Monkey scowled at the storm that continued to rage outside the stone doors.
Great. By the time this storm passes, that monster could be on the other side of the Himalayas.
He stopped that train of thought before he could get any angrier. There wasn't much he could do about it, and it was pointless to get angry.
Monkey pushed the doors closed, shutting out the wind and snow, and lit the lantern. He set out a bedroll.
He had explored every square inch of the dark corridor, which had frustratingly lead to a dead end. If there was a secret door or something, it would be impossible to find without knowing exactly what he was looking for.
Which meant that all he could do now was wait.
Monkey laid down on the bedroll and stared at the glowing lantern.
It was going to be a long storm.
By the time Viper had tied the bandage wrapped around Crane's body and broken wing in a neat little bow, the bird had stopped babbling.
"Your wing should heal in a few days, Crane." Viper said gently. "But when the storm passes we're still going to have to walk to that cave you mentioned."
"So, I guess we're going to have to dig our way out?" He gestured with his uninjured wing to the snow blocking the cave entrance.
Mantis nodded.
"And even if we did, we still have the storm to worry about." He said.
"So we're stuck here." Crane said. "Stuck in a freezing cold cave that's running out of oxygen. Lovely."
"Not quite, and don't be so sarcastic." Viper said in annoyance. "In case you haven't noticed yet, there's a little hole near the roof of this cave where it's letting a little bit of the wind in. I doubt we'll be suffocating any time soon."
"Oh good. So when do we eat?"
Viper gave a small, sharp hiss.
"Viper, how hard did Crane hit his head?" Mantis tilted his own head.
"How should I know?" Viper demanded. "But for now, let's do what he wants. We can go back to digging when we've got something in our stomachs."
"What about grapes?" Crane asked. "I like grapes."
"I'm sorry, honey, we don't have grapes." Viper said.
"Do you think Su could get some?" Crane asked with a hopeful grin. "She's super smart, and she knows several languages. Do you think if she asks someone we could get some grapes?"
"Crane, I don't think Su can speak Nepali." Viper spoke patiently. "And she's not here."
"Oh bummer."
"We do have some more of that Tsampa." Viper went on.
"Oh. Tsampa. That stuff we ate the night Shifu nearly got blown up in a dozen story room on the same night we ate Tsampa. By the way I may have a concussion."
"I doubt it." Viper chuckled. "You're not showing many of the symptoms, and there's no evidence of trauma on your head. You're probably still affected from being buried beneath all that snow for so long."
While Viper and Crane had been having their odd conversation, Mantis had gone over to the two packs and pulled out the sealed bowls of Tsampa. He was now making his way back over to them.
"Here's the Tsampa, guys." Mantis said. "Sorry, but we're gonna hafta eat it cold. Probably not a good idea to start a fire in here."
Viper wordlessly took her bowl and let Mantis hand the other to Crane. The threesome sat in a circle in the middle of the cave and unsealed their bowls.
"We'll dig five feet and then we'll get some rest." Viper said. "We're not getting out of here any time soon, and we need to save our strength." She paused. "I hope Po and Tigress are alright."
"Po threw a metal ball at a peacock and Tigress kicked a giant croc off the side of a mountain. They'll be okay." Crane said. "By the way that winter coat or whatever the heck it is makes you look hot."
Viper blushed slightly as she began to eat.
Shifu pushed the medic's prying hands away for the umpteenth time.
"For the last time, it was not a heart attack!" He said angrily.
"Well whatever it was, the emperor wants you checked out." The medic replied calmly. "If you had stopped struggling this would have been over by now."
'I am in the room you know!" Xian replied. "Now hold still, Shifu!"
After Shifu's unexpected collapse in the kitchen things had gotten a little vague.
From what little he could remember, a little after he fell Xian had started shouting, probably calling for help, but since he didn't listen to what anyone was saying he wasn't sure. Then Di Tan had rushed in with the medic, and before he knew it Shifu was lying on the kitchen table, angrily resisting the medic's attempts to diagnose what had cause the red panda to nearly pass out. Xian was standing opposite the medic, holding Shifu down as best as he could.
"I said I'm fine!" Shifu snapped. "Now will you please let me get off this table? I have to leave!"
"What?" Xian exclaimed. "Have you lost your mind?! You just collapsed and there's a storm outside!"
"Xian, something has happened to Tigress!" Shifu was frantic now. "I have to find her!"
"And how do you know something happened to her?"
"I can't explain it! Now let me up, you idiot!"
"Master Shifu, I must insist that you do not talk to the emperor like that." The medic said. "It's disrespectful and it's not helping matters."
"Shut-up!" Shifu retorted. "For god's sake I have to hel-"
"You can't help her!" Xian yelled. Shifu stopped struggling and glared at the tiger in disbelief. "You can't help her." Xian repeated. "You have no idea where she is, and even if you did you wouldn't last thirty minutes in that storm."
"But-"
"Shifu, you're forgetting that she has the Dragon Warrior and the rest of the Furious Five with her. And they have the medical supplies Eagle Jr. made them bring. If you know your own students as well as you think you do, you'll know that Tigress is going to be okay."
"But Tigress, she's… she's my…"
"I know she's your daughter, and Di Tan told me about your relationship with her." Xian said. "You're just going to have to trust that her friends will take care of her."
Shifu remembered the time Crane had carried all four of his comrades back to the Valley after their disastrous battle with Tai Lung, and realized that he did trust them. He relaxed on the table.
"You're right." He said. "Po and the others will look after her."
"And even if she-"
"Don't say it!" Shifu snapped. "She's alive!"
"Okay, okay!" Xian said quickly. He gestured for the medic to resume his check-up.
Ten minutes later Shifu returned to his bedroom, his heart this heavy with worry. Something horrible had happened to Tigress, and once again there was nothing he could do about it.
"Damn it." He muttered.
He had screwed up.
There was no other way to put it.
From the moment this mission had begun, everything that could go wrong had gone wrong. Shifu wasn't sure whether it truly was the Yeti, being smarter and more powerful than nearly every enemy they had faced before, or his old age had begun to make him incompetent. After all, wasn't it Shifu who had made most of the decisions.
You were wrong, Xian. This isn't your fault. It's mine.
It was a mistake to bring my students here. We should have just forced Tujiu to evacuate his troops the first chance we got. We should never have tried to fight this. And now Tigress is probably dead, dozens of people already are dead, we are under siege from an enemy the likes of which we have never encountered before, Tujiu and Sao are missing, probably planning to backstab us, and there is a very big possibility that we aren't going to make it out of this.
What the hell was I thinking? What had made me believe that I could control this situation? We were up against an enemy we did not fully understand, and what did I do? I set in motion a chain of events which I cannot stop.
"I just ended up making things worse." He muttered.
He walked past the bed, where Su was sleeping peacefully, and sat down on the mat.
He closed his eyes, and tried to clear his head.
"Inner peace…" He murmured. "Inner peace…"
He was distracted by the storm howling outside.
Only two or three days to go… Tigress… please don't be dead… I need you here… so I can say that I'm sorry…
Deep in the bowels of the fortress of White Fortitude, in a secret area no-one else knew about, Tujiu sat perched on the stone fence, gazing out at the gargantuan mechanisms that fill the void in front of him. Sao was sitting amongst the bed mats and supplies, having a small bowl of Tsampa. Tujiu knew without a doubt that they were close to the heart of the mechanical system that encompassed the entire fortress, if they weren't in the heart itself. He and Colonel Sao were even standing in what appears to be the room that controls the system. Just behind him, standing fright in front of the fence, was a stone block that displayed a variety of levers that he guessed controlled various parts of the fortress.
Colonel Sao had stumbled upon this room himself a week after the Imperial Army had come to the fortress. Upon being informed Tujiu had forbidden him from telling anyone else, but the secret area was located deep beneath the fortress, and could be accessed from one of several concealed doors located in several rooms. One such door was hidden in the kitchen itself, and was the same door Tujiu and Sao had used to disappear.
A few minutes ago, Sao had been sent to the kitchen to obtain a few extra supplies, only to return with nothing but some interesting information: judging from what the fox had heard on the other side of the door, the grandmaster had somehow sensed that something had happened to one of his students. It wasn't clear whether or not said student was dead, but the news had greatly intrigued Tujiu. After all, if one of the warriors had been injured or killed, what's to say one or two of her comrades had suffered the same?
At that moment, Tujiu decided he would give Hei Nuwang an update on the situation. He didn't want to, but right now he needed her to now that he had gotten the situation back under control. He needed to see the look on her twisted face when she learned that he had exceeded her expectations.
He pulled out the mirror.
A few seconds later a beautiful panther was glaring back at him. Tujiu was relieved to see she wasn't eating bird's hearts this time.
"Lady Hei Nuwag, it's me. General Tujiu."
"I can see that, you idiot." The lady said coldly. "What is it this time?"
"I have gotten the situation back under control." Tujiu said proudly. "Those idiots aren't going anywhere."
"Did you eliminate them?" Hei Nuwang demanded. "You know my Master wants the Dragon Warrior alive!"
"No, the Dragon Warrior is still in one piece." Tujiu said. "I haven't claimed the sarcophagus yet, but I have a plan that will eliminate our enemies and allow us to obtain the sarcophagus in one stroke."
"Good." Hei Nuwang said. "By the way, my master is beginning to get concerned that your ambition and your grudge against the Emperor is getting the better of you. He has asked me to remind you that the safety and capture of the sarcophagus is your main priority. Even the library and treasure vault are secondary."
"Yes, I know." Tujiu grunted impatiently. The panther's eyes narrowed.
"I'm serious, you fool. If the Dragon Empress is released…"
"I'm well aware of what she can do to us!" Tujiu snapped, causing Hei Nuwang to growl in anger. "Don't worry, when this is over you will have your precious Ember!"
"Make sure we do." Hei Nuwang said. "By the way, has there been any more fatalities lately?"
"Possibly." Tujiu said. "Apparently one of the masters, the tiger, has been injured or killed. No word on the others."
"I see." Hei Nuwang said.
"What are you smiling at?" Tujiu demanded. The panther ignored him.
"I will give you a more detailed account of your orders once I've spoken with the master. Just remember, the sarcophagus is your main responsibility."
"Very well." Tujiu said. "By the way, how is it going with the planned invasion of the Valley of Peace?"
"If you must know, we will not be ready for months yet." Hei Nuwang replied. "The master has suggested that we cause a little conflict in the Valley beforehand, to weaken its defenses."
Tujiu's heart leapt as an idea came to him. Finally, here was his chance to get one up on this witch of a feline.
"You know what, I think I have an idea how you can do that?" Tujiu spoke slyly.
The panther's ears pricked.
"How?" She demanded. "I am already working on a plan, so this had better be good!"
"When this is over, most of the Jade Palace Masters are going to be dead." Tujiu grinned. "Why not send the Valley an early message? When word gets out that the Valley's protectors are dead, every bandit within fifty miles is going to come in and tear the place apart!"
Hei Nuwand's eyes flashed.
"How can we trust that this isn't going to backfire?"
"It won't." Tujiu said confidently.
There was silence as the panther thought this through. Her half-annoyed expression made it clear that she didn't want to go through with this plan, especially if it was Tujiu's. Seconds passed, and then she was glaring at the vulture once again.
"Alright, we'll do this your way." She said. "But I won't forget this was your idea."
Tujiu opened his mouth to reply, but the mirror turned blank.