The kung fu masters were totally dumbfounded: too much happened in so little time: first a group of weird being spawn here and they capture them. Those creature don't want to cooperate and then there is another one whohis much stronger and who just kick their ass… just WOW.
Groans could be heard in the Hall of Heroes, all the warriors were trying to sit up after the blast that hit them. They were all converted from scratches and wounds some more wounded than others, Shifu the least injured of all because he did not really have time to participate in the confrontation with Ash.
Po managed to get up with a tinnitus, stumbles a little but falls back on the nearest pillar «aarrghh, ah, everyone's okay?» he shouts while asking. The others jump a little at his shouts
«Po no need to scream, dude!» mantis says to him
«WHAT?» He asks. Everyne groan again.
«excuse me for my language but WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT» Monkey was still disturbs by the all thing «did the guy just explode right now?!»
«n-no he ran away. I could see him but not clearly itw as all foogy in here» Zheng says. He was still in the hall with the masters during all the face-to-face, he couldn't be more save with them so he stayed.
«Viper, you alright» Crane came to see if his girlfriend was injured. Their relationship is still very recent and both still get used to this new dynamic but it does not prevent in anything their responsibility of warriors or interfere with their training.
«i am okay… you?» came the answer from the snake
Crane smiles a little «i'm fine too. Come on, i'll help to get up» and with that the bird help his snake girlfriend to stand up, the snake wraps around his neck and look toward the feline who was looking at her paw, blood leaking from it.
Viper gasps at the sight «Tigress! you're bleeding» at that everyone rush to the tiger master to check on her
«Tigress where are you injured? Zheng go fetch a doctor» Shifu panics a little
«no» The feline says chocking everyone
«but Tigress you-» Po starts but was cut of by her
«no, it is not my blood…» everyone looks at her with wide eyes «I-i….»she sighs «I lost control. I... I couldn't put it out of business and my frustration took over... I used my claws and it looks like I hit my target. That's probably what allowed us to neutralize him... for a while at least.» she says her voice different from its usual coldness.
Deep within herself, Tigress was really disturbed by her actions. it is not in her habit to lose control and even less used her claws in combat and mutilated someone. 'who cares! he was looking for it anyway' she tries to convince herself but regret and guilt was still there somewhere deep inside her.
«Tigress» Shifu captivates the cat's attention «i will lie to when saying that i'm not disappointed in the fact that you used your claws in a fight, i teach you better than this» The feline looks down in shame following the reprimand of her master. «but with the current situation, you will have no punishment. however if it should happen again you will be severely reprimanded, understand?» he told her
«yes, Master Shifu» she says while bowing.
«Master, what about the ummmmmm creatures? what are we going to do now?» asks the Dragon Warrior
Shifu was playing with his beard while he thinks and after long seconds he sighs «i don't know… while their presence may be a threat, something seems off.»
«why is that» ask the bug
«the fourth one, the one you fought. His look contained no evil, no negative ambition or desire to harm in the long term... certainly at first his look contained some hatred towards us, a understandable anger that we had imprisoned those who seem to be close to him. However, he did not seem to fight against us in order to eliminate us but more to ensure that his friends would be safe...a warning somehow.»
«so you're saying that him and his friends are our allies?» Monkey gets into the discussion.
«no, i will not go as fa as to say that they are our allies, Master monkey. I just say that i don't think that they will harm the villagers…if it was their goal or to be precise 'his goal' by the look of how he could hold himself against you six, he would have done it before coming here: harming the villagers, destroying houses. It would have made a good distraction to distract our attention from the palace to be able to extract the prisoners without problem without us in the way and causing evil and terror in the passage for free»
«now that you say it, master. It is true that he could have done worst than what he did and remember, one of the three that were here told him not to kill us because the valley needs us» Crane notes
«maybe their talents could help us somehow» Po says
«Are you all seriously think about bring them here and to stay train with us?!» Tigress snaps «those jerks are threats to us all and you are thinking about make them our allies?! are you all insane?»
«you are just pissed because the dud kick your ass» mantis says bluntly but regrets instantly when he heard the growl and saw the death glare of the tiger «sorry» he muttered
«What we are trying to say here, Tigress, is that we all think that i twill be better for us to have them and especially 'him' on ours ide rather than in the opposing camp. You saw just like us his potential, Tigress. He beat us all alone. Tigress, HE. BEATS. YOU…you, the only one that any of use can not beat in a spar.» Viper explain to her while Tigress looks like she's thinking about what the snake was telling her
«think about it like that, Tigress» Crane says «He beats the crap out of us all like we were nothing while his goal was not to kill us. Now imagine the day when he will consider us his enemies or a threat to his friends…he will certainly not be as mercyful as he was today.» the bird finished
The feline sighs «yeah, you may be right about that but i-i still don't think that it is a great idea. On top of that, i may have injured him badly» she says while looking at her bloody paw «because of that, maybe he is already considering us his enemies…» she looks up at them
«We will have to see about that, but for now go treat all your wounds, my students and then proceed to you supper and a bit you all goodnight. I will go meditate on what happened today. With that he starts to exit the Hall while the students went towards the kitchen. Everyone in deep thought, each one with different feeling about all this. The guilt Tigress was feeling earlier does not decrease...it only increases knowing what all her comrades feel about these people they have imprisoned, about this warrior who fought 'like a real warrior' if she even dares to think it.
Somewhere in a forest not so far from the valley:
A wolf was walking in a cave passing a door where two guards where keeping watch. Passing that door, he entered a room where stand a great table with a map, the map of the Valley of peace. At the end of this table, a grizzly is standing there, looking carefully at it. His imposing build and armor is enough to prove that he is the leader of this group.
«Lord Brask, the scouts have returned from their mission of reconnaissance and identification of the valley. They were able to complete the mapping of the Valley of Peace. the last buildings here and here are respectively a forge and a jewelry store.» the wol told his leader
«excellent, Shong. We are on schedule and everything is going as planned. Call the others.»
…..
«Gentlemen, everything is ready! We are going to begin our operation. We will proceed in a week, when the moon will be at its peak. We will use the discretion and take advantage of the darkness that the night so kindly shares us to camouflage. The squad of Shong takes care of stores, those of Nightshade take care of food stores and restaurants and finally, that of Emberclaw you will take care of potential nuisances and secure the emergency Gong. If villagers are causing problems, eliminate them. Do not hesitate to make hostages or case the masters of the Jade Palace decides to show up but normally and they will kindly be sleeping and will not be an obstcles from where the do act at night.»
«Yes Sir!» the four squads composed of twenty-five members each shout.
«This is the moment we all have been waiting for! The robbery of a life! Until then, continue training and scouting missions. We will show this 'Valley of Peace' that it is not the peace that rules this world!» Brask shout, his voice filled with confidence and determination.
«All Hail Lord Brask» his team shout as well.