Reticence Saga
Severed Web
Chapter 17: White Tiger, Black Dragon
The mountains shook at the ferocity of the battle. A humanoid white tiger was fighting hard against a large black dragon. The tiger fought with great power and ferocity. It was not simply the slashing of claws and the flash of teeth. The tiger was clearly a master of martial arts. The dragon was already covered in many wounds. But the dragon was bigger and had the strength to go with it. Much of the battlefield had been scorched or smashed by the dragon's might.
"You should not have returned, Chiantang," growled the tiger.
"K'un-L'un is just as much my right as it is my brothers," said the dragon, "More even. I am stronger and have brought wisdom from the west."
"You did not bring wisdom. You've only brought corruption and destruction," said the tiger.
"The destruction I have saved for you," said the dragon before opening his mouth and letting out a great blast of green flame. The tiger screamed as he was engulfed.
Ava sat up in bed with a startled gasp. She panted as she reminded herself it was just a dream. A disturbingly vivid dream. She was in the SHIELD Triskelion, nowhere near K'un-L'un. And yet she felt so certain that was where that dream took place. She looked to the tiger amulet. It was no surprise that was it was glowing brightly now. She picked it up and looked at the jade carving. "Why were you made?" she asked softly.
"Hey, Ava, can you turn down the reading light?" asked a sleepy voice. She looked over to see that Peter was up.
"It's not a reading light," said Ava, holding up the amulet.
"Since when does your amulet glow that bright?" asked Peter.
"Not on its own," said Ava, "Peter, there's something I didn't tell you about, down in the Savage Land."
"You mean how the catnip down there turned you more catlike than usual?" asked Peter, "Already heard about it."
"There was more than just what happened with my body," said Ava, "I saw inside the amulet and… I need to talk to Danny about this. I've put it off for too long."
"What does Danny have to do with it?" asked Peter.
"Because the amulet is from K'un-L'un," said Ava.
"Say what now?" asked Peter in confusion.
Fortunately, Danny wasn't hard to get up. In fact, he was an early riser so he could start his day with meditation.
Danny was sitting in a circle of candles when Peter knocked on the doorframe and asked, "Danny, got a minute? You weren't about to reach enlightenment, were you?"
Danny smiled before saying calmly "The next level of enlightenment can wait."
"Cool. Ava wanted to talk to you about something," said Peter.
Ava walked into the room, stroking the tiger amulet in her hand. "Danny...I've never shown you the tiger amulet up close, have I?" asked Ava.
"I have seen it on you often enough," said Danny, "Is there more to it?"
"Well, this amulet's...it's from K'un-L'un, isn't it?" asked Ava.
Danny nodded. "I always thought it might be but there was never a reason to mention it," he said.
"Well, I think I've found evidence it really is in K'un-L'un," said Ava.
"Really? When?" asked Danny.
"In the Savage Land," said Ava.
Peter blinked. "There's nothing in the Savage Land that's even close to looking like it came from K'un-L'un," he said.
"Well...it's complicated," said Ava, "Down in the Savage Land, I was exposed to this poison that brought out the beast in me."
Peter gulped, getting an idea what the poison was and remembering what it had done to him with a shudder.
"So, I guess you went totally savage," said Peter, "At least you don't remember what you did."
"Well...maybe my body was running wild, but my mind was somewhere else entirely. It was like I was inside the amulet and I saw the tiger spirit inside it," said Ava, "It looked like it had been trapped in the amulet long ago in K'un-L'un."
"Is that all?" asked Danny.
"Not just that," said Ava, "Last night, I had a dream. I dreamt of a white tiger fighting a black dragon."
"A dragon like Matt and his friends?" asked Peter.
Danny shook his head, "I do not believe so."
"No, it was more Asian," said Ava, "And the white tiger, he looked far more than just a beast. Like he was the guardian of K'un-L'un. And he called the dragon Chiantang."
Peter paused before saying carefully, "Maybe it's a premonition or something?"
"No, I think it's something that happened a long time ago," said Ava, "What do you think, Danny?"
Danny looked thoughtful. "This sounds like something I heard about in K'un-L'un. However, a vessel can only hold so much knowledge before it spills over."
"You know, you could just say 'There was so much to learn, I've forgotten some of it'," said Peter.
Danny smiled at that, "I could but it wouldn't sound as mystic."
"This doesn't answer enough. I need to know about this amulet," said Ava. She took a deep breath and said, "Danny, I never asked you for a favor this seriously. But I need you to take me to K'un-L'un."
Danny paused at that. "That...might be difficult. They have opened up more since the last time I returned there, thanks to Peter. But they are still wary of the outside."
"Hey, she has a mystic K'un-L'un artifact of big importance," said Peter, "That should be as good as a passport."
"It may, but we must be prepared that the monks may not allow it," said Danny
"Hey, we'll both vouch for her," said Peter.
"You?" asked Ava.
"Hey, I have unquestionable honor as far as they're concerned," said Peter, "Besides, I'm pretty sure they'll never question Danny's choice of guests."
There was a knock on the door at that. "Could you wait a minute?" called Peter.
A second knock occurred, the first two raps knocking a dent in the door before the third let a silver-scaled clawed hand through, a female voice on the other hand going "Oopsie." before it withdrew and Silvana peered through the hole. "I heard what you said. Can I come too?" she said with a perky smile.
"How long have you been eavesdropping?" asked Ava with annoyance.
"I can't help it if the walls are thin," said Silvana in a hurt voice.
Danny muttered, "But they're not."
But Silvana continued. "I heard you all mention dragons. I wanna meet them," she said, still smiling.
"I'm not sure if these are your type of dragon," said Peter.
Silvana's smile froze a bit before she said, "I haven't seen another real dragon in months. The Lynches are nice but any dragon could tell you that they're fake. I want to at least see a member of my species before I SNAP!" hitting the door with the last screeched word, knocking it across the corridor.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, take it easy," said Ava in a soothing voice, "I'm sure there's someone you can talk to about that. Like wouldn't Dr. Strange know any dragons?"
"If he's in K'un-L'un, I'll ask him," said Danny.
Peter paused before saying to the others quietly, "Maybe she needs some time off outside the base? Does anyone remember seeing her either not here or not working at the Lynches' cover?"
Ava nodded, "Silvana, when was the last time you had a vacation?"
Silvana blinking before she said, "I dunno...what's a vacation?"
"You're kidding, right?" asked Peter, "Didn't Matt tell you about the benefits of your job?"
Silvana gave him a confused look, "Job?"
"What did you do to help your people?" said Danny carefully.
Silvana thought before smiling, "I helped with the hunting. Good ore and mutton doesn't catch itself."
Peter and Danny gave each other confused looks. "You know, come to think of it, the dossier that Matt gave Fury mentioned that Silvana used to be a f-o-s-s-i-l," said Ava.
Silvana paused. "What's a fossli?"
"I think a broader view of the world would be best for her," said Danny, "And where better to seek enlightenment than K'un-L'un?"
"I can come?" said Silvana happily, grabbing the three in a hug.
"If you don't compress us into a cube..." gasped Peter.
"Oops, sorry," said Silvana sheepishly, letting go, before laughing and dancing in a circle, singing something over and over in a melodic language.
"Well, I don't think the monks will think she's corrupt," said Peter.
"I better get my jet ready," said Danny, walking out of the room.
"Wait, Danny has a jet?" asked Ava.
However, Ava wasn't the only one to have that dream. Elsewhere in New York, Kraven had sat up straight from his bed, sweating. He has had vivid dreams before, but never one like this. The tiger and the dragon, such primal power and magnificence. It had to mean something. Something to do with the Tiger Amulet for sure.
Kraven sat up and looked at his reflection in a mirror. Few people could remember their dreams, but Kraven wasn't normal people. His mind was already going through the dream with the detail of a professional lucid dreamer. One word stood out...K'un-L'un…
Where he had heard that word before? Ah, yes. His teammate Scorpion talked about K'un-L'un often enough. Let us see if he is up.
Kraven walked out of his room and strode down the corridor, pausing at two cages to smirk at their occupants. Vulture and Rhino, Doctor Octopus's most successful splicing experiments yet, which didn't say much. The two of them could have been true warriors, perhaps even worthy prey for Kraven. But then they had to defy their creator who stripped them of their willpower. Now they were just his attack animals. It almost made Kraven pity them.
He strode onwards with a sigh, reaching a door and not bothering to knock before walking in. Scorpion was meditating, a stick of incense burning in front of him. Kraven had nearly forgotten what Scorpion looked like outside of his armor. "Scorpion, I need to pick your brain," said Kraven.
Scorpion moved with a blur, pushing Kraven against the wall, a kunai blade at the hunter's throat. Kraven smirked, before letting his eyes point down. Scorpion looking down to see a serrated hunting knife a millimeter from going into Scorpion's kidneys. "If this is how you treat your allies..." Kraven sneered.
"This is how I treat intruders," said Scorpion, "You should know better than to intrude in a scorpion's lair."
"I only wished to talk," said Kraven with his same confident smile.
"About what?" asked Scorpion.
"You come from K'un-L'un, da?" asked Kraven.
"Haven't I made it clear by now?" asked Scorpion.
"There is something I wish to know more about K'un-L'un," said Kraven.
Scorpion glared, saying coldly, "I may have been exiled, but I will not betray my homeland's secrets."
"It's not betraying, it's sharing," said Kraven, "I already know so much about K'un-L'un. For example, the Tiger Amulet comes from K'un-L'un, right?"
Scorpion snapped, "Urgh...that trinket? Unimportant."
"I don't think it's unimportant to Chiantang," said Kraven.
Scorpion's eyes widened in shock before he pressed the kunai harder. "How do you know that name?" he snapped.
"I heard it in my dream," said Kraven, tapping the side of his head with one finger of his free hand, "It was a very interesting dream about a white tiger and a black dragon. It sounded like it's part of a bigger story."
There was a long pause before Scorpion sheathed his kunai knife. "I'm listening," he said.
"Ok...you really don't have to go in the cargo," said Spider-Man, Silvana in her dragon form in said hold.
"You said all the best food was in first class. Look around at all this tasty food," she said carefully, gesturing with a clawed hand.
"Silvana, you need to realize that our definition of food does not match yours," said Spider-Man.
Silvana nodded. "I did try organic food. It gave me the-" she said, before making a keening snarl and continuing "...and I don't want to go through that again."
"Just don't eat the instruments," said Spider-Man, "The plane needs them to fly and land."
"No, I found some nice spicy things called...flares I think they were called," said Silvana happily.
"That can't be good for your digestion," said Spider-Man.
Silvana burped a small fireball at that that vanished in seconds in the air before harming anything. "They do make me a tad gassy," she admitted.
"Right... Try to curb your appetite," said Spider-Man.
"Ok, I can wait," said Silvana happily, watching as Spider-Man walked out before sneakily grabbing a handful of red cartridges from somewhere and munching them, a sizzle heard and her mouth glowing. "Mmmmm...toasty," she said happily.
Spider-Man headed back to the other passengers. "Why didn't you ever tell us you had a private jet?" asked White Tiger.
"Guess you got blown away by him being the heir of Rand Industries too," said Spider-Man.
"Wait, Rand Industries? Danny owns Rand Industries?" asked White Tiger.
"Yeah, kinda in the name," said Spider-Man.
"Hey, Rand's a lot more common name than Osborn," said White Tiger.
"He did drop some hints," said Spider-Man.
Danny said quietly, "That you didn't notice."
"Well, Danny, you never really exerted your wealth that much," said White Tiger.
"I'm trying not to be attached to it," said Danny, "Some day, I shall have to give it up to become king of K'un-L'un."
"King? Really?" asked White Tiger in disbelief.
"Yeah, blew me away too," said Spider-Man, "But maybe the monks will let you keep the company."
Danny smiled, "I don't mind giving up my family's company. There are more important things in the world then wealth."
"I'm just glad he doesn't have to give up seeing everyone he knows," said Spider-Man.
Danny just smiled a little sadly at that, unnoticed.
Before long, the jet had landed outside the gates of K'un-L'un. "I am so glad I brought a coat this time," said Spider-Man as they walked out of the jet.
"This is K'un-L'un?" asked White Tiger, "I mean, it's beautiful, but I imagined it to be greener."
Danny smiled. "You're only seeing the mountain gate. The valley itself is far better." before all three turned at a 'crunk' noise, turning to see Silvana had managed to get out, taking off with a jumping flap of her wings and circling above them, roaring at the sky.
"What is she doing?" asked Spider-Man. "It looks like she's looking for something," said White Tiger.
The roaring got more urgent before there was one, sadder roar, before Silvana landed again, hanging her head.
"Were you looking for other dragons?" asked White Tiger.
"Why are they not here?" asked Silvana sadly, "Why didn't they come?"
"Maybe it's hibernation season," said Spider-Man.
Silvana hung her head deeper, a shadow across her eyes before she said in a small voice, "No...they ignored me..."
"The dragons of K'un-L'un do not reveal themselves to just anyone. Even I had to search hard to find Shao-Lao," said Danny.
Silvana just hung her head, remaining silent till she said quietly, "Ok..." trudging past them.
"Ok, so where are-" started Spider-Man.
"Daniel Rand," said a calm voice.
"Oh, never mind," said Spider-Man.
Silvana gloomily stepped aside to let the three see a grey haired monk in white robes.
"Your return was quite unexpected," said the monk, "Have you come to take the throne of K'un-L'un?"
"It it not yet my time," said Iron Fist, "There is still more to learn. I am here on a more personal quest for a friend."
The monk looked expectantly at Spider-Man for a second before Ava stepped forward. "I'm the keeper of the Tiger Amulet," said White Tiger, holding out the amulet to be seen, "I've come here seeking answers."
The monk looked closely at the amulet, before saying "Hmm...it has been a long time since the Tiger Amulet was in K'un-L'un."
"And a lot has been forgotten about it," said White Tiger, "I need to know more."
"Yes, you do. The knowledge you seek awaits within. Come, it will be night soon," said the monk, before turning, the group following, with Silvana trudging gloomily at the back. She could sense the few dragons around...why had they ignored her?
The monk paused at the gate, "Daniel, the guards shall lead your pet to the stables."
This filtered through to Silvana's brain. Pet?...PET?! She was the first born of the Matriach and Patriach of the Ferrus Clan of Avalar. She was easy going, sure...but some things you just didn't say. Silvana's joints clicked as she shifted to robot mode. "I am nobody's pet," she snapped at the monk.
"Uh...she's our tagalong," said Spider-Man, "Kinda wanted to meet the dragons here."
"Yes...and they're very rude." said Silvana in an annoyed tone.
"The dragons of the west are not good houseguests," said the monk, "It would be foolish to let one inside."
"The west what? There's only one continent on my homeworld," said Silvana, confused.
"She's also an alien," said Spider-Man, "From another universe. It's kinda hard to explain."
"I just wanted to talk to other dragons for once," said Silvana, shifting back to dragon form.
"There is a reason the dragons of the west are not trusted in K'un-L'un, as you shall find out shortly," said the monk.
Silvana smiled happily. "My teacher says I am a very likable person," she said cheerfully.
"Listen, she's not corrupt or dishonorable or anything," said Spider-Man, "Well, except for being careless with other people's possessions."
There was a screech of metal at that, everyone turning to see the gate was missing its main lock, Silvana rolling her eyes around with bulging cheeks innocently. "And having the appetite of a goat," said Spider-Man.
Silvana swallowed, before saying "I couldn't help it. I'm starving and it looked so tasty."
"She's not really that bad," said White Tiger, "Don't you have some mystical way of seeing if she's pure of heart or something?"
"We should concentrate on Ava's amulet," said Silvana sagely, "My problems can wait."
"She is certainly humbler than most western dragons," said the monk.
"I am first hatched of the Ferrus Clan. We are wise and honourable," said Silvana a little loftily before something occurred before she hung her head "We were..."
"She may enter the monastery," said the monk, "Provided she does not eat anything in there."
Danny and Ava bowed at that with respect, Silvana bowing her head before Silvana perked up, though the trained eye could see it was a little forced.
The monastery's library was filled with thousands of scrolls. "Wow, I hope you guys have a super-tight library system," said Spider-Man.
The elder monk nodded to an attending monk who walked into the stacks. "This will not take long," the monk said sagely. He soon returned with a scroll. "Daniel, what do you remember about the Four Sacred Beasts?" he asked.
"They are guardian entities that protect K'un-L'un, and by extension all of Asia, from all four directions. The north is guarded by the Black Turtle, the east is guarded by the Azure Dragon, the south is guarded by the Vermillion Bird..."
"And the west is guarded by the White Tiger," finished the monk.
"Wait...as in my amulet?" said Ava.
"The White Tiger inside the amulet once existed as another being," said the monk before unrolling the scroll, showing a white tiger man wearing ancient armor, "Bai Hu, Guardian of the West."
"How did he end up in the amulet?" asked Spider-Man, pausing briefly as he saw Silvana gently pull a scroll out, opening it and beginning to read, treating the paper under her claws like eggshells.
"As Guardian of the West, Bai Hu had the most difficult task of keeping out evil from that direction. However, one evil proved too much for him." He unfurled the scroll more, revealing an illustration of the black dragon from Ava's dream. But now that she saw it, she noticed there were definitely different from the usual Asian dragons. For one thing, he had large batlike wings, large finlike ears, and spikes going down his back and ending at a spiky club at the end of his tail.
"His name was Chaintang, half-brother of the eternal dragon king. He was jealous of K'un-L'un and many times brought pain and anguish to our lands. He would savage our people and leave before Bai Hu could arrive. Until one day, when one of his victims, a victim of his dark spells, fought him and delayed him until the guardian arrived," continued the monk, pointing to several illustrations showing two serpent dragons fighting above the city.
"Shao-Lao?" asked Iron Fist in surprise.
"Once one of Chiantang's closest allies, before the Black Dragon removed his heart and cursed him with unending life," said the monk, "Shao-Lao now only lives to test the next Iron Fist."
"So how does this affect Bai Hu?" asked White Tiger.
"Shao-Lao managed to delay Chiantang long enough for Bai Hu to arrive and fight. The Black Dragon was strong, but still weaker than the White Tiger. In desperation, he used black magic from the west to curse Bai Hu, binding his spirit into an amulet of jade. But the two battles and the casting of the curse took its toll. Chiantang was weakened and helpless and the people of K'un-L'un were able to imprison him in a tomb where he remains to this day."
White Tiger paused, remembering her encounter with the tiger spirit. His behaviour made more sense. All those centuries in a piece of jade...it had sent him insane.
"So then what about the White Tigers who possessed the amulet?" asked Spider-Man.
"A long line of warriors was selected to be Bai Hu's caretakers, to keep the amulet from falling into the wrong hands and continue his role as Guardian of the West," said the monk, "However, one bearer went out into the outside world to find a way to free the Holy Beast from his prison. He was never heard from again. Thus the Tiger Amulet has disappeared from history and the people of the west have been encroaching on Asia ever since."
White Tiger went silent, getting a good feeling whose family she might belong to now, before the Monk said, "We thank you for returning it."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute," said Spider-Man, "Isn't there more to the story? Isn't there some prophecy about a true hero freeing the tiger or something?"
"The story has already ended," said the monk, "K'un-L'un's greatest mystics could not free Bai Hu. And as he is still imprisoned, then there is no magic outside of K'un-L'un that can free him either."
"Haven't you tried Doctor Strange? You guys are like, astral plane buddies or something," asked Spider-Man.
"The Sorcerer Supreme of Bai Hu's time could not help him. It is unlikely any of his successors could do anything either. The only thing that can be done is that Bai Hu treated well inside his prison. And since that knowledge had been lost down the line, I suspect the care for him has been poor," said the monk.
Spider-Man said, "I'm sure Ava's family looked after the amulet pretty well."
"No we haven't," said White Tiger sadly, "All we've been doing is keeping it away from the wrong hands. We've been using its powers selfishly. I didn't know there was an actual being inside the amulet. I don't deserve to use this."
"Really? Your family's been crime fighters for years. You've saved all sorts of people," said Silvana, not looking up from her scroll, before noticing their looks. "It was on that laptop thing I ate last week," she said, before going back to her scroll.
"She speaks true," said Iron Fist, "You have always used the Tiger Amulet for the better of others. You cannot be blamed for something that was forgotten long ago. I can think of no better caretaker for Bai Hu."
The monk nodded in agreement. "It seems that Bai Hu is indeed in honourable hands," he said sagely.
"But I only thought the tiger spirit was a savage beast. How can I, in good conscience, use a sentient being for power?" asked White Tiger.
"We have ways to communicate with Bai Hu," said the monk, "You will have time. I do not think you'll be able to leave tonight."
Silvana shifted to her half form and headed for a shuttered window. "But it's perfect flying-" she began, opening it and being buried in snow, a snowstorm raging outside. Her muffled voice said, "I may be mistaken...has someone got a shovel?"
"There are drawbacks to living on a mountaintop, isn't there?" asked Spider-Man.
"It has its advantages too," said Iron Fist.
"Well it's definitely not the weather," grumbled Silvana from under her snow drift.
"You have hot springs here, right?" asked White Tiger.
"Naturally," said Iron Fist.
That night, under the cover of the snow, two individuals were headed towards the distant lights visible through the storm of the gate. "I must admit, this is not an easy place to find unless you know where it is," said Kraven.
"As it should be," said Scorpion, "Such a sacred place must remain separate from the outside world and the unworthy people who live there."
Kraven smirked, "Oh, does that mean I'm worthy?"
Scorpion's tail lashed close to Kraven's head. "Do not test me, hunter," said Scorpion, "I could have just as easily come here alone."
"Do you think you can slay a dragon all by yourself?" asked Kraven, "Chiantang is far stronger than Shao-Lao. You need me if you want his power."
Scorpion glared before conceding, "Why do you think I guided you here?"
"Just remember our agreement. The power of Chiantang is yours, but his hide is mine," said Kraven, "It would make the ultimate trophy."
Scorpion raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were after immortality," he said suspiciously.
"Who's to say I won't live forever after this? Kraven the Hunter, slayer of the last great dragon. But, if you can spare enough power to give me eternal life, I wouldn't say no," said Kraven.
Scorpion just rolled his eyes before heading onwards, the faint glow of the gate torches seen in the storm.
"Anyways, since you are no longer welcome back here, you will need my help to even get past this impenetrable... What are you gawking at?" asked Kraven.
"The...The...the..." managed Scorpion, Kraven looking past him to see the gates in scaffold, the main lock missing around an obvious bite mark.
"Oh...maybe Chiantang's already here?" said Kraven, tauntingly, before realising Scorpion hadn't threatened him in response. "Scorpion? Hey, snap out of it! We have a dragon to slay!" snapped Kraven.
Scorpion said faintly "Hmm?"
Kraven shook him. "I said we have a dragon to slay..." before after a thought said, "The...dragon that broke the gate?"
"No, it wasn't the dragon," said Scorpion, his glare turning to the jet that was partially buried by the snowstorm. "Iron Fist, he must have brought...something. He will pay dearly for this," snarled Scorpion.
"Something that eats metal," said Kraven, thinking 'And I'm working with this nut'.
"Then we'll hunt it too!" snapped Scorpion.
Silvana was reading through yet another scroll. The monks had given her a warm large room so she didn't even need to sleep in humanoid form. "The dragons of this world are either jerks or stuck up," she muttered gloomily. Just then, she heard knocking at the door. "Come in," she called.
Ava opened the door. "Uh, Silvana, can we talk?" asked Ava.
"Is this going to be the boy talk?" asked Silvana innocently.
Ava stared. "Erm...no?" she said
"I mean, it's ok if you want to talk about your feelings about Danny," said Silvana.
"What?" asked Ava.
"Well, it may be about Peter, but he already has a mate," said Silvana.
Ava coughed before saying quickly, "I didn't want to talk about that. Are you ok? You seemed really upset when no dragons answered you."
Silvana sighed. "I'm all that's left of the clan...or as close as can be gotten," she said sadly, looking at her clawed paw that segmented into a metallic one. "The rest of my clan joined some nutcase. The others took me in," she said sadly.
"Er, I'm sure they'll see reason eventually," said Ava.
"I hope so. I don't even know where they are. I hoped I'd just get to see another of my species on this trip. Talk to another dragon," said Silvana, laying down gloomily, before adding "Before you say anything, Matt and his sister aren't real dragons. Any real Avalarian could spot them across a crowded square."
"And obviously Kala doesn't count either," said Ava.
"Nope," said Silvana, sitting up again, "I was hoping at least this Shao-Lou would at least acknowledge I was in his territory. I even asked when we arrived."
Ava paused, "That roaring was asking?"
Silvana nodded, "I'm told I have a lovely asking voice."
"So what was it you wanted to really talk about?" asked Silvana.
"I need an outsider's opinion. Peter and Danny are nice, but they may hide the truth to spare my feelings," said Ava, "This power I have, it comes from another being kept in a prison. Does that make me a hero or just a jailor?"
"Hmm...that's something I'd ask my mother about, but if what I learnt about you is right, you're closer to a hero. You weren't the one to lock that tiger spirit thing up. You used his powers to help people. Sounds like a hero to me," said Silvana cheerfully.
"Yeah, I wish I could let Bai Hu know that I'm not keeping him prisoner. That I would release him if I could," said Ava.
"By the way, what happened to the other three Holy Beasts?" asked Silvana, "Shouldn't they have helped their friend?"
Ava paused as Silvana pointed to the scrolls around her. "The monks let me read alot. None of them say the other spirits retired or got vaporised or something," she said.
"Hmm...something about this doesn't quite hang together," said Ava, "Let's look in the library more."
"Ok," said Silvana happily, getting up, the lock on the door glowing and the door opening. "Ferromancy. It was our wing's speciality," she explained.
"I suppose that's come in handy," said Ava.
"Not so much," said Silvana, "There weren't a lot of metal things on Avalar. The other dragon flights thought our powers were useless. We had to interbreed with other dragons just so we could breathe fire or anything." Ava was about to ask when Silvana said, "It's ok to ask. My mom's a psi-Drake. Oh, sorry."
"And your dad?" asked Ava.
"Ferrocus, he has fire breath and he can do a lot more with it now. You should have seen him when he was reborn as a Dracobot."
"Is that what you are?" asked Ava, the two turning a corner.
Silvana nodded. "More or less...I'm closer to something Chip said was techno-organic," she said.
"And your folk aren't?" asked Ava. "I think they are, but in a different way. I can't even explain and Chip is still trying to-" Just then, she turned her head and gestured as three knives stopped in midair. "Ooooh...and I was peckish too," she said, levitating them into her mouth before she frowned. "Hey, wait a minute..." she said in an annoyed tone.
"Who would throw knives in a monastery?" asked Ava.
Just then, a robotic scorpion tail lashed out of the dark, just barely missing Ava's leg. "The only one who belongs here," said Scorpion, stepping out of the shadows.
"Who are you?" said Silvana icily, shutting down her compression field enough so that she comfortably filled the corridor. This person had thrown knives at her and tried to attack her friend too.
"I am the true heir of K'un-L'un," said Scorpion.
"That's what he thinks," said Ava, "He got exiled from here for a good reason."
Silvana glared at Scorpion at that, her eyes glowing faintly. "I can tell...cowardly little snake," she snarled before she got a worried look. "He's not alone..." before there was a bang and a large net hit them.
"Well, this is quite an unexpected bonus," said Kraven as he stepped out of the shadows.
"Kraven!" snapped Ava.
"You know this jerk?" snapped Silvana, rolling as she tried to untangle her wings, first instinct of any dragon.
"He took my father from me!" snarled Ava.
"And I can easily take your amulet from you know," said Kraven, "However, I am after a bigger quarry this time."
"What are you after?" snapped Silvana.
"I would love to tell you about it, but we are on a timetable," said Kraven.
Silvana's eyes widened, before she let out a high-pitched and terror-filled keening noise, trying even harder to get away.
"Silvana, could you not do that right by my ear?" asked Ava, who was being squished in the net.
Silvana turned to look, her eyes slits before she began clawing in terror, Kraven smirking. "I think we will not need to worry," he said.
"We should deal with this desecrator now," said Scorpion.
"Leave it," said Kraven, "She is a mere rabbit compared to the beast we're after. And she'll tear apart this kitten for us."
Scorpion glared for a minute before smirking, his knife slashing out to cut a few bonds free, the two heading off before Silvana tore herself free and looked around madly, before looking at Ava, snarling.
"Silvana, it's me," said Ava, "I'm not the one you're mad at."
Silvana seemed ready to attack before her horns glowed faintly and her eyes refocussed, though she immediately curled up, shaking like a leaf. "Monster...he's a monster..." she said faintly.
"Tell me something I don't know," said Ava bitterly.
"Did you know he's going to break into Chiantang's tomb?" asked Silvana.
"What?" said Ava in shock.
"He's going to try and slay him...he's killed so many...so much blood..." said Silvana, her eyes just staring terrified ahead.
"I know he has," said Ava, "My family's blood is on his hands. But this isn't the first time he's overestimated himself so badly. We need to get the others."
"NO! No more death. I will not let him slay another dragon!" she practically roared, her eyes glowing silver and the walls creaking slightly.
"Another dragon?" asked Ava.
"Yes! He killed one in someplace called Komodo!" snapped Silvana.
"Komodo dragons aren't actually dragons," said Ava, "They're just big lizards."
Silvana's breathing calmed, her eyes losing their glow and the creaking ceasing. "He's still a monster...and we have to stop him," she said.
"Yes, before he unleashes an even bigger monster that he can't possibly defeat," said Ava. Silvana was about to reply before her eyes faintly glowed and she got a sad look. "Silvana, focus. We need to get the boys," said Ava.
"No...one of us has to head them off," said Silvana, getting properly to her feet, "You get them. I can catch up with Kraven and Scorpion faster."
"Silvana, you don't know how they fight," said Ava, "They'll be too much for you."
"They use metal weapons," said Silvana, "It's all the advantage I need."
Ava paused before saying, "Just...be careful of Kraven. He doesn't just use metal and he knows how to ambush."
Silvana nodded. "May the stones favour you." she said, before turning and heading in the same direction as the two had headed.
"So, when are you planning on taking the throne?" asked Spider-Man, "I mean, there's no real rush, right?"
"After graduation," said Iron Fist, "But that does not mean I will be leaving the outside world forever. You will be able to count on me if you need me."
"They seem to be treating Silvana ok at least." Spider-Man said, the two thinking about how a large dragoness had kept asking the monks so kindly for scrolls to read.
"I am not sure they are at ease with her," said Iron Fist, "It only takes one drop of ink to stain a piece of paper."
"Silvana doesn't want to cause trouble. Sure, she ate Nova's phone but she apologised afterwards," said Spider-Man.
"I know she doesn't," said Iron Fist, "But she had a...naivety that makes her vulnerable."
Spider-Man thought about that, remembering how Matt, Kala or Chloe were always explaining some everyday thing to her, or gently explaining how the world she was in worked. She also had a blunt way of looking at the world, backed up by the fact she literally ate metal. "Well, yeah, she does seem to have a different viewpoint than others," said Spider-Man.
"Which is something that someone could exploit," said Iron Fist.
"Well, it's a good thing there's no one like that here," said Spider-Man.
At that point the door was thrown open, White Tiger running in. "Guys...Kraven...it's Kraven," she said, adding, "And Scorpion. They attacked us. Silvana's gone after them to try and slow them down. They're gonna open Chiantang's tomb."
"Ok, that's pretty bad," said Spider-Man.
"What?" said Iron Fist in shock.
"We have to stop them before they get to the tomb," said White Tiger.
"Right...except we have no idea where that tomb is," said Spider-Man.
"I know who might know," said Iron Fist.
"Then she has gone," said the monk calmly once things had explained, not sounding very surprised.
"After Scorpion and Kraven. And you're taking the disgraced exile bringing an egomaniac hunter here with great stride," said Spider-Man.
"He is following destiny, much like the last time, as is your dragon friend," said the monk calmly.
"Destiny? You knew this was going to happen?" asked Iron Fist, "That Scorpion would betray us?"
"Scorpion chose the path that would lead him here," said the elder monk, "It became clear when the true nature of his heart was revealed."
"How does Silvana fit into this?" said White Tiger.
The monk sighed, "She is destined to release the black dragon."
"Hey, just because she's not your kind of dragon-" started Spider-Man.
"That is why it will happen," said the monk, "A dragon from the outside will release Chiantang. As it was foretold."
"That doesn't mean she will. You didn't say anything about that being set in stone," snapped White Tiger.
"In fact, you said that the story has already ended," said Iron Fist.
"That was in regards to Bai Hu," said the monk, "There is no prophecy connected to it."
"And yet there's a prophecy saying the Black Dragon is going to be free and not mention the White Tiger? Don't you think that's a little off?" asked Spider-Man.
The monk seemed to think for a second before nodding, "It is a curious oversight."
"Such as how the other Holy Beasts haven't helped out at all?" asked White Tiger.
"Agreed. I suspect that you will find out why they have also been absent when you follow," said the monk calmly.
Silvana flew through the icy wind. Despite expectations, most dragons were fine in the cold thanks to their elemental cores, Silvana more so and she could easily see the tracks those dragonslayers had left behind. The problem was that the blizzard may soon wipe away the tracks and Silvana wasn't sure if she could track them any other way.
The scent led to a barely visible cave in the distance, the ruins of some sort of fort around it. "Hmm..." she muttered, swooping down and landing at the cave entrance. It looked like she had gotten there a little before them. Silvana jumped as a low deep voice said as if in her ear, "And who is this who come to pay reverence?"
"I'm not here to pay anything," said Silvana defensively.
"Yet you come to protect me from slayers," said the voice with a tone of amusement.
"I came to stop the slayers," snapped Silvana.
"And could that not be seen as protection, child?" said the voice.
"Well, in a way, I guess," said Silvana.
"Yet you are outnumbered. The hunter...I can see how he will end you. Yet I can help if you will allow me, child of steel and scales," sneered the voice.
"I...I don't need your help," said Silvana, uncertainly.
"I sense your uncertainty. Without my help you will fail," said the voice calmly.
"I have friends who are coming after me," said Silvana.
"The monks will not allow them. You know this," sneered the voice.
"Of course they would," said Silvana.
"But will they get here in time? I offer you aid to defeat them," said the voice, this time the voice echoing in her head. Silvana winced. The howling wind and the biting cold made it hard to think clearly. "I offer my aid...to make you stronger...strong enough for you to save your clan," sneered the voice, the echoing louder now.
"My clan is not-" started Silvana.
"Your clan are slaves to a false queen," said the voice more sternly.
"But-" started Silvana.
"You wish to fail your family?" snarled the voice, Silvana twitching as her head felt like it was shattering. "You do not have the power. You are merely a metal vessel. You are hollow inside. You need the power I offer," said the voice, which was sounding angrier and angrier.
"I...need...NO...GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" screamed Silvana.
"It's too late for that," sneered the voice.
She screamed as she found her body stiffly walking over to a damaged building in the compound, three pendants on pedestals, before her hand reached for the one stylized like a lizard. The second she touched it, she felt a surge of power...right before things went white.
Kraven was huffing as he and Scorpion ascended up to the cave. "Feeling tired already?" asked Scorpion smugly.
"Hardly," said Kraven, "It's this thin mountain air."
"Haven't you ever climbed so high?" asked Scorpion.
"Nothing much to hunt up high," said Kraven.
"Huh...we are close.." scoffed Scorpion, leading the way through the snow towards a set of ruined gates, a far larger set of heavy-looking gates seen just inside a large cave.
"They definitely wanted to keep this place out of the way," said Kraven.
"With reason. This is where Chantang is imprisoned," said Scorpion in a low voice.
"Is it still alive? We won't get much from its skeleton," said Kraven.
"Of course," snapped Scorpion.
"Most animals would be long dead," said Kraven.
"Dragons aren't most animals," said Scorpion, "No toying with this one. We strike it down fast and hard. Then I shall have a power greater than the Iron Fist."
A female voice echoed out at that, "Who dares trespass here?"
"I thought you said Chiantang was male," said Kraven.
"He is," said Scorpion carefully, readying a blade, before it flew out his hand, a pair of glowing red eyes seen in the shadows ahead.
Pretty soon, a long shape slithered out of the shadows. It could have been easy to mistake for a snake at first, but the front legs came into view. In truth, it wasn't slithering, but floating just above the ground. When it came fully out into the light, it was clearly an Asian dragon, with scales made of azure-colored metal. "Finally...a challenge," sneered Kraven, only for Scorpion to block him.
"That's not Chiantang," said Scorpion.
"Then it is practice for the real quarry," said Kraven.
"We can't waste our strength on this one," said Scorpion, "We have to save it all for the Black Dragon."
The dragon glared. "You dare insult Qinglong?" she snarled.
"That can't be Qinglong," said Scorpion, "Qinglong is the Guardian of the East, not the Black Dragon's tomb. And I know that Qinglong is supposed to be male."
The dragoness's eyes narrowed at that. "You are the ones...the would-be slayers," she said coldly.
"Ah, now I see," said Kraven, "The monks who built this place made this guardian to keep out anyone who would dare to climb up here. We can deal with this fake dragon with little problem."
"Fake?" said the dragoness with a tone of amusement before she started taking a deep breath.
"Down!" yelled Scorpion. The two dived down as an almost white hot blast of flame passed over them.
"FAKE? You dare insult the Guardian of the East?" she roared, smashing her claw into one of the ruined buildings, sending a shower of smashed tiles and stone at them.
Kraven slashed most of the stones sent at him with his spear. "This will be a good warm-up for us," he said.
"Hah...I am not the scared little whelp you faced, Kraven the Hunter," laughed the dragoness, clenching one of her hands with a glow, adding, "And if you insist on wearing so much metal."
Kraven and Scorpion grunted as they suddenly felt themselves being forced to the ground. More accurately, the armor they were wearing was forcing them to the ground.
"Oh...ferrus powers...impressive," said the dragoness, before her fist glowed brighter.
There was a creak from the armor as it started buckling a little. However, Kraven was about to let himself be taken that easy. "Vypusk!" yelled Kraven. Immediately, his armor opened up, allowing him to get out of it. "That armor only slowed me down anyways," said Kraven before he ran at the dragoness.
The dragoness actually looked surprised at that as Kraven charged before her tail whipped out. Kraven easily leapt over the tail before throwing dust in the Qinglong's eyes. The dust actually stopped in the air before condensing into a stone.
"You shouldn't have that kind of power," snapped Kraven.
"Like I shouldn't be able to do this?" asked Qinglong before gesturing. Kraven suddenly found himself floating into the air and spinning around at increasing speed.
After a minute, she flicked her hand aside, sending him into a show drift before turning to look at Scorpion. "And you...the outcast and traitor. Attempted to kill the chosen future king of K'un-L'un," she sneered.
"I am a true son of K'un-L'un," grunted Scorpion, "I should be the king, not that golden-haired outsider."
"Delusional too. The bird should fit right in, in your skull." sneered Qinglong.
"The bird? Don't be foolish," said a voice in her head, "So sedentary, so unwilling to move from the past, not to mention that extensive armor. The tortoise will be a far better choice."
Qinglong leaned down to snort in Scorpion's face before sneering. "Perfect..." she sneered, her eyes glowing before two pendants floated out of the snow.
Going up the mountainside wasn't so hard for our young heroes. Spider-Man and White Tiger's speed and agility would have gotten them up even faster. But Iron Fist's powers were in his fists, not his legs. Keeping pace with Iron Fist allowed them to talk out the starter of a plan anyways.
"Long ago, before the guardians vanished, the emperor of China sent soldiers to help guard Chiantang's prison but it was abandoned," Iron Fist explained, a scroll of a map in his hands, pointing out where the fort was.
"I guess they thought no one was foolish enough to want to release an evil dragon," said White Tiger.
"They sure didn't count on modern stupidity," said Spider-Man before pausing, "Wait, that didn't come out right."
"Not really. Kraven and Scorpion aren't as smart as they think," said White Tiger.
"At least Silvana will be there to keep them from doing something really dumb," said Spider-Man.
A metallic screeching noise was heard echoing through the mountains at that, the echos making it seem to come from everywhere, before a small shape was seen rising into the sky in an arc. And of course, because of spider-luck, it started to fall in their direction.
The trio scattered before the object smashed into the deep snow, sliding to a halt to reveal it was feet thick metal...a larger version of the hinges on K'un-L'uns doors, twisted like it had been in a hydraulic press.
"That couldn't have been done by Kraven and/or Scorpion, could it?" asked White Tiger.
"Not unless either of them is wearing Venom again," said Spider-Man. The noise was heard again, what was presumably another hinge seen flying into a distant peak. "I think we need to get up there 10 minutes ago," said Spider-Man.
The three moved on, before White Tiger paused, her pendant glowing and seemingly feeling heavier. "Are you alright?" asked Iron Fist with concern.
"The amulet...it's getting heavier..." managed White Tiger, the amulet glowing faintly.
"As in the tiger really wants out?" asked Spider-Man.
"No...the opposite. The tiger wants to run away," said White Tiger.
"This really isn't the best time to argue with the tiger," said Spider-Man.
"No, this is the perfect time to argue with the tiger," said White Tiger. With that, she grasped the amulet in both hands, causing it to glow brighter.
She looked around, finding herself in her civilian clothing, thick fog surrounding her, before a deep male voice growled, "We do not have time for this." in a low, angry tone.
"This is the only time we'll have for this," said Ava.
"Are you mad? We have to leave before he is released," snapped the voice, the white tiger, Bai Hu, coming into view, dressed in ancient Chinese armor.
"We have to stop it before he's released," countered Ava.
"Hah...you saw that iron. Those are the hinges keeping him locked away. Just one removed would have allowed him to force his way free. Two is more than enough," snapped Bai Hu angrily.
"Then we have to stop him," said Ava adamantly.
"Stop him? He's more powerful than any mortal can deal with. Nothing will keep him from destroying K'un-L'un," snapped the tiger.
Ava glared and said, "You stopped him before, Bai Hu."
The tiger man took a step back in surprise. "I...have not heard that name for many centuries," he said quietly.
"I've been learning about you. About why you were in the amulet," said Ava.
Bai Hu sighed. "Then you have learned it is hopeless," he said, "Even my strength and that of Shao-Lao wasn't able to destroy him, only weaken him."
"But you're one of-" began Ava.
Bai Hu cut her off with a roar, "And where were my fellow guardians? Nowhere! Thousands of years I've been trapped inside this cursed amulet. But have they ever come to free me? No! They did not help then and they will not help now!"
"But you're still a guardian," said Ava, adding, "And I won't let you run." before Bai Hu seemed to blur forward, grabbing her.
"I could take control just like I did in that strange land," he snarled.
"I hold the amulet, not you," said Ava.
"Bah, yet another jailor who thinks the tame tiger is theirs to command," said Bai Hu, "None of your family has ever truly been worthy of my power."
"No...you weren't. You're not imprisoned, you're hiding," snapped Ava, "I was expecting the spirit of a mighty beast, a powerful warrior, not a scaredy cat!"
Bai Hu snarled at that, "You dare to insult me? Your ancestors stole my amulet. Thieves not worthy of my power."
"I don't believe that," said Ava.
Bai Hu snarled and said, "Do you even look like you belong in K'un-L'un?"
Ava hesitated on this. She wondered how her family, who didn't seem Asian at all, got the Tiger Amulet in the first place. But then she noticed something glowing green in her hand. She looked to that the amulet was somehow in her hand. "Let's see what the amulet saw then," said Ava, holding up the amulet.
Ava and Bai Hu watched as many lifetimes passed before their eyes. Perhaps Bai Hu's immortal eyes could process them all, but it was a little too much for Ava to absorb. But she could at least see an overview of it. The keeper of the Tiger Amulet had left K'un-L'un long ago to find a way to free Bai Hu from his prison. He travelled the world as did his descendents, but they could not find anything to free the tiger. By the time the line of keepers had settled in India, all hope to free Bai Hu had been lost and the memory of the Holy Beast's real identity was starting to fade.
The keepers of the Amulet had lived in India for a long time before one ancestor who sought to do more in the world travelled to America, specifically San Francisco. The line of descendents blurred more as the guardians started marrying into Hispanic families. Eventually, Ava saw her own family being handed down the Tiger Amulet. She even had to see Kraven hunting down her grandfather and father. Finally she saw her own history with the amulet.
But more importantly, she saw what the amulet had been used for. The keepers who wandered the world have used it to right any wrongs they have come across, to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. The keepers in India were more peaceful, considering the amulet too sacred to be used for avoidable violence. But they did use it when violence was inevitable. But when the line of keepers moved to America, they became more proactive. They fought crime, protected the innocent, and brought justice. That has stayed true even after the Tiger Amulet's origin was forgotten.
Bai Hu remained silent throughout, before he said calmly, "It seems I have misjudged you."
"I should have asked where the amulet came from sooner," said Ava.
"How could you have known? Mortals have short memories," said Bai Hu, his tone indicating he meant it as fact rather than an insult.
"So where does this go now?" asked Ava, "I can't just keep passing you down to my descendants."
"No. One way or another this will end. Chiantang is a monster that does not deserve to stay under the sun," said Bai Hu, before focussing on Ava, saying, "But you cannot stop him, not with your current power."
"I'm not sure how I can draw any more power," said Ava, "Not without losing myself."
"Kraven lost control because he was unworthy...and because my confinement had sent me mad. You could not control me because of, first, his cursed magic drums and, secondly, because of that alchemical pollen. I do not see either problem anymore," Bau Hu said calmly.
"But the most important difference is now I am willing to work with you," said Bai Hu before holding out his pawlike hand to Ava, "Are you ready to truly become the White Tiger?"
Ava paused before taking the paw.
Spider-Man and Iron Fist has to cover their eyes as the green glow of the amulet brightened to a blinding white. When the light faded, White Tiger had changed. One again, her body had become that of an anthro tigress. But this time, her costume was not torn apart by her transformation. Rather, it seemed to have merged with her to create a thick coat of fur. Her eyes were also glowing gold.
She staggered a little before saying in a slightly echoing voice, "Wow." looking at her hands.
"Uh, Ava, you in there?" asked Spider-Man, a little worried.
"Yeah...I think," said White Tiger, shaking her head, before a final crash was heard, another piece of metal flying through the air towards her.
White Tiger swung her hand at the metal, her claws being covered in white light that extended farther. As her hand passed through the metal, it fell in five pieces. Needless to say, that was quite a bit of a shock for all involved, the edge where the metal had been cut glowing and melting the snow with faint hisses.
White Tiger looked at her hand and said, "I didn't know there was that much power."
Her eyes flickered to a blue before she said in a different tone, "Of course there is. This is my full power."
"You are Bai Hu, I take it," said Iron Fist.
"I am...and you are the current holder of Shao-Lao's strength," Bai Hu said.
"It is an honor to meet one of the Four Holy Beasts," said Iron Fist, bowing.
"Uh, as much as I'd like to know this better, we have an evil dragon to stop, remember?" pointed out Spider-Man.
"Chiantang," said Bai Hu with a snarl, before Ava got control back.
"We're close," she said.
The cave that was the entrance to the tomb was unmistakable. The smashed pieces of the gate were the biggest giveaway.
"We're too late," said White Tiger just before a fireball shot down.
Iron Fist punched the fireball, making it explode into several embers. "I didn't think Chiantang could be released that fast," he said.
"That wasn't from Chiantang," said White Tiger.
Qinglong slowly emerged from the cave with an evil smile. "Well...at least this might be a challenge," she said smugly.
White Tiger froze in horror. "No...no, it can't be..." said Bai Hu's voice in dismay.
"Bai Hu, is that you?" said the dragoness in surprised amusement, looking directly at White Tiger.
"I'm not the only one in the wrong body," she said with a chuckle, not noticing that one of her hands clenched.
"Qinglong, what happened to you?" asked Bai Hu.
"The same thing that's happened to you, but you didn't spend millennia in a dark cave," said Qinglong.
"You...you let him out...why?" said Bai Hu.
Qinglong snapped, "Because unlike humans, he did not forget me."
Bai Hu sighed and said, "Your imprisonment in the amulet has also driven you mad. But there is a way to cure your madness."
"What's that? A new body? I already have one and it's not human," sneered Qinglong, the snow around them rippling before rusted spears lifted out the snow. "And it comes with some useful powers of its own. Goodbye, brother. I hope you're smarter next time," said Qinglong loftily before clicking her talons, the spears shooting forward...and stopping in the air, inches from their targets. "What?" snapped the dragoness angrily.
"Just for the record, I won't get in trouble for fighting an old god, right?" asked Spider-Man.
"It is our duty to fight Qinglong and free Silvana," said Iron Fist.
"Just checking," said Spider-Man before spraying webbing over Qinglong's eyes. The dragoness roared, trying to pull the webbing off, managing to pull some off just before Iron fist punched her.
"Find the amulet," said White Tiger, "It has to be on her somewhere."
Spider-Man dodged a blinded blow and Qinglong roared, "Little vermin...you dare attack me?" A small glint was seen as she swung around.
"I'm trying to do this as painlessly as possible," said Spider-Man, shooting a webline between the cave wall and Qinglong's claw.
"Hey!" snapped Qinglong, getting a surprised look as she wasn't able to pull free. "This...is my body now," she snapped.
"We've got some people who would like to contest that," said Spider-Man.
"WHO?" roared Qinglong angrily.
"Me," said White Tiger before leaping onto Qinglong's back.
"No...get off-" snapped Qinglong...
"...Me," he said, almost falling over from the sudden move to the spectral realm. "Is this your plan?" he called angrily.
"You have to calm down, Qinglong," said Bai Hu, appearing before the dragon.
"Calm? I would be if she'd SHUT UP!" snapped Qinglong.
Bai Hu realized he could hear faintly, a female voice singing, "This is the song that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friend. Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because...This is the song that never ends..."
Suddenly Qinglong's anger during their fight was making a little bit of sense.
"Focus your attention on me then," said Bai Hu.
"With pleasure!" snapped Qinglong before launching at the tiger.
The two clashed, Qinglong knocking Bai Hu flying and following, not noticing a second being in his head.
Ava finally stood up once she was sure the fighting was far enough away before she followed the singing to Silvana, chained as if to a wall and singing at the top of her lungs.
"Silvana, you can stop singing now!" called Ava.
"Not fooling me. You tried Peter earlier," said Silvana, somehow working the words into her song before continuing till Ava slapped her. "Ow...hey, he said he couldn't do that. Ava?" Silvana said in surprise.
"How did you get trapped in here?" asked Ava.
"I met a nasty dragon. He's a real strong psychic too. He made me grab some pendant and then I was here and another dragon was controlling me," said Silvana, the chains vanishing.
"Wait, how did-" started Ava
"The chains were just for show," said Silvana cheerfully.
"Right. Well, can we focus on getting back control of your body now?" asked Ava.
"How? I tried but that jerk's really strong," said Silvana gloomily.
"Well, you have my help now," said Ava, "And Bai Hu is keeping Qinglong busy right now."
Silvana nodding, before pausing, "Who?"
"Don't you remember the story about the Four Holy Beasts?" asked Ava.
"Wait...that's the jerk using my body?" snapped Silvana, her eyes glowing and a faint rumble heard like a far off earthquake.
"To be fair, he isn't in his right mind," said Ava, "Being trapped in an amulet that's been in a dark cave would do that."
Silvana didn't seem to be listening. "A GUARDIAN SHOULD KNOW BETTER!" she roared, her body surging in size to a more adult form.
"I guess you can do things in the spirit plane that you can't do in the real world," said Ava.
Silvana was now a rather elegant-looking adult dragon, though the elegance was beset by the fact that red energy was literally crackling around her. "Qinglong!" she roared angrily, a definite shaking felt.
"Er, I think I'll get back to my own head now," said Ava.
Silvana glared at that, before she smiled in her same chirpy personality, though her voice sounded more adult, "Oh no...I want an audience."
"Er, are you sure? Qinglong may have been driven mad, but he's still an immortal," said Ava.
"Hmm...in that case..." said Silvana. With several ratchets, clicks, clangs, and other metallic sounds, Silvana became a large robotic dragon.
Qinglong spat a blast of fire at Bai Hu. "I was always stronger, brother," he roared.
"That's not how I remember it," said Bai Hu before sending a strong wind at Qinglong.
The dragon shielded himself before he snarled. "Chiantang helped me resist that," he sneered before both paused as the mindscape shook with a distant roar of 'Qinglong'.
"I think you've underestimated your host," said Bai Hu.
Qinglong turned in time for him to be pinned to the ground, Silvana landing, her eyes glowing red. "You think you can take my body and use it? Guardians should know better," she snarled.
"I don't even know what that word means anymore," snarled Qinglong.
"Then you aren't worthy of the title," snarled Silvana, her eyes blazing brighter and Qinglong being crushed deeper into the ground.
"Hold your wrath," said Bai Hu, "He is unwell. Do not blame him for his current madness."
"He wanted to use my body like some...clothing," snapped Silvana, putting more force on Qinglong. "He released a monster," she added furiously.
"I told you he is not in his right mind," said Bai Hu.
Silvana looked at Qinglong before she said darkly, "His minds practically in knots." before, with a rather nasty smile, she said, "Let's fix that."
"That is enough," said Bai Hu before his eyes started glowing white. His hands also glowed white before he placed them on each of the dragons' heads.
Silvana's eyes crossed before glowing white, Qinglong's eyes doing the same, though ripples spread out across his form.
"I didn't know you could do that," said Ava, walking over to Bai Hu.
"I was the healer of the Guardians," said Bai Hu.
"Huh, I wouldn't have-" started Ava.
Silvana snapped out of it first, pinning Bai Hu and growling "Never go into my head again."
"Isn't that where we are right now?" asked Ava.
"It's more complicated than that," said Bai Hu.
"Just leave," said Silvana, shrinking down to her younger form before adding with a snap at the stirring Qinglong, "And take your rubbish with you." before her form exploded into silvery smoke
Qinglong looked around in confusion. "What...what have I been doing?" he asked, "Oh, wait. I remember. Chiantang..."
"It was not your fault..." began Bai Hu quickly only for Qinglong to say "Then whose fault is it? I released him..."
"If you released him, then why hasn't he left the cave yet?" asked Ava.
"He is weak. He hasn't fed for millenia. He has corrupted our brothers. He wished for us to destroy K'un-L'un on his behalf," said Qinglong calmly.
"But if he did the same thing to them that he did to you two, he'd need someone to wear those amulets...wait..." said Ava.
"Two humans arrived before you..." said Qinglong.
"How long have we been in here?" asked Ava.
"To the mortal realm? A few seconds," said Qinglong.
"Probably still a little too long to leave the guys alone," said Ava.
"The others left before you arrived. I was commanded to guard Chiantang till he recovered," said Qinglong, before looking at them, "You cannot stop him alone. So there is something I must do."
"I know what you'll try to do. But I don't think she'll be convinced so easily," said Bai Hu.
"I can give no aid as a bodiless spirit," said Qinglong sagely.
"If you're talking about who I think you're talking about, I think she can be convinced if you tell her she'll need to if she wants to save everyone in K'un-L'un," said Ava.
"I have controlled her enough. I will give her the truth and let her decide," said Qinglong calmly before his form also vanished in a similar style.
"Do you think he'll convince her?" asked Ava.
"I have confidence. But what we don't have is time," said Bai Hu.
Silvana was laying down, in a happier memory, from before she and her clan had been resurrected. She smiled as she saw her family, not as robotic creatures but of flesh and blood, like she partially was, before she frowned. "I know you're there. I thought they were taking you too," she said darkly, the scene fading into black around her.
"I'm afraid we don't have time for idle daydreams," said Qinglong as he appeared beside her, "Chiantang still needs to be stopped."
"And we will. Now get out," snapped Silvana, glaring at Qinglong.
"You don't understand. He still has two more Holy Beasts under his control and their hosts won't be wanting to cooperate," said Qinglong, "The only way to stop them is if we work together."
"Why would I even think of teaming up with someone who used me like some puppet?" snapped Silvana.
"I was still a puppet myself," said Qinglong, "Chiantang was the one pulling the strings."
"How can I trust you? You twisted every part of me," snapped Silvana.
"I do not intend to share your body for long," said Qinglong, "Only long enough to stop Chiantang. Then you can give the amulet to someone who deserves it."
Silvana glared, before extending a paw. "If I even sense you pulling a fast one, I'll eat your damn amulet," she snarled.
"I wouldn't recommend it, but I see your point," said Qinglong.
The two grasped paws before everything went white...
Silvana's eyes shot wide, her body sending mixed messages, mostly as she was still in her transformed body. "I feel a little queasy," she said.
Qinglongs voice in her head said, "That is your new magic. It will pass shortly."
Silvana shook her head and looked at herself again. "Ugh, that's far too much spine," she said, "It looks like I could slip a disc easily."
"Oh please," said Qinglong in her head before saying, "Your friends are talking to you. To them, you've been talking to the air for the last minute."
Silvana turned to look to the others. "Er, I'm sure whatever you're doing has been interesting, but we have an evil dragon to stop, remember?" asked Spider-Man.
"No, we have to stop Scorpion and Kraven first," said Silvana.
"Chiantang has sent them ahead," added White Tiger.
"We can't let Chiantang leave the cave," said Iron Fist, "We'll need to split up."
"So who's going where?" asked Silvana.
"Me and White Tiger will have to stop Chiantang," said Iron Fist.
"Just us?" asked White Tiger.
"When it comes to most magical beings, the very first thing that's ever defeated them will always be effective on them," said Iron Fist, "It was the power of Shao-Lao and Bai Hu that defeated Chiantang the first time. It will take their power to defeat him again."
"Meaning I have to deal with the morons who attacked me in metal?" said Silvana.
"Spider-Man will be going with you," said White Tiger.
"Say what now?" asked Spider-Man.
"Even if she's wielding the power of a Holy Beast, she might not be able to take on both of them at once," said White Tiger.
"They tried to fight a ferromancer encased in metal," pointed out Silvana.
"They have their own Holy Beasts now," said White Tiger pointedly.
"Silvana paused, before saying, "Good point."
"So, should I bother with trying to reach out to the villains inside the monsters?" asked Spider-Man.
"You could try to appeal to their inner humanity," said Iron Fist. Spider-Man, White Tiger, and Silvana just gave him flat looks. "Or you could enrage them so much that they can't resist the urge to attack you," said Iron Fist.
Silvana smiled. "Oh, I know how to do that. Master Lynch taught me everything he knows," she said eagerly.
"Yeah, but you don't know them personally enough to really get under their skin," said Spider-Man.
"Matt said that I can get under anyone's skin," said Silvana.
"You're not talking in the literal sense, are you?" asked Spider-Man.
"No...that'd be like that weirdo in engineering," said Silvana happily.
"You know, riding on a flying dragon wasn't something I thought I'd ever do. Well, I guess I did it before. Though that was Loki using my body so I don't think it counts. But it's probably one of the best ways to travel."
Silvana blinked before Qinglong said in her head, "Why is he talking to the air?"
"It's just something he does," replied Silvana, "Just ignore it."
"Oh, now then. The most easy to annoy will be the phoenix. He was always a hothead," said Qinglong carefully.
"Is he an actual phoenix?" asked Silvana.
"Well, not quite the same way as you westerners think. But Zhu Qiao does have a very fiery temper. But Xuanwu will be harder. But then, I'm not sure what all those years of imprisonment has done to him," said Qinglong.
"He's a tortoise. I can probably keep ahead of him by walking briskly," said Silvana sarcastically.
"Don't underestimate him. He was the Guardian of the North for a reason," said Qinglong.
"But there's nothing north of here. Just empty Siberia," said Silvana.
"There were greater problems coming from the frozen north long ago," said Qinglong, "Have you ever heard of frost giants?"
"Weren't they the vikings' problem?" asked Silvana, blinking as she heard the slap of something facepalming.
"Well, the Red Bird should stand out pretty easily here," said Silvana.
"Vermillion. He's very particular about his color," said Qinglong.
Silvana thought about that.
3 days before the gang headed to the Marvel verse...
"Ok, if your target's particular about something, always get it wrong. Pointing and laughing while doing it works well too," said Matt, Silvana taking notes. Then Matt said, "Ok, I'll show...HEY NEGAMORPH!"
A skillet flew through the air and beaned Matt in the head, knocking him out. "Huh, he didn't even get started," commented Silvana. She paused before saying "He's that good." in awe.
"Ok..." she said calmly, before roaring, "VERMILLION'S JUST A FANCY NAME FOR RED!"
"I think you need something with a little more bite," said Spider-Man, "Let me try." He then called loudly, "Hey, has anyone seen the Raspberry Bird around here?"
Silvana nodded, her and Qinglong saying in unison "That'll do it."
An angry screech in the distance was heard yelling "WHO SAID THAT?!"
"Now whose voice was that?" asked Spider-Man, "I'm pretty sure I know who that was."
"I think I know who it was. It was a complete dou-" began Silvana. Just then, a fireball nearly hit her.
There was a loud squawk as a fiery flying figure shot out of the clouds below. Once it got close, they could see it was a giant crow with vermillion feathers. It was pretty easy to see who was the host as the crow was wearing leonine-based armor and had a black crest as well as a black beard circling its serrated beak.
Qinglong rolled his eyes, the spirits able to see each other. "Zhu Qiao, that look is not you. There was a perfectly good K'un-L'un student as well, you know." The bird only let out an angry screech before flying straight at the dragon. "Oh for goodness sake," muttered Qinglong before saying to Silvana, "He favours his left."
"Hang on tight," said Silvana to Spider-Man.
"That's why I have wall-crawling- WHOOOOOAAAAA!" yelped Spider-Man, the last part when Silvana spiraled through the air towards the bird. Silvana and Zhao barely missed one another, though she cheekily slapped him as he passed with her tail.
Spider-Man swallowed the lunch that had threatened to escape and said, "You'll want to be careful. If he's using Kraven's body, that may mean he has Kraven's powers."
"Kraven doesn't have powers," said Silvana, "Only hunting tools."
Spider-Man jolted at that, his spider-sense going into overdrive as a giant burning net suddenly got into Silvana's path. Silvana couldn't react fast enough to avoid the net, which soon ensnare her. Of course, that meant she started falling.
"Not one word," snarled Silvana at Spider-Man as they plummeted.
"Can't talk, avoid deadly crash," said Spider-Man as he shot some weblines through the net's gaps and made a parachute.
"I weigh several tonnes at the mome-No that was not a reference to your weight," snapped Silvana, yelling the next part at the air next to her.
"Can't you do something to at least slow down your falling?" asked Spider-Man, "Like magnetize yourself or some other metal manipulation thing?"
"I am not checking to see if magnetizing makes me wanna sing country western," snapped Silvana.
"Well do something. I don't think it's going to feel good when you hit the ground at this speed," said Spider-Man.
"LIKE WHAT?" roared Silvana before her eyes crossed and Qinglong's voice said "If you want something done..." before she clapped her hands together, their fall slowing.
"I didn't know you could do that," said Spider-Man.
"It's actually a standard thing for us Asian dragons," said Qinglong, "We don't have to rely on cumbersome wings to fly." She paused before she said sagely, "There is no reason for that language, young drake. You were about to literally argue yourself to death."
"Uh, you think you can drop a little faster?" asked Spider-Man, whose spider-sense was going off again. The reason why was clear as flaming knives were starting to rain down on them.
"Oh look, hot food," said Silvana sarcastically.
"I don't think the chi infused with those daggers will agree with you," said Qinglong.
"Worse than being stabbed with them?" replied Silvana
"No, but don't let the chi collect in you," said Qinglong, "Spit it out as soon as you can."
Silvana nodded, spinning and opening her mouth, swallowing the knives before twitching and burping a burst of fire. "Spicy," she rasped.
"Yeah, and he's bound to have more. So I think we should DROP!" yelped Spider-Man, his spider-sense warning him of the large boulder that was being thrown at them.
Silvana yelped before weaving round it on reflex. "Ok...this is where you get off," she snapped at Spider-Man.
"We've still got a net here, remember?" pointed out Spider-Man.
Silvana snarled before biting into the net and tearing it apart. "Problem solved," she snarled.
"Ok, I guess I'll be fighting the turtle now," said Spider-Man.
"Tortoise," corrected Qinglong.
"Whatever," said Spider-Man before jumping off the dragon's back and creating a web parachute.
Silvana turned to see Zhao chasing her. "Ok, budgie features," she snarled.
Meanwhile, Spider-Man had landed on the ground. "Ok, if the Red Bird is using Kraven's body, then that means that the Black Turtle..." His spider-sense told him to turn around.
Coming out from behind a rock was what looked like a humanoid tortoise with greenish-black armor, though he had the pincers and tail of a scorpion. "Whoa, and I thought that Scorpion/Whirlwind synthezoid was ugly," said Spider-Man.
"You are the Man of Spiders my host despises?" said the creature calmly.
"I'm pretty sure there's someone he despises more," said Spider-Man.
"The current Iron Fist...but he seems happy to deal with you. However, it would be dishonourable to not allow you a chance to withdraw," said the tortoise calmly with a bow of his head.
"Uh, wasn't planning on it, but I'm surprised I'm even given the option," said Spider-Man.
"I expected as much but I had to ask," said the turtle, his hands glowing purple.
"You do realize I have a significant speed advantage," said Spider-Man before webbing the tortoise's feet to the ground, "Especially now."
"I believe there is a fable in the west regarding the tortoise and the hare," said the tortoise calmly, the rocks around Spider-Man also starting to glow.
"Yeah, but I don't have time to be slow and steady," said Spider-Man before leaping away from the glowing rocks.
"You have all the time in the world," said the tortoise with a gentle smile.
Meanwhile, Iron Fist and White Tiger were descending into the cave. The further in they went, the worse the smell was getting. "I guess that Chiantang doesn't have a bathtub down here," said White Tiger, who was covering her more sensitive nose.
Bai Hu appeared next to her like a ghost, "The great dragons can live for eons without sustenance, simply relying on the chi of the universe."
"So being trapped down here hasn't weakened him at all," said White Tiger.
"I never said that," said Bai Hu, "In fact, this particular cave was chosen because of its lack of ley lines. Chiantang has been starving for a long time."
"Yes...I am, little spirit," said a deep voice from further in the cave.
Iron Fist and White Tiger paused at that. "If you could leave this cave, you would have done so by now," said Iron Fist, "You are weakened, old dragon."
"I agree, wielder of the Iron Fist. Is that old traitor still giving that out? I thought a few thousand years separated from his people would have sent him insane," chuckled the voice of Chiantang, before saying, "That said, some food has just arrived. Just what I need to feel like my old self."
"You're going to find us hard to chew," said Iron Fist.
"Hard to chew? That's your best line?" asked White Tiger.
"Not everything is ageless wisdom," said Iron Fist.
"Waaiiiit...you're a westerner. Shao-Lao must have taken pity for some Wàiguó rén to take the power," sneered Chiantang.
"I earned my power," said Iron Fist, "A concept you never learned."
"You attempted to kill the dragon king," called Bai Hu before a roar of anger was heard.
"He was not worthy of the title!" roared Chiantang.
"Villains seldom have a proper concept of worthiness," said Iron Fist.
"Oh...oh, ho, ho. You're trying to make me angry..." sneered Chiantang's voice, the crunch of paws on gravel heard.
"Perhaps we should have brought Spider-Man after all," said Iron Fist.
"No spider clan will help you," sneered the dragon's voice, before a pair of green reptilian eyes appeared in the dark.
"You better be right about his weakness," said White Tiger as she bared her claws.
"Weaknesses?" sneered the dragon, before roaring "I HAVE NO WEAKNESSES!"
"If that were true, you wouldn't have ended up in this cave," taunted Bai Hu.
"I was weakened, breaking the wills of your fellow Guardians," sneereds Chiantang
"You won't be able to hide behind that excuse this time," said Bai Hu.
"No...I suppose I won't..." said Chiantang calmly.
"Be ready," said Bai Hu, "Chiantang fights without honor, so he try something unexpected like-"
Chiantang's tail lashed out at snake speed, barely missing the two but leaving a deep scratch in the stone. "Didn't think he had the room to maneuver in here," said White Tiger.
An orange glow was seen at that before a blast of flame shot out. "I don't think being locked in here has made him too weak," said Iron Fist.
"You are right, little prince," sneered Chiantang, finally coming into view, ebony scales shining in what little light there was. He almost looked regal, an eastern dragon, apart from the bat wings on his back, folded neatly. However, it was clear that centuries in this cave has done a number on him. He was very thin, his skin taut against his bones. But there was still wiry strength in his body.
"Even at my weakest I can crush you both." rored Chiantang, swiping out with razor sharp claws.
Iron Fist and White Tiger jumped out of the way of the claws, which easily left gouges in the rock. "Yeah, I think weak for a dragon is still very strong by human standards," said White Tiger.
"You think correct," said Bai Hu, Chiantang laughing in an almost manic tone.
"It sounds like the isolation's also unhinged him," said White Tiger, "Which makes sense. If Sandman went bonkers from spending who knows how long on a tropical island, being in a dark cave for centuries would wear even a dragon thin."
"When I'm out of here, the empire might actually be worth its name," laughed Chiantang, sending another blast of fire at Iron Fist.
Iron Fish punched the fireball, scattering it. "Is K'un-L'un even an empire?" asked White Tiger.
"That depends on your definition of 'empire'," said Iron Fist.
"I mean China..." snapped Chiantang before pausing, with a look of shock.
"China stopped being an empire a long time ago," said Iron Fist.
Chiantang's eye twitched at that before he roared "LIES!"
"Probably a bad time to bring up the Boxer Rebellion?" asked White Tiger.
"It's never a good time to bring up the Boxer Rebellion," said Iron Fist.
"You...DISGUSTING WORMS!" roared Chiantang, lunging at them in a mad state.
White Tiger and Iron Fist were just barely avoiding his attacks. "Ok, he's definitely crazy. Is there a way to use this to our advantage?" asked Iron Fist.
"He'll make mistakes..." began White Tiger, before she saw the dragon bearing down on her, Bai Hu snapping "STRIKE!"
White Tiger slashed out with her claws. There was a flash of white and Chiantang reared back with a shriek, clutching his face. "I barely felt a thing," said White Tiger, looking at her claws.
"At the moment you are a celestial guardian. You fight against dark creatures such at this," scolded Bai Hu.
"And the Iron Fist was created to fight evil," said Iron Fist before leaping forward and punching the Black Dragon in the chest.
Chiantang's eyes widened as the wind was knocked out of him. "How DARE YOU?" he roared.
"The power of Shao-Lao defeated you once. It will do so again," said Iron Fist.
"I will not be locked away for another thousand years. I WILL DIE FIRST!" roared Chiantang.
"I think that can be arranged," said Bai Hu.
"NEVER!" roared Chiantang, the walls shaking.
Ava spoke quietly to Bai Hu, "Notice how the cave is shaking? Do think that Chiantang is weakened enough that if there was a cave-in, it would kill him?"
"Maybe," said Bai Hu thoughtfully.
"But we better soften him up first to make sure it will finish him," said Ava.
"Then fight!" snapped Bai Hu as Chiantang lunged only for a blow from Iron Fist to knock him to the side.
White Tiger roared before running down Chiantang's side, leaving long scratches in her wake. Chiantang roared in pain, his eye blinded by the slash as he swept his claws blindly. "Iron Fist, punch every spot I scratch him," said White Tiger, "It will hurt him a lot."
Iron Fist nodded, dealing a blow to the wound on the dragon's face, causing him to give a keening high pitched cry of pain.
"Ok, need to make one more mark," said White Tiger before leaping forward, slashing a large X on Chiantang's chest. Chiantang reared in pain at the blow at that.
"Time to end this," said Iron Fist, both fists glowing with golden light. He charged at the black dragon, the golden aura spreading over the rest of his body. As he jumped, the aura seemed to take on the shape of a golden dragon. It may seem like it was the dragon's jaws that struck Chiantang's chest, but it was Iron Fist's closed hands that struck the X on his chest.
Chiantang roared in pain before looking down to see golden cracks spreading from the blow. "No...it's impossible...HOW DARE YOU?" he snapped, scrabbling at the cracks.
"It is what you were destined for," said Iron Fist.
Chiantang glared before starting to laugh. "That's not the way evil villains react to their impending doom," said White Tiger with concern.
"Just...irony...do not forget to tell Shao-Lao of this victory...he will be...SO..." Chiantang roared before he exploded into golden sparks.
"Is it over?" asked Iron Fist with uncertainty.
Just then, White Tiger grimaced in pain before falling to her hands and knees. She shifted back to human form as she clutched the Tiger Amulet, which had golden cracks in it. "We need to get to the others, fast," she said.
"Very good. You almost had me that time," said the tortoise with every sign of sincerity.
"You're too polite to be a bad guy," said Spider-Man. Meanwhile, the dragon and the phoenix were engaged in aerial combat.
"Were you always this sensitive about your looks?" taunted Silvana. The bird just screech angrily. "Were you at least a better conversationalist before?" she asked dryly.
"I WILL TEAR OUT YOUR TONGUE!" snapped Zhu Qiao at that, lunging only to suddenly twitch, his amulet glowing faintly.
"Huh, is that-" started Silvana before her own amulet started glowing.
"It is done..." said Qinglong as their opponent fell from the sky, a puff of snow below showing where he'd landed.
At the same time, the amulet on the scorpion/tortoise's chest started glowing and cracking. "At long last..." sighed Xuanwu.
"Take me off...TAKE ME-" began Qinglong in a panic, surprising Silvana before the amulet exploded.
Iron Fist came racing down the mountainside, holding White Tiger who seemed to be in pain. "Spider-Man, have the other amulets started breaking?" called Iron Fist.
"They're glowing if that's what you mean," said Spider-Man.
"The Holy Beasts are being freed," called Iron Fist, "Chiantang has been destroyed."
The tortoise shook as a purple energy flowed out and into the sky, leaving scorpion who fell backwards into the snow with a groan.
Soon after that, a red burst of light shot out of the snowbank where the bird had fallen. Kraven soon stood up out of the snow. "Ugh...what happened? How did I get here?" he asked in confusion.
He looked around before spotting White Tiger and Iron Fist, who were yet to notice him. He smirked, reaching for one of his blades...before he heard a bang above...and Silvana landed on him, the two turning.
"I don't wanna go to flying school today, mummy," said Silvana in a gleefully dazed voice, her face blackened and her eyes spiralling.
White Tiger was still clutching the Tiger Amulet, its ancient surface now radiating with golden cracks. She could feel all her power being pulled out of her. Finally, with a loud roar, the amulet shattered as white light shot out of it.
"It's...it's gone," she said, sounding surprised. She'd worn the amulet for so long, had her powers so long that it felt...weird to feel normal again.
The moment was slightly spoilt as the concussed Silvana continued, "I wanna stay home in the cave and eat mutton."
Kraven's muffled voice saying with a groan, "Get this lizard off me."
"So, is that it?" asked Spider-Man, "The Four Holy Beasts' spirits are free and everyone goes home?"
"Almost," said a voice from above.
The group looked up, Silvana saying dizzily "Flying kitty." before passing out.
Floating in the air was Bai Hu. It was pretty clear that Bai Hu was a spirit now, his body mostly made of a translucent white energy. "I thank you. My brothers are free...mostly," he said.
"Are you not staying in K'un-L'un?" asked Iron Fist.
"We can't," said Bai Hu, "Our time has passed. It is time for us to move on to the Spirit World. But we will be able to protect K'un-L'un from there."
"What about Ava?" asked Spider-Man.
"I have given careful thought ever since I learned the history of the amulet's caretakers. I wasn't sure if we would be able to free myself and the others, but I wondered what would happen if we would. Her family no longer has to look after me, but perhaps now I can return the favor. The world needs heroes and it would be wrong to take away the White Tiger," said Bai Hu.
With that, Bai Hu clasped his hands together before waving his arms together in a circle around him, leaving a white glowing circle in the air. The circle filled in to form a yin-yang symbol. Bai Hu then put his hands together and thrust them forward, causing the symbol to start float down to Ava, shrinking down into an orb as it went. When it stopped in front of her, it solidified into a copy of the Tiger Amulet, except this one was made out of gold. "May the power of the white tiger serve you well," said Bai Hu calmly.
Ava took the new Tiger Amulet, almost too in awe to hold it. "Is it...just like the old one?" she asked.
"Well, the tiger power within won't be trying to turn you savage all the time," said Bai Hu, "As long as its wielder is worthy anyways."
Ava looked at the amulet before putting it on, feeling the familiar sensations returning, though they felt smoother, not the constant fight.
"That said, don't let fools like this one take it," said Bai Hu, pointing down.
"But I wanna pet the kitty," said Silvana dizzily.
"Not that fool, the one underneath her," amended Bai Hu.
Silvana got a frown before reaching under her and pulling a struggling Kraven out. "I found teddy," she said, Kraven glaring and trying to stab her, the knife melting into her skin till it was just the hilt. "Aw...can I keep him?" she said, giving him a bone-crunching hug.
Iron Fist put Ava down and said, "Excuse me, I think I need to attend to someone." Iron Fist turned to where Scorpion was just starting to come round. "I'm not surprised you tried to return despite your exile," said Iron Fist, "But I am disappointed."
"The throne of K'un-L'un belongs to me. You have led more outsiders here," snapped Scorpion.
"And you've brought one worse than them," said Iron Fist, pointing at Kraven.
"Yeah! Wait, we're not that bad, are we?" asked Spider-Man.
"He was a means to an end!" snapped Scorpion, adding, "He wanted a dragon to hunt. He would not have even stepped foot in the valley had that not interfered." pointing at Silvana who frowned before smiling, looking past Scorpion who was suddenly in shadow.
"Is that so?" said a calm but cold voice.
Scorpion slowly turned around to see a huge red dragon looming over him. "But...that's impossible," said Scorpion, "You're supposed to be dead."
"How do you think I earnt my title?" said the dragon darkly, looking at Iron Fist and giving a brief bow of his head, the bow of one master to another, "So, you thought to challenge the power Master Daniel earned from me by taking power from Chiantang... How could stupidly arrogant can you be?"
"I am the rightful-" began Scorpion before Shao-Lao's eyes glowed and Scorpion froze in pose.
"Arrogant enough that you would dare speak to me in that tone," said Shao-Lao darkly.
"I didn't know you could do that," said Iron Fist, "You could have done that to me during our fight."
Shao-Lao got a smug smile, "Master Daniel...that would have been cheating."
"This probably isn't going to make a difference to Scorpion, will it?" asked Spider-Man.
"No, I have seen his kind before. He will never accept this. His ego would never allow it," said Shao-Lao, before looking around. "Now then, I sensed some...old friends but they don't appear to be around," he said calmly, looking around.
White Tiger looked up, but Bai Hu had disappeared. "They're in the Spirit Realm now," she said, a little sadly.
"Ah...as I thought, but he has left his power to you, young one." said Shao-Lao in a surprisingly kind tone, before pausing, looking around. "But there is another who has been granted power here," said Shao-Lao before looking at Silvana.
Silvana looked over her shoulder before she said "Who, me?"
Shao-Lao took Kraven from her before glaring. "And you, so-called hunter. You are certainly not welcome here," he snarled. Shao-Lao picked up Scorpion and growled, "I should just send you to the spirit world right now."
"No, they don't deserve that," said Ava.
Shao-Lao seemed surprised. "Really?" he said in mild surprise, his eyes glowing for a second before he said, "Not even this one?" he asked, holding Kraven up higher.
"Well...not this way. He needs to face human justice for his crimes," said Ava.
Shao-Lao paused before he turned his gaze on the two who fell unconscious. "Take this filth. They will never set foot here again."
"Didn't stop Scorpion this time though," said Spider-Man.
"When he wakes, he'll never remember how to return to K'un-L'un," said Shao-Lao, "As far as I am concerned, he is no son of K'un-L'un."
The two villains glowed before vanishing. "They won't even remember this little misadventure," Shao-Lao said evilly.
"Ok, I guess then we just head on back to New York now," said Spider-Man before shivering, "After warming back up in the monastery first."
Shao-Lao frowned at that, the heroes tensing up before the dragon chuckled with amusement. "Of course, I forget my manners. If you will go ahead, I wish a word with your companion," he said, looking over at Silvana.
"Me?" asked Silvana nervously.
"Yes...you," said Shao-Lao.
"But I'm...not like you," said Silvana.
"You are dragonkin. That is enough," said Shao-Lao sagely.
"What do you want with me?" asked Silvana.
"You were Qinglong's vessel, yes?" said Shao-Lao, Silvana nodding with a worried expression, watching as the others walked out of sight, before she yelped, covering her face as Shao-Lao sent a blast of flame at her, which instead, as her hands glowed blue, flowed around and into her. "As I thought, you kept some of his power," said Shao-Lao as if nothing had happened.
"I didn't mean to," said Silvana.
"Of course, but you cannot leave with them as you are," said Shao-Lao.
"Excuse me?" said Silvana.
"You are young. It took Qinglong many centuries to learn to control his gifts, some of which you now have," said Shao-Lao.
"I don't have centuries to learn them," said Silvana, "I don't know how long my friends and I are going to be on this world, but it surely won't be that long."
"I can teach you, teach you enough that you can control your new powers. The rest will be in your claws, child," said Shao-Lao, before his expression softened as best it could, "I can sense a great sadness inside you. You are alone...but I do not think it will be forever."
"There's a very long time between now and forever," said Silvana sadly.
"Do not lose hope," said Shao, placing a kind claw on her shoulder.
Silvana sighed and said, "It would be easier to hold onto if I knew things would turn out alright."
"One should never know one's future," said Shao-Lao, "But for your more immediate future, it would help if I taught you the basics of your new powers."
"Well, I don't suppose an extended stay could hurt," said Silvana.
On the jet ride home, Ava examined her new amulet. It was odd having an amulet made of gold after having a jade one for so long. Being made of gold made it a little heavier and made it stand out a bit more. Though the tiger spirit had already told her a charm to make the amulet better concealed and not so tempting to thieves.
But more important was the tiger spirit within the amulet. It was no longer a raging beast constantly fighting to get out. Though Ava couldn't call it tamed. But at least this tiger respected the hand who wielded, at least as long as it was respected. An unworthy person could be overwhelmed quickly, even a careless owner could find themselves becoming more like a beast.
Though Ava herself had nothing to worry. Having to deal with a ferocious beast for years, this new tiger would be much easier for her. Perhaps she could allow herself to loosen up and not be so hard-driven to succeed… On the other hand, why mess with a good thing? One thing for certain was that the future was much brighter.
There's another chapter. This one's rather different from the other chapters, though I do use elements from the Iron Fist comics. The comics didn't seem to have a proper origin for the Tiger Amulet, so I thought I'd create my own. I borrowed some elements from the Kung Fu Panda series, which I thinks works well here.
Anyways, the next chapter will be up on Thursday, which is Halloween. Keep an eye out for it and please review.
