Author's note: A new year, a new turning point in the story! Hope I haven't kept you guys waiting too long :) You've read the title right, our heroes have finally reached the forbidden city and it is a pretty lengthy chapter. Anyways, lets get on with it!
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KFP!
Enjoy.
Meeting the Emperor
Snow litters the path leading towards the forbidden city, the dirt road now a grey sludge as the snow mixes with the filth underneath it. On both sides of the road, the grass is shielded by pure white, mimicking the clouds up high that guard the sun's heavenly body. At the very beginning of this path stands a large forest, the snow replacing the leaves on the trees' skeletons. Leaves now frozen in the white ground, preserved like fossils. Emerging from these bare woods first is Shifu, who stops right at the forest border, steely blue eyes immediately recognising what awaits them at the end of this path.
A gigantic wall engulfs the forbidden city in its entirety, stretching on until it falls out of sight. Impenetrable, indestructible and insurmountable; the wall's grey bricks stand tall, greeting the magnificent coat of white that so delicately kisses its surface. From first glance, it may look more like a fortress than a city, but the skyscrapers towering over the wall act as a reminder of just who this city belongs to. Among all of these buildings, the red and orange phoenix perched atop the emperor's palace remains the most impressive, even with the snowfall trying to outshine its beauty.
Satisfied that they have finally arrived, the grandmaster glances back to the forest and motions his staff forward before proceeding towards the city. Crane glides out of the forest first with Mantis hitching a ride on top of his hat and Viper coiled around his neck. Sky blue eyes gaze at the lanky bird, lost in a loving trance as he glances back at her periodically, flashing her a warm smile every so often. This time however, he doesn't glance again, distracted by the impressive city off in the distance. She follows his gaze only for her jaw to drop as well, mirroring Mantis' expression. Before long, Monkey, Tigress and Po emerge as well, with the tiger and langur helping the exhausted dragon warrior forward until they all stop at the sight of their destination.
Since sunrise, they had been walking through the mountains, clearings and forests to finally reach this god-like city. They had spent hours of walking without rest to get here, and by the starstruck look in Po's eyes, it is certainly worth it. Monkey whistles at the extravagant buildings awaiting their protection, thoroughly impressed. Meanwhile, Tigress gazes at it all with a small but thankful smile on her face. Catching both masters off-guard, the dragon warrior dashes forward, keeping a single paw on his straw hat whilst he carries his yin-yang staff with his other paw as his inner excitement brings forth a surge of energy within him. They look to each other and exchange smiles at the panda's child-like wonder before following him on the path.
After a few minutes, the jade palace masters arrive at end of the path to be met by two armoured grey rhinos holding spears, guarding the wall's massive stone gates. A majestic, metallic red dragon coils its form around the left side of the gates whilst the fiery phoenix soars across the right, these two mighty beings meeting in the centre, face to face. Metal bars coincide with these powerful creatures, crossing the gates' length both horizontally and vertically. As the seven warriors approach these impenetrable stone doors, both rhino soldiers kneel down and bow their heads. "Master Shifu, dragon warrior, furious five; it is an honour to be in your presence." The soldier on the left speaks, placing his free hoof over his heart in a show of respect.
"You are free to enter, but do be careful. The city is currently in crisis." This warning comes from the rhino on the right, his voice stern yet clearly shaken by recent events.
All seven masters bow back to them before Shifu responds, "We're well aware." With this, the two guards push the gigantic rocky doors in front of them, their muscles straining and teeth grit to the point where they could be ground to dust. A few members of the five feel inclined to offer their help until the monstrous groan of the gates' hinges makes the very ground beneath them shudder and shake. After a few minutes, the two soldiers are able to fully open the gate, allowing the jade palace masters to bask in the full majesty of the forbidden city as the rhinos close the gate behind them with a gravelly groan.
Up close, the city looks even more incredible, its luscious buildings and striking colours making it seem almost unreal. Before long, they find themselves enthralled in the lavish majesty of the forbidden city, each decadent building seeming more intricately crafted than the last. But none would dare rival the towering brilliance of the emperor's palace, its red and orange phoenix statue bringing forth a heavenly aura only fit for the child of the heavens. Monkey and Mantis can only stare with mouths agape whilst Viper and Crane's astonishment can clearly be seen within their eyes. A small smile takes up Tigress' face as she folds her arms, silently admiring the city's beauty. She turns her gaze to Po, her smile widening ever so slightly at the state of her panda.
Tremors of excitement ripple around his entire body, the panda looking like he is about to burst at any second. His eyes glisten with an unparalleled joy, their size rivalling that of the sun itself as he revels in the city's godly presence. A gargantuan smile practically takes his up his whole face as his thoughts run wild. So many stories and tales of this magnificent city, so many people describing it as heaven on earth. And they certainly weren't wrong. He had dreamed for so long that one day he will be able to come here. Yet another dream come true. "It's… It's…" A high-pitched squeal exits the dragon warrior, his mind so stoked that he cannot even find the words to describe the place.
"Very impressive." Tigress wholeheartedly finishes, wonder returning to her eyes as she gazes back at the affluent city.
While this does earn the nods of the rest of the five, Po gazes at her with an overdramatic look of surprise, "Impressive!? It's awesome! It's incredible! It's… It's the coolest and most glorious thing I've ever seen in my life!" He frantically waves his paws around as he sings his praise, receiving a quiet chuckle from his tiger.
This endearing moment is soon broken by the gravelly voice of their grandmaster, "While that maybe so, we can't forget that we have very important business here. Which means no gawking, and no lollygagging. That goes especially for you, Po." He points to the fanboying panda with his staff, finding it much easier to ignore the city's splendour than his pupil. After all, Oogway had taken him here in the past. As for why the red panda hadn't taken the five to the city before… Let's just say his draconic training methods rarely permitted time for a proper visit.
"Can you blame me though? I mean look at it!" Po gestures to the city, at a loss to how he can possibly ignore such a marvellous view.
Regardless of the panda's gesticulations, Shifu persists, "Just stay focused."
Po rubs his paws together in response, "Okay, okay. Whew." He takes several deep breaths before bouncing on the spot, "Entering focused mode. Nothing will distract me, I got this."
Shifu massages the bridge of his nose as the dragon warrior hypes himself up whilst Tigress fondly shakes her head at his display. "Po."
"No lollygagging is my middle name, I'm the one who never gawks."
"Po."
"I'm like the master of concentration, no one can beat m-
Seeing him caught up in his little speech, Tigress taps him on the shoulder, "Po." Her stern tone immediately makes the panda stop his shenanigans. He turns to the tiger master who simply motions her arm towards the city itself, "Shall we?" She insists with her signature small smile on her face. Smiling back at her, the dragon warrior makes his way towards the city, shortly followed by his friends.
Opulence and grace surrounds the kung fu masters as they march through the city's labyrinth of red buildings mixed with gold carvings. In spite of these lively decorations and colours, they soon find themselves unnerved by its empty streets, devoid of life save for a few desperate merchants hoping to sell something. Rows of eyes watch them from windows, hope igniting at the sight of their new saviours yet the fear of even them succumbing to this threat muddles this brightness. Not that any of the warriors can blame them. Po looks to one of these pairs of eyes and waves at them with a sheepish smile, only to place his paw under his straw hat, right on his forehead. Both Tigress and Viper notice the panda hiding his pained expression under his hat, staying close so they can both comfort him.
Concern drags the tiger's expression down as she softly places her paw on her panda's back. For their entire time journeying here, he has had these migraines at complete random. They had thought maybe he was overworking himself, but the few times he was awoken by these headaches had thrown away that assumption. She notices his grip tighten on his jade staff as an almost silent gasp exits his mouth, her concern only growing at his increasing pain. As Tigress places her other paw over his, Monkey and Crane look up to the citizens huddled away in their homes, frowning that this once great city that has now been brought to its knees. Mantis sighs to himself as he hops off the bird master's hat and joins Shifu at the very front, whose eyes remain entirely focused on the path leading to the emperor's palace.
Though he hides it expertly, a woeful chill wrings the grandmaster's body as the various intersections and alleys pass the corner of his eyes. Calling it a city of ghosts would be a kindness after what they've had to endure. For once the elderly master actually wishes for a group of fans to huddle around them with an overexcited glee, to almost suffocate them with grateful hugs and declarations of their heroism. At the very least he would be able to tell if there's anyone in the city left to save.
Finding himself tired of the haunting silence spread out amongst his comrades, Mantis braves himself to ask his master a question only for the red panda to stop in his tracks, his right ear twitching as if it's gone manic. Seeing this, the rest of the warriors stop, their eyes following his gaze that strays far off to the right. "Did you hear something, master?" Mantis blurts out as he stares hard at… whatever it is Shifu could be looking at. With all of the buildings suffocating the skyline, it is particularly hard to tell could've caught the elder master's unyielding gaze. That is, until they notice a wide, three-story building that lies in-between the ambitious towers that graze the sky. Coated in a mixture of blue and black on its walls whilst green pillars hold its foundation, they don't even need to see the hanzi decorated on the very front of it to realise what it is.
"Screaming." Shifu whispers out, his breath hollow and eyes frozen in horror. His students soon mirror this look as the words of the first mate recount themselves in their minds. Though their muscles all tense in fear of what lies inside the hospital far down the street, none of them can comprehend the sheer terror that bellows into the grandmaster's ears. None except for Tigress, whose sensitive ears can just about pick up a sliver of the cries and shrieks that engulf the imperial hospital in its invisible cloak of suffering. Both father and daughter's hearts ache for the poor civilians trapped inside their minds though they try their best to momentarily silence this pity, to move forward and save them from this hell.
However, soon all masters shift their attention to Po as a light but pained gasp shoots from his mouth, his paw clutching his forehead even harder. "Po, are you okay?" Viper coos to her panda brother, her worry shared by the rest of the masters aside from Shifu and Tigress. Instead, their eyes shift between the hospital and the dragon warrior before inevitably meeting each-other. A silent, affirming message of speculation is shared between them though the wiser blue advises caution in a careless, baseless assumption. This wordless conversation kept between them, Tigress kneels down to her panda and cups his chin in her paw, her worried amber irises comforting his pained jade.
As soon as he looks into his love's warm eyes, he notices those daggers plunged into his head soon retract, their blades evaporating in a numbing, painless fuzz that soothes his aching mind. "I'm… I'm good." Po finally takes his paw off his forehead and places it on his tiger's shoulder, nodding as he takes several deep and calming breaths. "I'm okay." Though she is certain he isn't lying, Tigress' pained frown doesn't leave her face. Nor does it leave the rest of the five's faces as they look at the panda with a concerned unsurety.
"We cannot keep the emperor waiting any longer. Let's move." Shifu starts moving towards the palace once more with a curt tap of his staff, with the rest of the five following on as they give the warrior couple one last glance. For a brief moment, Tigress ignores her comrades as she moves her paw over to his cheek, her gaze still brimming with a concerned question.
Po answers with his signature grin before he places his free paw atop hers and lays a soft, affectionate kiss on her forehead. "I'm fine, really." He assures her as he gently caresses her paw with his thumb.
Giving him a long, hard stare, the tiger master's anxiousness still remains on her features as she sighs in resignation. Stubborn as always. She stands up before tenderly rubbing her forehead on his, with Po resisting the urge to giggle at the ticklish sensation of her whiskers prickling his cheeks. "I hope so." Her whisper flows as fine as silk, giving an impassioned kiss to his ears as she pulls her head away. She motions towards the others, "C'mon, the emperor awaits us." As the two follow on with their masters, their paws remain linked together, the couple feeling it almost natural.
None, not even the dragon warrior, notice the pair of ruby orbs staring at them from the dark. Nor do they notice them blend back into the shadows of one of the city's many alleys.
After several minutes of daunting buildings and the phantom of what would usually be a busy street latching onto them, the seven warriors finally reach the entrance to the emperor's godly abode. Four rhino soldiers stand guard, bowing in honour to the masters in front of them whilst their comrades high up in the palace's guard towers lower their crossbows at the sight of these great warriors. A fairly large flight of steps stands between them and the front gates to the palace. Stairs that, to Po, seem to go on endlessly. Before he can dwell on his panda asthma for long, the dragon warrior and his fellow kung fu masters notice a female lynx coming down these steps. She is dressed in a black robe with golden trimmings and wears a calm, passive smile on her face. As she makes it to the seven warriors, she respectfully bows to them and informs them with an inviting tone, "Good morning, masters of the Jade Palace. I hope your trip has been well. The emperor has been expecting you." The feline motions her right paw towards the steps before heading back to them, the emperor's guests following suit.
Making their way up the stairs, the seven warriors only now see the two massive golden dragon statues standing guard on the far ends of the palace, their still gaze reflecting the power of their mighty emperor. Feeling himself shaking at the very sight of these bodacious yet intimidating protectors, Po shows his bare right arm to Tigress who gives him a befuddled look in response, "Look, I've got goosebumps on my goosebumps. Eep, I'm so nervous." His meek whisper causes a smile to flash onto Tigress' face.
"Po, just relax." She assures the panda, her soft voice managing to bring back some tranquillity to the panda's overly energetic mind.
"Besides, I doubt the emperor will get really upset if anything bad happens." Viper joins in with assuring the panda, her motherly care soothing his scatter-brained thoughts.
Crane, however, bears a more careful, sceptical look. "I'm not holding out hope for that."
Sky blue orbs give the avian a dead-pan glance, "You're not helping, Crane."
"Maybe I could tell a joke?" Monkey suggests, wanting to help remove the tension a bit. Most of his comrades, however, gaze at him with disapproving eyes.
"Ooh, yeah. I've got a great one." Mantis butts in, eagerly anticipating the chance to tell his masterfully devised joke to the great emperor.
All six warriors are soon interrupted by master Shifu's staff, the red panda glaring at them with his trademark steely expression. "You will do no such thing. The emperor is deserving of our utmost respect, nothing more." He reminds the two pranksters, far from thrilled by the possibility of them humiliating the child of the heavens so easily.
However, the cheeky langur master isn't so easily swayed, "Oh c'mon, master. I'm sure the emperor has got a sense of humour."
Seeing his comrade's nonchalant expression, Crane reminds him with a somewhat stern tone, "Probably, but maybe he's not feeling very 'humorous' right now, hm?" Sighing in resignation, Monkey's shoulders slump in response to this dour reminder. After all, how would they be able to pull their minds away from the current situation when it is precisely why the emperor has summoned them?
Creak!
Their attention is soon diverted by the ear-shattering groan of the palace's front gates opening just before they reach the top of the stairs, which only make the dragon warrior's bones shiver further with an unrelenting excitement. He gets to meet the emperor in person, an honour that many would go an entire lifetime without earning. At this point he's had so many dreams come true that he is starting to lose count. Though he's never lost count of his blessings, that's for sure. Within mere moments, the seven masters reach the top of the steps and enter into the crowning jewel of China. Shifu smiles to himself as he hears Crane's beak creak open, Viper and Monkey's audible gasp, and Mantis's simple utterance of, "Woah." This smile soon falters however, as strangely he doesn't hear anything from Po. Surely, he would have more of a reaction than-
"This is the most awesome thing I've ever seen in the history of awesome!"
There it is. As the gates shut behind them, none of the warriors can take their eyes off the incredible sights of the emperor's massive palace, least of all the dragon warrior, who finds himself completely entranced by its scale and glamour. Tigress manages to rip her gaze away from the godly buildings for a moment to take a glance at her panda, smiling wide as his awe-stricken wonder reminds her of just why she had fallen in love with him. To see that no matter what they had done or where they went, he would always find something to be impressed or excited about. That no matter how dangerous their mission would be, he would always make things better with his, admittedly, infectious love of life. It is only in this moment that she realises that their paws are still joined together, but she makes no attempt to retract it, instead choosing to focus her sights back on the servant at the front with Shifu.
As they pass through the doors of the palace's two-story pavilion, the lynx servant lets out a light giggle as she notices the dragon warrior gawking at all the artefacts on display before informing them, "Your guest rooms are located in this pavilion, and have already been prepared for your arrival."
At this, Po lets out a gasp that sounds like he's trying to eat his own breath, "Wait, we have fancy guest rooms!? Ooh, does it come with snacks?" Resisting the urge to slap his palm to his forehead, Shifu quietly sighs whilst the lynx servant giggles at his frantic questions. Before she can answer however, the panda master notices an iron shield littered with cracks and scars yet still in one piece. A shield that he has only heard of in legends, "No way! Is that the unbreakable shield of invincible might!? I heard that master flying Rhino used to use this before he made his skin as tough as the metal itself." Surprised, the grandmaster hums in admiration at his student's adept knowledge.
Meanwhile, the lynx only smiles wider as she replies to each question, "Yes, I'm not quite sure, and yes."
"So hardcore." Po practically swoons over this nearly ancient piece of kung fu history until something in the back of his mind tells him to look up. Listening without hesitation, he gazes upwards to see an elaborate tapestry engulfing the entire ceiling in battles long past, warriors and soldiers forever engraved in China's history, and weapons capable of making the very earth tremor in fear of its might. In the centre of this majestic painting is a pristine onyx orb, enwrapped in a blazing fire that weaves its way in and out of the many battles waged around it. Noticing the panda master's curious fixation on the ceiling, Shifu hobbles his way over to him with the rest of the five sharing in the panda master's curiosity. Jade irises remain fixated on the orb, as if the flames clutching it beckon them forth, calling out to them with a message of dire importance. What that message is remains to be seen. "What is that?" He asks this more to himself than his master, but he looks up regardless.
The elder master hums to himself as if seeing an old friend that he hadn't seen for ages, "That is the phoenix's flame." He pauses for a moment, anticipating some sort of over-exhilarated comment from his student, only for him to remain hypnotised by the tapestry above. "It is a relic imbued with the ashes of the phoenix, allowing the stone to burn brightly with its undying and absolute power." Grinning slightly at the sight of Po's jaw practically hanging from its hinges, he continues, "It is said to be capable of turning peasants into kings, and kings into Gods."
Jade eyes glisten in awe as they remain glued to the tremendous orb burning with the phoenix's eternal flame, "Woah." To think that such a powerful artefact exists and yet somehow, he had never heard about it. In fact, he can't recall ever hearing a single story about it. This isn't the only thing that strikes him as odd. There's also the fact that this is only a painting of this relic, not the real thing. Which brings an important question to mind, "So… what happened to it?"
"No-one knows for certain." Immediately, Po darts his head over to his grandmaster, a disappointed pout clear on his face. "There have been many rumours throughout the years. Some speculate that it was lost after a devastating war 500 years ago. Others say that it was destroyed by a noble group of warriors, proclaiming its power was too dangerous for anyone to wield. Most however, believe it had never existed in the first place. That it was some sort of myth meant to spread fear within enemy soldiers." Whilst Monkey and Mantis share in their panda friend's disbelief, Viper only stares at the tapestry further in intrigue. Why would they make up an artefact of such unstoppable power? Why would it be so specific to be an orb full of a phoenix's remains?
Sceptical yellow irises gaze upon Shifu in question as Crane recalls the few stories he had overheard back in Lee-Dong academy. Stories that had ultimately been laughed off by the dojo masters, "Do you believe it ever existed, master?" Though he's almost certain that the red panda has dismissed it alongside his peers, the avian warrior can't help but suspect that his master could be hiding something. After all, he never told them of Nuba's tenure in the Jade Palace. There could be much more information he hasn't laid bare.
To the bird's surprise, he is given a deep, almost mournful sigh in response. "Whether it had existed or not, many people had gone out in search for this relic. Soldiers, warriors, emperors, even Oogway himself had ventured to the very ends of China to find this source of endless power." Steely blue eyes shift between all of his students, relaying his sympathetic frustration without a single word, "Each and every single one of them had either come back with nothing, or never came back at all…" Shifu stares directly at Po, whose child-like wonder dissipates at his master's seriousness. "That's why I had never told you about this. Because, real or not, it is far more trouble than it could ever be worth." Crane doesn't bother to pry for a direct answer, for the elder master's disdain is practically shown off to them through his tone.
Unlike the rest of her comrades, Tigress barely reacts at all, already knowing her father's disgust at the quest for the phoenix's flame from Oogway himself. From how the old turtle had always described it, it had always seemed like a tall-tale of sorts. But after hearing how it had influenced so many, the tiger master was nothing short of confused. She had only understood the alluring nature of power itself when she had matured. When the idea of becoming dragon warrior and attaining the scroll's power had practically robbed her of herself. If the phoenix's flame truly does exist, then she can only hope that it is kept somewhere far away, where no-one can be infected by the power it possesses.
Shifu takes one last look at the onyx orb's rendition, almost glaring at the flames emanating off it as a question forms in his mind. "Which makes me wonder," He turns to face the patiently waiting lynx who holds her paws behind her back, "Why does the emperor have this painting displayed alongside these pieces of kung fu history?"
Her passive smile still plastered on her face, the servant answers as if expecting the question. "He had this tapestry commissioned in honour of his family's history with the enigmatic phoenix's flame." Shifu's eyes widen slightly as his students look to each other in confusion. Family history? Had his father gone searching for the orb at some point, or is there something else going on that they aren't aware of? "Now I don't mean to be rude, but I would suggest to not keep the emperor waiting for your arrival any longer." At this reminder however, the kung fu masters soon throw their suspicions away and allow the lynx servant to lead on out of the pavilion. Po gazes back at the orb one last time, part of him almost certain that the painting had called out to him earlier, before following his comrades out.
A luxurious marble road lays out their path towards the emperor's daunting tower with four intricately decorated two-story buildings standing in-between, two on each side of the road. Many goat and antelope servants rush in and out of these four buildings, eager to please the son of heaven's trusted council members. Po's eyes dart over to see a fox dressed in blue imperial robes, graciously accepting a tray of herbal tea from one of the servants before heading back to her quarters with an almost dainty gait. And he thought Zeng had it rough. He almost snickers to himself until he is tapped on the shoulder by Tigress, turning his attention towards his now steel-faced comrades. A puzzled look draws itself along his face until he notices just what they are all looking at. Five figures are stood at the very bottom of the impressive tower, each one of them adorned in majestic, flowing robes. Waiting.
He gulps hard. Okay, Po. Don't screw this up.
As they come closer towards the emperor's tower, these five figures come into view, three along the back and two in front. At the back stands a brown owl who wears an anxious expression, a golden eagle soaring across her yellow silk robes. Next to her is a moon bear whose eyes are fuelled with an unquenchable blaze, this fire burning as brightly as the flames woven into her orange robes. And at the end is a Komodo dragon, his expression unreadable and clothes as pale as the face of death itself. However, it is the couple in front that have the masters' full attention. A white lioness stands with her paws resting in front of her, a delicate smile sewn into her fine features as her posture emanates an unachievable grace. Viper can't help but to notice the immaculate material of her dress, how the golden patterns of the dragon and phoenix are woven so perfectly into the deep red silk. Beside her, is none other than the emperor himself. His immaculate main flows with the soft breeze, the specks of snow buried inside acting as heavenly ornaments whilst his red robes mirror the majesty of his dear empress.
With a subdued yet grateful grin on his features, the emperor steps forward as the warriors approach. The smiling lynx steps aside to allow the warriors to meet with the son of heaven. Shifu stands at the very front whilst the dragon warrior and Tigress push their way up beside him, with Crane and Mantis spread out on the left side, and Monkey and Viper stood by the right. In unison, they all bow deeply to him, "It is an honour to assist you in these trying times, your grace." The red panda's gravelly voice flows with the wind, a respectful softness akin to the sun's concealed rays.
To the grandmaster's surprise however, the regal lion holds his paw out, "Please, there is no need to bow, masters." Shocking the jade palace warriors and his advisors, the emperor goes on one knee and bows to them himself, "For the honour is all mine." Meili's smile only grows at the sight of her husband's humility, reminding her of why she had fallen in love with him so long ago. After a moment, the emperor rises from his position and motions towards his empress as the jade palace masters hoist themselves up, "This is my lovely wife Meili." She simply bows to them in greeting whilst her husband introduces his council. "This is Zhoudao, my advisor for communications."
The brown owl nods to the seven warriors, "Thank you for your assistance, masters." Her calm tone soothes the goosebumps that were once formed on Po's skin, like a mother's tentative caring touch.
Renci then presents the moon bear, "Piqi, my advisor for justice." She doesn't say a word, deciding for once to subdue herself in respect for these legendary warriors. Last but not least, the son of heaven motions over to the Komodo dragon, "And Qipian, my military advisor."
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, masters." For some odd reason, Tigress finds herself unsettled by his murky tone and the paleness of his eyes. Like they lack something that she can't put into words. She pushes these speculative thoughts aside for now, not wanting to disrespect a member of the emperor's trusted council.
"Now that we've gotten the pleasantries out of the way, let's get down to business." The emperor proposes, motioning towards the tower's entrance as his council trudges forward. "Shall we?" They follow them on into the illustrious tower, Shifu walking alongside the emperor whilst Meili joins his students.
Po almost trips as he gazes at the tower's phoenix from far below, his innocent wonder widening Meili's smile by quiet a bit. This doesn't go unnoticed by Tigress, who shuffles ever so slightly closer by instinct. Golden irises glance at this exchange, admiring the feline's love for the dragon warrior for a short moment before focusing back on the elder master. "It's been quite a while, master Shifu. I remember you served my father many years ago."
A tiny grin crosses Shifu's face as he reminisces for a brief moment, "Yes… Much has changed since I was last here." His mind wanders back to the onyx orb lathered in flames, a painting that he certainly doesn't remember seeing from his last time here. "Namely, a curious tapestry in the palace's pavilion."
It takes a second for the lion to realise what the elder master is referring to, "Ah, the phoenix's flame. I've had a few people question my decision to erect that tapestry, but I'd say to not do so would be an insult to my fathers before me." Noticing the quizzical expression on the grandmaster's face, he explains further, "Decades ago, my grandfather had searched for it only to find a village in distress. This was far before he ever had the prospect of becoming emperor, so when he arrived, he had helped in whatever way he could. Through that, he was granted a tutelage under the then emperor himself and in time, became his successor. Then my father had dispatched a team in search for the artefact, and instead, they had captured and apprehended a massive bandit clan up in the mountain regions."
Steely blue eyes expand in disbelief, "The Tufei* bandits?"
"The one and the same." A tiny bit of pride glows onto the emperor's face as he continues, "Whether this artefact is real or not, its very legend has been ingrained within my family for too long to ignore." Suspicious thoughts run through Shifu's mind as it runs through this story with a precise and careful hand. Sure, it sounds believable, but the emperor's voice had sounded too sure. Almost as if it had been rehearsed. Of course, this could be the fact that nearly everything a man of his status does has to be rehearsed extensively, but something tells the grandmaster this isn't the case. Perhaps there is something deeper hiding beneath it. Despite his speculation, he holds his tongue.
Within less than a minute, the emperor and his guests arrive inside the conference room. Whilst Tigress, Viper, Crane and Shifu take notice of the large map of the city sprawled out onto the room's central table, Po's eyes are set on the magnificent golden and orange patterns of the dragon and phoenix encapsulating the whole room. He notices how they wind up to the ceiling and gasps at the golden yin-yang symbol that ends their trail on the ceiling, "So, so cool…" Practically breathless, he leans a bit on his yin-yang staff to make sure he doesn't faint from the sheer awesomeness of it all.
Before he can focus himself back on the task at hand, he notices Monkey and Mantis' mouths almost practically drowning in drool, their eyes glued on a table off to the right of the room. Jade irises look off to the table only to grow into a forest. Bean buns, dumplings, spring rolls, fancier food that he can't exactly remember the name of; food heaven is staring at him in the face, daring him, begging him to just run over and devour all of the goods off the table. He gazes over at his best buddies, realising that they have bolted themselves to the floor, reminding him just where he is. No, no. It's okay, I can manage without some food. It's fine. We've got important stuff to do, after all.
Growl.
Of course, his belly has to have a say in this… But it's been so long since he's eaten, not even a single snack stop since they were in the mountains… Okay, maybe just one bite.
As Po has this inner nutritional dilemma, Tigress heads over to the table and speaks with both Piqi and Qipian about recent events, with Viper and Crane overhearing them whilst analysing the map below. "How frequent have these attacks been?" She places her paws on the table as her eyes focus on the map.
"There have been several everyday for the past week." Piqi's face creases with a disgusting grimace, humiliated that they were so helpless in spite of their military power. "For the first two days, over a hundred civilians were admitted into the hospital and afterwards, several squadrons of our finest have gone missing."
"Missing?" Amber eyes dart over to the moon bear, confusion sprawled over the tiger's features. "You mean they weren't taken to the hospital?" Piqi merely shakes her head, "And were any other civilians involved in these attacks?"
"No." Qipian steps in, though the tiger master chooses to look at the map instead of him, still finding herself uncomfortable with his presence. "As far as we're aware, the attacks have shifted onto our own soldiers. We've speculated that the perpetrator targeted them first so they can lure out our defences."
Deciding to finally enter into the conversation, Crane inquires, "So, you think that they are targeting the emperor?" Though this is a fairly reasonable conclusion, Tigress doesn't respond to it, instead her eyes continue to dart around the red X's littered around it. As she continues reading it, a pattern begins to form. There are X's around every part of the city aside from two key areas. The main square and the east side. Already they have two places where this person could attack next, it's all a matter of time.
"I don't believe its that simple." The emperor answers the avian master's question, frustration evident on his features, "If they wanted me dead in particular, then they wouldn't cause all of this mayhem. They would have been far more subtle, far more direct." Already knowing what question will proceed this, he strokes the scruff of his chin in thought.
Burp!
All heads turn to the table of food now far lighter on contents, the dragon warrior standing by it with a half-eaten dumpling in one paw and another paw covering his mouth, his face the epitome of embarrassment. "Thowwy." He quickly gulps down as he realises; he still has food in his mouth, "Sorry…" His shoulder bunch up as he notes the unimpressed looks on the council members' faces, his friend's anxious expressions and his master's head buried firmly in his palm.
Talk about humiliating.
However, to everyone but Meili's surprise, the emperor chortles at Po's actions. It isn't a mocking laugh or one that is trying to save face. No, it is a genuine, endearing laugh. "Do not apologise, dragon warrior. You have had a long journey, please, dig in. That is what it's for after all!" Now given the go ahead, Monkey and Mantis rush over to the table, chowing down with little regard for table manners. Just before Po is able to dig in again, Shifu gives him a warning glare before turning back towards the table.
Viper wipes the sweat off her brow in relief, whilst Tigress merely shakes her head and smiles at her love's antics. Childish, yes, but undoubtedly endearing. With their focus back onto the task at hand, the serpent master asks the very question Renci had been anticipating, "So, what do they want?"
Zhoudao answers with a regrettable, "That's just it, we don't know. We can speculate all we like, but without even a tangible culprit it will do little to help us understand their main goal."
"Well then, perhaps by the end of today we'll be able to answer that question." Tigress motions over the council members towards the map, whilst Shifu brings Po, Monkey and Mantis over. "So, Po, Monkey, Crane and I will patrol the streets from the main square all the way to the east side to intercept whoever this culprit is. Chances are they will attack at some time today." She draws a line along the map, connecting the empty gaps together until she notices a few crumbs fall onto it. A smile on her face, she turns to face her panda who gives a nervous smile back, his mouth still filled with dumplings. Letting out a slight chuckle, she continues, "Whilst we do this, Shifu, Mantis and Viper will go to the hospital and see if they can potentially cure these patients." Everyone around the table nods along, a fairly good plan considering their lack of information on this madman.
With one last hard gulp, the dragon warrior tries to hype up his friends, "Alright, let's do this!" With this exclamation, Po runs out of the room only to stop by the door to hand his staff and hat to the lynx servant so it can be put in his room. Grinning at her love's excitement, Tigress follows him out with Monkey and Crane just behind her.
After letting out a tired sigh from the dragon warrior's antics, Shifu bows to the emperor alongside Viper and Mantis, "My students and I will not fail you, my lord."
Hope reinvigorates Renci's eyes as he smiles at the three masters in front of him, "I'm sure you won't. Take care, and may the Gods watch over you." With that, the three masters sprint out of the conference room, ready to do whatever it takes to bring the forbidden city back from the brink of despair.
1* Tufei = Bandit in Chinese
Oh boy, now things are really gonna kick off! Honestly, I can't wait till the next chapter... Oh right, I have to write it. All jokes aside, I have been loving every second of writing this story and I hope you lot have enjoyed tuning in so far. The real action begins now! So get ready! Until next time :)