The battle was brutal though as they are used to, the nobody from the Jade-Palace ever hurt anyone so too badly. Just enough they weren't able to fight any more for the time.
But Shiren was more brutal than he used to be. Even when one of his foes was already on the ground and helpless, he sometimes didn't hesitated to give them one more heavy punch in their faces.
The rain grew heavier and heavier with every moment passed, the forest went darker and darker the more the clouds blocked the sunshine more and more.
The storm firstly started with a few drops which turned into multiple, faster quicker ones. The wind blew more fiercer and fiercer from a soft breeze to to a heavy downpour. The thunder still lightened the place from the distance from time to time.
The ground very quickly grew wet and hard to fight on from grass to little sludge.
Viper mostly didn't care that much, she wasn't hyper effected from it since she was not even able to stumble at all, Crane flew most of the time. The wind and rain made it harder for him to navigate properly but he was used flying in centre of tornados.
Tigress ignored the circumstances. Her fighting stile seemed to not have any influences from the surroundings.
At the start of the fight, Viper, Crane and Tigress split up right immediately.
In battles like this where they had a lot but weak foes, they used to split up every time and help each other if needed. Mostly letting Po being in the spotlight and doing all the main fights while they helped from behind. It suited everyone. Po was a very good representative of the Jade-Palace and the five doing their job on their most suitable circumstances without getting the most attention of their opponents which gave them a huge advantage in the most fights.
Against stronger foes, which too would be a possible threat for one, they fought more together but it really depended on the situation. There are bosses of bandits who are very dangerous at some points they need to take on with at least two to get out without a problem.
The most dangerous ones are individuals like Tai Lung or the dangerous witch Pang Bing.
"Wait you-" the first enemy, Viper faced said, shocked: "You fight against us? You're defending the madness? The pain? This is a monster! A monster that needs to be stopped! Once and for all!"
Viper hesitated attacking that goat: "I'm not supporting whatever he is doing. But we won't allow anyone to attack people like it's nothing. Not him, not you. Stay down now and we will take care of him."
The goat went from shocked to more angry: "You don't know what he did! You weren't there when he destroyed our home! You didn't respond when we called for your help! You did nothing! And now when we are in charge you do everything to stop us?"
"I must admit the timing is very bad. Stand down your attack now and we-"
The goat interrupted her; "I'm sick of your Jade-Palace guys. Sick of snakes! You do whatever you want and don't care about anything out of your view. You never did. That's why we are outlaws! To fight on our own!" He didn't seem to being interested in any more words. There was no chance to solve any problem here with words. But from what he said there was nothing Viper would have said any more. She didn't want to talk to this guy. She wanted this to be over now. And him out of the way as quick as possible.
She quickly disarmed the goat, pulled one of his legs so he lost this stand and finished him and another one by throwing him into his comrade behind him who wasn't paying attention to Viper.
Crane used his strong wing attacks to disturb the enemies in the trees as most as possible. There was no foe that stood a chance against his high speed and strength.
Tigress faced many foes from every side where she found one. Just like Viper, after a few moments of shock and confusion they quickly engaged her more aggressively. This fight reminded her of her fight against the wolves in the music village but compared to the wolves this outlaws were just many and armed. They weren't as coordinated or strong as any wolf she ever faced. She took a lot of attention during that.
Viper slithered around and hit precise enemies mostly. She wasn't the most aggressive front fighter. In fact her weakness was a direct frontal attack. There was a time she believed she had it under control but when Po told her (and the others')weaknesses to a friend who turned out to be still evil, she found out that she still had much to learn.
Shiren was in this fight in this formation pretty much Po's position mostly, even without realising it. Fighting in the front and get assisted or, in this case, stopped if needed.
He took the frontal fight. Ruthlessly stroke from foe to foe and slaughtered them down one by one, even with their high numbers.
He showed this wasn't his first fight alone, separated from the others after the war.
His expression, when he was fighting, defeating his enemies, has significantly changed since the days in Xun, his former training facility.
He now seemed to not care about every hit he got, every foe he threw down, every fight he took.
He wasn't scared, seemed to feel sorry or tried to avoid any conflict. In fact he more looked like to enjoy it more than they scared him. Only the core of his fighting stile confirmed he was indeed a disciple of Jil. Some time ago.
The more scared they were, the more he grinned; A face of dominance over his weak opponents that showed no mercy. When the thunder hit the ground and it's lightning spread across the field his orange eyes sparkled in the white light while his green body turned dark in his own shadow.
Though being as reckless as he could, he never actually finished any enemy off for good. He never did it and it was hard to tell if he still had some mercy within or if he just didn't care enough to kill them.
He seemed to looked for a fight, not a genocide.
But he was still intermediating to everyone he faced.
Despite their numbers the outlaws had no chance but they still hung in there though. They desperately wanted this snake dead.
When they realised their situation and gathered themselves again, they went for a new strategy.
"Stop!" the boss said: "The Masters are fighting with this monster! Distract them! Give our solders enough time to complete our mission! Don't let anyone trough and hold the line!"
They knew attacking the Masters themselves was a senseless action but since the Masters didn't complied with them they needed to make distraction attacks against them while the rest was engaging Shiren.
Their entire main objective at this point.
Shiren saw them coming. One then the next one and few on each flank. Their numbers grew but the only viable option he saw was engaging all of them and defeat every last one of them since everyone would be ready to kill him. They would give him no mercy, as he expected. He let them come. Expecting more and more fights.
And he would do no less. He was ready for it. There was no time being weak; Showing flaws; Give them an angle to attack from.
He realised his enemies surrounding him slowly while he engaged his first foe: The one right in front of him; A bear. But his enemy didn't engage him. In fact he fought more passively and defensively. He truly didn't look for a one on one confrontation.
"Come here, coward!" Shiren said, seemed to not yet seen some ambushing enemies surrounding him from behind, prepared for getting into action.
Viper on the other hand however saw it happen. The people reading their weapons, knifes, swords, daggers, axes and lances. They weren't the best quality of weapons of their kind but they still were deadly enough.
"Shiren!" she shouted against the drumming of rain: "Look out! Right behind you!"
It was unfathomable to see him not reacting. He knew about those enemies but he still didn't seem to care for them a bit. He chuckled: "Just to make it easier for me so I can crush them all at once! Spares me the time hunting them later."
His intimidation seem to let some of his enemies hesitate but the most part still, unimpressed, came closer towards, heightened their weapons against him while he was unarmed, alone, and not able to judge his situation. In fact, his speech motivated those who still came closer more to finish him. And it was too late to aid him. The first ones already started to attack him and before the next moment he already was involved into a fight against enemies and their weapons left, right and centre.
He took down one of them. He took down two of them. Three.
But everyone who fell back got quickly replaced by another enemy.
Viper tried to get to them but got distracted by five more outlaws.
They wouldn't be a big deal for but still occupy her for at least five seconds which would be so important right now. The enemies could kill Shiren in those five seconds and she didn't find a way around them.
After realising Tigress was too far away, Crane rushed from above into the fight and created a minor tornado which pushed the enemies away just in time. The axe barely missed Shiren's neck and flew away against a tree. He used Shiren's distraction to grab him out of it and quickly moved him closer towards Viper and Tigress and dropped him before Shiren was able to react. "Someone had to be the babysitter apparently," Crane said.
"I hope that taught them a lesson," Viper answered before realising countless scars and a dozen of new wounds on Shiren's body. "All of them." Shiren went up and coughed some blood. "This isn't over…" he said.
Viper turned to him."It is! You! Need to stay down!" she told him strictly. Shiren looked first at her and said: "That's not what I meant," then looked aside her.
When she turned around she saw Tigress staying few metres away from her, still facing an accumulation of, roughly estimated, twenty enemies. One angry leader included.
"We don't give up! This snake-beast will meet it's end right here! With or without the Jade-Palace!"
"You can certainly try…!" Shiren said weakly but yet still with confidence. He still stood strong but his body obviously was on it's limits. He visibly wasn't able to take even one fight. But he refused to give up or settle down. He looked like he was very dizzy but she shook his head to get his focus back which at this point only barely helped.
"Who do you call a beast?" Viper angrily asked the leader.
"You're not different, are you? You're attacking us too though we had nothing to do with you this time! We wanted him dead! But you still fought us! You're not a bit better, Viper!"
"That's it!" she angrily replied and together with Crane and Tigress they beat them in less than ten seconds.
Tigress stood with one food on the leader and said intermediately: "Never… ever… mess up with my friends," before leaving him alone on the ground in the rain with all of his followers.
She turned around and moves towards her friends.
"He is cautiousness, right?" Crane said while she was on her way back to them.
"What do you mean?" Tigress asked. She wasn't sure hot to interpret this statement before she saw Shiren's body on the ground, motionless and calm.
"Don't know," Viper answered: "I would better head for a doctor. I'm not sure when he lastly slept if he isn't even…"
"Wonder where we can find one..." Crane mumbled.
"Well, at least we don't have to wonder how we get him there. Crane, I might need a hand here. Careful. I bet he is as fragile as he looks awful."
"But we still need to hurry. After what happened here we better shouldn't risk loosing him," Viper said.
Tigress answered: "Let's hope he is going to make it. Common."
Crane took him and brought him back home while Tigress and Viper took the way on the ground.
"Viper, you look… quite cranky."
"Later, Tigress," she answered and slithered onward. "I want to go where it's not raining before we do anything else."
Back to the Jade-Palace, Mantis started his job right away and inspected Shiren's body, which, still didn't came back to cautiousness. But he guaranteed Shiren was alive.
They bought him, since the Jade-Palace had no official medical station, they brought him to one of the unused rooms in the barrack, where everyone else slept that was a master but wasn't the boss here, like usually.
Since her promotion Tigress moved from here to where Shifu used to sleep, near by the hall of heroes. She though came every morning here, saying: Student! and everyone came suddenly out of their rooms and said: Yes, master!, just like they used to when Shifu did this job.
It was hard to get the others greeting Tigress as equally as they did to Shifu but with time they accepted Tigres' new stand.
Her room was empty now but she still refused to give it to another person if needed, just in case Shifu would return at some point.
Though it was daytime, the storm on the outside made it that tark they lightened up the room.
"Gosh..." Mantis said after he was done with inspecting and took care of Shiren: "He really pushed himself towards and beyond his limits. Some of this scars look like they have opened multiple times again. And I do not want to guess when he lastly slept for more than three hours, or even ate ordinary".
Tigress sighed and thought. "So I just make the assumption… he needs some time to recover, right?"
"Tigress, we're no hospital," he said calmly: "With no full time doctor we can't let him stay here."
"Nor do I think he would want it," Viper said saltly while staying at the wall of the room, near the door, watching the scene.
Tigress nodded: "You are both right. But I can't see him staying anywhere. As soon as he awakes he would most likely go out again, which would mean his death." A moment of silence went trough the room.
"Your point?" Mantis asked.
"I don't know," Tigress answered, shrugged and paced up in down in the room. "There are so many things I have to handle, as you already know. As well as…" she sighed. "… that I do not always have an answer of wisdom to any situation, like Shifu or Oogway!"
"But Shifu and Oogway both aren't here," Mantis said.
"I KNOW THAT!", Tigress shouted and groaned after catching her temperament again. "Okay." She closed her eyes for a moment and focussed: "Step by step. I think, even if Zeng would be here, a treated life has the most priority. Like always. But the thing is… Maybe we can get him to a local hospital…" she went silent and stopped walking and sighed. "But they would have a similar problem. Maybe a prison… but with which accusation? He wasn't the one up to kill someone…"
A prison would have been her most favourite choice. She just had to think about what to tell them. They have many local outlaws that didn't got prisoned for just harming people. Po was always such a good heard. Maybe Po would know what to do? she thought.
"Ehm, Tigress..." Viper came closer and interrupted Tigress' tinking: "Maybe there is a way I can help you."
"How?" she asked and looked at her friend.
Viper looked at Tigress. Her view wasn't angry any more but willing to help. "Maybe you can visit a tavern."
"Viper, that's not what I-" she tried to explain that drinking over it wouldn't be the problem but Viper interrupted by explaining: "You can trust me. It will help."
Mantis laughed: "And it will make it harder for Zeng to ever find you."
Tigress seemed to understand that Viper is trying to tell her something and ignored Mantis' comment. Yes, Zeng was a pain at some times, especially now days where many things need to been handled but he is just doing his job on the other hand.
"… If you say so. Mantis, keep a close eye on him. I want the Jade-Palace still intact when I return. Viper, tell Monkey to tell Po about the recent events and head for the students next. Crane should keep an eye on the outlaws. Yes, even if it's raining. And before I go, Viper, I have one more question…"
