Three weeks and four days before the Jade Palace's destruction...

After he had deceived them into breaking into the Masters' Council exhibit years ago, Tigress and Mantis had every right to be suspicious when Po asked them to help him out with an emergency in the village.

Before they'd started down the palace steps, Mantis had hopped onto Tigress's shoulder and stated in a calm, clear voice, "If this turns out to be another trick, I'll sneak into your room at the crack of dawn and stick a shuriken up your pants."

With that, Po had replied, "You can't. Lately it's been too hot for me to sleep in pants."

"So what do you sleep in?" Mantis had replied. "Oh."

Po waited until a red faced Mantis looked away before flashing a smirk at Tigress, feeling more than a little proud of himself. For years Mantis and Monkey, especially Mantis, had taken advantage of Po's naivety for their own amusement. At long last he'd finally, finally returned the favour. All he needed to do now was do the same to Monkey and his life would be almost complete.

Po glanced again at Tigress as they descended. Almost, he thought.

Just a couple more weeks. She'd promised.

One trek through the village later, and Po's friends saw what the emergency was: a big crate roped to a lopsided cart on the outskirts, a sullen cow in brown clothes sitting on a boulder next to it. "The wheel cracked, so we're going to need to work together to get the crate to my dad in one piece." He explained.

"What's in it?" Mantis had asked. Though not entirely happy, he did look a little satisfied that it was technically an emergency this time.

Po shrugged. "He said it was a surprise. When the deliveryman didn't show up this morning, dad sent me to check it out. He threatened me with a smacked bottom if I so much as peeked."

The crate was roughly the size of a wardrobe so it was somewhat easy for Po and Tigress to carry between them. Mantis was left to drag the cart, being careful to avoid causing further damage to the wheel. The cow walked beside them, his expression not so sour now that he wasn't stuck on the side of the road. When they reached the village they first stopped at the local wheelwright's workshop to drop off the cow and his cart. After paying the cow for his delivery and paying the wheelwright to fix the cart, they brought the crate straight to Dragon Warrior Noodles and Tofu. Mr. Ping was already waiting for them in the archway, bouncing lightly on the spot.

"Oh happy day! It's here!" He rushed over and touched the side of the crate with both paws. "So what happened, Po?"

"The wheel broke on the cart." Po said. "We just took it to the workshop to get fixed."

"You didn't use my money, did you?" Mr. Ping asked. Po quickly shook his head. "Then what are you waiting for? Bring it in!"

Po and Tigress brought it inside the restaurant and on the goose's instruction set it down in the corner by the counter. Mr. Ping rushed into the kitchen and came out holding a chisel. After a minute's discussion over whether or not a chisel was the appropriate tool for opening a crate, Po was handed the tool. He dug the chisel into a gap, pried away one of the panels... and found himself staring a light brown, super serious copy of his own face.

"Ta-da!" Mr. Ping splayed his arms out as if he meant to hug the life-sized copy of his son. "I had it sculpted from the finest clay in the province! Customers will pour in like a monsoon once they get a look at this masterpiece!"

Po's gaze travelled up and down the statue. It looked just like him. It even had his favoured combat pose, and the slightly unflattering grin. "It looks... awesome!" He said. Mr. Ping beamed.

"Really?" Mantis asked. "The posters, renaming the noodle shop, and putting his old mop on display weren't enough?" Tigress rolled her eyes and knocked him off her shoulder with a flick of her finger.

"Enough is never enough in the noodle business!" Mr. Ping said. "Now are you just going to stand there or are you going to help me get it out of that crate?"

Helping Mr. Ping to remove the statue involved letting Mr. Ping stand back and watch as Po and Tigress carefully lifted it out the crate and set it down on the stone paving. As for Mantis, he was sent to the back alley with an axe five times his size to chop the remains of the crate into firewood that the goose was in need of. Free noodle soup was shared out soon afterwards, and then the three masters began their return trip to the palace. As usual, the going was tough. His thighs were burning after one hundred and fifty steps, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it was two years ago.

As they reached the sixth hundred step, Po became aware that his two companions had not once taken their eyes off him since they'd left the restaurant. Tigress's face betrayed a mix of amusement and sympathy. Mantis just looked amused. Po supposed that they thought he was embarrassed by the statue. Honestly, he wasn't sure how he felt. Slasher smile aside, the statue looked pretty awesome. However, he was starting to think that maybe his dad was taking the dragon warrior promotion stuff a bit too far. Forget about it, Po told himself. It's just a statue. Sure some of the customers might think it tacky, but it wouldn't stop them from enjoying their secret ingredient soup.

But if his dad started waiting tables in a dragon warrior costume he was going to have to have a word.


Viper couldn't believe her azure blue eyes.

The statue, the same clay statue Mr. Ping had bought was being displayed on top of a weathered stone column poking out of the small misty lake that lay at the base of the mountain. It was a small rocky mountain, one devoid of snow, ice and even trees. It seemed to be in good condition, aside from the thin layer of dirt covering the light brown clay. Why the invaders would steal the statue from Mr. Ping's shop and then place it here of all places was beyond her. At least Mr. Ping himself was in a much safer position. The villagers had been more or less unharmed in the attack, and it was Mr. Ping who helped Viper and her comrades evade pursuit by directing them into the back alley behind his shop.

Before they'd parted, two promises had been made. Mr. Ping would stay in the village and not endanger himself by trying to track down his son, and the Furious Five would do everything they could to get him back safe and sound.

Boar stopped pushing the pole through the bluish black water to take in the sight. "You know, for a second there I thought that really was the Dragon Warrior. Then I remembered that pandas don't have colour."

"I've seen that before." Viper said, and quickly explained the origins of the statue.

Boar chuckled. "You don't find a parent like that in every dynasty."

"Are you sure leaving Sao locked up at the factory was a good idea?"

"We don't have time to take him back to Gongmen City. Besides, by the time his people come to check on him we will have already infiltrated the building." He held up the scroll Sao had tried to protect. "At least we got Shen's plans back. With our own cannons it'll be a lot easier to fight back if it comes to all out war."

Viper held her forked tongue at that comment. She didn't like the idea of wielding the same weapons Shen had used to try to wipe out kung fu, but there was no point in complaining. The boat continued on, leaving the clay statue to disappear into the mist.

Ages later the bow of the boat scraped onto rocky ground. With the worst of the mist behind them, Viper could better see their destination: a massive stone castle devoid of decoration or any colour whatsoever, perched on the side of the mountain. As far as she could see, all of the windows were dark. "It seems deserted."

"That's what they want you to think." Boar replied, though he knew Viper well enough to know that she was thinking the same thing. "And there's the tunnel."

Viper saw a tunnel the size of Mr. Ping's archway twenty feet ahead. Water poured silently out of it, travelling in a small stream to the lake. "It's a good thing you know this place so well."

"I heard about this place a decade or so back, and checked it out for security reasons. Back then it actually was deserted. I don't think these people were here for long."

So what are they doing here? Viper wondered. What use would they have for such a large prison? Were they going to use it for prisoners of war? Viper didn't ask these questions out loud. She couldn't see how Boar could answer them.

Once they were inside the dark tunnel, Boar produced some sparks with a rough stone and lit a pair of torches. He handed the smaller torch to Viper and they continued on their way, making as little noise as possible. Other than Boar explaining in short sentences the layout of the building. The tunnel would eventually lead to an underground waterfall, which in turn would lead to the catacombs that were their way into the prison. As luck would have it they would have to pass through a labyrinth of studies, storage rooms and the kitchen to reach the cells where Po and Tigress were most likely being kept. If they hadn't already been transferred.

Viper felt the small vibration of voices up ahead and stopped. "Wait. There's a group up ahead."

"How many?" Boar asked.

Viper took a moment to analyze the coming vibrations. "Five."

"Take them out. Quietly." Boar and Viper doused their torches and continued onward.

When they reached the cavern at the end of the tunnel they first thing they saw was the waterfall pouring from a hole in the center of the ceiling into a wide pool, shining black in the poor lighting. Standing by the pool were the five guards Viper had sensed. She and Boar quickly hid behind a rock before they could be spotted. Four of them had glowing red eyes. The fifth had brown eyes wide with terror. That terror made Viper pause. Did they know she and Boar were coming?

"Remember, kill anyone you don't know!" The unhypnotised soldier, a boar of a lighter shade of brown fur, was telling his comrades in a hushed tone. "Watch my back when we're in the tunnel!"

Viper felt a tightening in her chest. What was happening upstairs?

"We're wasting time." Boar muttered, and stepped round the rock. In the short time it took for Viper to sigh in exasperation and slither around the block herself, Boar had floored the four red eyed goons with two double-punches and grabbed the fifth by the collar. "Where're you keeping the Dragon Warrior and his lady friend?"

"Wh-what?"

Boar punched him once. "Boar!" Viper said. He ignored her and repeated his question.

"On the bottom floor of the prison." The soldier confessed. "I don't know which cells exactly. You're nuts if you're going to go in there!"

"We've faced worse than the likes of your cult." Boar said. He leaned his head back to knock out the soldier with a headbutt, but Viper hissed when she realised he wasn't finished talking.

Even though he was dangling from Boar's hoof the soldier's body was tense, and he wouldn't stop shaking. "What's wrong?" Viper asked.

"You don't understand... I'm serious... you're going to die in there." The soldier surprised them both by shoving himself out of Boar's grip. "That- that monster... it killed them all. It can't die. It can't die..."

"What are you talking about?" Viper asked. The soldier's fear was contagious. "Is Ember he- wait!"

The soldier pushed himself between them and ran for the tunnel they had just exited. "You can't kill it! You can't!" He cried before he was gone.

For a long time the only sound was the falling water. "Do you have any idea what he was talking about?" Boar asked.

Viper shook her head and looked to the other tunnel, the one which would lead them to the catacombs. The darkness was opaque, capable of concealing anything. "Maybe coming in this way wasn't a good idea."

"It's the quickest route to your friends, flower girl." With a rock and some sparks Boar relit one of the torches.

"Call me that again and I'll make you eat the petals."

Boar snorted. "Fortunately I know the way through the catacombs. Don't leave my side once we go in there, got that?"

When they were in the catacombs it was apparent that Boar knew what he was doing. He made each turn without any hesitation, eyes peeled for any signs that they were not alone. Viper followed him in silence, chills running down her supple spine as she thought about what the soldier had said. What exactly had 'killed them all'? Was it Ember, or something else? Something worse? Viper thought of Tujiu and didn't think that it was possible.

They passed a round hole in the wall that looked like it had been filled in recently, travelled up some stairs and then they were out of the darkness and in a shadowy room filled with tables and disturbing looking tools. Boar looked down at her with a surprisingly reassuring look. "See? We're in, flower girl." Viper started to take off her metal lily decorations. Unfazed, Boar gestured for her to put them back on. "You can punish me for my insolence after we've rescued your friends."

They found the big doors that led to the corridors and pushed their way through. "What the hell happened here?" Boar spoke when they saw the devastation. Now that they had seen it for themselves, the soldier's words didn't sound so much like the ravings of a nutcase anymore.

"My god, Boar..." Viper whispered. "Where did they all go?"

"Perhaps it's best not to think about it." Boar said. "Come on, and keep your eyes and ears open."

A black shadow flashed across the corridor before them and disappeared into one of the rooms.

As they walked, Boar pulled out a small map of the building he had drawn back when it was still a derelict. "The entrance to the prison cells straight down and to the left... damn!" They stopped by a sloped pile of debris. "That was the only way up to the upper floors!"

"But the soldier said our friends were at the bottom." Viper said.

"I know, but I was hoping we could scour the whole building, maybe find some information we could use against these scumbags."

Viper saw red light coming from the top of the debris. "Look, there's a gap. I can squeeze through and see what I can find."

Boar frowned. "I don't think splitting up is wise."

"If the rest of the building is as messed up as this, that will make for a lot of hiding places." Viper said. "I can sneak around and come straight back while you go find Po and Tigress."

Boar sighed and handed her the map. "You'll need this. I'm giving you thirty minutes to find as much as you can and come back. Don't be tardy."

"Yes, sir." Viper snarked. "We'll meet up back in the room with the tables." She slithered up the pile and into the hole.

On the other side were a narrow room and a set of stone stairs leading dozens of floors up.