The Jade Warrior

Company

MK returned the next day, his footsteps lighter but his mind still heavy with questions. He had told Monkey King about the Jade Warrior, and Wukong’s cryptic responses didn’t exactly ease his nerves. Yet, despite the potential danger, something about the ancient figure tugged at him. There was more to this warrior than just a machine created for war.

The Jade Warrior remained motionless, as before, the glow of his eyes faint but present, watching the horizon. MK approached cautiously, this time carrying a small bundle wrapped in cloth. As he neared the barrier of runes, the warrior’s head tilted slightly, acknowledging his presence.

"Back again, mortal?" the Jade Warrior asked, his voice mechanical yet softer than the day before.

MK grinned nervously, sitting cross-legged on the edge of the clover patch. "Yeah. I mean, how often do you get to chat with a warrior from, like, a thousand years ago?" He unwrapped the bundle, revealing a few books and snacks. "I figured, y’know, you’ve been here a long time. Thought you might appreciate some company."

The Jade Warrior’s gaze lingered on MK, the green glow flickering subtly as if processing this gesture. "Company…" the warrior repeated slowly, the word foreign to him. "I am unfamiliar with such a concept. I have always been alone. Waiting."

MK picked up one of the books, flipping through its pages. "Well, you don’t have to be alone now. I’ve got some stuff to pass the time." He looked up, meeting the warrior’s glowing gaze. "You said before that you were created to contain Wukong. What was that like? Fighting him, I mean."

The Jade Warrior’s fingers twitched slightly, the memory stirring within his ancient circuits. "He was… unpredictable," the warrior began, his voice distant. "No strategy could fully contain him. He was like the wind, slipping through every net, every trap. I was built for power, for control. But Sun Wukong… was chaos."

MK leaned in, fascinated. "So you weren’t just fighting him physically, huh? Sounds like he got under your skin, or whatever the warrior equivalent of that is."

A low rumble echoed from the Jade Warrior, something that almost sounded like a chuckle, though strained. "He did. I could not understand him, not then. He defied not only my orders but the very concept of order itself. To the Emperor, he was a threat. To me, he was… an enigma."

MK nodded thoughtfully. "And now? I mean, you’ve had a lot of time to think. Do you still feel like your only purpose is to fight him?"

The Jade Warrior’s head tilted slightly, the green glow dimming as if the question had struck something deeper within him. "My programming has not changed," he said, though there was a trace of uncertainty in his tone. "Yet… I have been here for so long. My purpose has remained unfulfilled. There is a part of me that wonders if… there is more."

MK smiled softly, sensing the shift. "See? That’s what I’m talking about. Maybe you don’t have to follow those old orders anymore. You could be something else."

The warrior’s gaze flickered toward the distant mountains, where Wukong had vanished the day before. "And what would I be without my purpose? Without the Emperor’s will to guide me?"

MK shrugged. "I don’t know, man. But I do know you’re more than just a weapon. You’re thinking, questioning things. That’s more than most people do."

The two sat in silence for a while, the wind gently rustling the clovers at their feet. The Jade Warrior’s massive form remained still, but there was a tension in the air, like the quiet before a storm.

Finally, the Jade Warrior spoke again, his voice softer, more contemplative. "You are… strange, mortal. To approach me, with no fear in your heart"

MK chuckled nervously. "Trust me, I was scared when I first saw you. But I guess… I’ve seen enough to know that not everything is what it seems. I don’t think you’re just some mindless war machine. You’ve got more going on in there." He tapped his temple, grinning.

The Jade Warrior’s gaze lingered on MK, the faintest hint of something new flickering within the glow of his eyes. It was not just calculation or programming, it was curiosity.

"Perhaps…" the warrior murmured, "perhaps there is more."

MK stood up, brushing off his pants. "Well, I’ll be back again tomorrow. Maybe you’ll figure it out by then."

As he turned to leave, the Jade Warrior’s voice echoed after him. "Mortal…"

MK paused, looking back.

"Thank you."

MK smiled. "Don’t mention it."

"I will reflect on your... advice"

As he walked away, the sun began to set, casting long shadows over the meadow of clovers. The Jade Warrior remained where he was, his massive form bathed in the fading light. But something had shifted. The old programming still hummed within him, but now, there was a new voice, a new question.

What if he could so something not related to his task?

*With Mk*

Mk was training with Wukong, practicing tirelessly as his mind seemed to be somewhere else as his head gets hit with a rock. "Ow! What the heck?"

"The point of focus training is too focus, not to let your mind wander around aimlessly? However~" Wukong suddenly appears infront of Mk in a flash.

"Whatchu thinking about?" Wukong presses as Mk avoids his eyes. "Just thinking about my ramen runs, we've been getting a lot of business is all!" Wukong hums as Mk goes back to training.

A little while later a butterfly flys through the air as Mk talks with the Jade Warrior before leaving. Once Mk leaves, the butterfly poofs revealing Wukong.

"Wukong, I thought I sensed your presence" The warrior stands up, holding his glaive to his side at attention.

"What trick are you playing robot? Trying to get my pupil to break these runes, to free you!?" Wukong says approaching the barrier, ripping up some clovers revealing the runes.

"No, we chatted about my past and you, now" The warrior rolled their shoulders, dirt falling out between the cracks.

"Either free me or leave, I have no need of your destructive thoughts right now" The Jade Warrior doesn't move, his eyes locked onto Wukong. If Wukong even sticked a mere finger through the perimeter, the warrior would not hesitate to cut it off.

Wukong knew that, however he could get back at the Jade Warrior for trying to manipulate his pupil. "Your just dying to slash me apart ain't ya?"

Wukong steps to the barrier, his hands out and eyes closed as he smiles. "Go ahead and do it, I won't move" The Jade Warrior's eyes squint, anger or confusion evident on their form. Wukong chuckles before lowering his arms with a smile.

"I'll make sure you never get the chance, don't expect too much company from now on machine" Wukong walks off as the warrior sits down, his eyes squinted even tighter, his body shaked. The only sound was wind blowing through the clovers.......