After the conversation with the dragon Viper took a deep breath.

The dragon still made a pressuring ambience with it's pure presence.

However, the next thing for her to do was sharing the new information with the others.

When she left her spot to go back to Tigress she still saw her on training and wondered as she was looking at her.

What someone may have seen as a usual training she realised something different.

She was fighting in anger. Something was troubling her.

She directly came towards her and straight asked: "What's the matter? You are punching that tree like it has stolen your honour."

Tigress stopped and sighed hardly: "I am frustrated, Viper. Just really really in a bad mood."

"Calm down. Do you want to talk about it?" Viper tried to calm her down and tried to get her to look at her.

Tigress, still a bit grumpy turned to her and explained herself: "Look, I'm gonna be honest with you: I am not a good leader. I can't even lead this expedition properly! It's just straight awful! I wish Su was here. He would know best what to do and how to handle it."

That came unexpected. Normally Tigress was the leader everywhere they went. Yes, Po made a lot of decisions on his own but Viper always relied on Tigress actually. She felt very comfortable and especially safe with her presence and "Don't blame yourself. You are doing good," she tried to cheer her up

But she just looked downwards. "I do? Viper, I am made to fight, demonstrate, maybe teach… Not to lead. I was feared because of my strength, not reputable because of my high wisdom. They called me a monster until Shifu found me. I see why and I still know my strengths are elsewhere. Viper, I am not a leader."

"But Shifu was the one who gave you this responsibility. I don't think he wants to return that early already," Viper argued. Tigress was a gread commander in the battle. In Gongmen City she made the right decisions when they needed her the most. Viper followed her to a fight against Tai Lung without hesitating and she would have done it again. She was a hero to her.

"But there has to be another one than just me," Tigress shook her head and thought. "I don't know what Shifu thought. Maybe… maybe he just needed me to lead you while he was gone and he did not expect anything like this would happen during his absence. Maybe he did a mistake."

"Then who do you think would be a good leader? Po?" Viper asked her.

But Tigress just chuckled: "Oh no. Oh no no no. He has a good heart but he is a bit too naive." She smiled again and looked at Viper: "I was thinking about you honestly. You are always calm, cool headed and you can judge people better than I could."

Viper wondered heavily:"M-me? Tigress, if I would have been in charge, we would never be on this quest to begin with!"

Tigress argued calmly: "And maybe that would have been a good thing, don't you think? All this mess we are in could have been prevented, other then witnessing me, getting curious about this place myself and decide to stop leading for a second and just like that loosing two of our people."

Viper shook her head: "None of that has been your fault! Shiren has chosen his path independently from you. If it was anyone's fault, it has been mine! I failed to understand or he failed to open up but whatsoever, I'm ready to take responsibility if anything goes wrong with them."

Tigress nodded at her and keeled down: "See? You are taking responsibility. That's already a good leadership role there."

Viper shook her head while looking at her. "But …"

Suddenly Yong was shouting out from the inside: "There you are. Hey, we might need your help here. Craine is kinda caught. I can't get him out alone."

Tigress turned at her immediately and answered: "On our way."

Viper followed her quickly and when they got inside they realised Crane was not in big trouble luckily, just caught in a net that was a bit too small for him.

"You okay? What happened?" Tigress asked while cutting off the net.

"I guess I did activate some kind of trap that was not made for birds like me. Lucky me I guess."

"Another trap…." Viper mumbled and did not feel safe at all.

"On the other side," Yong reported: "We are now at the end of this terrible thing someone might call stairs. The exit of this room is safe now and I tell you, it looks good."

Tigress and Viper looked at each other while Crane came up on his feet.

Tigress responded soberly: "Then we will get the professor and go on. Crane, try to take it slow for a bit. We might need you later."

Crane nodded and carefully flew upwards.

As Tigress made her way back to the garden, Yong called her: "If you are interested in what I think: I think you are a good leader."

Tigress did not even stop and just answered: "… Thanks." and kept walking away.

"Give her some time," Viper told to her: "Tigress is a special person. Now come, go ahead. I feel much safer on this stairs when you go before me."

Once they left the dark corridor, they finally what could only have been the home of the dragons themselves.

The sun shined trough the big holes in the walls which nearly already looked like pillars but also had the look of a wasps' nest and made the impression of an entry wall, but for flyers and with multiple entries and exits.

Inside the walls there were the first structures someone could describe as a building. They again had the shape of ancient temples. Each was located in another spot on another height across all over the place like a town was made on a hilly place. Their size depended on the location. The ones in the corner were much bigger than the temples on the sideways.

The sunlight shined brightly on the white marble like stones they were made of and the roofs were made out of different colours each, either red, yellow, green, blue, white or black.

On the side of what could have been made out as the road there were little streams of water floating across the place and made plants grow on several places, however these plants weren't destroying anything in this place.

In contrast of the previous areas this looked healthy and alive, if there would be any living creatures near by.

At the end there was still a huge pillar going upwards, so they still did not reach the end of this station but at least it was now visible that it was thinner than any before. Viper was able to see both of it's edges, so the top had to be close now.

"Whoah, this place is huge!" Tigress gasped while leading the group on the first position.

"And so beautiful. This truly has to be the dragons place. Not even the Jade-Palace can match with this. Not even rudimental close," Crane agreed to her.

Viper grinned and poked at Crane: "I will mark that on our report to Shifu. This is better than our very expensive and just repaired Jade-Palace, Best wishes: Crane."

Craine immediately went defensive and replied: "Wait wait. No, that's not how I meant that. You know what I mean, you know, right?"

Viper chuckled and answered: "Of course," before she went onwards, following Tigress.

"It's fascinating, just look how healthy this looks," Yong mentioned wonderingly: "This does not show any mark of a fight, other than the other few places."

The professor supposed thoughtfully: "Probably because the dragons have rebuilt this part of the realm and other than the other places, it takes care for it."

Crane walked forward to Tigress and asked her: "Oh, by the way: Do we still have to fear for any traps or something?"

She shook her head slightly and answered: "I hope not. But in any case, we all need to keep our eyes open. Even though you did a good job so far, Yong, it can't hurt being extra careful. Crane got hit once now and we don't know how tricky the dragons were."

Yong nodded in respect. "Acknowledged."

After this conversation everyone was silent for the next few moments, investigating this place roughly while Tigress was leading them towards the centre where she hoped to establish the next camp.

As they entered a big area, up to go up to a pavilion, suddenly the ground shook. A big gate near by opened due to something pushing it from the inside and the creature coming out of it looked like a huge snake but there was something wrong with it: It had nine heads and violently screamed at them, starting attacking. It smelled wet and felt greasy like it just left water.

"What is that?" Crane asked while it was still dealing with the gate, and immediately flew up. This place had enough space for a lot of Cranes if need to so he was able to manoeuvrer and fight if it came to the worst.. The height of this palce remembered of the former palace tower from Gongmen City. Before it got destroyed. But other than that, this did not contain any conventional stairs.

The professor fell back, started hiding behind a decorative pillar for shelter and started explaining out loud: "Well, looks like a creature called Xiangliu. But that's everything I can tell you about it. I have no knowledge about it that would help you fighting it."

Tigress nodded at him and commanded: "That's okay, professor. Just stay in your cover. Everyone else: Ready yourselves!"

Yong who looked for the right angle to attack this creature guessed: "I don't like this thought but I would say this was one way the dragon fought the snakes"

"We talk about that later," Viper decided and turned towards the creature: "First we need to actually beat it."

She said it as if she had a clue how to defeat it but truth be told, she didn't know.

It was a weird feeling but right now seeing a large aggressive creature like that made her felt weak with only having just Tigress and Crane next to her fighting against a strong looking foe like this Xiangliu.

In hopes to avoid any sort of combat she let Shiren and Mantis go and bowed to the dragon but this creature did not look like a sentient being to talk with.

And with Po not even being here she felt very disposed but telling her true feelings was not going to help anyone.

She needed to stay strong for everyone around her.

It had to have some kind of weakness it was just yet to be discovered.

So Crane was attacking it from the top, trying to look for a good situation to strike and hit hard on it's head while Tigress was starting attacking it from up front with way more success than anyone else.

Yong went to the back of the creature to have a moderate surround on it while Viper filled the holes of their assault, the left flank.

Yong was not able to connect properly with the creature. Each time she tried to come close, one head turned towards her and tried to bite her so she turned back and waited for the next opportunity but in the end she did not got any hit on the creature.

Viper remembered Yong was not a master and it showed in the fight.

On the other hand she was occupying one of it's nine heads that was something.

Crane got two heads, two other focussed on Viper and Tigress got all four that were left to deal with.

It was not a pretty fight and to make things worse she realised the Xiangliu could have been very likely venomous so any hit it got off was dangerous. Except for Viper herself maybe, depending on the venom. She was immune to her own but cobras for example were a different story.

Yong shouted out: "This thing has like nine heads! I can't get a good hit anywhere. It has too good reflexes."

Tigress responded: "I can hit it but I have to fight like four of these things at once!"

Yong was reaching out to Viper, keeping the creature in vision and she started asking:

"Viper, do you have any suggestion?"

Viper wondered and stopped for a moment. "Me? Eh, why should I?"

Yong managed to grin and slightly laugh as she realised something: "Oh, sorry, I'm used to ask someone like you. Before the war we always relied on Shiren having an idea," she explained quickly.

"Oh, you mean because I'm a snake you thought I would have an idea?" Viper asked back while holding off two attacks.

"Eh… kinda, yes. Sorry."

Viper suddenly froze in her movement even before Yong was ending her sentence. "Wait a second…" she mumbled and though. She got attacked again but this time she dodged by taking some distance when she gasped: "A snake, yes! It is a snake too!"

Yong wondered while starring into one head that was looking at her: "It sure is. So what do you have in mind?"

"Tigress!" Viper shouted out and left her cover to aid her in battle: "I have an idea!"

"You have? Alright, what is it?" she asked right away, knowing Viper would come up with something good.

She started explaining during the battle: "We need to fight it straight on, just like Boar, you remember? Our first foe. It's a snake so it should be vulnerable to frontal attacks! One or two strong attacks should take it!"

"Got it! Crane!" she shouted upwards to get the flying flanker to her.

He took a circle around the creature, brought it out of it's balance while it was chasing his movement and gave it one precise strike so it falls back a little bit.

No real damage as it would truly suffer from it but it was enough to buy some time.

It looked impressive watching him in fights. It was like day and night difference seeing him in action and out of action. Imagining such a calm and hesitant personality could look dangerous in combat.

"Here I am," he said and positioned himself next to her: "Everyone, one combined attack!" she yelled and run ahead, followed by Crane and Viper. There were eight heads that were about to attack but due to their numbers they took their own space and were dimmed by their variety of attacks so they opted for one united attack.

Tigress reacted quickly and jumped up on the right moment while Viper and Crane flanked the creature from left and right.

Before it was able to get it's balance back again the Xiangliu got hit from top, left and right all at once. With a ring of golden glimmer fading into the area like a wave the creature fell down while all three of the furious five gathered themselves right before it.

It made one last yell of pain before it's voice vanished and it's heads all falling down one by one.

After one moment after it stopped moving, it started shrinking and it's form changed. The heads were merging together again and within seconds there was one motionless snake on the floor.

"Ew…" Crane sickened at it's view and looked into another direction. "That was by far the most ugly creature I've ever fought. I already miss the normal bandits."

Tigress made sure it was no thread anymore before she turned back to the group: "Alright, everyone get up, we need to seek for shelter before the next creature arrives."

Viper didn't truly know what to think about this currently. She felt like they just discovered something she did not want to and they are going a way that would lead to very dangerous terrain.

On the way here there bare were any traps, in fact, the corridors were all clean of them. The only threat was the fact the place was not stable any more and they had to watch their step but here there were traps laid out and monsters attacking them in a span of minutes.

Tigress came over to her and complimented Viper: "Good thinking back there, Viper."

"Thank you, Tigress."

"Are you sure you don't want to take on the lead? So far you made the most wisest decisions. You even managed to talk a dragon down so it did not attack us."

"Tigres… I'm unsure if that's a good idea. Yes, I can make decisions for myself but I feel very uncomfortable making them for other people. Like… I couldn't tell someone to spot out the area when I know it could be dangerous, you know?"

Tigress nodded understandingly.

"That's why I think you are better for it. You don't hesitate to make the right decisions and you know we will follow your command, just like in this battle you have shown true leadership when you called Crane and me to join you."

"We better continue this another time. I think Crane has found something," she said while looking up to see Crane coming back to her.

He was sent out to spot a fitting shelter and when he came back he leaded them to a cave looking hall. He and Yong were still double checking just to make sure this place was save. It felt cold in here and the floor and wall felt wet but it was looking good otherwise. Perhaps this has been some kind of market and they were resting at the space for the storage.

Viper laid down and caught some peace after these very tense moments.

During the rest the red fox Yong sat down next to Viper, looking to the outside after they were done double checking. She relaxed for a moment and then spoke to her: "Good call, Viper. Even though I don't like how this went or… what we just discovered but thanks to you. We now should get as much rest and regain as much strength as we can. Who knows when we get discovered by the next creature."

Viper sighed and put her head up, looking to the outside as well. There were so many buildings, each of them could have contained a hostile creature. "You are right. This creature now has changed a few things. I don't know how more careful we have to get until we are done here but I… want to go honestly. I know that's not what anyone wants but I fear loosing someone."

"Don't ya worry. That's what I'm here for. Let me be your shield if anything bad happens."

"Hey, Yong," Viper asked her.

"Viper. What can I do for you?" she asked and looked at her.

"I was just wondering if I could get to know you better. You don't seem so bad at fighting."

She went a bit embarrassed and replied: "Oh, I feel flattered, but honestly there is not a lot to know about me. I am a merch. At least I am used to be one. Then I was Jil's student and now I am kinda a merch again or something. It's kinda my thing somehow. I still try to find my place in this world. Not a long story I'm afraid."

"Don't you have a family?" Viper asked.

Yong now looked outside again and answered: "Eh… I rather not speak about this. My parents are… let's say, …"

She sighed and shook her head: "Sorry, I really can't talk about it. Just assume they could probably having some cup of tea with Oogway right now or something. I don't know."

"Oh, sorry," Viper replied and felt bad for having asked such a dangerous question.

But Yong just waved away: "Don't be. Things are how they are when you get famous and important."

"Oh?" Viper got curious. Why should or could Yong be famous in any way? She said she was a merc. Mercs usually are not important to anything specific.

Yong explained slowly and sorrowfully: "I mean… They were mayors of my home town. Nobody officially knows what happened but it was the day I left my home and… I don't know. Started wondering around. Kinda like Shiren right now. No real place to be, no warm home to return to and starting getting criminal.

Back then it was Shiren who caught me and gave me the chance to make myself better."

"I see. Now you want to return the favour," Viper realised.

Yong laid down and starred at the top of the cave. "But I am not actually good at it."

Viper looked at her and felt for her: "I know how that feels. I feel like I messed everything up since I came here. I tried to prevent everything but the more I try the more I dig myself into this hole of no return where I don't know what to expect at the end. I feel like I can make things better but I just don't know how, so I run pass each opportunity."

Yong sat up again. "Like we do probably. I do not want to know how many alternative paths we already missed. I want to go too but the professor, Shiren and Tigress seem very intrigued by this place for some reason. It's just a container for some old cold rocks and I don't know what kind of history I am not even interested in. Yeah, I know, it's snake history but… It's just a culture. With some dragons, I give you that but the rest? Even the dragon don't want to be disturbed." she sighed. "I do not want to imagine how many people I could have made mad when I would shout that out loud. I hope you are not getting this personally."

Viper smiled gently and with a bit of joy. She appreciate her being honest: "No worries. I can understand this is not very exciting for everyone. I hope we can see the dragon again soon. Maybe it can bring reason to Shiren and the professor that we are not supposed to be here."

"Speaking of… I have heard a thing or two… Your father warned you about this place or something, right?"

"My mother."

"Ah."

Viper started narrating: "My father did mention it once or twice but he also did not really want to talk about it in detail. He said he was searching for it once too with some friends but they had to abandon the plan. If he would have found it, he said, he would have been happy to just finding it but he would never have ever entered it."

Yong chuckled.

"What?" Viper wondered confusedly.

"Oh, it's nothing. Absolutely nothing. Sounds like you were having a very nice family,"

"Yeah. I have," Viper answered smilingly. She has chosen to believe in her family. If there was any hole of truth in any statement, she was sure it had it's reason.

Yong switched the topic once more by asking: "Did you know Shiren was just raised by his aunt? His real parents were rarely at home."

"His aunt? I am afraid I did not." That was something Viper waited for. Getting to know him better as a chance to work together with Mantis and convince him to leave this place.

Again, forcing him to leave or just leaving him behind weren't options she would have wanted to do.

Yong started explaining: "Oh. Then eh… Do you want to know more about him? I can spare you with it of course and nobody would know his story better than Shiren himself but…"

"No, It's okay. I don't really mind. Maybe it explains why he run off recently."

Yong understood and so she told her about what she knew about his family and origin. At least as much as she knew.

About his mother-figure, his aunt Hao, and her death during the war, his cousin who left for a reason she never understood, a bit about his home town and how they got messaged that got destroyed. At the end she only mentioned things she personally knew about him, which was not much all things considered. Shiren barely spoke about his past in that regard.

She knew he left his home to become a better fighter to protect himself and his kind.

"… A pretty naive goal that had to go sideways at some point," Viper mourned a bit when Yong was finished: "Being such a hero never just gets along easily. You either fail in the process or you have to face reality and accept this world is bigger and way more mean at times than you ever thought. That there are a lot of people you just can't help. Not being able being everywhere at the same time is a lesion you have to learn at some point. But I think what drove him crazy was to accept how hard it is and you have to accept sacrifices.

Hao's death was not in his power to prevent and after all the shot was meant to hit him. It was her will to protect her child which is normal for a mother. Or an aunt."

Then she grew frustrated and complained: "And the worst thing is, at the end he saved the day by facing Yunjie with us but he seemingly doesn't…"

"I get it," Yong intervened.

"One last thing, Yong:" Viper turned to her and told her seriously: "I honestly don't know what would have happened when you would not have been there. We would have come up with something and it would never have been pretty, but sneaking you trough the enemy defences was way easier than getting anyone of us trough this barricade. Considering our absence would have been noticed. Specially before Yunjie. So I want at least to thank you."

Yong laughed but caught herself again: "Oh nice," she giggled: "So we were like a tool for you? A nice little distraction until your beloved Dragon Warrior arrived?"

Viper nodded smilingly without a bit of shame: "A convenient one, yes. But I guess it doesn't bother you at the end since I guess you got what you wanted."

Yong shrugged and loosely shook her head: "Except for some respect and dignity maybe."

"Next time, I promise. When we get off this place, I make sure you get some kind of reward, Yong. After all you have been a valuable help for us here so far."

Yong grinned at her: "Oh, you must be kidding, right?"

Viper did not look at her like she was kidding but she asked: "Would you believe me a no?"

Yong took a breath and answered: "Well, I take what I can get at the end. The methods are not as important. That's how I lived so far."

"May I disagree with the part with the methods? It's not the most honourable way."

"You are welcome to. After all it is my style of life, not yours. And the best outcome I can think of from this adventure would be we leaving here in peace, the professor gets what he wants, Shiren realises how stupid he was and come crawl back to us and everyone have a happy life after. I'm not saying I expect it to happen. But it's a possible outcome. And I wouldn't care how we got there."

Viper looked at the others and said to her: "I hope so too. I would welcome having something easy for once and everything just coming to me from time to time." She saw Tigress arguing with Crane about something and the professor being very focussed with his book. He probably made sketches of this place. Then she looked back to Yong: "Thanks Yong. You are a good person to talk with."

Yong looked back at her with a wonderingly face: "You are kidding, right? I have never been a good chit chat type."

Viper asked again: "Would you believe me a no?"

"Does it matter? After all I would not dare disagreeing with you."

"Yes it does."

"Then yes, no disrespect, but I would believe you a no."