Hey everyone, Frost Enduro here. I decided to take a little break from One Destiny and type up a story that has been in my head for a while. It's a little story about one of my current favorite series, Dynasty Warriors.
YES, I know it's just another schoolfic. YES, I know other people have done it before. Go ahead and flame, cause I love flames. Just increasing my review count, kiddos.
This story may be a bit complicated, so I'll lay down a few things to make this all easier to understand.
This may be a bit different from other DW/ROTK schoolfics due to the fact that I have switched a few officers around, and I am no longer using the Wu/Wei/Shu setup. Instead, I am using more of a Hogwarts setup; The Northern Republic, The Western Alliance, The Southern Empire, and The Eastern Kingdom, each populated with students and one teacher acting as the ruler of said group of kids.
The school, Luo Yang Academy, is about the size of a large university. It has 8 training fields within the grounds, made possible by the magics of Zuo Ci and Zhang Jiao; The Snow Field (Home field of the North Republic), the Wasteland field (Home of the Southern Empire), the Tropical Field (Home of the Eastern Kingdom), the Plains Field (Home of the Western Alliance), the Fort Field, The Mountain Field, the City Field, and the Palace Field.
The purpose of these fields is for the weekly skirmishes between the separate houses of students. These are fought with wooden weapons, so no real harm can be done, but the stakes can be high; The houses that lose often eat last in lunch lines, have earlier curfews, have more chores, and rougher lessons, among other things. This system is designed to get the students to want to do well in battle so they can function well in an actual battlefield environment.
Two skirmishes are held between two houses per week, one house fighting another while the other two duke it out as well. Between these skirmishes, several classes are held; the four core classes taken by each student include Government (Taught By Dong Zhuo), Leadership (Liu Bei), Strategy (Cao Cao), and Combat (Sun Jian). Students can pick three electives to go along with their core classes, or take free periods to relax or train themselves. Missing a class results in a penalty for the tardy student's house during the next skirmish, some which are of little hindrance, or some that can be the difference between winning and losing. The Selectable Electives are as follows: Music, Advanced Combat, Advanced Strategy, Tactics and Formations, Strength and Conditioning, Agility, Dueling, Smithing, Tactics, Advanced Horsemanship, Advanced Archery, Etiquette, and finally, Artillery Handling. These classes are designed to allow students to specialize. The School also has a trans-school skirmishing team that only the most clever strategists and the toughest fighters can be a part of. The Skirmishing team takes on others from different schools across China.
Students stay at the academy for four years, never leaving until their education is over. Additionally, students are not classified as 'Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors', rather 'Privates, Lieutenants, Captains, and Generals,' in that order.
This story is centered on Zhou Yu, and officers in the story will appear as they did in DW5. Relationships between characters in Dynasty Warriors are only slightly bent in this story, with some friendships re-arranged and stuff like that. Ages are heavily modified, however. Privates are generally 14-15, Lieutenants 15-16, Captains 16-17, and Generals 17-18. Therefore, some people of equal age in DW may be far apart here; a prime example is Xiahou Dun, a Private in this story, and Cao Cao, a teacher and Leader of the Western Alliance, aged at about 28. It may be a bit weird for some, but I'll elaborate on the characters as much as possible to make it all better. Also, this is NOT a slashfic. Straight couples only here. Weapons have only been changed for a few characters; Sun Ce a dual bladed staff much like Cao Pi, though he uses it with a more spear-like style; Zhou Yu uses two dao swords similar to his Elder sword, except shorter, and a likeness of the Ancient's sword in his right hand, also shorter; Zhou Tai now uses a normal broadsword; Dong Zhuo uses a normal scimitar instead of a teethed one, Taishi Ci uses one mace and a shield, and all fan users have had their weapons tipped with wood to allow more damage.
Zuo Ci, the principal, manages the situations of the houses. For example, he may ask the leaders of the houses what they wish to do during the skirmishes; if they wish to fight for a piece of land owned by another house, or fortify their own defenses. Zuo Ci keeps a map of their fictional country divided between the four factions, and colors in who owns each of the twenty provinces. As said before, larger houses get more benefits while smaller ones get less. If a house loses its' last province, it becomes part of the capturing house until they rebel. The house with the largest area owned at the end if each year gets to choose a reward, offered by Zuo Ci. The rewards may vary.
Please enjoy this story. I hope it pleases all who read! R&R, please, and flames welcome. Have fun.
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Zhou Yu looked up at the huge gate, a decorative gate with a large inscription that read "Knowledge is Power" in the center. It was this youth's first year at Luo Yang Academy, and he had high expectations. He could just imagine the fun he would have with his best friend Sun Ce and all the others he'd meet, and all that he'd learn. Anticipating great sights, he walked to the gate and opened it, and stepped inside to the entrance plaza. There, he saw Sun Ce sitting on a bench, talking to his father, Sun Jian, who taught combat at the school. Zhou Yu straightened his two black-painted wooden dao swords on his hip to keep up appearances in front of Sun Jian, and walked to the two.
Sun Ce noticed him immediately. "Hey, Zhou Yu! Good to see you again!" he said, interrupting his father in the middle of a sentence. "Sun Ce, Lord Sun Jian. It's good to see you both again!" Sun Jian patted Zhou Yu on the shoulder. "Ah, Zhou Yu. How is your uncle? I trust he is well? He is quite the governor, if I remember." Zhou Yu nodded. "He is quite happy to have me coming here, seeing as he was apparently a campus legend here." Sun Jian nodded and smiled. "Best strategist we ever had in the Northern Republic. Ah, you look confused. You'll learn more about the Northern Republic in a few moments. I trust you completed the questionnaire that was sent to you?" Zhou Yu nodded. "I finished it as soon as possible, and spent more time convincing Sun Ce to finish his." Sun Ce just scratched his head. "I just don't like questionnaires. Gimme a break, Zhou Yu." Sun Jian chuckled a bit. "Heh... You'll see what it meant once you get inside. Alright, both of you, head inside. I'll see you two later." Zhou Yu nodded, Sun Ce got up, and the two walked inside.
Inside, a bearded man wearing yellow robes was passing out papers to students walking in. "That's Zhang Jiao, the school counselor, I believe." Zhou Yu whispered to Ce. Sun Ce chuckled lightly. "The fella's not wearing any shoes... I bet he's probably a lunatic." Zhou Yu sighed. "He's not starting a rebellion or anything, so he shouldn't be too strange. Just get along with him. My uncle mentioned that he doesn't take to kindly to rude students." Sun Ce shook his head. "Yea, yea."
Zhang Jiao looked at the two with a tired expression. "Names, please..." he mumbled. Zhou Yu spoke for the two of them. "Zhou Yu of Luijang county, and Sun Ce of Jiang Dong." Zhang Jiao shuffled through the papers and finally found two of the papers corresponding to the two. "Zhou Yu, Northern Republic. Sun Ce, Northern Republic. Please go through the blue door to your right..." he said.
Zhou Yu and Sun Ce passed through the door they were told. Inside were a group of about 10 students. One of them, a male of about seventeen years, walked to them and greeted them. "Hey there," he said. "and welcome to the Northern Kingdom. I'm Han Dang, and I'm a Captain here at Luo Yang Academy. This big fellow to my left, Cheng Pu, will tell you a bit about how this place works. Pu, have at it." Cheng Pu walked forward. "I'm Cheng Pu, like Han Dang said, and I'll tell you about the general structure of LYA…"
After about 15 minutes, Cheng Pu had laid down the basic foundations of the school's works, and what they had to expect. Zhou Yu listened intently until the end, and then asked a question. "Cheng Pu, which of the four factions is generally on top? I mean, the strongest of them all?" Cheng Pu looked at Zhou Yu. "Generally, we're the lowest rung, the Eastern Kingdom being above us, the Western Alliance above them, and the Southern Empire is on the top. They've won the house wars fifteen years in a row. Most of the real talented guys end up there."
Sun Ce chuckled. "And that's where we come in, right Zhou Yu? We'll take those Southern fellas down a few steps and take our place on the top!" He said excitingly. "If we go into battle too enthusiastically, Sun Ce, we'll lose sight of our true goal. Try to approach the tier system calmly, or you'll just make it worse." Zhou Yu corrected. Sun Ce shrugged. "If you say so."
Han Dang pointed behind him. "These are a few other new privates in the Northern Republic; we've already interrogated Zhang Liao here, Ma Chao, and Zhuge Liang. Get to know each other, but be ready to report to the Snow gate; just exit the building that we're in and walk right. You'll know it when you see it. You can hang around, but be at the gate in 30 minutes, or Lord Sun Jian won't be happy. That goes for you too, Ce." Sun Ce nodded. "Don't worry. We'll just have a bit of fun! We'll be there right on time."
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Zhou Yu, Sun Ce, Zhang Liao, Ma Chao, and Zhuge Liang walked in the direction they were told, choosing to be on time rather than risking being late. Zhou Yu got acquainted with the three along the way.
Zhang Liao was quite polite, but he seemed to be very eager to prove himself against the other houses, much like Sun Ce. He carried a wooden pole blade on his back, hand carved by himself.
Ma Chao wore actual armor that had belonged to a relative long ago, showing his strong dedication. He came to the school to further his militaristic ability, and seemed compelled to show what he could do to measure up to the standards of his father Ma Teng, who had attended the school years ago. He wore a long wooden spear on his back, made by his father.
Zhuge Liang was a bit reclusive, but wasn't hostile. Zhou Yu didn't know what to think of the long haired boy, but he certainly didn't trust him at this point. He carried a fan tipped with thin wood; impractical as a weapon, but Zhou Yu was certain that Liang was no fool and knew how to use it with skill.
The group walked along a stone road, the air getting colder as they walked along. They continued their conversation, until a loud thud sounded from behind them. They turned around and saw a group of other new students with their weapons ready.
Zhou Yu drew his dao swords and eyed the group suspiciously. A long, black haired boy stood in front of the group, a cloth covering his left eye, and a large scimitar in his hands. To his left was a large warrior with a club and a bow and a lot of armor. To the scimitar wielders' right, a student clad in reddish armor and armed with a mace and shield. In the back stood a tall, tan lad with a broadsword at his waist, and another person with a white turban tied on his head and a wooden halberd at the ready.
The scimitar wielder stepped forward. "North students walking to their gate, I see. You might as well stay there; you wouldn't want to get hurt." He said, laughing. Ma Chao stepped forward, spear in hand. "Who stands before us and insults us so? Speak your name, so I can shout it as I knock a bit of sense into you!" The scimitar wielder chuckled. "My name is Xiahou Dun; Along with Xiahou Yuan, Taishi Ci, Xu Huang, and Zhou Tai. We're here to give you a sneak preview of who you're going to be losing to all year long; The West!" Zhou Yu scoffed. "You're pretty far from your gate; I'd imagine you'll not leave with just a few words." He said. Xiahou Dun lowered his blade to a fighting stance. "My thoughts exactly. At 'em, you four!" He shouted.
Ma Chao took the initiative and used his spear as a pole vault, leaping into the air and crashing into Taishi Ci. Ci rolled over and stood up, and swung at Ma Chao's head. The spearman ducked and used the bottom of his spear's shaft to smack his opponent's side, then followed the blow with a slam to the helmet, which was in turn followed by a hard kick. Taishi Ci flew to the ground, but quickly got up, ready for more.
Sun Ce charged with his saber ready at Xiahou Yuan. The large Yuan brought his mace down at Ce's head. Ce narrowly dodged to the left, and swung the bottom wooden blade of his saber into Xiahou Yuan's face. Yuan shook the blow off astonishingly, and slammed Ce in his side. Ce jumped back and clenched his side in pain as he parried another blow from Yuan.
Zhang Liao laughed as he swung as Xu Huang. Huang caught the pole blade with his halberd in a deadlock, and forced Zhang Liao's weapon to the ground. Quickly, Zhang Liao ducked under a swing that would've knocked him out cold, and blocked to more strikes as he raised his blade from the ground. Xu Huang thrust his halberd forward, but Zhang Liao batted it aside and struck Huang on the arm with a hard blow from his pole blade.
Zhuge Liang stood and allowed Zhou Tai to swing his broadsword at him a few times. Liang dodged the blows with ease, and retaliated every once in a while with a simple but rough slap from his wood-tipped fan. Zhou Tai, angry, tried to stab Liang, but the fan-wielder jumped back and threw his fan at Zhou Tai. The wooden edge struck the swordsman in the forehead, and gracefully flew back into Liang's grasp. "String on the handle of the fan for easy retraction. Clever, no?" Liang teased his opponent.
Zhou Yu looked at his right-handed opponent and studied him as they circled each other. He dictated to use his left sword for offense and his right one for defense, and slowly advanced towards Dun, keeping his guard up. Dun was less patient, however, and swung forcefully at Zhou Yu's forehead. Zhou Yu raised his right blade to block the blow, and struck Dun in the face with his left sword. Dun retaliated by punching Yu in the stomach, stealing the breath from his opponent, and slashed at Zhou Yu's head. The blow connected, sending Yu to the ground, blood flying in the air. Zhou Yu dropped his left sword and used the right one to support himself as he clutched his bleeding temple. Xiahou Dun kicked Zhou Yu to the ground and put his wooden scimitar by Zhou Yu's neck. "Need another lesson? Or are you content with lying there?" He mocked. Zhou Yu laughed. "Neither." He retorted, and swung his leg, knocking Xiahou Dun's feet from underneath him. Zhou Yu quickly leapt to his feet, grabbed his fallen sword, and struck Dun in the sides a few times before he could get up.
Zhang Liao blocked two more furious swings from his opponent, and saw an opening as Huang's face. Liao raised his blade and slapped his opponent quickly with hard taps from the sides of his pole blade. Huang aggressively retaliated with a swing to the head, but Liao ducked and jabbed Xu Huang in the gut. The halberd wielder fell to the ground. "Next… time…" he remarked before hitting the ground. "The name is Zhang Liao! Remember it well!" Zhang Liao proudly proclaimed as he spun his blade around above his head before bringing the shaft to the ground.
Sun Ce ducked under a swing from Yuan's mace, and leapt up to kick Xiahou Yuan in the chin, sending him to the ground, as Sun Ce brought his saber upon Yuan's head before the large warrior even hit the ground. Yuan tried to get up, but Ce kicked him in the gut. Xiahou raised his hand up weakly, and then fell. "Not bad! That was pretty fun!" Ce remarked, and looked around for someone to help.
Ma Chao had Taishi Ci slowed down from many blows to the side, but Ci still attacked with great ferocity and anger. He swung vertically, but Ma Chao caught it in a deadlock. Taishi Ci grinned even as Ma pushed him back, and swung his shield at Ma Chao's head. Ma Chao cursed himself for forgetting the shield, and winced for the blow, but Zhang Liao intervened just in time and blocked the strike. Taishi Ci, surprised, easily fell to the ground from a few quick flurries from the two spearmen. Ma Chao nodded at Zhang Liao, and ran towards Zhuge Liang.
Zhuge Liang was having trouble deflecting Zhou Tai's blows, since Zhou Tai was much stronger than he and much quicker as well. Zhuge Liang blocked a high slash but was too slow to block the next slash, aimed at his hip. Liang recoiled from the blow and fell to a knee. Zhou Tai threw another slash at Liang's head, but Zhuge Liang thought quickly, and used his fan and string to trip Tai by the right foot. Zhou Tai hit the ground hard on his head, and was out cold before Ma Chao and Zhang Liao could arrive. Zhuge Liang jokingly bowed at his fallen opponent.
The stalwart Xiahou Dun stood up and clutched his side, falling into a much more defensive stance. Zhou Yu came on strong with a slash with his left sword and another behind it with his right. Xiahou Dun blocked both, and kneed Zhou Yu in the gut as he got closer. He attempted to slash at Zhou Yu, but Sun Ce came to the aid of his friend and tackled Dun hard, sending both to the ground. Xiahou Dun forced Ce off and readied his sword. Ce twirled his saber a few times and slashed vigorously at Dun. Xiahou blocked the blow, albeit barely, and tried to counter the blow, but Sun Ce easily blocked it. Zhou Yu took advantage of Xiahou Dun's distraction, and hit him hard on the head with his right sword. Xiahou Dun fell to his knees. "You got… lucky, scum..." He muttered, before falling to the stone.
The five gathered up and inspected each other. Ma Chao had suffered naught but a scratch; Zhang Liao was bruised on his arm, but suffered little else. Zhuge Liang was a bit short of breath, and was bruised, but was otherwise fine. Sun Ce had trouble standing up straight without clenching his side, but the rest of him was fine. Zhou Yu had suffered the worst of the onslaught; he couldn't stand straight, and the right side of his head was bleeding. He was bruised in several spots, and had a rough time breathing. "Zhou Yu! Are you alright?" Sun Ce shouted as he saw his friend kneel weakly. "Just… Just a scratch, that's all…" Zhou Yu said, still weak from Xiahou Dun's furious blows. "Here, let me help." Ma Chao offered, and sheathed Zhou Yu's swords and helped him back to his feet. Ma Chao slung Zhou Yu's arm over his shoulder and helped his newfound companion walk. The group continued their stride towards the gate, still rather early, but much more paranoid of their surroundings.
"Here, use this to wrap around your head." Zhang Liao offered as he handed Xu Huang's turban to Zhou Yu. "I guess you need it more than Huang does. You probably had the roughest opponent out of all of us. You fight well, something that I had not expected. I thought you'd be more of the strategist type." Zhou Yu thanked Liao and wrapped the turban across his face, covering one eye. "He's certainly not dumb, though, Zhang Liao." Sun Ce remarked. "Play Zhou Yu in any strategy game and you'll see what I mean. I've never won against him once!" Zhuge Liang nodded. "Cheng Pu did mention that the Republic needed more capable strategists, as their best have recently graduated from the academy. I do believe Zhou Yu and I can fulfill the roles of strategist quite well if what you say is true." Zhou Yu smiled at Liang, still a bit suspiciously. "We'll see, Liang. We'll see."
The group of exhausted students reached the gate ten minutes early, and saw Sun Jian standing there by himself. Upon seeing the group, he startlingly ran towards them. "What happened to you five? Are you all alright?" Zhou Yu nodded. "We were attacked by a troupe of Western students, my lord. Most likely a bit too excited from the promise of fighting… I do believe me, Ce, and Zhuge Liang need to see a physician, Lord Sun Jian." Sun Jian nodded, still quite shocked at his student's condition. "Y-Yes, of course. Ma Chao, let me handle him. You four, walk with me and tell me of the group." Sun Jian said, as he took Zhou Yu as Ma Chao did.
Sun Ce recounted the group. "There was… Xiahou Yuan, Taishi Ci, Xu Huang, Zhou Tai, and Xiahou Dun, who was the fella who hurt Zhou Yu. They were all part of the West house." Sun Jian nodded. "Thank you, Ce. I'll make sure they'll be reprimanded for this. How did the conflict end? Were you all chased off?" Zhang Liao laughed. "We left each one of them unconscious on the ground! It was an excellent fight, I assure you." Sun Jian's eyes widened. Hmm… perhaps this group it just what we needed to grab more of the provinces… He thought. "Excellent job. I'd imagine you each defended yourselves well. Let's get to the main building and let these three get looked at."
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The group waded through the snow of the Snow field and entered the main castle. Zhou Yu, Sun Ce, and Zhuge Liang went to the medical room while Ma Chao and Zhang Liao wet relax in the commons area until Sun Jian was ready to brief the students further.
Zhou Yu laid down on a sofa next to the door to the office while Zhuge Liang and Sun Ce sat in the chairs nearby. The door opened soon after, and out stepped a brown haired girl. "Uh oh! What happened to you three? You all don't look so good." She said. Zhou Yu sat up and spoke, stuttering unusually. "W-We were attacked… by some West St-Students… Are you the ph-physician?" he asked weakly. The girl smiled and bent down, looking at Zhou Yu. "No, I'm not; that's my father Qiao Xuan that you want to see. I'm Xiao Qiao, and I just got here too. What's your name?" she asked, smiling brightly. Zhou Yu opened his mouth but couldn't bring himself to say anything for a few seconds. "You okay?" Xiao Qiao asked, eyes open narrowly. "Sorry. Th-the blow to the head made me a bit lightheaded, th-that's all. My name's Zhou Yu… N-nice to meet you, Xiao Qiao." Xiao Qiao smiled again. "Looks like you were hurt the worst, Zhou Yu. I'll get my dad right away! Nice to meet you!" She said, smiling as she walked back through the door.
Sun Ce raised an eyebrow. "What's up with you, Zhou Yu? You never talk all stutter-ry like that." Zhuge Liang laughed. "It's quite obvious, Sun Ce. Our friend Zhou Yu has affections for Miss Qiao." Zhou Yu looked at Zhuge Liang. "Shut up…" he said, docilely. Before either Sun Ce or Zhuge Liang could retort, a middle aged man opened the door. "Zhou Yu of Luijang?" He asked. "Yes, sir." Zhou Yu said, as he got up and walked through the door.
Sun Ce reclined in his chair. "You're not that bad, Liang. Zhou Yu probably doesn't think very highly of you, though." Zhuge Liang closed his eyes. "If you speak so highly of Zhou Yu, I have no doubt he has strategical abilities to rival my own. I'd rather him respect my abilities first before befriending him." He said calmly. Sun Ce shrugged. "Rough day, huh? I wasn't expecting to get attacked on my first day here, but I guess funny things like that happen." Zhuge Liang chuckled. "From what Master Cheng Pu said, I doubt things will get any better."
Sun Ce put his arms behind his head, relaxing. "Bring it on." He muttered to himself.
As soon as I finished the chapter, I realized how much better this one came out than I had expected. I thought the fight scene would come out bad as I'm not very good at them, but I've been reading a bit of R.A. Salvatore and looking at his masterpieces of fight scenes and taking a bit of inspiration from them, so the scene didn't turn out as bad as I had expected. Still, I'd like feedback, as always.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll read the next chapter when it's put up!