Another chapter!

Eye in the Sky

Crane and Mantis had reached their target. Up from above, they could easily see that the city was several times larger than Gongmen, an astounding sight for two village boys. The only thing that seemed to dwarf it was the surrounding mountain chain. The outer walls that encircled the metropolis shielded the vast network of buildings and structures from any outside invaders. Scattered within the walls were towering pagodas that Baolei was known for; the central pagoda, being the tallest, stood out the most. The large docks on the shoreside had many boats owned by the rich inhabitants of Baolei.

Mantis took in the sight before him from atop Crane's hat. "Wow! Would you look at that? And I thought Gongmen was huge. This is definitely the place."

"Yeah." Crane began to dive so he could get a better look.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Don't you see the lookouts over there on the towers?"

Crane pulled up. "Oh, right. It's just hard to see the city from up here. I'll stay up high so we don't get spotted."

"We should probably check out the city. Tigress will want to know how much security they have around here."

"Good idea. You'll have to do that though."

Mantis peered over Crane's straw hat and scanned the perimeter of Baolei. "That's a lot of guards." As they circled the area, he took note of the heavily manned checkpoints at the entrances of the city and guards stationed on the walls. They had virtually every direction covered. His eyes began looking over the interior but it was impossible to distinguish anything amongst the clutter. The docks had some security as well.

"All right, lets head back."

"Wow, that was fast."

"Well, that is my specialty in the Furious Five."

The avian squinted at the city before turning towards the others. "How can you see down there?"

"I have good eyes."

"I can see that."

"No, you can't!" Mantis laughed.

Crane sighed. "That was stupid."

"I know, I have great humor."

Po was the first one inside and he immediately made himself at home on the only bed in the place. It was a rather austere bed but it did the job. Besides the bed, the bedroom was rather empty except for a nightstand and a few black cloaks that hung on the wall. Everyone rolled there eyes as they walked passed the room to explore the rest of the house. It was a small, minimalistic place, frugal and only with basic amenities. An air of disicipline surrounded it. Inside the living room was a simple table and some chairs.

Viper looked around. "This reminds a lot of the Jade Palace."

"Really? This reminds me a lot of Tigress's room." Monkey added.

Tigress nodded in approval. "I like it."

After doing some exploring, everyone settled down and waited for the other two to return. Po, being his usual self, dozed off in the bedroom. Monkey meditated outside by the water's edge and Viper joined him. Tigress was formulating a game plan when she finally heard the distinct sound rustling of feathers.

Two figures appeared in the doorway. "Were back." Crane said.

Tigress quickly woke Po up and called Viper and Monkey into the living room for a group meeting. Everyone sat down at the table, or stood in Mantis and Crane's case.

Tigress looked at the two of them. "So, what did you find out."

"You want the good news or the bad news first?" Mantis asked.

"How about the good?" Po answered.

"Well, the good news is it's Baolei."

"Okay, what else?" Monkey asked.

"That's all the good news."

"Oh."

"What about the bad?" Viper probed.

"It's going to be impossible to get in. There are guards everywhere along the walls and in all directions. They've established checkpoints at the entrances as well and those aren't short on guards. There's no way to sneak in."

Monkey thought for a minute. "I found a boat just outside the house. Why don't we just use that to get in through the docks?"

"That's no good. They have security there as well."

"Hm. I was expecting this." Tigress exclaimed.

Viper was curious. "So do you have a plan, Tigress?"

"I do. Crane is going to fly everyone in from the air. That way we aren't seen and its quick.

Crane joined the dicussion. "That won't work. They have a several towers around the city with lookouts, we'd be spotted on the way down."

Everyone waited for Tigress's response.

"Hm. That changes everything. I'm not sure how we'd do it without fighting our way in."

The room quieted down into a collective brainstorm. Po who had been silent the whole time finally spoke up. "I have an idea."

It's almost summer for me guys! Most likely will have some new chapters out soon.