It has already been a month since I lost my memories and became a student of Kung fu at the Jade Palace.
I have kept busy training with the Furious Five, studying Chinese with Viper and Crane, and having fun with my friends.
Tigress kept her word and has started training with me and teaching me meditation.
She is a harsh teacher, but it's worth it. I have felt improvement by leaps and bounds.
Right now, I'm in the Training Hall, facing Crane and Monkey.
They are in a battle stance, ready to fight.
I mirror them with one of my own.
With an invisible signal, the fight starts. Crane goes up in the sky while Monkey rushes me with his battle staff.
I dodge, parry and block most of his strikes and retaliate with my own whenever I could.
I feel a slight breeze behind me, which makes me jump and therefore dodge Crane's flying kick by mere centimeters.
After landing I don't get a moment to breathe, for Monkey is already back with his constant barrage of strikes.
I fend him off and Crane's opportunistic strikes, until I see my chance.
Monkey overextends one of his strikes, which I dodge and take his staff with my hands, giving it a great pull and kicking him at the same time, disarming him.
I immediately go into the offensive trying to land a decisive blow, but he is skillfully evading all of my strikes while laughing, which makes me frustrated.
While I'm distracted with Monkey, Crane comes from the sky, making a forceful landing, and takes his opportunity to strike while I'm still surprised, which I barely block.
It seems I was too fixated on Monkey this time.
After that Monkey also goes back into the offensive, timing his attacks with Crane, and not much later I'm on the ground, defeated.
"Enough." Shifu stops the fight, determining that I no longer can continue "Good job Monkey, Crane. Albion you did well too, but you must take the initiative more often and notice when someone is distracting you."
We thank him for his advice and go back to his side, now it is the turn of Tigress against Viper and Mantis.
I should feel bad that I lost, but the fact that I managed to hold my own against both Crane and Monkey makes me extremely proud of myself. Even Master Shifu congratulated me.
I feel like it was a lot of progress in just a month.
It's justified though.
I have been throwing myself into training like a possessed madman since that day, when I had to fight those crocodile bandits. Even Tigress has told me that I should let my body rest more often.
I have practiced the basics with Mantis and Crane, while Tigress and Viper gave me more advanced training.
Monkey taught me how to handle some weapons, mostly the staff.
After the match ended with Tigress's victory, as expected, Master Shifu dismissed us for the day, which means it's time for a bath and dinner.
"Dismissed for today, except Albion." Master Shifu requests to speak with me, before I can follow the others.
I shrug and tell the others to go ahead.
"Oof, he is in trouble." Monkey starts with a laugh.
"You don't know that!" Viper hisses angrily at Monkey.
Their voices grow distant as they exit the Training Hall, their banter lost in the cold wind of the winter.
"What can I do for you Master?" I ask, curious about the reason I am made to wait.
He observes me for a moment before starting to speak.
"You have improved. You have been diligent in your training." Master Shifu praises me, his stern tone ever-present.
"Soon I will assign a mission to the Furious Five. You will go along with them."
That leaves me stunned. It seems my effort has paid off, and soon I will start to go along with the others on missions.
"Before that, Grandmaster Oogway would like to speak with you." It's been a good while since I last saw the old tortoise "Go tomorrow morning to the Hall of Warriors. Don't make him wait."
After I'm dismissed, I exit the training hall, leaving Shifu behind, and make my way into the baths.
I take my time soaking in the relaxing hot spring, mulling over this development.
I'm sure everyone will be proud of my progress.
Afterward, I go back to the barracks kitchen, where everyone else is already finishing dinner.
"Albion! I left some food in the pot for you." I thank Viper as I pour myself some soup from the almost empty pot.
"So… Any news?" Crane is the first to ask about what Master Shifu wanted to talk with me in private.
"Hmm… Well I suppose it's fine If I tell you." After a moment of consideration, I decide Shifu didn't tell me anything about keeping quiet. "Master Shifu has told me that I will take a mission soon along with you."
Everyone makes an exclamation of surprise at that.
"Already!? You barely have been here a month!" Mantis is the first to say aloud what everyone else is thinking.
"Well, the only way to gain experience is by going into real missions. Can't always do only training." I try to rationalize with them, confused by their reaction.
I thought they would be glad that I was making such progress that even Master Shifu considered me ready for real battle.
"Well, yes… but don't you think it's too soon?" Viper says softly, most likely trying not to hurt my feelings.
"If Master Shifu has deemed him ready, then he is ready." Tigress says with finality on the matter.
The others don't look so sure.
With that, she gets up, already finished with her food, and leaves the kitchen, everyone else following not much later.
I am left alone to finish my meal.
It seems it was a rarity to begin doing serious missions so soon into the training. Is it that dangerous?
If Master Shifu thinks I'm ready for it, then why does everyone seem opposed?
I finally finish my meal, feeling like it's a chore thanks to the heavy thoughts occupying my mind.
As I'm making my way to my room I see something that makes me nostalgic.
Tigress waiting by the door to my room. It has been some time since she has done that, though I hope this time she is not here to say mean things to me.
"As I expected, the words from the others have affected you." Tigress says, divining my mood from a single glance at my face "Why don't we talk a bit?"
She invites me to her room, surprisingly enough.
Tigress has started to train me and give me advice over the time I have been here since that incident with the bandits, but this is the first time she has wanted something from me outside training.
As I cross the door, I notice that her room is even more spartan than my own, if even possible.
A bed, a small drawer next to it, a mat on the floor to sit down, and some incense.
That's it.
Talk about a minimalist lifestyle.
We sit down, facing each other. We don't say anything for a moment.
"I can feel your stormy mind filled with thoughts. You are nervous." Tigress affirms without a doubt. She is right.
"All of you doubt me. I believe I'm ready, or at least I thought so, but now I'm not so sure."
"Let's meditate for a moment." She says, changing her posture to the lotus position she has shown me before in our meditation sessions "Empty your thoughts and focus."
I do as she commands.
I breathe in and out. I think about the reason the others could possibly have to not want me to start doing missions along with them.
Am I so unreliable?
After a while, Tigress sees that I can't manage to get into a focused state.
"Your doubt has clouded your mind." Tigress speaks softly, her words caressing my senses.
I didn't think she could speak like that.
"Think. Why would the others not want a new student to go into missions so soon?"
They fear for my safety. Here in training, we are always controlling ourselves to not hurt each other while fighting.
Out there, fighting against bandits, I won't have that luxury. I know that from first-hand experience now.
Is that the true answer?
I slowly open my eyes and look at Tigress. Steely gray eyes meet intense amber ones.
"Are they afraid I will get hurt?" I ask, uncertain. "Do I look so helpless?" I leave unsaid.
"You may lose your life if you are not careful Albion." Tigress cautions me seriously, a glint of danger in her eyes "You may make some of us get hurt trying to help you."
"I have trained. I have prepared myself!" I answer with anger starting to enter my voice.
After all this training, they still think I'm the same defenseless man that came here a month ago, half-dead and without memories.
We sit there silently after my explosive answer, looking at each other's expressions.
Tigress has a stern expression on her face, brows knit in frustration and eyes gleaming with anger.
I'm sure I look the same, feeling for once the same anger she is showing.
It's the closest I came to shouting out of anger since coming here.
I can't deal with it anymore, so I stand up and make for the door.
"When the time comes, make sure we don't have to fix your mistakes." Tigress leaves those parting words as I exit her room.
It seems she decided to continue her tradition of hurling hurting words after waiting by my room.
It is a new day, and I am preparing myself to meet Grandmaster Oogway.
Breakfast is an awkward affair. Viper, Monkey, and Crane try to make conversation with me, but I can't stop thinking about their faces of doubt from yesterday night.
Every time they ask me something, I give curt, short answers.
I don't look Tigress's way. I still can't get her words from last night out of my head.
Eventually, they stop trying and we eat breakfast in silence.
After dressing myself in my black Hanfu, and taking my flute into the small pocket of my sleeve, I start to make my way to the Hall of Warriors.
I am planning to play something later to relax myself after the talk with Oogway.
I enter the hall, admiring the priceless artifacts adorning its interior and the beautiful architecture, as I go further inside.
When I reach the pool at the end of the hall I see a shell balancing on top of a staff, Grandmaster Oogway, at the shore of a small pool.
Finally, Oogway gets down from his staff, ending his meditation and landing softly on the floor by the pool.
"Master Oogway." I bow deeply as I greet him, forgetting momentarily my frustrations upon seeing the old master's gentle smile.
"Hello Albion. No need for that, I just want to speak with you." He says in his usual calm demeanor "How has your stay in the Valley of Peace been so far?"
"It's been great Master. I have learned many things, and made some friends. The Five and Master Shifu have helped me a lot." I say the last part in a strained voice.
"Indeed? Then tell me, why is your heart so closed to them now?" Master Oogway inquires in a knowing voice.
"Master?" I ask, uncertain what he meant.
"I can feel the anger and frustration in your heart child." The old tortoise tells me, a sad tone entering his voice. He looks back at the body of water at his feet.
"Look at your reflection and tell me what do you see."
I obey him and look into the water. It is calm, in contrast to my own emotions.
In my reflection, I discern a pair of cold gray eyes looking back at me, face contorted in a serious frown.
"I see… someone who is weak… someone who cannot be counted on by his allies." I try to describe to him what I have been feeling since yesterday.
"Hmm… Perhaps that someone is stronger than he thinks he is..." The old tortoise says looking at my reflection in the water "Perhaps… that someone is misinterpreting his allies' worry for doubt in him."
Worry? No, they just didn't trust me. Tigress thought I would put them in danger.
"No, I know I'm not wrong. Tigress herself told me!" In anger I reveal what Tigress told me yesterday.
I regret it immediately. Even if Tigress has said hurtful things to me, she has helped me in countless ways.
Oogway lifts his gaze from my reflection in the pool to look into my eyes directly.
"Tigress only said that because it's her responsibility." Master Oogway says, not surprised at Tigress's hostility "She is the oldest student here, so she must look after the others."
"Then Master, is she right? Am I still a weakling who needs protection from his friends? Am I still useless?"
"What I think you are is too hasty Albion." The old master says in a gentle tone "Tell me, why do you seek to become strong so quickly?"
"Because… If my friends can't rely on me… won't I be left behind? Won't I be… forgotten?" I finally voice my fear in a small voice.
Being forgotten.
If I don't know who I am, and everyone who recognizes my identity here forgets me… would that not be the same as not existing at all?
"Idiot!" Oogway whacks my head with his staff, getting me out of my dreadful thoughts.
That hurts, old man.
"You are not here because you are a great fighter, nor a great thinker or anything else for that matter." The old master starts, a gentle tone in his voice "You are here because you are meant to be. Nobody is going to take your new friends and home away."
Those words resonate deeply within me.
I am so afraid that if I don't become a great Kung fu warrior quickly I would be left behind by the others and forgotten.
"Even then, I don't want to be a burden for everyone else Master. I want to help them. I want them to trust in me like they trust each other!"
"Don't be hasty Albion. Every journey starts with one small step. Your time will come to show everyone your true spirit, for that is your destiny." His eyes hold a fervent belief that his words are true "Until then enjoy your time here. Fight, argue, reconcile and strengthen your friendship with those you hold dear. For that is part of life."
Wisdom imparted, Grandmaster Oogway looks back into the pool, deep in thought.
I also look back at the pool, to see my reflection once more.
My frown has disappeared, replaced by my usual neutral expression. The frustration and fear in me reduced drastically, a small fraction of what it was before, but not completely gone.
Even with Grandmaster Oogway's words in my heart, emotions are not something so easily swayed.
"Thank you for your words master. I will take them to heart." I thank him sincerely for his words.
"Well, that was quite a heavy topic. Why don't you tell me your impressions of the valley so far?" The old tortoise changes the heavy topic with a smile, asking about everything he can think of.
After spending some time talking, the old master finally decides to return to his meditation on the top of his staff, not before saying goodbye with a "We'll talk again soon!"
I exit the Hall of Warriors, thoughts of my talk with the Grandmaster filling my mind as I walk.
My feet take me wandering for a while without a specific place in mind, until I notice where I am.
The Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. What a mouthful of a name.
Here is where I met Grandmaster Oogway and got my name. It's also where Master Shifu gifted me my flute, so there must be some truth to the name.
There is no one else here, so I decide to sit down and admire the view while mulling over Oogway's words.
After a while I remember the flute I took earlier and decide to forget about my worries by playing it.
It relaxes me hearing the familiar sound of the instrument.
I have tried learning new songs from some of the bards that go to the Mighty Feline to play sometimes, but it is slow going.
Once I play for a while, I stop to take a breath.
I feel lighter, almost like a weight has lifted off my shoulders.
It is almost time for lunch.
I start going to the barracks' kitchen to make myself something to eat, and then I will have to decide what to do for the rest of the day.
Since my relationship with my friends is a bit strained right now due to yesterday's events, I think it will be a long day.
Maybe I should apologize for overreacting.
It has been a week since then, and I am currently finishing my training for today.
"Hey Albion, wanna go to the bar later?" Monkey asks me as I take a breather from doing some light stretches.
After clearing my talk with Grandmaster Oogway and clearing my head at the peach tree, I decide that I will prove myself capable. That way nobody will ever doubt me again.
As for my relationship with the Furious Five, things have returned to semi-normal.
Our conversations at lunch and dinner are a bit more strained than usual, but I think with time we will forget this small bump in our friendship.
"Making plans already? We haven't even finished training today." Viper comments upon overhearing Monkey.
"It's wise to plan ahead." Monkey shoots back, clearly trying to imitate Master Shifu.
"It would be wiser to shut up and finish training, before Master Shifu makes you clean the Training Hall as punishment." Crane lightly admonishes Monkey, annoyed at his lack of seriousness.
Before the conversation can keep going Master Shifu snaps his fingers, indicating that he wants our immediate attention.
We rush to his side and listen attentively.
"That is all for today." He declares curtly.
"Hmm… It's quite early to be finishing already" Something must be up for Master Shifu to finish training so early today.
"Isn't it early to finish already Master?" Tigress asks what I, and everyone else, are thinking.
"Indeed, there is a reason for that. Zeng has finally found the lair of the bandits that have been assaulting merchants and traders, among other people, in the forest nearby. They are in an abandoned fortress nearby." Shifu declares with an air of gleefulness.
It seems he has been looking for a while now.
"You are to go directly there and capture the leader of the bandits. Once he is captured the other bandits will flee and disband, bringing peace back to the valley." He looks at me after informing us of the parameters of the mission "Albion you will go with the Furious Five on this mission."
It's time.
"Yes master!" We all say at the same time.
"Don't take the leader lightly, from what I have heard he is a skilled warrior, and a dangerous foe." Master Shifu warns us.
We all make our way back to the barracks with Shifu's words in the back of our minds, to prepare for the journey, and the battle ahead.
It will be my first time leaving the Valley of Peace, as far as I remember.
"Nervous?" Asks Viper as we enter the barracks, having noticed my unsure steps.
"Well, I have never left the valley before." I tell her the reason for my uneasiness.
"That's fine! I'll help you." Viper says with a smile "Do you need help preparing for the journey?"
After asking her what should I bring, I go to my room to prepare my bag. Only the essentials.
Some food, water and some items for camping. The journey will be short so there is no need for much more.
I exit my room, with my training clothes on and a small bag on my back with the essential items for the journey, and notice Tigress waiting in the hallway.
"The others are ready, waiting in the kitchen." I start to make my way to the kitchen, but Tigress's words stop me "Make sure you don't endanger us with your actions in this mission."
I look back at Tigress, her face stern and stoic.
"You worry about yourself. I will worry about myself." I answer back, tone full of venom.
She doesn't need to tell me that, and I can't keep my anger in this time. She looks surprised at my retort.
I will prove to her in this mission that I can keep up. That I'm not a burden.
Once we are all ready, we make for the gate of the palace, and begin our mission.
The day is almost over, the sky starting to get dark, and we make good progress on our way to the bandits' lair.
Apparently their hideout is not too far from the valley, which means we will arrive tomorrow, probably in the afternoon.
We are starting to make camp to sleep for the night. We will continue tomorrow in the early morning, as soon as the sun rises.
I am tasked with making a fire, which is disturbingly easy. Almost like I already knew exactly what to do.
"You done already? That was fast." Mantis comments on my proficient camping skills, while he struggles to gather the logs for the campfire.
"Need a hand?"
"Nah I got it." He stubbornly says. I shrug and leave to see if I can help with something else.
"Albion wanna help me make dinner?" Asks Viper, while preparing a small pot.
I have been trying to learn from her how to cook lately, although she always says she is not that good at cooking to teach someone else.
We make a quick meal and discuss the night watch turns over dinner.
I get the last turn, which means I will be able to sleep without interruption, even if I have to wake up earlier.
They are probably giving me the easy parts since this is my first outing.
"So… Do we have a plan to take down the bandit guy?" Asks Crane, looking directly at Tigress.
"We must try to infiltrate the fortress and defeat the bandit leader without encountering the whole bandit camp." Mantis clarifies our objective.
"I think we will have to look for an alternative entrance to the main gate." Viper says aloud thoughtfully.
"We could also split in two. While one group causes a distraction, the other goes to defeat the leader." Monkey suggests a bold plan.
Tigress and I are the only ones silent while the others discuss possible plans for tomorrow's operation.
I personally am not sure what is the best way to approach this mission, so I decide to stay silent rather than give useless input.
Tigress on the other hand seems to be considering each possible plan carefully.
"Before we make a decision on our approach we should scout the forces and location of the enemy." She finally says, opting for the cautious approach for now.
"Yeah that would be best after all. We have too little information." Crane determines after a moment. Everyone else agrees.
"Very well then. As we decided earlier, Crane you are up first." Tigress commands, making sure the turns we decided earlier are clear. "Let's go to sleep now. We must be well-rested for tomorrow."
We all prepare our bedding, a small blanket on the ground, and go to sleep.
Tomorrow will be a long, arduous day.
I get shaken awake, rather roughly, by someone.
I'm a light sleeper so it's not long before I'm fully up and awake.
I look at the one who has awoken me, Tigress, with some resentment.
"No need to be so rough." I say softly, not wanting to wake the others.
I go sit down next to the fire, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. It is my turn for the night watch.
She just goes to sit opposite of me, next to the fire.
"Not going back to sleep?" I ask her, my voice still heavy from being woken up.
"It won't be much longer to sunrise. There is no point." She answers back with the same softness, having the same consideration as me for the others.
We look at the fire in silent vigil, waiting for the sun to come up. It is cold, even next to the fire, which is to be expected given that we are still in the ending days of winter.
I look at Tigress, who seems very comfortable despite only wearing a simple sleeveless vest.
"Not cold?" I ask, indicating her clothes with a nod of my head.
She lifts an eyebrow in a questioning fashion.
"I have fur that keeps me plenty warm, unlike you." She says like it is the most obvious thing in the world.
Sometimes I forget my companions have very different characteristics from my body.
Now that she mentions it, her fur looks quite soft and warm, which makes me envious given the cold I'm feeling.
"Well, lucky you. I'll just be miserable over here." I say in a joking tone.
She gives back a small smirk.
Even if she is so harsh to me sometimes, there are moments where I enjoy her company.
After that, we keep silent, waiting for the other to say something.
In the horizon, a small light starts to show up. Soon the day will officially start, and we will start our battle to capture the bandit leader.
"About what I said before we parted…" Tigress suddenly says, taking me out of my thoughts.
I tense up, remembering her words in the hallways of the barracks, back in the Jade Palace.
"Look, I didn't mean to-" Before she can finish her sentence, a loud yawn interrupts her.
"Ugh… I hate mornings…" Mantis yawns loudly as he says this, waking the others in the process and earning some name-calling, mainly from Monkey, for waking them up.
I look back at Tigress, to see if she would continue our previous conversation, but she is looking at the fire, avoiding my gaze.
Maybe next time, though I'm curious to know what she was going to say.
Probably reiterating what she has already said about not messing up.
Once everyone is fully awake and ready, we continue our travel to our destination, the abandoned fortress that is the bandits' lair.
We don't have to walk too much until we reach it, because soon enough we can see a small ruined fortress in the distance, surrounded by bamboo trees and a small river nearby.
We leave our camping supplies safe and hidden before we get closer to the fortress.
As we stealthily approach, we can already see it teeming with bandits. Most of them dressed in light armor and assorted weaponry, from spears to swords and hammers.
"There are way too many!" Monkey whispers in a low voice.
It seems their high numbers are unusual for bandits.
"We have to find a different entry point after all." Tigress determines after looking at the head count.
"Let's look by the riverside. The fortress may have a sewage system which we can use to get inside." I suggest.
Tigress and the others look at each other silently before reaching a consensus.
"Let's go with that." She says as she starts skirting the edge of the forest we are hiding in.
Soon, we reach the side of the fortress that faces the river. There we find a medium-sized tunnel with some rusted bars covering the entry.
No guards in sight.
"Nice! If we can go in this way, we won't have to fight so many bandits. We just need to locate their leader and capture him." Viper gleefully comments her thoughts aloud.
With a focused strike, Tigress easily breaks the rusted bars, allowing us to enter the sewage tunnel.
There is a small sidewalk on the left side, so thankfully we don't have to walk in the sewage water.
It's absolutely dark inside after a few meters inside, so I have difficulties navigating the small passage.
"What's wrong Albion? You keep tripping your steps." Asks Crane, who is right behind me.
"I can't see anything in the darkness." It seems I am the only one, since the others don't have any problem so far.
A sigh is heard right in front of me.
"Take my shoulder." Tigress's voice commands me, in a resigned tone.
I put my hand on Tigress's shoulder, making my walk far more stable now.
It is sad but I'd rather depend on Tigress's guidance than tripping and falling into the filthy water.
With that formation, we keep marching on.
Soon we see a small pillar of light coming from the ceiling.
There is a grate covering a hole in the ceiling, big enough for us to pass through.
We position ourselves around the small opening.
"That right there is our ticket in." Monkey states.
"Mantis go check first if there is anyone around." Tigress commands Mantis, using his size to our advantage.
Mantis quickly hops over, using the small holes in the grate to enter without disturbing it.
After a moment he calls "Safe!"
Quickly we bust the grate and climb up.
Once we all have climbed, we take a moment to observe our surroundings.
We are in a deserted hallway made of stone, with multiple doors.
"Come on, we have to move quickly before we are discovered." Monkey says, starting to go in a random direction.
"Wait! Don't be hasty." Viper stops him before he can go further "If we start searching at random we'll never find him."
"Well, got any ideas then?" Monkey shoots back, irritated.
"Maybe we should go in pairs. That way if one pair finds him, one can stay with him while the other goes to get the others." I suggest, trying my best to be helpful.
"Hmm… We'll go with Albion's idea." Tigress accepts my suggestion after a moment, quickly making the pairs.
I am assigned Viper as my pair.
After separating from the others, we pick a door and sneak our way around the fortress.
"You doing good Albion?" Viper whispers as we keep our search.
"Yes, this has been easy so far." I answer back honestly "I imagine the hard part will come later."
"Yeah, but let's focus on the present." Viper says, pointing to another door.
This door looks far more imposing than the others we have seen so far, made of solid regal-looking wood.
The quarters of someone important?
I open the door and enter inside, Viper remaining behind to look for guards.
Suddenly, the door snaps shut behind me, a loud mechanism sound heard inside the frame of the doorway.
Did I trip some sort of trap?
"Albion!? Are you okay?" Viper calls frantically on the other side of the closed door.
I try to calm myself and observe my surroundings before I answer Viper, scanning for threats.
"So… you are the rats scurrying around my fortress." A deep voice calls out from the other end of the room.
From the left side of the room, a sinister-looking figure enters the room. With a smirk on his face, showing his sharp fangs, and eyes the color of blood, an animal that looks like a jackal makes his presence known.
He is wearing dark-colored light armor and some wicked-looking sword at his waist.
"Strange… I was told there would be more." He says, almost like he already knew we were coming "Oh well, I'm Nyx and this is my territory."
"I'm Albion, student of the Jade Palace. Surrender peacefully and I won't have to harm you." I warn him, hiding my nerves behind a voice with a steely tone.
He observes me carefully for a moment before silently unsheathing his swords with a widening smirk.
"I will enjoy killing you." A psychotic tone enters his deep voice, giving him an intimidating air.
We both assume a combat stance and start circling each other slowly, seeking an opening to strike.
"Albion, I'm going to get the others! Hold on as long as you can." Viper tells me, quickly surmising that I am against the bandit leader.
Hopefully, they will get here fast.
"Don't count on your friends to save you." Nyx says in a menacing voice, almost reading my thoughts "My lackeys will surely give your friends some entertainment before killing them."
Of course. If he has set a trap, then he must have already warned his allies.
Taking advantage of my momentary distraction, he leaps forward, blades at the ready to end this fight in a singular strike.
I dodge and redirect each of his lunges and slashes easily, waiting for an opportunity to strike back.
Finally, I see my chance. I parry his last strike with a hit to his wrist with my left hand and punch him right in the face with my right.
Stunned, he jumps back to avoid more retaliating strikes.
"You are good." He says with a sinister laugh, before jumping back in for more.
He seems to speed up, making it harder to keep dodging his strikes.
I slip for a moment, and the jackal punishes me harshly for it.
I receive a horizontal slash to my upper torso, which makes me cringe in pain and jump back to avoid more damage.
"Yes… just like that." He says looking at the red line in my training clothes "Soon there will be more."
I take a moment to breathe as he delights in his inflicted strike, and I grow aware of the sounds of fighting just outside of the room.
Many voices could be heard behind the sealed door, all of them in the roar of battle.
"Soon your friends will share your fate." The jackal sadistically says, as he notices the commotion outside too.
"No, I won't allow that." I renew my determination, this time taking the initiative and following him around the room as he dodges back and evades my attempts at taking him down.
I receive more and more damage but I ignore it, focusing all of my being on defeating him quickly and ending the battle.
Each time he strikes me, I hit back with equal force.
I evade a lunge from his right blade at the last moment, dodging to the left and striking at his elbow at the right angle to completely shatter it.
He howls in pain and slides back, holding his dangling arm.
"You… are… DEAD!" He throws his only remaining weapon at me, which I kick out of the way.
What I don't expect is him rushing me at an astounding speed, his maw open wide and his razor-sharp teeth glinting in the low light of the room.
I don't have enough reaction time after parrying the thrown sword, and he tackles me to the ground, holding my right arm with his left and biting down my left arm, which is defending my throat, with his maw.
I scream in pain and headbutt him, stunning him for a moment which I take advantage to kick him and get him off me.
I'm bleeding profusely at this point from all my wounds, the one on my arm from his teeth leaking a worrying amount of blood.
"Enough!" In a burst of adrenaline, I rush and take him by his throat before throwing him against the door.
I viciously start throwing punch after punch, not giving him a moment to recover, before I give him a rotatory kick, with enough force to shatter the sealed wooden door and send him flying through it.
I follow him through the hole I just made and take a moment to catch my breath.
I notice the disturbing silence that wasn't there mere moments ago.
Through my obscuring vision and dizziness, I take in the scene.
All the Furious Five are surrounded by animals of all classes, wolves, rhinos, dogs, all of them with weapons at the ready, and some others already on the ground, defeated.
What is strange is they are all petrified, looking at me.
Or rather at their leader, unconscious on the ground.
"Who is next?" I say in a low menacing voice that cuts through the silence, making some of the bandits flinch.
One second passes, and in the next one, most of them throw away their weapons and flee, some of them surrendering right there on the spot.
"Albion! You did it!" Monkey says, making the other snap out of their shock.
They quickly approach me with looks of worry.
"Wow man, you look like shit. You okay?" Mantis, ever the eloquent person, asks me.
"Yeah, don't worry I'm… fine..."
In the next moment, my vision starts to dark more and more, and I can feel my legs giving up.
"Hey! Albion!" I can hear someone shouting my name.
I fall to the ground and darkness fully overtakes my vision.