(a/n: Phew! sorry for the long wait, but here you go, a nice new chapter. enjoy!)
Ch. 3: The Pan'ku Box
Korra watched as Uncle, Tohru and Jin scurry around the store scooping up various items and packing them into their bags. Uncle had explained that they had to beat Shendu to a hidden temple that was high in the mountains or else it would mean the end of the world.
Korra crossed her arms and asked, "How would it be the end of the world if Shendu gets this item?"
"The item Shendu seeks is very dangerous" said Uncle "In his hands he will end civilization as we know it" he tossed a small jar filled with a strange herb into his knapsack.
Korra frowned "There's something I don't get, how did you know that Shendu was in that guy and what are these talismans you talked about"
"Uncle had the willies" answered Uncle in a casual manner.
Korra raised an eyebrow "What?"
"He gets this feeling that warns him when ever there is an evil magic user near by" explained Jin "Like Shendu for example, he's a demon sorcerer and a powerful one at that, so he would give off a strong bad vibe".
Jin brushed past Korra and entered the backroom muttering off a list of things that Korra didn't have a clue about.
Uncle adjusted his spectacles "The talismans are magical items that were created by a powerful wizard before Shendu's imprisonment. He worked in secret trying to find a way to defeat Shendu till, after many years of research, he created the talismans."
Korra nodded "Ok but how did he make them if Shendu was ruling the world, Shendu might've known something about them, right?"
Uncle nodded "Indeed, the demon sorcerer was very strict about keeping his kingdom clean of magic. He outlawed magic and bending, he confiscated magical texts and he rounded up all the wizards he knew about in his kingdom and had them executed"
Uncle smiled "but luckily the wizard was just another faceless human to Shendu. He managed to remain hidden and he continued his work in secret"
Jin pushed past Korra, carrying a large black box. Jin dropped the box onto the counter with a loud thud.
Uncle barked "Careful!" he hit Jin on the head with his two fingers "that box has important items we need on our journey"
"Sorry Uncle" apologized Jin, rubbing the sore spot his head.
Uncle sighed then continued "During the rebellion that brought down Shendu's rule, the talismans were used against him in battle and they helped vanquish his minions. But legend says that before his banishment to the Netherworld, Shendu cursed the wizard that he and all of his descendants will suffer pain and misfortune for eternity. A month after Shendu's defeat, the wizard was found dead in his home and the talismans were missing"
Korra's eyes widened in shock "How did he die?"
Uncle shrugged, "Nobody knows, it is still a mystery"
"so what happened to his descendants?" asked Korra
Uncle just shrugged again "I don't know but I would guess that they are still around and are still plagued by the curse "
Tohru reentered the shop "Everything's ready Sensei"
Uncle nodded "good"
Korra held up her hands "Wait one last question! How did you find the talismans if they were missing?"
Uncle scratched his chin, a pensive look crossed his face "I won them in an auction a few years ago at Wale Tail Island… or was it Ember Island?"
"Wale Tail Island" said Tohru
Uncle nodded "That's right, they were auctioning off the belongings of a wealthy merchant who had passed away but they did not say where he had gotten the talismans".
The bell dinged and in stepped Jackie, Captain Black and a young girl Korra never seen before. Jackie still wore his blue suit, Captain Black was out of his grey police uniform and was wearing a black suit with a red neck tie. The girl wore an orange jacket and dark blue pants. The girl had dark hair and eyes that had golden irises.
"Everything ready to go?" asked Jackie
Uncle nodded "Yes but I need someone to mind the shop while we are away"
"I got it covered", said Jin, walking out of the backroom, carrying a stack of books
"Can I come along?" asked the girl.
Jackie glanced at the girl "No Jade, its too dangerous for you"
"But I want to help save the world too" whined Jade
"You need to stay here with Jin" insisted Jackie "I was going to send you to stay with your grandmother but she is out of town for the next few days"
"Don't worry we'll have lots of fun" said Jin, patting Jade on the head "Yay for me" grumbled Jade, crossing her arms and pouting.
Uncle, Tohru, Jackie and Captain Black crammed into the tiny truck with all their belongings in the back, Jackie waved goodbye and the truck sped away from the antiques shop.
Korra stepped outside and watched as the truck vanished from sight "You should've gone along", said Jin standing in the doorway of the shop
"What?" she glanced at Jin, she didn't catch what he said.
Jin repeated, "You should've gone along"
"Why? They'll be fine, I would only get in their way" said Korra
Jin tilted his head "True but you are the avatar and the job of the avatar is to keep the balance of the world and with Shendu on the rise, the balance of the world will be in serious danger"
Jade appeared in the doorway with a look of shock on her face "Wait you're the avatar!" Korra nodded.
Jade looked at Korra then to Jin "You know the avatar?"
Jin shook his head "Not before today, she was here when the store was robbed" "cool!" exclaimed Jade.
Korra extended her hand to Jade "I'm Korra" Jade shook her hand "I'm Jade, wow its a real honor to meet you I'm a huge fan of yours"
"Really?" said Korra raising an eyebrow.
Jade nodded "I listened to all the pro bending matches that the fire ferrets were in, you guys are awesome!"
"Thanks" said Korra, smiling a little.
Jade continued talking but Korra wasn't paying attention, her mind was focused on Uncle, Tohru, Captain Black and Jackie.
Korra felt deep down in her gut that she should've gone with them.
The small car zoomed up the winding dirt road through the forest, leading higher into the mountain.
Ratso kept a steady hand on the wheel as he adjusted the rear view mirror to peek into the back seats. Sitting in the back seats were Hak Foo and Finn with Shendu in between them, looking very uncomfortable.
Whenever the car bounced or made a sharp turn, Shendu just muttered what sounded like a curse in an ancient dialect that none of the enforcers understood.
Chow sat in the seat next to Ratso, inspecting the talisman Shendu gave him.
It was a perfectly round grey stone that had a word carved into the smooth flat surface. Each talisman was identical in design but the only thing that set them apart were the words inscribed on the stones; no two talismans had the same word inscribed on it.
None of the Dark Hand enforcers could read the words because they were written in an ancient text.
Ratso had asked Shendu what the inscription meant and the demon explained curtly "It is the incantation to access the talisman's power".
For the past hour of the journey each of the enforcers had tried to access the powers of the talismans but so far had no such luck.
After a half hour of driving up a winding dirt road, the car passed under an ornate wooden archway and stopped in front of an ornate stone statue that was covered by a thick blanket of plants.
The four enforcers got out of the car to get a better look at their surroundings.
They discovered that they were in the center of what looked like a town square. Huddling around the square was a collection of old, weathered houses and buildings.
Nature had overrun the village. Vines and roots grew over the walls and over most of the houses. There was one house that had a fully-grown tree that grew through the roof. Weeds and grass started growing in the spaces between the old stone tiles. With the sun setting behind the horizon it gave the village an eerie image that made it look haunted.
Finn whistled as he inspected the decrepit village, "Have these people ever considered trimming the hedges?"
Ratso shivered "This place gives me the creeps"
"Yeah you said it" muttered Chow.
Shendu got out of the car and took a deep breath "Smell that gentlemen?"
everyone sniffed the air "Uh, I don't smell anything" said Finn
"me neither", said Ratso
"Of course you don't" hissed Shendu "It's the smell of magic".
Shendu looked around them at the rundown houses "Long ago this village was once a place of magic, where wizards and enchanters would gather and study magic" Shendu smirked "But now its just a little scab on the skin of the world"
"How'd it get like this?" asked Ratso
"A curse befell its inhabitants and wiped them out" said Shendu, casually.
The four henchmen looked at Shendu with interest
"how do you know that?" asked Finn
"I was the one who bestowed the curse" said Shendu, his voice turned into a low growl "Now, enough questions".
Shendu turned and strode into the nearest house. The enforcers followed.
"The Temple is only a few more miles but it is getting late and I am weary from the journey, we shall spend the night here" said Shendu, he approached the nearest bed and brushed off the cobwebs and dust.
Ratso stuttered "W-we have to stay here?"
"Yes" hissed Shendu
"In a cursed village?" asked Finn
"Yes" repeated Shendu, he scowled "And what of it?"
"I don't like curses" said Ratso
"Me too" added Finn
"Me three" said Chow. Hak Foo grunted, "Babies, afraid of a little curse?"
"No we're not" said Finn defensively "It's just that we're allergic to spooky haunted villages".
Shendu scowled at the three men "If it's any comfort to you pitiful cowards, the curse has ended once every human in this village had died and that was years ago" the three enforcers looked at each other then to Shendu "Ok, we'll stay" said all three.
Shendu just grunted something then sat down on his bed.
Shendu laid his head on the pillow, "I am exhausted, the journey from the Netherworld has drained me and riding in that infernal contraption only made me feel ill" his scarlet eyes drifted around to each of the enforcers "I am not to be disturbed from my slumber. If you do disturb my rest, you will suffer a fate worse then death"
"Sure thing Shendu" Finn assured him
"No problem boss" said Ratso and Chow.
Shendu growled, "Now get out!"
"Yes sir!" said all four men, with that they all rushed out of the decrepit house leaving Shendu alone to sleep in peace.
The four enforcers sat outside in the village courtyard by the car, each of them toyed with a talisman.
Ratso squinted at the talisman in his hand "Hey I think this word looks familiar"
"It dose?" said Finn, sounding surprised "How?".
Ratso glanced at Finn "Well, a while ago I took an archeology class at the university back home and we did this course on ancient cultures" he looked back at the talisman in his hand "We studied some old writings and learned how to read these old languages. I think I can read these".
His fellow enforcers looked at him in awe "I didn't know you went to university" said Finn
"Yeah, well its a funny story, you see it started when-" began Ratso but Chow cut him off "Explain later, so what dose the writing mean?"
Ratso squinted at the talisman in his hand and said slowly "Well if I'm reading this right, I think this says Levitate" suddenly the characters on the stone glowed white for a moment and suddenly Ratso began to float.
He yelped in surprise and almost dropped his talisman "Whoa" breathed Finn
"Shendu was right" said Ratso "These are magic rocks", as he hovered a feet above them.
Hak Foo just grunted "Impressive".
After a few minutes of translating the words on the talismans and practicing with them, three of the enforcers had gotten a basic mastery over the talismans.
Finn glanced at Hak Foo who was sitting at the base of the statue in a meditative position with his eyes closed "Hey Hak!" called Finn.
Hak Foo opened one eye "What?"
"You wanna try these talismans out?" asked Finn "they got some pretty awesome powers".
He glanced at the one in his hand "This one heals any injury" he reached into his pocket and pulled out another "And this one makes me invisible"
Hak Foo just grunted, "Why would I need magic trinkets? I don't need healing when I am rarely injured" he nodded over to Ratso who was using the levitating talisman "I don't need levitation when I can already fly".
Finn blinked and just shrugged "Whatever you say man".
After an hour of practice with the talismans, the sun had finally vanished from the sky and the last remaining daylight was slowly fading.
The enforcers gathered up the talismans and retired to an abandoned house near Shendu's.
A few minutes after they had retired to their temporary quarters, a truck come to a stop on the other side of the village.
The doors opened and four men got out. The four walked to the town's square and studied their surroundings.
"What is this place?" asked Tohru
Uncle turned to his apprentice, he held a glowing puffer fish in his hand "This place was once home to the guardians of the Pan Ku Box, my master told me of this village long ago. He said that this was a place of magic but one day a curse fell upon the village, killing everyone of its inhabitants"
Captain Black shivered "That's a pleasant thought".
Jackie glanced over to Uncle "Where's Shendu?"
Uncle shrugged "I don't know. This place is filled with magic, its blocking my tracking spell"
"Great" mumbled Captain Black "So the trail ends here?"
Uncle shook his head "No, they would be heading for the temple that lies at the top of the mountain and it is inaccessible by car."
He nodded over to the small car that was parked on the other side of the square. "The route is too narrow for their car so they will be taking the main route up."
Uncle smiled "But my master showed me a shortcut in case I needed to get to the Box quickly" "then we can catch up with them?" asked Tohru, hopefully.
Uncle nodded "Yes but first, I need rest" he marched back to the truck.
He reached into the back of the truck and fished out his knapsack. He slung his bag over his shoulder and marched off towards a nearby house.
His companions looked at Uncle in shock "What?" exclaimed Jackie he hurried after Uncle "But what about Shendu and the box?"
Uncle spun around and struck Jackie on the head lightly with his fingers. Jackie yelped and rubbed his head.
Uncle gave Jackie a stern look "You want Uncle to help you defeat the ultimate evil, yes?" Jackie nodded.
Uncle snapped "Then Uncle needs his rest!" he turned and strode into the nearest house. His three companions just sighed. They gathered up their things from the truck and followed Uncle into the decrepit house.
A few miles down the mountain, riding a polar bear dog were three figures
"Are you sure this is the right way?" asked Korra, she glanced over shoulder to Jin who was straining his eyes to read the map in his hands.
It wasn't night yet but the thick canopy of trees and the approaching darkness made it hard for Jin to see the map in his hands.
After a minute of silence Jin nodded "Yes, we should be there with in a few minutes"
"You said that like twelve minutes ago" grumbled Jade, who sat between the two.
For the past few hours, Korra, Jin and Jade had been trailing behind Uncle and Jackie. A few minutes after they had left, Korra had a nagging feeling that she had to follow them. So she did and she convinced Jin to accompany her to help Uncle stop Shendu. Jin agreed but he had to bring Jade along because he was still responsible for her.
They had managed to catch up to the truck but they lost it somewhere along the way.
Jade glanced around the forest that surrounded them in annoyance "How exactly did we lose them?" Naga carried them further up the forested path
"Well I might think it might have something to do with the mountain" said Jin, ominously.
Jade glanced back at Jin nervously "What about the mountain?"
Jin explained, "Back in the day this mountain was called Maze Mountain"
"Why was it called that?" asked Korra
Jin replied in an eerie tone "They say this mountain is vast, so vast that a weary traveler could get lost. Legend says that if your not careful, you'll be lost forever, doomed to wander its many secret paths forever".
Jade and Korra looked at Jin in shock.
Jin noted their shocked expressions and just chuckled "don't worry, its only a story" the two sighed in relief.
For another half hour, they made their way higher up the mountain till they came to a wooden archway and an abandoned village.
The remaining sunlight had vanished bringing darkness and a curtain stars. A sliver of the moon hung in the sky, giving them barely enough light to see. Korra squinted and made out the shapes two vehicles parked in the large, stone paved square "I think we're in the right place" she muttered.
The three dismounted Naga and glanced around. Naga sniffed the air and growled a little. Jin's expression turned grim "That's not a good sign"
Jade pointed to a house at the far side of the square "Look!" Jin and Korra's eyes went to where Jade was pointing and saw a faint amber glow coming from a window of the house. The three debated what they should do and finally they decided to investigate the decrepit house.
Meanwhile, not to far away from them, Jackie silently crept out of the house that he, Uncle, Tohru and Captain Black were staying in.
He quietly made his way past more run down houses, he crept through a back ally between two small buildings and slipped into the grove behind the village. After walking for about a minute, he found a trickling stream.
Jackie pulled out a canteen from his a pocket in his jacket and began to fill it with the cool water. Suddenly he heard some whistling near by.
Jackie glanced around till he saw a faint orange glow in the distance.
He replaced the cap on the canteen and crept towards the whistling and the glow. After about another yard, he saw the source of the whistling and faint light. Standing with his back to Jackie, was a dark haired man in a dark suit. Sitting on the ground near the man's feet was a small lantern that had a small flickering flame in it.
Jackie recognized him; Uncle described him as one of the men who robbed the antique shop.
Jackie heard metal zipping together and the man adjusted his pants a little. The man scooped up the lantern and began walking off towards a nearby house. Jackie trailed closely behind the man. The man entered the ruined house through a back door.
Jackie slowly tip toed to the door but he froze once he heard some voices "put that light out!" growled one voice
"Yeah, I'm trying to get some shut eye!" grumbled another
"Sorry" said a third.
The faint orange glow died, plunging the inside of the house into darkness.
Jackie heard the last voice speak "Night Finn, Night Chow, Night Hak"
"Night" grumbled three other voices in unison
"And good night talismans" said the man then everything went silent.
Jackie's eyes widened. Those men had the talismans. He had to get them back before they learned how to use them. Jackie waited for a few minutes and soon he heard loud snoring drift out through the window.
Jackie quietly crawled through one of the open windows and he slowly crawled around through the darkness on the floor.
Jackie's hand and head bumped into some old furniture but it didn't awake the sleeping occupants. Jackie waited for a moment and his finally adjusted to the darkness.
He couldn't exactly see what was in the house but he could see the shapes of old chairs, some destroyed desks and a several old cots. He noticed on of the tables was a burlap bag.
Jackie guessed that's where they are holding the talismans. He got on his knees and he slowly reached for the bag, but his hand felt another hand. He frowned and he followed glanced over and saw a small, dark shape beside him.
Jackie squinted and noticed that the shape was familiar "Jade?" whispered Jackie
"Heh, hi Jackie" whispered Jade, nervously.
Jackie hissed, "What are you doing here?"
"What's it look like I'm doing, I'm helping" whispered Jade.
Jackie frowned "I told you to stay with Jin"
"I did but we decided to help" said Jade, innocently.
"We?" asked Jackie
"Yeah, Me, Jin and Korra" answered Jade.
Jackie groaned a little then hissed, "you shouldn't be here, its dangerous" "Yeah but I want to help save the world too" she said.
Jade reached around for the bag of talismans but her hand knocked into something, sending it crashing to the floor.
The two heard a match being struck and a lantern lit the room, revealing that three of the four men had been awakened "Oh great" mumbled Jackie.
"Slumbering bear greats the dawn!" shouted the fourth man, as he bolted up right.
The red haired man noticed Jade and Jackie on the floor next to the bag of talismans. He jumped out of bed and launched himself at them screaming "Hungry wolf slaughters lamb!" the two narrowly escaped the man's attack, as his fist struck the table causing it to break into a million pieces.
The red haired man and Jackie began trading blows, Jade turned and found herself staring down the other three men. They moved in closer to attack but she whistled loudly and Naga burst through the door, knocking the three off their feet.
All three of them picked themselves off the ground "Lets give that polar bear dog a taste of talisman" said the man with sunglasses.
The three quickly rushed for the bag that lay in the center of the ruined table but suddenly there was a loud boom and a chunk of wall knocked the bag away from them.
Jade glanced over and saw Korra standing there "That was sweet!" said Jade
"Thanks" said Korra.
The three dashed for the burlap bag and ripped it open. The three scooped out a few talismans and they attacked. Chow leapt into the air and he sent Korra flying out the door with a single kick, Finn used his talisman to levitate Jackie and with a flick of the wrist, he sent Jackie flying out the door as well.
The four enforcers chased after them. The enforcers found themselves in the square with Jackie, Korra and Jin stood ready to fight them.
Jin noticed the talismans in the enforcer's hands "They have the talismans!" he exclaimed
"And we know how to use them" boasted Finn.
Korra's eyes darted around to each of the four "four thieves with magic powers against the three of us. Not exactly fair you know?"
"Make that five against four" said a voice. Everyone looked towards the source of the voice and they all saw Tohru and Captain Black standing there.
Captain Black cracked his knuckles "now it's a fair fight" "Alright!" said Jade, who was standing in the doorway of the enforcers house. Both sides rushed each other and clashed.
Meanwhile, alone in darkness, Shendu rested.
Old memories paraded through his dreams. His rise to power, his iron fisted rule over the humans, his family.
A familiar face came to mind. A face that Shendu had not seen in many centuries, one that he almost forgotten during his imprisonment in the Netherworld.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth "Lin" he muttered.
Suddenly a loud boom and a crash shook Shendu awake. His eyes opened slowly and he muttered a curse.
The demon sorcerer sat up and saw that there was a large gaping hole where the door should be. His scarlet eyes drifted over to the wall opposite of the door and saw the four humans he had selected to serve him all crumpled up in a pile.
Shendu hissed, "I trust that you all had a goodnights rest".
The four scrambled and stood at attention "Uh, yeah" said Finn
"Sure" mumbled Ratso.
Shendu climbed out of bed and turned to the wall behind the bed. He raised a hand and the wall in front of him collapsed into rubble, revealing a wall of tangled trees. Shendu's hand glowed green for a moment and the trees slowly untangled themselves, revealing a small dirt pathway that lead up the mountain.
"This way" hissed Shendu, stepping through the destroyed wall and he began marching up the pathway. The four enforcers, hurried after him without hesitation.
In the square, Korra, Jin, Jackie, Tohru and Captain Black waited for the enforcers to retaliate but nothing happened.
Korra frowned "Did we win?" Jin just shrugged.
They heard a loud crack coming from the small house followed by the sound of crumbling stones then silence.
Jackie frowned "That doesn't sound good" "What's with all the noise!" cried a familiar voice.
Everyone looked and saw Uncle, standing there looking annoyed. Uncle noticed Jin standing there "Jin? What are you doing here?"
Jin laughed nervously "Here to help"
Uncle frowned "If you are here, then whose tending the shop!" "Don't worry we got that covered" said Jade.
Further up the mountain, Shendu led the enforcers through a dark tunnel that was carved out of the mountain by man long ago.
The group entered a spacious room. Massive stone pillars towered over them, holding the stone ceiling up. The floors were covered in scarlet and gold carpets. Along the walls were tapestries, wooden boxes, large old vases and golden statues.
The enforcers studied the temple "Nice place" said Finn.
Shendu marched over to the other side of the room till he reached a stone pedestal that stood in front of a wall covered in ancient texts.
On that stone pedestal was an oddly shaped box. The box itself was blue with golden shapes and ruby diamonds painted on it. The box was a few inches in height and diameter, the top had strange lines on it.
Shendu waved a hand over the box "This, gentlemen, is the Pan'ku Box"
"Neat" said Ratso
"Now take it" commanded Shendu.
The enforcers looked at the demon sorcerer in confusion "Why don't you take it?" asked Finn.
Shendu scowled "I cannot touch it for it is forged of good magic and I, most decidedly, am not".
Finn shrugged and reached out to grab the box but a voice called "Hold it right there!" the enforcer froze.
All the enforcers and Shendu turned and they saw Korra standing there with Jackie, Captain Black, Tohru, Uncle, Jin and Jade.
Shendu frowned "You again. Just who do you think you are?"
"I'm the Avatar" answered Korra, moving to fighting stance.
Shendu's eyes widened "The Avatar?" the demon's lips parted into a smile "My old foe, the one who incited rebellion among my slaves, the one who laid waste to my empire, is now a simpering little child?" Shendu let out an amused chuckle.
Korra scowled "What's so funny?"
"You are not even a fully realized avatar from the look of you" said Shendu who was grinning "If I had to guess, you didn't even master the Avatar state, did you?"
Korra growled and she kicked up a block of earth the size of a man's head and hurled it at the demon.
Shendu just stood his ground. In the blink of an eye, Shendu threw his hand out and caught the block of earth. With one hand he crushed it into powder.
Shendu sneered, "That was childish" Korra growled in frustration, fire flew from her fingertips.
Shendu noticed this and continued, "You really must watch your temper child, you might hurt yourself"
"Uh boss what are you-" asked Finn but Shendu cut him off with a glare.
Korra stood there scowling at the demon sorcerer, trying hard not to lash out but she was failing.
Shendu's eyebrow rose "I must say, you're not what I expected. In all my years, I had seen great benders and great wizards but you? You are a disgrace to your predecessors".
Something inside Korra snapped and she launched a massive wave of fire at the demon with all her might.
Uncle's eyes widened "No!" Shendu just smiled.
The wave of fire rocketed towards the demon but stopped suddenly.
The demon raised a hand and made a gesture. The fire approached him slowly.
The orange flames turned scarlet and became harsher as it neared the demon. The fire coiled around the demon's arm and it slithered up into the palm of his hand and formed a perfect orb.
Shendu stared into the ball of scarlet fire "Sort tempered and easily offended, traits most unbecoming of an Avatar" mused the demon.
Shendu's eyes drifted to the group standing in his way "Now, be gone!" Shendu quickly jumped forward and made a jab at them, launching a massive and wide jet of scarlet fire.
The jet of fire washed over all the items in its path and rocketing towards the group.
Quickly Jin and Uncle jumped in front of the group, they muttered a spell and threw their hands out in front of them as if they were going to hold back the inferno with their hands.
A wall of green magical energy appeared in front of the group in the nick of time, as the torrent of fire crashed against the wall. The two Chi Wizards stood their ground but they began to sweat a little.
Suddenly the wall of magic began to crack and it shattered. The jet of fire knocked everybody out of the entry like an ocean wave.
Shendu grunted to the enforcers "Grab the box"
"Yes boss" said Finn. The enforcer snatched the box off its pedestal and the group rushed out of the temple.
Korra awoke to a world of pain. Her head throbbed and her skin stung a little.
She sat up and saw that the temple had a long scorch mark running through it and most of the gold statues, vases and other items were badly burt or melted. Korra's eyes went to the pedestal and saw that the box was gone.
Slowly everyone else awoke.
Jin rubbed his head "Ugh, that's going to be sore in the morning".
Korra slowly stood and looked down at her hands, expecting to see burns. But she didn't see any burns, her flesh remained untouched "I don't get it, how are we still alive?" asked Korra.
Uncle rose to his feet, adjusting his vest and glasses "Jin and I casted a spell to block Shendu's fire and in the event we weren't powerful enough to over come his attack, the spell would shatter and encase us in protective shells that would take the brunt of Shendu's attack"
"Nice spell work guys" complimented Captain Black.
Jackie frowned "Shendu now has the talismans and the Pan'Ku box" "Sorry guys" Korra apologized.
Uncle scowled "Yes, well because of you the worlds greatest evil has the key to our doom!"
"I said that I was sorry" mumbled Korra, feeling angry.
"Sorry doesn't cover it!" said Uncle, his voice almost rose to a scream. He was about to continue but Jade interrupted "Guys!"
Everyone turned their attention to Jade "What is it Jade?" said Jackie.
Jade pointed to the pedestal where the Pan'Ku box had rested. On the wall behind it were detailed inscriptions in an old dialect.
Uncle's eyes widened "Inscriptions" he quickly went to the wall and quickly studied the inscriptions. Captain Black followed after Uncle.
He studied the inscriptions as well, saying "Shouldn't we try and catch Shendu?"
"We need to know what the demon sorcerer is planning" said Uncle, running his fingers along the letters that were carved into the stone "These inscriptions might give us a clue"
"How?" asked Jackie.
Uncle didn't answer, he just muttered something in an old language and continued reading.
After a few minutes of reading, Uncle exclaimed "Hatchaaaaaaaa!"
"What is it?" asked Jin "I know what the inscriptions say" said Uncle.
Korra crossed her arms, "Well what dose it say?"
Uncle adjusted his glasses and read aloud "Of the thousands of demon sorcerers that roam the plane of the living and the realm of spirits, there are eight that stand above them all in cruelty, ferocity, and power."
"These eight have terrorized the world of man for centuries but the most notorious of the eight was Shendu. Under his leadership, he and his seven other siblings ruled the four corners of the world with magic's that are derived of fire, sky, moon, thunder, earth, mountain, wind, and water".
Uncle coughed then continued "But one by one, the demons were defeated by the eight immortals, the legendary heroes of mankind and the Avatar. The immortals used powerful chi spells to banish the demons to another realm. They used the Pan'ku box to seal them in that realm. Each demon was locked behind their own portals and the only thing that can locate and unlock those doors is the Pan'ku Box itself".
Everyones eyes widened "That's not good" said Jin
"Shendu has siblings?" asked Jackie, looking shocked.
Uncle nodded "Yes and it seems that if we don't retrieve the box from the demon, the world as we know it will end".
Korra groaned "Its all my fault"
Jin placed a hand on Korra's shoulder "Don't worry, there's still time to fix this"
"Indeed" said Uncle, rubbing his chin "With the proper locater spell, we may be able to find Shendu or the box"
"So all is not lost?" asked Jade.
Uncle shook his head "No, but if we are to succeed, we need to return to the shop and do research"
Uncle turned on his heel and marched out of the temple with Jin, Tohru, Jackie and Captain Black following closely behind. Korra turned to leave but she suddenly felt a sharp pain explode in her head.
Korra clutched her head "Korra, what's wrong?" asked Jade.
Korra didn't answer. The pain grew more intense till suddenly visions flashed through her mind.
The first image was of a sprawling city on fire.
The streets were filled with panicking people, all dressed in tattered rags. The sky was filled with black, scaly creatures, spewing jets of fire.
Among them was a human sized, bat like demon.
The demon smiled gleefully and he hurled bolts of crimson energy upon the helpless humans below.
The scene changed, this time Korra was standing in a vast grassy field where two figures were battling.
One was a grey skinned demon with flowing dark hair and dressed in flowing scarlet robes.
The other was a woman in brightly colored robes. The demon fired bolts of dark energy at the woman, growling threats in an ancient language but the woman evaded his attacks and she hurled a bolt of bright green energy.
The energy struck the demon in the chest and an orange vortex opened behind the demon.
With great force, the demon was sucked into the vortex and portal sealed itself up after he vanished.
The last image was of a massive, green scaly dragon like demon sitting on a stone throne in a grand throne room.
His scarlet eyes narrowed at Korra and he growled something in another language.
Korra turned and saw standing at the entrance of the throne room were three figures. Korra saw that the three were all men. One was a bald man dressed in purple and black robes.
The second was a familiar looking man in green robes and the last one was a young man dressed in black battle armor over scarlet robes, with a shoulder belt that had circular stones embedded in them.
Korra's eyes became glued on the man in the green robes. He looked very familiar, like he was from a distant memory.
The man had a head of flowing grey hair, a thick grey beard and cold dark eyes.
The man pointed at Shendu and growled what sounded like a threat. Shendu let out an exasperated laugh and rose from his throne speaking in the ancient language but something odd happened. Korra understood him.
"-Who are you to think that you can match the might of a sorcerer as powerful as myself, puny mortal?" Korra blinked, she understood him. How could she understand him? She never even heard of the language they were speaking but now she could understand what he was speaking.
The man in green shifted to an Earth Bending stance and spoke again, loud enough for Korra to hear "I am Lo Pei, I am the Avatar".
Shendu's eyes narrowed and roared, shaking the whole room. Lo Pei's eyes closed, his companions shifted to fighting stances and Lo Pei's eyes flew open, glowing white. The scene went to black.
Korra's eyes opened and she found herself standing in the temple again.
Korra glanced around in confusion "w-what the?"
"Korra?" said Jade. Korra looked down at Jade who was looking at her in concern "Are you ok?"
Korra nodded "Yeah, just had a headache"
Jade nodded "ok, well lets go, this place gives me the creeps".
As the two departed from the temple, Korra replayed the images in her mind over and over trying to make sense of them.
Shendu sat in the back seat with a steel box resting in his lap
"Soon my brothers and sisters, you will be free and we will rule the wretched plane of existence once again" hissed Shendu.
The car trundled down the bumpy dirt road towards Republic City, slowly approaching on the horizon.
End of chapter.
(a/n: well what do you think. sorry for the anti climactic end but whatever. Review!)