thoughts other than your own lately..."?
...
Here it is, the next chapter. It was had trying to capture the Soothsayers character but hopefully I've got it more or less. And it seems she's not done yet ^^ Hopefully this chapter is long enough. 4000 words this time round so at least double from what I've been normally writing, so with luck I may be able to keep them this length for the future :) Cheerio!