Author's Note: Hey people! I know its been a while, apologies. Just got unexpectedly busy when writing this chapter. Anyways, there's more action coming up, more drama and a lot more twists and turns. I hope you're ready!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KFP!

Enjoy.

Stretched too Thin

Chaos engulfs the docks of the forbidden city as hordes of alligators ransack each and every single building in sight. Some exit with jewellery and bags of yuan in their clutches, whilst others bolt out after rigging them with dynamite. After all, why not have a little fun if all they're doing is causing a distraction? Explosions ripple through the docks just as reinforcements arrive. The alligators laugh them off nonetheless, their forces still outnumbering the diminished might of the imperial army. Despite their weakened state, the soldiers push on and clash with the alligators to avenge their fallen brothers.

As calamity surges between these opposing forces, three figures land on a rooftop a meagre distance from the central battle. They watch on as a lone alligator drags a thrashing goose vendor out of her home. He holds his curved sword up to her throat as three armoured rhinos rushes towards them, forcing them to skid to a halt. None of them notice the three figures promptly disappear from the rooftop.

"Stay back, imperial filth!" The poor goose vendor struggles in the alligator's unyielding grip, trying her best to inch away her throat from his razor thin blade. Whilst the three rhino soldiers hold themselves back, another alligator emerges from the abode, drenched in golden chains and diamond encrusted jewellery. With a victorious smirk on his rancid maw, he runs off as his friend regains the attention of his enemies. "Keep your eyes over here!" He digs the blade ever-so-slightly deeper, forcing a frightened whimper out of her as it threatens to pierce her skin. A collective scowl forms upon the soldiers' faces, disgusted by the grunt's pathetic tactics, whilst the alligator continues staring at them with a devious grin. However, this grin soon vanishes as the sounds of his comrades' footsteps suddenly ceases. "Alright guys! C'mon out now!" His imperial adversaries remain on guard as they share a confused glance only to notice something within the house's window. Transferring their befuddlement to him, he turns his head back only to be met with a green blur launching itself straight at him.

Thwack!

Viper smacks his face to the ground with her tail before he can say a word, forcing him to release his grip on his hostage as he hits the floor. Dazed, the alligator tries to pick himself up only for Zhonglei to pounce through the house window and finish him off by slamming his bo-staff onto his head. Frantically waddling towards the rhino guards, the goose vendor cowers behind them, her eyes glued on her now unconscious attacker. "Are you alright?" She frantically nods at the lead guard's concern as the rhino she clings onto leans down and pats her back, whispering reassurances into her ear. Their attention is soon drawn to the front door as Shifu kicks it open, pushing out four unconscious and restrained alligators. A grateful smile forms on the leader's face. "Finally, some back-up. They've got our lieutenant pinned down by the boats."

"So, we've seen." The grandmaster confirms as his gaze shifts over to the disordered brawl taking place. Steely blue dart to his old friend and his kind-hearted student, both assuring him of their readiness. "Zhonglei and I will be assisting your men whilst Viper will help take care of any other goons causing havoc. I trust you'll get any civilians to safety?" Less of a question and more of a command, Shifu's unmoving voice gives little room for their answer.

All three guards salute, "Of course, grandmaster!" With this out of the way, the red panda master motions his head to the former general before they both run towards the centre of the docks' chaos, leaving the rhinos with Viper who gives them an encouraging though put-on smile.

"Follow me, boys." Soon enough, this smaller team runs off towards the other buildings lining the vast length of the docks with Viper leading the charge.

As this smaller team heads out to rescue anymore endangered civilians, Shifu and Zhonglei enter the fray, sending attacks out into the rabid cacophony of fists and swords whilst keeping their backs to each other. Allowing himself to enjoy this for a brief moment, the golden tiger gives his old friend a side glance. "It's just like old times." Right as he says this, he bats away four charging soldiers at once with his staff. But Shifu doesn't answer back, his gaze remaining hardened and focused as he parries, blocks and attacks with perfect precision. Exactly like old times. Though it was simply an attempt to lighten the mood, Zhonglei knows better than to distract themselves with useless banter. There are people in danger, and they have little time as it is. After all, if Zhongcheng is willing to send out this many troops as a distraction then how many does he have stationed in the warehouse? Most importantly, can Tigress and the others hold out long enough for them to arrive? He shakes off these questions before going on the offensive again with Shifu aiding him, allowing the few remaining imperial soldiers to gain some ground.

As the situation improves little by little within the docks, Po, Tigress and Mantis enter deeper within the eastern side of the city at a breakneck pace. They bolt through alleyways and leap across rooftops, an unseeable clock ticking down in their minds. If Zhongcheng maintains control of the warehouse, then the forbidden city will be doomed. The dragon warrior shudders to imagine what the wolf is capable of with the might of Shen's cannons by his side.

Cannons, huh… Never thought I'd have to deal with those again. Phantom embers sting his torso, the impact of Shen's horrific weapon present and clear even after all this time. And that was with a wok shielding him. Jade irises dart over to his steadfast tiger, his heart dropping as the sight of her taking the cannon shot meant for him replays itself. A memory that soon transforms into the memorial gardens once more. Denial takes form in the shape of a scowl, certain that it won't happen. They will all be okay. This assurance is as weightless as the snow frivolously descending around them, but he believes it, nonetheless. He has to.

Pushing their way out of one last alley, all three masters see the building as clear as day. Though it looks inconspicuous enough, the copious amount of wolves and gorillas moving in and out of the front entrance is a dead giveaway. To their dismay, each and every single soldier is carrying a different cannon part with four particular gorillas managing to heave a fully assembled version out towards… wherever they're planning to store them. "Alright, I'll scout ahead. See if there is any other entrances." Mantis announces as Tigress and Po climb up a low building. They nod to him, prompting him to hop towards the 'love palace' unseen.

As the couple survey the soldiers ahead, the sight of rhinos, cheetahs and ox adorned in imperial armour catches them off-guard. Yet this isn't what sends a nervous chill up Po's spine. It is their eyes; hollow, glowing and… uncanny. "Well, at least we know where the missing soldiers went." His attempts to lighten the mood fall flat on their face as his cheerful voice descends into a pitiful whisper.

Though Tigress gets past this shock faster than her panda, she still finds the sight close to impossible to believe. Zhongcheng had managed to turn so many imperial soldiers against the emperor himself. How? Amber irises focus on the lifeless husks of these sentinels' eyes. How they are nothing more than empty, soulless canvases soaked in a dim, blue light. A haunting sight that brings an eerie familiarity to Viper's harrowing descriptions of the hospital patients. All trapped in a never-ending nightmare. That has to be it. That must be how he has gotten into their heads, but how is this possible? They know for a fact that the wolf is no sorcerer or demon, he is a… no. She wouldn't dare call an honourless coward like him a warrior, even if he had been trained by one of the best. Perhaps he is allied with a sorcerer? No, with power like that in the wolves' paws he wouldn't need any cannons. Amethyst orbs flicker in the sky for a brief moment, forcing a scowl to form on her face without her even realising it. That is, until a realisation forms in her mind. Nuba's abilities, they had all been achieved with chi. Just like how Kai's monstrous invasion began with chi. Just like how the wolf used chi on her earlier. How? Not even the great master flying rhino knew the secret of chi.

"You don't think he did it with chi, do you?" Her panda's fearful inquiry pulls her back to reality only to shock her again. She resists the urge to smile at his innate ability to read her mind, and instead answers with a nod. "B-but how? Where did he learn it from?"

Despite his growing confusion, the tiger master can't provide the comfort of a simple answer. There must be something they are missing. Then again, if today is anything to go by, they may be missing too many things to count. "I don't know." They sit in silence for a few moments, their eyes glued to the troops moving at a hurried pace just ahead. If the wolf has this kind of mastery of chi, then what else is he capable of? Nuba could kill them without even touching them, could he do the same? As the couple continue to stare at the soldiers, Po slowly reaches his paw out to hers and gives it a gentle squeeze. She looks to her loving panda, noticing the fear eating away at his eyes, seeing their fight against Nuba reflected within. They had been so close to losing each other. They had been so close to losing their family. Tigress tries her best to purge the very idea her nightmare becoming real, yet her steel mask can't hide her trembling eyes. And Po sees this, knowing deep down the harrowing reality they could face. That they could end up just like those poor souls trapped in their own minds. Regardless of this, Tigress squeezes back, assuring him that they will all be fine. An assurance as numb as the pads of her paws, yet she believes it anyway. She needs to.

Her ears twitch as Mantis hops up the side of the building and enters their sight. Immediately, he notices their clasped paws and gains a smug grin on his lips. "Geez guys, you could at least wait till after the mission." Nothing. No harsh glare, rolling of the eyes or awkward laughs. Only a fiery look demanding information and a distracted pair of jade eyes gazing at the brainwashed soldiers below. "You saw them too, huh?" It's barely even a question, the insect master having the unnerving experience of seeing them up close first. His face matches the immovable focus on Tigress' as he motions them towards the edge of the building. They follow him, keeping low to the roof as they focus their sights on the front entrance. "Okay, so the 'love palace' itself has a backdoor and several windows we could crash through, in case we want to be dramatic. The warehouse though…" He lets out an irritated sigh, "Only one way in, one way out."

"Well, at least that makes one thing easier." Befuddled expressions find their way onto Tigress and Mantis as they turn to look at the dragon warrior, who wears a thoughtful smile on his face. A look that usually gets them into trouble.

"And how do you figure that?"

His insect buddy's speculation only brings a mischievous distinction to the panda's smile. A look that his tiger always finds admittedly adorable, but would never admit, not even in private. "Because they have only one way out too."

Immediately catching onto his brewing plan, Tigress smiles along with him, "So once we arrive inside the warehouse, we seal the entrance up behind us and prevent any more cannons from leaving the building. Good thinking, Po." His smile widens at her praise as Mantis' eyes widen like a match finally igniting, their plan beginning to make sense. However, there is just one thing.

"But how are we gonna do that? I doubt the door is still working properly, and anything we barricade them with can be blown away with a cannon shot."

Luckily for the three of them, the tiger master already has a solution for this. "It doesn't matter too much. With so many cannons and ammunition around the place, even one firing off could cause a catastrophic reaction. If anything, it might ruin their entire plan." Her face falls however, as she realises something else. "However, one of us will have to stay out here and fend off anyone trying to get back inside." Though this in itself isn't a problem, the idea of splitting up again against a threat like this only makes her uncomfortable.

This sentiment is shared by her teammates, but with no better plan of action, Mantis goes forward without hesitation. "I'll do it." As Po and Tigress' eyes fall on him, he doesn't even let them ask if he is sure about this. "I eat chumps like these for breakfast. Besides, if Zhongcheng is in there, then I think its better you guys deal with him." After a moment of hesitation, the two masters nod at him as they mentally prepare themselves for the battle ahead. A veritable army awaits them so they can't drop their guard for even a moment.

As the dragon warrior runs through the situation in his mind, however, he manages to push his fears aside for a moment and look at this from a different perspective. The furious five and the dragon warrior split up to fight an army on three fronts. This is gonna be one hell of an epic battle, one that will be retold across China and immortalised in the Jade Palace's scrolls. Why not have a bit of fun with this? "Guys?" A cheeky smile finds its way onto his face as he looks to his friends, who gaze back with expectant expressions. "I think its time for a dramatic entrance."

Whilst the three kung fu masters prepare to attack the cannon warehouse, the very soldiers hauling equipment out into the 'love palace' are completely unaware. Two wolves emerge from the unhinged iron doors of the hidden warehouse and climb up its lengthy staircase, their biceps strained and legs threatening to buckle under the hunks of metal they hold close to their chests. They barely spare a glance at the abandoned wooden stages, the discarded trays of food and drink scattered across the floor, or the sensual candles nearly emptied of their wax. Not even the depraved, musky stench symbiotic with this place's business reaches their nostrils. Only their own sweat, their own struggle to get these damned things back to base.

"Are we nearly done yet?" An exhausted plea escapes the maw of one of the wolf soldiers, his aching muscles demanding for a rest despite knowing that punishment will await if he does.

His friend takes a quick glance around the room, noticing nearly the entire love palace filled with his brethren as well as their imperial puppets either leaving with equipment in their arms or entering the warehouse to get more. A process reminding him a lot of the conveyer belts in Gongmen's fireworks factory. Sadly enough, it doesn't look like they'll be stopping anytime soon. "I wouldn't get my hopes up."

Though his friend attempts to break it down gently, the wolf soldier puffs a disbelieving sigh in response. "Seriously? Isn't this enough already?"

"The commander said to empty the place, did ya really think it would only take a few minutes?"

Rolling his eyes, the wolf soldier bites back, "Well maybe it would if this stuff wasn't so damn heavy."

Only serving to irritate him more, his friend laughs weakly, "They're cannons, of course they're heavy. Now quit your complaining and-

"Shakabooey!"

All wolves freeze in place, bewildered by the sudden explosive sound. "Umm… is that another signal?" This confused inquiry is soon answered as they all notice something outside the front doors, hurtling towards them.

"Get down!"

Crash!

A fully assembled cannon flies through the front of the building, tearing down its wooden walls with a violent crunch. All of Zhongcheng's soldiers duck down, managing to avoid the path of the metal monstrosity as it smashes into the ground, completely obliterating its legs whilst its base remains intact. Its skids to a halt near the back end of the 'love palace', just past the two wolves that had just exited the warehouse complex. Gongjiang darts his head to the warehouse doors, the loud crash echoing down the stairs straight to him. "Ready yourselves, men! They're here!"

As the bison unleashes these orders, the soldiers upstairs are at a complete loss on what to do until an unwelcome panda waltzes in through the front door, a cheerful smile on his irritating face. "Y'know, maybe it isn't a good idea to use a weapon I've already beaten to beat me now." His smug voice only gains a cacophony of growls from the wolves and gorillas whilst the brainwashed imperials ready their weapons.

"You made a big mistake coming here on your own, dragon warrior!" One of the wolves pipes up as they draw their weapons out.

But to their added irritation, the panda master isn't scared. In fact, he only grows more confident. "On my own? That's a big assumption to make, pal."

The two wolf soldiers near the staircase watch on with their swords at the ready, with one whispering to his friend. "What is he talking about?" A shrug is given in response but they won't have to wait long for an actual answer. Suddenly, a gorilla soldier is blasted through the back door with a green blur following behind him. As he falls to the floor unconscious, the green blur springs of his chest and attacks five nearby wolf soldiers in rapid succession, ricocheting off them as it hits their vital nerve points until they are knocked out. All five of them fall to the floor with the green blur stopping in the middle, revealing himself to be master Mantis.

"Fear the bug!"

"Oh crap!" A collective thought of the soldiers vocalised by the chattiest of the bunch, unaware of the world of pain about to be brought onto him.

Crash!

They all dart their heads to the other side of the room to see master Tigress breaking through the window and diving towards the chatty wolf, her leg reeled back.

Bam!

She stomps his face onto the floor before rolling forward to a nearby gorilla soldier. Before he can react, she follows through with her momentum and prepares her signature move.

Boom!

He can only let out a whimper as she lands her devastating double palm strike on his chest, sending him flying across the room and into a bunch of his comrades as well as a few of the brainwashed imperials. Though she feels terrible for injuring them like this, she has little choice in the matter. They have little time to spare as it is, and she can't spend it worrying about their wellbeing.

Seeing three of the most powerful kung fu masters in China just take out half the room in just their entrance, the two wolves at the top of the warehouse staircase share a look and, in turn, a thought. Screw this. They both bolt down the stairs as their comrades try to fight them off.

However, it is of little consequence as the three masters are able to take them down with ease. With some of Gongjiang's overwhelming numbers now unconscious on the floor, Po and Tigress rush over to the staircase whilst Mantis gets behind the cannon his panda friend had tossed in earlier. "You sure you can lift that thing, buddy?" Po quips at his insect friend running out of his sight.

"Hey, have some faith in me, man!" He chuckles to himself as he hears Mantis' jokingly annoyed tone echoing from behind him. That is, until he looks at Tigress for a moment, whose eyes tell him to focus. A command that he obeys instantly, a resolute expression strengthening his face.

It doesn't take them long to reach the bottom of the stairs and enter into the underground warehouse. Lanterns that once burned orange now bleed a sickening crimson sheen, an ode to their fallen lord. Incomplete metal chunks and piles of components litter the many wooden tables around the room, all connected by conveyer belts. Four catwalks hover above these belts, connected to the ceiling via chains and ending at the rocky walls of the cavern. They all intersect with each other to form a square, matching the layout of the conveyer belts perfectly.

As they arrive, Gongjiang stands atop the catwalk, arms folded and an awaiting smirk on his face whilst his soldiers stand tall. "Well, well. I didn't think my presence warranted the dragon warrior himself. I'm flattered."

Tigress ignores the bison's mocking sneer as she gets into her fighting stance, with Po following suit. "Oh, don't worry. You'll be getting plenty of both of us."

Boom!

An excitable grin fills Po's lips everyone within the warehouse hears Mantis kick the cannon down the stairs. They almost feel the cavern rumble as it tumbles down until crashing to a stop right behind the kung fu couple. "Cuz, you're not leaving here anytime soon!" He finishes, thankful that his insect buddy had blessed him with such opportune dramatic timing.

"Hmph, clever." A quiet admission leaves the bison's lips before he roars out a single command to his troops, "Attack!" Within seconds, hundreds of wolves, Gorillas, rhinos, cheetahs, ox and jaguars storm the pair, but no fear is present within them.

In fact, Po's exhilarated grin doesn't leave his face. "I've got these guys. You take care of Gongjiang, cool?" Tigress looks to her panda, grateful that the terror that was once present in his eyes has now evaporated. To think that under all that cuddly fur and sweetness, beats the heart of a warrior, always finding themselves in the heart of battle. She allows herself to smile back at him and nods.

Without even needing to say it, Po grabs Tigress' arms and swings her around him for a few moments before launching her directly at the bison general. She rears her leg back as she shoots towards her adversary, but he is ready for her. He blocks her side kick, but the sheer power of it forces him to take a few steps back to regain his balance, allowing her to land on the catwalk in her offensive stance. "Heh, you're a feisty kitty, aren't you?"

Gongjiang's snicker doesn't gain a noticeable reaction from the tiger. Instead, her fiery amber irises only burn with an intense, unbreakable concentration. "You have no idea." Her eyes dart over to Po for a split-second, noticing how in spite of being nearly overrun, he is still managing to fend off the many soldiers desperately attacking him. He's improved, no doubt, but that may not last for long. She needs to end this fight quickly. As Gongjiang readies himself in his clearly unprofessional fighting stance, she stares him down.

They wait for the other to make the first move.

:) I am such a damn tease. All joking aside, you will see their fight just not here... or the next chapter. But you will see it soon, I promise you. I don't have too much to say for this chapter (mainly cuz I'm a bit tired for some reason) mainly cuz it speaks for itself. As for the next one... well, it only gets even crazier. Hope none of you are too pissed about Crane succumbing to Zhongcheng's nightmare control stuff, but I've had that bit set in stone for ages. Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. Do let me know what you think of the story so far, any criticism, anything that can be improved, all that jazz. Until next time :)