Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Turn South
A familiar haze of mist hung about ominously; a faint thunderous rumble sounded through the distance.
The surrounding landscape in all directions surrounding Master Tigress was blanketed by an ominous darkness. An undeniable tint of red polluted the scant rays of light as she sat alone. She had no understanding of how long she had been here, waiting upon a solitary elevated island that rose just above the portentous mists. Focusing her gaze, she saw a figure in the distance, gradually wading towards her - moving closer ever so gradually as the moments passed.
The tiger felt no particular sense of urgency, however. She was going to let it approach, whatever it was.
"Reveal yourself." she said calmly, despite having delivered a demand.
Surprisingly, the mist itself complied, lifting and revealing her own likeness now standing opposite herself. Tigress found this to be understabably confusing. Her doppelganger was completely expressionless, and even wore the same clothing as herself and was bearing the same frayed strands of fur - souvenirs from her numerous recent battles.
"Not what you were expecting?" her alternate self asked mockingly.
"Hmph. Actually, I'm not that surprised."
The other Tigress smiled fiendishly, gradually morphing into a much larger and bestial form; the long fangs and claws were distinctive - it was the unforgettable likeness of the demon she had encountered once before in her own dreamscape. After she had been poisoned by the treacherous Lord of Xiangyang, her mental state had never been quite the same.
"Remember me?" the monstrous alter teased, the nebula of mist darkening to thunderclouds all around.
This blurred mirror of herself - a basal manifestation of her psyche - had played no small role in her mental torture over the past weeks. But she had grown stronger since last they met.
"Yes." Tigress stated plainly. "And I do not fear you."
The beast looked disappointed.
"Liar." it growled, backing away into the darkness slightly.
An apparition of the tiger master battling Crane high above the Khanbaliq citadel manifested amidst the rumbling thunderclouds.
"Look at what we have done! The others, they know the real us - just another monster!"
A vision of Tai Lung destroying the Valley of Peace appeared parallel to the dueling Tigress and Crane.
Tigress remained unmoved.
"I am not my brother. I've chosen a different path."
The demon came forth again, "Do you think Crane believes that?"
"Crane is my friend. Those grievances are forgiven."
"He defeated us. It's shameful!"
Tigress shook her head, "You are wrong. I will not allow my own ego - you - to justify hurting my friends."
"Fool! You are growing weak!"
Now the tiger master stepped forth, asserting herself confidently. The dark clouds parted at her stride, legitimizing her defiance.
"No - it is you who is the fool." she said, tone remaining calm all the while. "You represent a lack of emotional control - that's the real weakness."
"Continue down this current path," her alter said, influence quickly fading within the dreamscape, "and you will soon be dead!"
"You think I haven't been paying attention, but I have." Tigress said. "You're only in control here if I let you."
"You're a monster! Embrace it!"
Tigress had begun to realize that she too could manipulate the surroundings - it was her own mind, after all.
Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine.
All the sudden, an apparition of a younger Shifu appeared beside Tigress and faced down the beast accusingly.
"You're not a monster. You're just a little girl." he said, just the same as he had at Bao Gu orphanage all those years ago.
Hearing this, the demonic form of Tigress withered away at once, letting out pained screeches as she was reduced to nothingness - the demon was once more relegated to the farthest reaches of her own mind, and the dreamscape returned to a peaceful idyllic scene.
All the apparitions disappeared as well, and Tigress sat down upon her perch once more in a meditation stance. Far away, she could see another figure watching her in the distance where the mists remained.
"I see you."
"Do you now?" came the echoic response, resonating for several moments over her ears.
The figure was just far enough away to remain indistinct to her attuned sight, but there were a set of sharp horns that Tigress could make out protruding from its head.
"I do not know who you are," she started, "but I know these dreams are not just dreams - they are your doing. I will not let you hold sway upon my mind any longer."
There was nothing but a nauseating distant laugh in reply, and the figure turned away and out of sight.
Tigress' eyes shot open.
The first thing the tiger master looked to upon waking from her meditative state was the Dagger of Deng-Wa, which lay upon the ground just before her. It was still now, but in a way she could not fully describe, she was certain that the relic had something to do with the visions she had just witnessed. Picking it up carefully and concealing it within the dark blue folds of her tunic, she stood to survey her surroundings.
Now on the run from the Mongols, the four masters had sought refuge in a small steppe village only a few dozen miles south of Khanbaliq. It was settled along a narrow bend of a river, where numerous small caves and caverns along its littoral shore had been adopted into seasonal homes by the local tribespeople. It was a quaint little place, and Tigress had convinced the others after a whole day of constant flight south that this was an ideal place to allow Po to recover somewhat. Now wanting to ascertain the Dragon Warrior's condition, the tiger set off down the small hill overlooking the village where she had spent the previous night.
She wasn't sure what to make of the visions, the threat of her own death was undeniably concerning, but Tigress was also more at peace within herself than she had been in many weeks. If her eminent doom was the price of the safety of her friends, she would be more than willing to pay it a hundred times over. After all, she was not her brother; selfishness in all its many forms disgusted the stoic young tiger. She was now more determined than ever to see this infernal mission completed - no matter the cost.
Coming into the main street of the small town, she noticed a good number of the citizens were carrying weapons and forming a small procession northward. The other villagers were casting crimson dyes into the air across their path and reciting prayers for good fortune - it was clear that they were eagerly departing to join the ranks of the Khan's great invasion army. Tigress shook her head with resignation, but continued onward.
Reaching one of the larger caves, she saw Mei Ling and Crane bickering back and forth near the entrance.
"Is he still in there?" Tigress asked, not having much interest in what they were debating.
"Yes - he's doing better. Awake, at least." Mei answered, going back to the other discussion almost immediately.
The tiger master went right in, taking a second to adjust to the lower light level within the great cavern. Surrounded on all sides by local shamans and folk healers, Po was now sitting upright and conversing with some of them. Seeing Tigress, however, he did his best to try and stand. He failed though, and at once collapsed back to a seated position.
"Hey, don't rush yourself - you're fine." Tigress said hastily as she approached, doing her best to comfort her friend.
At her request, the healers and other attendants cleared away, giving her a chance to speak with the panda.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"Better than yesterday..." was the best that Po could manage. "It's so strange, after I picked that thing up, I just-"
"What?"
"I don't know... I can't remember anything after the blast." the panda admitted, rubbing his head with confusion. "The strangest part of this... it isn't anything physically. It's my chi - everything feels wrong, out of balance."
Tigress' expression grew even more concerned, already having her suspicions.
"I'm sorry, Po. It's something to do with the dagger, no doubt. Anything with that kind of destructive power... it's not natural."
She revealed the artifact now, taking it out of her tunic. Upon seeing it, Po turned away immediately and raised a paw as if to shield himself.
"Please, just keep that thing away from me."
Tigress put it away at once, feeling guilty. She probably should have known better.
"I'm sorry; you won't have to touch it ever again - I promise."
The panda lowered his head into his paws now, seeming completely unsettled in a way that Tigress had rarely seen.
"I killed... so many people."
Tigress shook her head and grabbed him by the shoulders in a supportive way, "No, that wasn't you - it was the weapon! You had no idea what was going to happen!"
Seeming to have ignored her words, Po once again tried to stand; Tigress saw he was going to fail yet again, and supported him.
"Don't push yourself, we can wait here a while longer. You're of no use to us half-dead, Po."
"But the Mongols... they're going to be coming after us for sure."
Tigress nodded begrudgingly in agreement, but still prevented him from trying to stand once more.
"Yes, they will be. But we will not leave here until I know you are alright."
Back outside the cave, Crane and Mei Ling were still locked in discussion.
"Someone has to warn China what is coming!" Mei said. "You can get to Xiangyang faster than any of the rest of us - you must do it!"
"And what good would it do, Mei? We both know the kingdom is weak!" the avian countered. "I will not abandon my friends; I will not abandon you. Not until I know you are all safe."
The golden cat turned away in frustration, "The least you can do is get the weapon away from here!"
"And take it back to Xiangyang? To the lord who is the reason we're here in the first place?"
Mei Ling wanted to say something back to him, but in her frustration she could not find the words, so Crane just continued.
"My friends almost died in that battle, and now one of them is injured! They need my help - our help!"
Mei closed her eyes and gave a conceding exhale, "You're right, I know you're right. It's just that... I don't know. We cannot let them have this thing, it's simply too dangerous."
"We don't even know if they can use it, though. What if Po is the only one who can?" Crane pointed out. "What if he is the one we need to be protecting at all costs?"
"Maybe." she admitted. "Maybe not. I just have a bad feeling about all of this."
It wasn't like Crane could say very much to console his companion, as he shared much of her sentiment. He just looked at her in an understanding way, knowing full well that they were at the mercy of how quickly the panda master could recover his strength, so that they might at last resume their escape southward.
"Whatever we do, we do it together - as a team." Crane said with an air of decisiveness. "I will not allow us to get divided again over misunderstandings."
The golden cat nodded, and then embraced the bird in a comforting way. Though she was still unsure, and perhaps even a bit afraid, she trusted Crane like no one before - or since.
"Okay."
Khasar Khan had ensured no expense was spared in the royal shaman's funeral.
For nearly a mile in either direction, the multitude of mourners paraded past the funerary pyre of the recently-deceased Subutai. Nearly every citizen of the Mongolian capital had shown themselves to pay tribute to the legendary general of Genghis Khan. A temporary amphitheater of sorts had been constructed in the very center of Khanbaliq, and there were constant performances of instrumental music and traditional folk songs at all times. Previously beset by famine but now reinforced by the arrival of the great armies, rich food and hearty drink were now passed around as freely as the spring rains. Most of the congregation assembled were now thoroughly drunk, save for a select detachment of elites headed by Ganbataar and Yuelen, who were now steeling themselves for a task soon to be at hand.
"I always found him to be thoroughly annoying, you know." Yue commented to Gan, the two of them standing with their retinue amongst the throngs of people. "Father always said the same, and yet... here he goes, throwing the biggest party anyone's seen in years - all in that dead goat's honor."
Gan shook his head at her, "Show some respect, Yue. Without Subutai, there wouldn't be a Mongolia. Everyone else here understands that."
"Bah - it's a funeral of a madman, nothing more." the princess protested further, studying the burning pyre flames with contempt.
Gan just rolled his eyes at her insolence and lightly smacked the back of her head, "Shut. Up."
"Ouch." she said, rubbing her ear. "Fine - maybe you have a slight point. He never made any damn sense, though."
In reality, Yuelen knew that Gan - the elder leopard who she viewed as a father of sorts - was one of the few who could treat her in such a way without losing several of their most valued extremities afterwards.
"You're already in hot water, Yue. This mission is a chance for you to reprove your honor - don't forget that."
"Spare me, old man. This is a 'chance' to get back my father's property at my own expense - but it's no matter." she said, tightening the fit of some of her lightweight traveling armor. "I relish the opportunity to take the lives of these so-called masters."
Gan just shook his head, not having the patience to try to converse with the princess anymore. The leopardess stared for a short while longer, but then grew even more annoyed, and made to leave in a huff. Seeing her turn about, he followed suit - along with the full number of their retinue. Leaving the main square and heading down the main drag of Khanbaliq streets towards the southern gates, the advance party gradually gained speed all the while. It was very apparent that the leopardess was quite impatient to begin the search for the escaped masters.
Those selected for this special mission were the very best among the Kheshig guard - the strongest, fastest, and most martially skilled of the already-elite unit of soldiers. As a gift from the Khan himself, the small group of warriors now wore lightweight but durable blackened-steel plate armor, complete with warmasks of ebony and onyx; they were nothing if not intimidating, carrying the very finest weapons imaginable as well.
Picking up even more speed as they neared the exit of the city, Yue donned her own mask and lowered to all fours. The whole party was now in a dead sprint as they cleared the gates and headed out into the open fields to the south. The dead of the recent battles still littered the place as Yue and Gan headed their ranks, the two leopards cutting a path for the tigers behind them.
Looking back as she ran, she yelled to those behind her, "We do not stop until we have found the Chinese fugitives! We return with the artifact - or not at all!"
The tigers roared deafeningly in unison, tearing forth over the steppe with even more forceful velocity. Gan resigned himself to the fact that there was no escaping this grim undertaking - a pursuit of his very own daughter. He hoped that the artifact could be retrieved without violence, but when looking aside to the princess who had vile hatred coursing through her with each and every stride forward, he knew that this was a very slim chance.
The hunt had begun.
Author's Notes:
- Hope you're still enjoying the fic!
- Been very productive with this story as of late; personally I hate the number 29, so I will likely try to get out Chapter 30 relatively soon just out of spite haha
- Yes, that was a reference (if you know, you know)
- Looking forward to reading any and all thoughts you might have; until next time!