Beyond the Gate. Chapter 2

“I—Uh--- Up HERE?!” Spicer exclaimed, pointing to the edge of the building.

“Heh! Look! He’s scared!” Pedrosa said with a grin to his fellow monks.

The goth gave a nasty glare to Rai, and crossed his arms. “FINE! Name the challenge.”

“First one to retrieve the Shen-Gong-Wu wins! I wager my Fist of Tebigong, against your Tangle Web Comb!”

At that, the top of the building began to change into a ‘cage-like’ structure, with bars surrounding the edges. Jack sighed in relief as his fears of falling off the edge were washed away. The ground of the roof began to form, also, long stalagmite structures that erupted from the floor.

At once, after the other monks were safely out of the way, Rai and Spicer both shouted, “Gong Yi Tan pi!”

Spicer pulled out his Tangle Web Comb, and immediately pointed into the air where the Shadow Swiper lay, stooped on a very tall stalagmite. Raimundo was already climbing skillfully up the top, but Jack wouldn’t allow it. He aimed the Tangle Web Comb straight for the monk, and shouted its name. At once, long, woven hair plunged straight for Rai, and tangled around him.

”Hey! What’s the dealio?!” Predrosa groaned, wriggling in the tight grip of the rope.

“Gotcha’ now, huh loser?” Jack snapped back at him, throwing his arm towards the ground. The dark skinned monk landed on the ground with a large’ thump’, but recuperated soon after.
Jack stood there, grinning at his accomplishment. But it wasn’t rewarded by Wuya who let out a pride-shattering hiss at him, “GET MOVING, JACK!”

Spicer launched his helipack, and soon he gave flight into the air. The Wind Dragon-in-training glared up at him and immediately began to climb the stalagmite once again.

‘So close…’ The goth youth thought, grinning inwardly. ‘There’s no way I can lose!’ As he continued his escalation upwards, he could also hear the grunts of Rai as he forwarded himself.

Jack quickly ditched his helipack and positioned himself on the stalactite, just close enough so his hand could reach out to grab it.

This one time, he thought he didn’t mess up…

“FIST OF TEBIGONG!”

The stalagmite, which the goth was perched on, began to sway, and as Jack’s hand wrapped around the metallic shen-gong-wu, the long rock crumbled into thousands of pieces.

Time seemed to slow as Spicer was falling, and he could feel the monk’s eyes widen as he neared the ground.  It was so quick, Jack didn’t even think about launching his helipack.

There was a long silence before the youth had hit the ground.

Blood was everywhere. Jack’s body was limp on the floor, sprawled across a puddle of crimson fluid as the building began to shape into what it used to be. There was no sound…

“Oh man… I—I didn’t mean to….” Raimundo said hoarsely, glancing at his fellow monks whose eyes were wide and filled with fear.

Wuya could only stare in astonishment.

And that was when Chase arrived at the scene.