CHAPTER EIGHT: ATTACK
Raimundo and Clay were bored. The monks had decided to take it in turns to keep watches from inside the temple, so that they would be prepared for if an attack came, which, Master Fung seemed to think that it would at some point. Master Fung seemed to think that the attack would come from the courtyard, and so they had been positioned to watch over it. Kimiko and Omi had watched all day, and were getting some sleep whilst Raimundo and Clay were in the middle of taking the night watch. Dojo was to serve as the messenger, should an attack come, he would move and alert the other Dragons. He was snoring quietly in the corner, curled up into a small, green ball. Raimundo was sat on a bench, next to a tiny window inside the temple. From here, he checked the view of the courtyard. Clay was peering out of another window on the opposite side of the room. Raimundo let out a sigh of boredom.
"Man, we've been watching for two days. Being trapped in this room all day and night is killing me. I've barely slept and I'm hungry!" Raimundo complained quietly.
"I hear ya, partner. But we gotta keep a look out. Master Fung reckons Chase is gonna attack so someone's gotta be watchin' in case he does." Clay whispered back. Raimundo already knew all this, but his rumbling stomach kept reminding him that keeping himself well fed was just as much of a chore as watching the same scene through a tiny window all night. With a sigh, Raimundo scanned the dimly lit courtyard, only to find it, as expected. Empty.
Then, both of the dragons froze as they heard the noise of movement coming from the forest beyond the Temple. They both felt their jaws drop, as front the forest beyond, poured a huge number of robotic warriors. Raimundo did not notice the initials carved upon their shiny chests.
"Is Jack attacking us?" Raimundo whispered to Clay.
"I don't think it can be Chase, partner. He's got his jungle cats." The cowboy replied in a hushed tone. As the robots progressed closer to the opening of the courtyard, Clay poked the sleeping dragon.
"Dojo!" He hissed. "Partner! Get up, we've got company."
The dragon mumbled sleepily.
"W-what?" Dojo lifted his head and sensed the desperation in Clay's tone.
"Jack is attacking us with an army of robot warriors!" Clay whispered. "Go get Omi and Kimiko. Quick, partner!"
"Oh right."
The green dragon disappeared into the dark corridor as he rushed away, as fast as he could.
"Get ready." Raimundo whispered and got ready to fight. "3…2…1… NOW!"
Raimundo and Clay charged out of the temple. Raimundo was carrying his favourite Shen Gong Wu, The Sword of the Storm. With a loud yell, he activated the Shen Gong Wu, and directed a large whirlwind of air at the approaching robots, which were only feet away from him. A few of them were affected by the strong winds, and broke apart, crumbling into a heap on the floor.
Robots poured into the courtyard, and soon the empty courtyard was filled with black robots. Raimundo had lost sight of Clay, but could hear his yells from somewhere. The robots had him surrounded. Raimundo now knew he was going to have to rely on more than just his element to help him now. The robots swung their swords at him threateningly.
"Clay!" Raimundo yelled to his friend, hoping that Clay could hear him. There was a loud bang and long lines of robots were smashed into pieces. Clay appeared in the corner of Raimundo's eye, and was currently smashing two robots together. The noise was deafening and the two dragons were forced to rely on their instincts to focus in the mayhem.
Clay saw a little figure darting between some robots, each of them crumpled into pieces as he touched them.
"Omi!" Clay shouted at the tiny figure. "Where's Kimiko?"
Omi used his element to blast a few robots that had drawn too close backwards.
"I do not know!" Omi shouted back over the deafening roar.
Clay growled angrily and charged. More robots were appearing from the forest.
Dojo crawled along the floor as fast as his two legs could carry him. He swiftly entered Omi's room and hopped up on his bed.
"Omi! Jack is attacking! He's got an army of warrior robots!" Dojo hissed at the sleeping bundle. The bundle, which was wrapped in a thin yellow blanket, stirred and leapt up immediately out of bed. Almost instantly he took a defensive stance, as though he thought he was being attacked.
"Jack… Spicer?" Omi asked uncertainly, after realising that he was safe, for the time being at least. It was dark in his room, but Dojo could tell Omi was confused.
"Yeah. I know, I don't get it either." Dojo began to crawl out of the door, "But hurry! Raimundo and Clay need your help! They're in courtyard!"
With that, Omi charged out of the room.
A loud crash awoke Kimiko from her sleep. With a gasp, she rushed out of her room and into the corridor. From the tiny window, she saw something that made her heart race. Black robotic warriors of Jack's design had overrun the Temple's courtyard, and more were pouring in by the second.
Kimiko began to run to help her friends, but then stopped. She had promised her fellow dragons not to interfere should an attack arrive, but this was not Chase attacking. Those were Jack's robots. However, Kimiko noted that they were not Jack's usual Jackbots, but they were black with initials carved upon them, 'C.Y.'.
"Chase Young." She whispered to herself. He's here! She ran to help her friends again, then stopped, remembering her promise to stay out of the way. But those were her friends, fighting just to keep her safe. Kimiko hated being left out of fighting, even if it meant that she could prevent a great evil. It made her feel powerless and needy.
From the window, Kimiko could see none of her friends, although their occasional shouts let her know that they were safe, for the moment. I'll wait, and if one of them gets hurt, I'll step in, Kimiko told herself. She stood at the window for a long time, watching more robots pour into the courtyard, and many fall at the hands of her friends. She could tell they were harder to kill than Jackbots, which were broken easily, and they had large numbers. The three fighting Xiaolin Dragons were an even match for the total number of the robots.
There was a dull thud, which came from her behind her. Slowly, she turned around and looked into her dark bedroom. Inside, stood a shadowy figure. A figure she recognised instantly.
"Hello, Chase." She said in a soft voice and the tall man standing in the centre of her bedroom smiled.
"Kimiko." Chase greeted her and stepped forwards to look out of the window. She moved out of his way, wondering if she could possibly make a run for it.
"Do not even try to run." Chase told her sternly, almost as if he had read her thoughts. He walked with his hands behind his back and looked perceptively out of the window. "The other dragons are doing well against the army. I suppose you are not fighting to prevent precisely this?" He asked, to which she did not reply.
What the hell do I do now? She asked herself. Kimiko moved backwards slightly, hoping to choose her time right, and make a dash for the doorway. If she was lucky, she could make it into the main room of the temple and then out into the courtyard. Perhaps she could lose Chase in the sea of black warriors.
"I'll still be able to find you." Chase told her, not taking his eyes from the window. There was a loud bang from outside.
"How are you doing-?" Kimiko began, but was cut off.
"I will tell you when the time is right." Chase turned on her now, and she stopped edging backwards. There was a significant difference between how far away she had been seconds ago to now, but she hoped he would not noticed. He appeared not to have.
"I assume you know why I'm here now?" He asked her, not taking his eyes off her. She was forced to stand still and attempted look innocent. Kimiko nodded.
"Very well then. I will ask you before I use my…" He paused for a moment, and then with a nasty smile, he continued. "Other methods. Will you join me on the Heylin side?" Chase did not really expect her to agree, but he thought he had better ask her before he resorted to his preferred methods.
"No way." Kimiko told him sternly. Deciding the time was right, she ran for the door. She ran into something headfirst, which was blocking her way. Kimiko was thrown backwards a few feet and hit the cold, stone floor hard. With a low groan, she pulled herself upright. Chase Young was standing in the doorway, looking rather amused.
"Then that is your choice under these circumstances." Chase said. He walked towards her purposefully, with a look of determination on his face. Kimiko pulled herself off the floor and ran for the closest doorway, which happened to be Clay's bedroom. As she grabbed the handle, a hand tapped her on the shoulder. Instantly, Kimiko's surroundings changed. She was no longer inside the corridor. In fact, she was not even in the Temple.
Chase had taken her to the mountainside he had used so often to spy on the Xiaolin Warriors.
"You can see your friends better from here, Kimiko. They fight well against my army." Kimiko was confused. The sudden change to all of her senses had left her extremely disoriented and she squinted at the blurry figures darting around in the Temple below her.
"Your army?" She asked, trying to focus her vision. As she blinked, the tiny figures stood out in the sea of black. Kimiko did not want to guess at how many warriors there were in the Temple's courtyard now. There must have been hundreds. She could see her friends destroying many each time they attacked. Even if they are outnumbered, at least they won't get hurt. At least, that was what she was telling herself.
"Why do you have an army of robots and not your jungle cats?" Kimiko asked curiously, forgetting that she was not even supposed to be near the man, let alone asking him questions about his choice of warriors, who were attacking her friends as they made conversation.
"I thought I would use them as a distraction so that I might have a longer time to speak with you. The jungle cats would easily overpower your friends, which is why I intend to use them for my attack tomorrow." Chase answered, smirking slightly.
"You're attacking tomorrow?" Kimiko felt her heart begin to thud in her chest. Even five of Chase's warriors alone were difficult for the Xiaolin dragons to defeat. How would they survive against a whole army, when one of the dragons was missing too? Kimiko looked at the tall figure next to her and tried to put the words together inside her head. For some reason, she could not seem to grasp the seriousness of her situation. Up here, she had no means of escape whatsoever; Chase could kill her where she stood. She knew she was no match for him, not that she would ever admit it to anyone.
"You can't attack again tomorrow! Your jungle cats will defeat them!" Kimiko yelled at Chase, who turned to her.
"I plan to attack, but I shall call the attack off… If you agree to my proposition." With a nasty smile, Chase looked down upon the face of the panic-stricken girl in front of him.
"No! You can't. I won't." She rambled, holding her head and walking around in circles. Her heart told her to tell him to back the hell off, as she would have usually done, but her head told her to think. If she said yes, the whole world could be destroyed, but if she said no, the only people who could ever put a stop to Chase would probably be killed; even with the help of Shen Gong Wu.
"No… I can't…." Kimiko repeated.
"Fine then, that is your choice. I will be back again, same time tomorrow. You had better warn your friends, there will be very heavy casualties." Chase smirked again.
"If you change your mind, let me know. I'll be waiting." Chase Young snapped his fingers and disappeared into a cloud of green smoke, leaving Kimiko alone on the mountainside, where she crumbled onto the floor into a sobbing heap.
Her heart and her head were fighting with each other, trying to figure out the best option, but either way, Kimiko was probably going to cause someone she loved to die. Whether it was Omi, Clay, Dojo, Master Fung, Raimundo, her family or anyone else she had ever cared about, someone was going to feel the consequences of her impossible decision.
Feeling like she wanted to shrivel up and die, she pulled her knees close to her chest and wept, feeling more alone than she ever thought she could.
Omi kicked the last standing warrior and sent him into a broken heap of metallic parts, which clattered to the floor.
Raimundo, Clay and Omi panted and gasped for breath. They were all exhausted. They had done well against the robots. Omi had obtained a tiny slash on his cheek where one of the robots had caught him with his blade. Raimundo was rubbing his shoulder gently, having taken a heavy blow to his shoulder from the handle of one of the robots' swords. Clay had a large gash across his chest, it was a good thing it was only a shallow cut.
"Guys…" Raimundo panted… "We gotta…. Go check… on… Kim…." He gasped for air and forced his body into the temple. The other two dragons followed behind him, slowly taking steadier breaths. Raimundo looked in Kimiko's bedroom, only to find it empty, with the door left wide open. There were no signs of a struggle or anything to suggest otherwise.
"She is not here?" Omi asked from behind Clay.
"Doesn't look like it, lil' guy." Clay said.
"So where is she?" Raimundo wondered. "Come on guys, we'd better find out where she is." With a heavy sigh, the monks split up, and began their pointless search. None of them could ever have imagined that at that moment in time, she was lying on the mountainside overlooking the Temple, curled up in a ball.