Vae Victis
Disclaimer: Only Diana is mine. Borrowed lines from cool epic movies too.
Having somehow recovered from whatever trauma she was afflicted with, Diana Argos coolly stepped out of the tent Li Shang's troops had put up for her, to the surprise of the aforementioned troops.
She gazed intently at each of their faces, frightened youths marching towards their doom they seemed to her. But she did not want to dishearten them, especially since they all still seemed to hope that they could be victorious. She would rely on Mulan to lead them to this victory because Diana knew that only the girl would know how to save them. But she did not yet know how.
"Listen to me," Captain Argos, assuming "his" authoritative stance once more, addressed the motley army, "let me tell you more about what has happened here."
"As you may all remember, Commander Albatou and I were summoned to support General Li's troops up here in this village by the Tung Shao Pass a few weeks ago to aid in his campaign against the invaders. Although we both had faith in the superb skills of the Imperial Army, Commander Albatou and I still wanted a complete and certain victory. We had somehow convinced the villagers to evacuate and move to safer territory, much to the disagreement of General Li.
Nevertheless, your people knew that we were talking sense and so many complied. Only the stubborn and foolish remained. We didn't bother to persuade them anymore.
We do not relish waiting for our enemies idly so Commander Albatou and I selected, upon the General's approval of course, some members of the army to assist us in a more powerful strategy of eliminating our enemies. Prior to our arrival at the army's camp, we had ordered many barrels of oil to be brought to that village. We had studied enough about the Huns to know that they would anticipate most of the conventional battle strategies, no matter how high the probability of success. We wanted to have the element of surprise on our side.
Dilandau Albatou loves fighting with fire. He trained those few soldiers whom he deemed competent enough to use his peculiar but effective battle strategy. I will get to that later.
We trained and prepared everyday, never relenting, never stopping, knowing that at any moment, the enemy would be upon us but we would not let them leave this Pass alive."
Every soldier, their Captain included, as well as the pompous Emperor's counsel, listened intently as the narrative continued.
A few days later, the arrived, Shan Yu with his vast, merciless army of Huns. They were vicious killers and they all looked ready to vanquish the Imperial Army. They were given an unpleasant surprise.
At the order of Dilandau Albatou, majority of General Li's Imperial Troops and Captain Argos were hidden behind a mountainous area of the pass, away from the sight of the Huns. Only Dilandau, and his chosen troops were in the frontline.
Dilandau smacked his lips with excitement. He relished the prospect of a battle. He had been waiting for this for so long. He gripped his sword in his hand and made his horse kick its legs forward, a signal that somehow inspired his nervous men. Shan Yu glimpsed at the meager foes and cackled menacingly.
"I did not come here to play any stupid games," said he, "where is the Emperor's great army ready to defeat me? I'm ready to destroy you all!" With a vicious cry, he rallied his troops but was surprised to hear an even more bloodcurdling cackle coming from the young foreign commander.
"Don't be stupid," shouted Dilandau, "only you and your pathetic minions will die today!"
And so the battle begun. Unknown to them, the ground the Huns' mounts were treading was lined with gallons of oil and not to mention, Dilandau and his men had small bottles of oil with them.
While slashing Huns down, Dilandau drenched them in oil. So many members of Shan Yu's army were stunned by their enemies actions and so were caught off guard.
When he had drenched about half of the army and killed about a quarter, Dilandau screamed to his men:
"BURN THEM ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Archers stationed on strategic locations launched their flaming arrows at the stunned Hun army and the whole field was ablaze.
Shan Yu's men were literally burning. The ground around them was on fire. Some of them were screaming in agony as they burned to death while others struggled to escape the inferno.
While most of his fierce warriors were barbecued, Shan Yu rallied the remaining troops (which were still more than the entire Imperial Army could handle), to attack. The surprise had worn off. But Dilandau had managed to destroy nearly half of the Hun Army. And counting.
After all, he never stopped in slashing and killing his enemies even as the others burned down. His sword had been soaked in oil and was now a flaming "brand" on each of his enemy's faces. His men were encouraged and started doing the same, although not with the same savage fervor that he applied.
Once the threat was greater, the Imperial Army rode from their hiding place, ready to defeat the Huns. Shan Yu was furious but still ready with his troops.
Captain Damien Argos cried out to the army, with a similar fire in his eyes.
"Listen to me! All my life I have lived by a simple code: Honor the Ancestors, love your woman and protect your country!!!!!!!"
This was answered by loud roars from the army and the clattering of swords and shields.
"Warriors of the Imperial Army, oaths you have taken, fulfill them now, to lord and land!!! This is where we fight and this is where they DIE!!!!!!!!!!!"
Another rousing cheer answered this which was followed by another powerful warcry.
"CUT THE IDIOTIC THEATRICS, ARGOS AND JUST SEND THESE FILTHY SCUM TO HELL!!!!!!!! SHOW THEM NO QUARTER!!!!!!!"
And so the army charged, invigorated by the charisma of their leaders and their two powerful allies. Dilandau and "Damien" fought and killed many Huns.
At some point in the chaotic clashing of swords, shields and spears, Shan Yu and Dilandau Albatou came face to face in the battlefield. And so began an epic duel with two warriors, filled with fire and fury, determined to fight to the death.
Dilandau was the more talented swordsman and his youthful and foreign appearance fooled Shan Yu enough for him to lose his guard. Albatou slashed the Hun leader in the face, leaving a burning, bloody gash from his forehead through his left eye and into his cheek. Shan Yu screamed in fury and pain!
Dilandau smiled and prepared to destroy the Hun leader for good when something extraordinary happened. A pillar of light suddenly appeared from the sky engulfing Dilandau, causing all the fighters to pause and gaze at the spectacle. At the same time, he clutched his head and screamed.
His pupils were dilated and he kept screaming.
"Don't leave me alone! Don't leave me alone! Don't leave me alone!"
Diana Argos was instantly at his side, shaking him and trying to get him back into consciousness but she found herself similarly consumed in the strange pillar of light. They both disappeared from the battlefield.
Later, when the remaining Huns had decimated the disheartened and stunned Imperial Army, another pillar of light appeared, but no one was there to see it. No one was there to witness Diana Argos, come back, speechless but more stunned at the carnage she witnessed, the corpses and the blood.
This is the truth but this is not what she told Shang's troops for surely they wouldn't have believed her. She never spoke of what happened beyond the pillar of light to anyone.
"Just when Commander Albatou was about to defeat Shan Yu, I was hit hard by an enemy and fell unconscious. When I came to, the army had been annihilated and there was no trace of Dilandau anywhere," she continued her story. "I wandered the battlefield I know not how long, trying to make sense of it all but I couldn't. It was then that Ping found me."
Author's Note: Ok, so it still is confusing and I really haven't gone into flashbacks yet to clarify more things. The next chapter will be the last "present time" chapter before the flashbacks but I don't know if you'll still be confused. Sorry. I really didn't expect it to be this drawn out but anyway, I hope you're still interested. It's a bit sloppily written though. Sorry, I needed to keep working while I still had an inkling of what I was doing. Thanks.