* TRIPITAKA: "I have walked from the North Water. "Our village was invaded. "I have nowhere to go and little hope left." (SIGHS) RAXION: "She is pure of heart and brave as the wind. "I entrust her to you. "Please take care of my baby. "She is quiet and never cries." -I can find them. -DAVARI: Uh! No. We all have our talents, Raxion. There's another more suited to this task. -Of course. -DAVARI: Mm. SANDY: Tripitaka. Gone. Just a letter. What do you mean, gone? MONKEY: Gone where, and for how long? It doesn't say. Let me read that. "I can no longer be part of this quest. "I thought this was my destiny. "I felt it like an arrow bursting from my chest, "and now that arrow is blunt. "There is another road for me that lies ahead." It's because of what happened to Gwen. I'll go after him. Forget about Tripitaka. -Forget about the scrolls. -Come again? You know as well as I do that whoever stole the first scroll could have more. They're already working on a way to translate them. We have to stop them. We have to get to Jade Mountain. Monkey, they have an army. Between the three of us we have a scythe, a rake and a contractible pole. I don't like the tone you're taking with me right now. Alright. Settle down. We're all upset, but let's not lose our heads. Why don't we do this? Both of you head towards Jade Mountain and find out what you can about who took the scrolls. I'll follow the monk and see if I can talk some sense into him. We'll meet at the outskirts of the palace in two days time, hopefully with Tripitaka. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Able 2018 (GASPS) Good aim. Did you read my letter? Yes, many times. We all agreed you shouldn't travel alone. What did Monkey say? I know you think he doesn't care, but he was actually rather upset. I'm heading north. And I don't want you to question me about it. It's like you're by yourself, but I am here. Lead on. MONKEY: This is good! We head to the Jade Mountain. Whatever pus-soaked demon that has taken over will be there. We find whoever's in charge, we find the stolen scrolls. PIGSY: Are we gonna stop for lunch? The demons stole the best years of your life, made you less than a god, less than a man, and you're thinking about your stomach? No. Of course. Payback time. Totally. Just saying. Eventually we are gonna have to stop for lunch. (VOICE ECHOES INDISTINCTLY) (RADIO STATIC) (INDISTINCT VOICES) (RAXION SINGS) # Stew, stew, stew # You're so good # You're so yummy-yum Get in my tummy-tum... # I know that you don't need food, but please don't watch me while I eat. (WHISPERS) Hey, that's the guy from the nightmare factory. Let's annihilate him and his cronies, then ride a wave of destruction all the way to Jade Mountain. (WHISPERS) Or we find out who he's taking orders from, see how far they've got with translating the scrolls. Sure. Press him for information first. Then ride the wave of destruction. -Wait, wait, wait, wait! -What, what, what? I've got an idea. You'll love it. (DRAMATIC MUSIC) The North Water. I said not to question me about it. Just...making sure we have the right place. TRIPITAKA: I'm looking for my family. I was born here. I'm so sorry to hear that. -Do you want me to ask around? -No, I don't. Just stay back! A bag of those, please. I'm looking for a woman. I don't know her name, but she had a baby that she had to give away 16, 17 years ago. Excuse me, I'm trying to find my family. I am not an expert in social interaction, but I'm guessing you might have to try to take a different approach. "I have walked from the North Water. "Our village was invaded. "I have nowhere to go and little hope left. "She is pure of heart and brave as the wind. "I entrust her to you. "Please look after my baby daughter. "She's quiet and never cries." (TRIPITAKA CLEARS THROAT) "I have walked from the North Water. "Our village was invaded. "I have nowhere to go and little hope left." * Mm, the tethered goat. Genius. Now, when the demons get here, I'll launch a surprise attack, cut you loose and together we'll expunge them from our world. -You've really come a long way. -Thank you. That means a lot. Now hide. To be honest, I did wonder. You were kind of an unusual boy. I'm not a monk either. The real Tripitaka was killed by a demon. I was just doing whatever I could to stop Monkey from leaving. OK, but it did work, yes? You found a way to control Monkey and you convinced him to join the Resistance. You're doing everything this Tripitaka person was supposed to do. Gwen said to me before she died that I had to make a choice or I would put lives at risk. She said that the girl in my mother's letter couldn't be the one that journeys west. You think it's a coincidence that your mother, whoever she is, just happened to leave you at the Scholar's doorstep, the keeper of the crown, one of the leading figures of the Resistance? (CHILDREN LAUGH) TRIPITAKA: Hello. Did you see a woman pass by, dark hair, maybe this tall? -Mother? -Mother? Do you know who I am? Go inside. Are those your daughters? Your sisters. MONKEY: Mm! Mm! Well, well, well. Hey, Monkey King! Where are your buds, hm? (GASPS) Ugh! (GROANS) Looks like the universe is at long last delivering me some luck. (BLOWS WHISTLE) (GRUNTS AND GROANS) Oh! This is my friend, Sandy. She's a god. I'm Meera. My daughters are Ilbryn and Brylana. That's a mouthful. And what was your name? Oh, I'm so sorry! TRIPITAKA: It's OK. Sandy doesn't know her own strength. I know how to hold a teapot. Please, sit. You want to know why I never came back for you. I thought about coming back many times, but I was sure that the life you had would be better than this. The Scholar took good care of me. You made a good choice. If life was so terrible here, why did you come back? After we fled the raids our plan was to head to the Gandara Sea. But my mother, your grandmother, became ill. She wanted to return to the place where she was born before she died. Perhaps after tea we could go and visit the grave. Sandy! How about you go and watch the children? (GIRLS LAUGH) Have you ever been to the Gandara Sea? We're going there soon. They say the water is clear and the fish are silver. And you can catch more than you can eat. I haven't been, but I bet you're right. Do you know any games? I do know a fun game! It's a game where I ask you a question and you have to tell me the truth. How long have you lived here? In the North Water? -Not long. -Shh! She means not long because she's only little. But we've lived here a very long time. Hm. MEERA: I know how hard this must have been for you. This isn't much of a home. But if you were willing to come with us and to travel to the Gandara Sea, well, maybe there we could make a home. For all of us. Thanks. Ever since you showed up, I've suffered a cut in wages, a subsequent loss of status. Your presence has left a permanent mark against me. How's the stew, hm? On the positive side, the boss has a major beef with you. You're public enemy number one, Monkey King. (CHUCKLES) Last I heard, he was throwing everything into your capture. Now you're here, under my capture. So maybe it's all coming together for me, eh, boys? (LAUGHS) -Oh, sh... -What took you so long? Long story. OK, demon, time to put an end to your centuries of boring patter. Wait a second. Just wait. If you kill me, you'll never get into Jade Mountain. How do you know we're going to Jade Mountain? You want to find out who's behind all this, the one with the Sacred Scroll? He's the one you want to stick a knife into. I could help you get close to him. And why would you do that, exactly? The enemy of my enemy is my friend. So we hate him, you hate him, but we also hate each other. So we join our hate and work together. They really don't make gods the way they used to, do they? Mm. * (LAUGHTER) (BOTH LAUGH) SANDY: I'm curious. How does a mother all on her own make a living in a place like this? We fish. You fish? In that? Know anything about fishing? Enough to know that there's no fish in that river. TRIPITAKA: Sandy... Are these really your daughters? Sandy, that's enough! Is that one of your powers, detecting fish? One of them. I'll tell you something I've become particularly good at over the years, and that's knowing when someone is hiding something. TRIPITAKA: Sandy, stop it. You're scaring them. Can I talk to you in private? (THUNDER RUMBLES) Sandy, you have to let me go. -She's lying to you. -You don't know that. I'm going to drain this foul-smelling swamp and then you'll see that there's nothing here but a pile of rotten bones. -(WHOOSHING) -Don't. Sandy, stop! Why are you doing this? This is all I have left. All you have left? What about us? What about the quest? -She's my mother. -How do you know that? I just do. I can feel it. And say she is your mother. You know nothing about her. All know is that when things became difficult she discarded you like an unwanted rag. That's not true. Don't be betrayed by your own emotions, Tripitaka. You are smarter than that. My name is not Tripitaka! You wouldn't understand what it's like to lose a family, to always feel like a part of you is missing. I wasn't born in a sewer, you know. Since we're being so honest with each other, I'll let you in on something. I didn't choose to live like this. I grew up in a fishing village. One day, when I was not much older than those girls, my father took me out onto the boat into rough seas. I was trying to drop the anchor when I fell into the water. But to my surprise, I didn't drown. In fact, I found the stillness of the sea rather comforting. That was the beginning of my transformation. I started to hear the cries of the creatures that we caught in our nets. All day and into the night I heard them scream. Till one day, I couldn't bear it any longer. I decided to cut them loose. It wasn't long before my family found out. I told them about the voices. My father took me in the middle of the night so as not to upset my brothers and sisters. We drove for a whole day until finally he stopped by the side of the road, sat me down and told me that I was a demon and that, for the sake of my family, I should never return to the village. I started to cry. I cried a lot that day. I cried till there was nothing left to cry, until the sound of my own wailing became somewhat amusing. For the longest time, I used to think they really believed I was a demon. And then I realised people believe what they want to believe. I wish you well, Tripitaka. You and your new family. (THUNDER RUMBLES) (RAIN PATTERS) FONT DEMON: Good woman of the North Water, will the girl be joining you on your trip to the Gandara Sea? Yes. -And the god? -No. Then you have done very well. The Master will be pleased. (THUNDER RUMBLES) (POIGNANT MUSIC) (BIRD CRIES) (SIGHS) Why are we stopping? You have to leave. But why? I thought I could do this. They said they'd take my girls if I didn't. I'm not your mother. What? Please, just leave now. (TENSE MUSIC) Promise me something. Promise me you'll take them to the Gandara Sea. Wait. I can tell you one thing about your mother. She would be proud of the woman you've become. I hope my girls grow up to be as strong as you. (TENSE MUSIC) New delivery. Big one. GUARD: What happened to your men? Well, funny story, actually. Uh, there was this, uh... this lion... (SOMBRE MUSIC) (RAXION CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY) ..leapt out of a tree, or might have come from underneath a log. (RAXION CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY) Welcome home. (DISTURBING MUSIC) Tripitaka. Welcome. Who's that? It's Davari. You and I are about to change the world. (DISTURBING MUSIC) Able 2018