Disclaimer: I'm from the old guard that likes to do these at the beginning of every story. But Marvel Comics owns the rights to all of their characters, and all that I might lay claim is a few OCs here and there.
This is a rewrite of the first chapter from 4 years ago, and today I am hoping to restart the entire story. Here's to kung-fu, pulp, and superhero shlock we all know and love.
A fortress veiled in shadow does not easily fall. Nor does a citadel whose entrances are protected by the wind itself. But no Fortress is invincible, with time, skill, and power any structure might be laid low. Such is the fate of one heavenly city, shrouded in myth and shadow. Today the shadows part, today the winds stop howling, today the mystical city of Kun-Zi falls.
Since time immemorial the City of Shadows feuded with K'un-L'un and the other Capitals of Heaven for dominance of the mystic realms. Hidden away from the earthly plain the dark deeds of K'un-Zi were written in oceans of blood. Normally this city would be Protected by the Crane Mother, her daughters, and an immortal weapon. But the last immortal weapon of Kun-Zi had resigned his post, and even the mystical Crane Daughters could not defeat so many foes.
Civilians scrambled to their homes as the stones above and beneath them shattered into a thousand pieces. A brave few chose to fight their invaders with whatever weapons they could gather, but they were quickly set aside by the merciless tide of the enemy. On and on soldiers bearing a Yellow Dragon Banner flooded through the shattered streets to reach their target.
With the best defenders of Kun-Zi all retreated to the Temple of the Crane Mother, the city below was left cut off and powerless to resist.
With the main city occupied, the final assault on the heart of the realm could begin. Between the city and the temple a yawning chasm stopped any and all attempts to breach the temple. Without access to the retracted Great Bridge, a few of the invaders attempted to use grappling hooks to cross. As they tried a great gust of wind stopped any and all of their attempts at crossing. A few mystics among the soldiers uttered incantations to try and stop the wind, but the gale seemed to strengthen in response to their efforts. All the while,the crane daughters rained arrows from atop the walls of the temple.
To the fore a single figure dressed in gold marched with a singular confidence. He ignored the rain of arrows and the fallen bodies of his soldiers. Any arrow that might have come his way clattered harmlessly off his gilded armor. His magics, skills, and resources had gotten him this far, why should he not be proud? He was many things, but modest was seldom one of them. Beneath his golden mask, the villain smiled despite the failure of his men. They were so close, power beyond imagination was just over that chasm.
With a deep breath, the golden figure fell into a crouched stance before the chasm. Swift as the wind and fluid like the river he performed seven ancient motions of the Crane School of Martial Arts. Channeling powerful amounts of chi, the first three motions trapped the wind, the next three twisted it, and the final motion cast it down entirely. Without the protections of the magical wind the hooks, ladders, and other tools of the invaders could overwhelm with sheer numbers.
"Their defenses are broken! Let the slaughter begin!" Came the roaring command as thousands of men clamored to be the first one to breach the fortress.
Within the main chamber of the temple, the Crane Mother sat upon her throne motionless. Despite the sounds of battle raging all around her the ancient ruler appeared to do nothing. Sitting in the dark throne room the ancient figure seemingly waited for the inevitable. It was as if there was no battle being waged right outside her throne room, her citizens and her very daughters dying in frenzied battle.
Through the black double doors a single figure burst into the room panting and out of breath. It was one of her daughters, one of the youngest by the look of her. Perhaps this one had never even left the city before, it was hard to keep track of so many spawn. The Crane Daughter was wounded with a bloody cut forming on her left arm. Despite her wounds the Daughter bowed before the Mother as was proper, even if she was barely able to move afterwards.
"The First Daughter is dead and the walls are broken, Mother. The battle is all but over for us," The us in that statement being the Crane Daughters, for none of them might imagine that their all powerful mother might fail.
The Crane Mother made no attempt to even acknowledge her daughter's report. The silence of the Crane Mother made an eire contrast to the clamour of battle raging throughout the temple.
"Third Daughter might still lead who remains, if you joined us on the field it might make all the difference!" It almost sounded like she was pleading now, how unlike a warrior of K'un-Zi.
Then again, these were hardly normal times for the city.
"Mother?" Was that tremble in her voice fear? Good. Too many warriors in this city were fearless, forgetting that fear keeps the daggers out of your back, that fear was part of survival, that fear kept you alive.
A low chuckle emerged from the dusty lungs of the decrepit Hag Queen of K'un-Zi. Almost like a cough the laugh caught in her throat as she at last stood to her feet.
"He chose his moment well," The Crane Mother wore a bitter and toothless smile, "He knew the very day I would be weakest, he must have gathered everything in his power for this sacrilege..."
"What do you mean? What manner of men fly that dragon banner, or know the forms to weaken the ancient defenses?" Daughter lifted her head from its bowed position to look Mother in the eyes, but still felt she could not discern anything from that weathered gaze.
"Someone who knew K'un-Zi has no Immortal Weapon, and thus desires that power for themselves. Someone who also desires that power without the obligations it carries to the city and myself, What arrogance..." Gliding more than walking, ruler approached splicant with outstretched hand. "You will have to do."
"What?" Was the last word the Crane Daughter spoke before the August Personage of K'un-Zi pressed a boney palm onto her daughter's forehead.
In a blinding instant the Crane Daughter felt as though her veins were on fire all throughout her body. Flowing from her forehead to her toes the energy within her cared not for the safety of its new vessel. All warriors of the heavenly cities knew something of how to channel and manipulate chi, but most could only ever tap into minor amounts of living energy. This was something wholly different from anything most could ever dream of.
In an ordered world, this would never have happened. The Crane Mother would give a portion of her powers to one of her rare sons for him to become a new Immortal Weapon. She would never dream of giving this much chi to one of her daughters. It was quite possible that this was going to kill the young Crane, having little preparation done for this event. Yet despite the immense pain there was still clarily in the warrior's eyes.
She understood it now, the August Personage had not been standing idle while the city burned. She had been preparing a ritual for the transference of power. That ritual was probably the only thing keeping Crane Daughter from burning up right then and there with her new powers. In better times this would have been something far more grand, the honored passing of a title and a legacy. These were not better times.
"May your reign be long and prosperous, August Personage in Black," With what little power remained to her Crane Mother opened a portal to the mortal realm and cast her daughter into it, "May your vengeance be swift and brutal."
No sooner had the escape been made that the doors of the throne room burst open. In walked the conqueror, without a speck of blood on his armor and robes. No more defenders between him and his goal now.
"All this time without an Immortal Weapon, I am surprised it took this long for someone to bring war to this place," Beneath his golden mask his lips curled into a cruel smile.
"You risk much to bring war upon a Capital City of Heaven, and you are a fool to think you can hold this kingdom for long," The Crane Mother said.
"I need not the kingdom, only what lies within. The other Heavenly Cities will be too slow to stop what comes next," K'un-Zi had made many enemies it its day, his words held a sting of truth.
"Not if you die here," The Crane Mother lunged with a flying kick, moving far faster than her appearance would suggest.
Her opponent blocked the attack with his left arm before launching into a flurry of his own measured attacks. Left, up, right, up, and down this warrior moved fast to strike at key pressure points on his opponent's body. His style appeared to be an eclectic mix of various disciplines honed over a lifetime of study. A roundhouse kick from Tae Kwon-do, a jab taken from karate, and a set of three punches from the warrior traditions of Savage Land of all places.
The Crane Mother kept on the defensive after her first attack had failed. She wanted to study her opponent, learn as much as she could before the end. He changed his techniques on purpose, she guessed. It was a way to stop her from determining this man's place of origin or organization. Keeping balance on her feet The Crane Mother then widened her eyes as she recognized a specific spinning kick that knocked her on the ground.
"So, you live once more. I would have thought your last attempt at unlife would have withered your soul away," She climbed back up to her feet and then spat on the ground, "How is that you live this time, Fu Manchu?
"A good question that you will never know the answer to," Zheng Zu, Fu Manchu, the man of a thousand names moved quickly to grip the Crane Mother by the throat with his left arm, "Goodbye, August Personage in Black."
Without another word Zheng Zu snapped the neck of the ruler of K'un-Zi. Despite this seemingly great triumph however, the dying crone had a smile on her face as she passed from this world. What's more, Zheng Zu felt none of the expected rush of power. When he killed the Crane Mother he should have absorbed the energy of a totem and an Immortal Weapon. A whisper of power that should have been a scream, but instead the chi of a dying old woman was all he seemed to absorb.
No... No... NO! Too much time and resources had been spent for this to be all that he gained.
"Scourge the city! Bring any surviving Crane Daughters to me!" The roar of Fu Manchu echoed through the temple as the dying smile of the Crane Mother still played across her face.
Power has a funny way of slipping through one's fingers just when you believe it is firmly in your grasp. Power can also consume those who inherit it, no matter how prepared they think they are. As Crane Daughter tumbled through the magics and different dimensions of earth something caught her like a tether. Whatever it was pulled her like a rope towards a specific point on the mortal plane. As she moved towards it her ears were assaulted by a loud clanging of metal and steel that might have deafened her if the chi was not already splitting her head open.
Thought went blank for the briefest of moments before the five senses began to come back to her. The first thing was the sound that began to slowly dull, the second thing was the smell of rust that permeated the air, and the third thing was the intense feeling of cold wherever she was.
As her eyes began to clear the Crane Daughter began to take further stock of her situation. It seemed her arrival had caused a massive surge of energy that blew up a wall directly in front of her. Looking behind her revealed the source of the noise, the large and gangly device that seemingly brought her here. Wherever here was. The truth was that she was in the basement of the Rand Corporation headquarters, it was the middle of winter, and she was not alone.
"What the hell was that?" A voice caught her attention as a young man stepped over broken rubble apparently to see what was going on.
His dark hair had rocks tossed in it, presumably from the explosion that just occurred, and his dark eyes gazed upon the scene with a mix of fear and wonder. He approached the Crane Daughter and the strange device without knowing the danger that awaited him.
"Hey you, what are you doing down here and what's all of-" He began to speak and the Crane Daughter begged him to stay by stretching out his hand.
It was too late and as the man stepped forward he ran into the open palm of the Crane Daughter. Too late did either of them realize that the Crane Daughter had little control of her newfound powers. There was a great flash of light, two screams of pain, and then darkness for all involved.