PLEASE READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE BEFORE SCROLLING DOWNWARD!
DO NOT READ THIS SHORT STORY UNTIL YOU'VE READ BLAZE OF EMBER IF YOU DON'T WANT ANY SPOILERS! PLEASE!
Okay, now that we've got the screaming out of the way here's the new short story that will answer some questions and reveal some secrets about Blaze of Ember. Chapter lengths will vary, as this is essentially all the story segments from a certain character's perspective that were originally going to go in the main story, but were cut out due to fears that they would give away important plot points too soon. Please read, review and enjoy!
Also, for any Zootopia fans reading this, please check out my new Zootopia fan fiction, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad Animal World. Thanks!
Empress Imperia.
Long ago in ancient China, a fallen warrior received three things he would hold close for a long time. A gauntlet, a mask and a second chance.
The first had been necessary for the injury he suffered in the battle that took his first life. The second he had requested when he was still struggling to adjust to his new form. The third had been the first, given to him by the amethyst-eyed woman who sat before him on the exquisite massive throne. The throne room was a magnificent place, on par with the Hall of Warriors with its thousand scrolls and its ageless weapons. He'd heard a rumour around the Palace of the Body that the second palace in the Himalayas had a throne room identical to this one. Maybe one day he could see for himself.
Lady Hei Nuwang, ruthless, vengeful and immortal leader of the Children of Nuwa to whom the Masked Man had given his allegiance, looked very troubled. At first the Masked Man had assumed that the invasion of the Imperial City was going badly, but the message this morning had reported that all was well. The warrior's eyes narrowed behind his mask. Something else was going on.
"My dear warrior, I have a new task for you."
"Go on." The warrior replied patiently.
"We have received word of a prowler in the forest near the prison where we're holding the Dragon Warrior and the other prisoners."
"An attempted rescuer?" The warrior asked.
"Unknown. There have been several attempts to capture the intruder, but the soldiers we sent haven't returned."
"And you want me to have a go." He was already looking forward to the challenge, if he could even call it that. Being stuck in this palace for the two months since the Jade Palace was destroyed was driving him crazy.
Hei Nuwang shifted her crossed legs. "Good guess, but no. The last known sighting was a fair distance from the prison. If the intruder is indeed after the prisoners, we need to move them while we still can."
Oh no.
"This is where you come in. We've arranged a team to evacuate the three prisoners from the Valley of Peace and transport them here, and you're going with them."
The warrior bit back a growl and pulled the mask off. "With all due respect my lady, that fat panda is the last person I want to see."
Hei Nuwang stood up on the throne, towering over him. "I don't recall giving you a choice. You don't have to go near the panda. You just have to make sure that whatever is sneaking around the forest doesn't get near the prisoners."
"If the Dragon Warrior doesn't defeat him first." The warrior replied bitterly.
"The three prisoners will be drugged throughout the journey. All you have to do is serve as their guard. Return to your room, pack lightly, and be ready to leave by sundown."
The warrior kept scowling. Bristling, Hei Nuwang stepped off the throne and got in his face, a fierce look in her eyes. "If it weren't for me, you would have stayed dead. Never forget that."
The warrior hadn't, and he did not appreciate the reminder. All the same he held his tongue. Hei Nuwang sat back down, satisfied at his defeat.
"Now that we've got the unpleasantries out of the way, you are dismissed. Report to me as soon as the delivery is complete. Remember your orders. You are not to hunt down the intruder. Your job is to make sure they don't go near the prisoners. We've lost a lot of men and I'd rather not lose you too."
"Good to know I'm still a valuable-" But still partially expendable- "-asset." The warrior replied.
"One more thing." Hei Nuwang intertwined her fingers and leaned forward on her thighs. "The little girl is the highest priority prisoner. Nothing is to happen to her. That is all. Dismissed."
Fifteen miles from the prison, as he trudged through the pathless forest that covered the Mystic Mountains, the warrior heard the sounds of battle. Both concerned and elated, he made sure his mask and gauntlet were secure and rushed to the scene on all fours. After days of travelling with no bandits or raiders in sight, he was itching for a fight, and considering he had no idea what was going on he technically wasn't hunting for the mysterious intruder.
He vaulted over a river, tore apart a pair of bushes, and was met with great disappointment. The small clearing was littering with spots of blood, fallen weapons and scuffmarks in the dirt. Behind the mask, the panther's ears flattened. He'd missed the battle. Or so he'd thought. One flat ear twitched at the sound of a cry coming from the left. A disarmed soldier, one of their own and not brainwashed with hypnotic elixir, was scrambling backwards and trying desperately to get away from the strange demonic creature with knife-like claws stalking towards him.
The masked warrior took three steps and with one kick accomplished what the lowly soldier couldn't. The demon skidded across the dirt and stopped just short of colliding with a tree, out for the count. The warrior huffed, feeling very pleased with himself even if the exchange barely counted as a real battle. It looked like he'd found the intruder.
He turned to the soldier to ask some questions and recognised him. The name he didn't bother to find out before now, but he'd knew the wolf was a high ranking soldier under Colonel Sao's direct command. He was supposed to be overseeing Master Tigress's transportation, which was not to get underway until the warrior's arrival. What was he doing so far from the prison?
"What the hell are you doing here?" The warrior asked harshly. "Where's the rest of your men?"
The soldier didn't get up. His armour was covered in claw marks, dirt, and some kind of black liquid. "We had no choice. The prison was attacked."
"Perfect." The warrior turned away to glare at the sky through the trees. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the prisoners have all escaped."
There was a rattle as the soldier shook his head. "We got the tiger out. We don't know about the others."
"Who attacked the prison? Was it this thi-" The soldier jerked a thumb towards the demon, but saw that it was gone. The warrior growled. The demon must have woke up and crawled away while he was playing the scolding superior.
"No. No!" The soldier's tone made the warrior pause mid-growl and turn back to him. The soldier had stood up. His eyes had turned wild. He was shaking like a dead leaf. He looked like he'd seen his own darkest sins reflected back at him.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" The warrior snarled.
"Listen... it's coming for us... you'll see!" The soldier was backing away now, towards the edge of the clearing. The warrior should have stopped him, but his body was too tense to move. Somehow he knew the half-crazed amateur wasn't talking about the demon he'd just KO'd.
The warrior's body loosened a little as he grew impatient. "You have five seconds to tell me what you're-"
"You'll see!" The soldier cried, cutting him off. He stumbled and hit his shoulder against a tree. "It's after the Children of Nuwa! We're all going to die!"
With that he snatched up a broken sword and sprinted out of the clearing, the warrior losing sight of him in seconds. The warrior should have gone after him. He knew this. But he had a mission to fulfill, a mission more important than ever now that the situation at the prison had changed. The warrior picked up a whole sword, dull grey with a black hilt, brushed off the dirt and continued on his way.
He was the greatest. He could take on anything that came his way. So why did he have moths in his stomach as he wondered what exactly had the insubordinate soldier so terrified?