For Virtue.
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Tong Gate - 220 AD
"Father!"
A young man cried out in the rain. He ran immediately to his father. The man has blood all over his chest area. He can only survive for a couple of minutes. The man tried to turn his head to his son, but couldn't find the strength to do it.
As he felt his son's hands on him, he spoke. "Ma Chao..." He gave off light breathing and he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry...that...you have...to see me like...this."
Ma Chao shook his head as he clenched his fist. "Father."
"Live on...my son...live on...Ma Chao...The Splendid..."
The young man's eyes widened as his fathers head finally turned. He could now feel the body cold of death. Ma Chao could feel a tear trickle down his cheek. "Father..."
What was mourning turned into fire in the eyes of this man. He grabbed his spear and raised it to the sky. "Father. With this spear, I shall avenge you. Cao Cao..."
Ma Chao the Splendid spun the spear and pointed it into to the nearby mountain. On top of it, was a sillhouette of a regal man with a blue cape. "One day, you will meet my Spear of Justice!"
Cheng Du - Valley
Sword and spear clashed, sparks are flying, and the adreneline keeps pumping up. Ma Chao, now a grown man, faces off the lord of Shu. He has heard little of this man. Only a simple minded peasant leader who saves the people. Ma Chao respects this, yet knows that the lord can't stand against justice.
That...was at the beggining of the battle. Now, he ponders at how the lord can easily stand toe to toe with him. Liu Bei is not as strong as his brothers, but something is there that keeps him fighting toe to toe with them. His spirit.
The one who doesn't know this aspect are his enemies and his son, Nao Tang. The boy is now on his ass on the ground. For a second, he almost went dancing with death. Now, he sees his humble peaceful father dancing equally with that same deity.
A hand settles on his shoulder. The blond looked up to see Zhao Yun smiling at him. The hand then outstretched to him and Nao Tang took it to stand up. He then sees his teacher, Pang Tong walking up to him. A staff went straight on his head.
Bonk! "Itai! What was that for!"
Pang Tong shook his head at his students idiocy. "For being an idiot. Charging recklessly to the enemy isn't what I call a smart idea."
This caused Nao Tang to cross his arms and pout. "Yeah. But I saved you from those arrows remember?"
The Fledging Pheonix sighed. "That's right. But you left me behind having to fight the ambushers that flanked us. I was lucky that Zhao Yun here saved me." At this, he tapped the said man on the shoulders approvingly.
Another sound of a clash was heard and they turned to the fighters. Both were panting slightly, but moreso Liu Bei than his opponent. Nao Tang furrowed his brows in worry over his father.
Ma Chao ran in with a full on stab to the gut, only for Liu Bei to leap to the air. The ruler fixed his sword down to stab the man. Ma Chao reacted by turning his torso to the air and swinging his spear vertically. This caused the spear end to slice Liu Bei's leg. The victim dropped to the ground with his sword a few feet away from him.
Nao Tang tried to go to his father but two hands, one metal, one cloth, stopped him. He looked questioningly at them.
Zhao yun spoke to calm the younger boy, "Your father is hesitant." Nao Tang looked at the man with curiosity. "He does not want to face his family, no matter what he says or thinks. To fight now will clear that hesitation because..."
Zhao Yun looked straight into Nao Tang's blue eyes. Zhao Yun smiled at the boy. "Because he has another family to protect."
Nao Tang's eyes widened and turned to his father. The man who's face met the rocky ground now is lifting himself up. He grabbed hold of his sword and positioned it in front of him.
Ma Chao couldn't believe it. This is a weak peasant? Clearly the rumors are just rumors.
"How?" The Spendid asked in disbelief. "How can you match against Justice?"
The Dragon pierced into his opponents eyes. "I have a goal to achieve." He raised his sword lightly to the air. "I have a family to protect." His eyes glanced to his blond child. "How can I fight Justice, you say?" He positioned his sword by his side facing behind him. "Because I believe in something more than Justice."
He took a step forward. Then another. Soon he started running to his enemy. "I fight..."
Ma Chao stared at the impending man before him, before he too charged his he spear ready to stab once more.
There was another sound of a clash.
"...for Virtue!"
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Cheng Du - Middle Base
'Father. Brother. Please be alright.' The thoughts appeared in Liu chan's head as he kept slashing on the enemy soldiers. A number of allied soldiers are also battling the enemy. Zhuge Liang is not far off as he keeps whacking people with his feathered fan.
Zhuge Liang has a strange power on him as Liu Chan observed. When the Sleeping Dragon waves with his fan, he gives off wind that somehow damages the enemy. There's also a chain between the feathers and the handle.
The boy really wants to know how the man does that.
A glint was shown to the side of his eyes and he had to backflip in order to dodge a sword in time. He looked up from a crouched position to see the man known as Meng Da there with his sword pointing at him.
"You fiend!" The man snarled out. "You come here with that tyrant of man!"
This struck a chord inside Liu Chan's insides. He straighted himself and started to spin his swords. "That man who you say is a tyrant..."
The swords stopped and both of them were in position to strike. "...is not a tyrant."
With a leap, Liu Chan soars through the air crosses his arms as he dives down to Meng Da. The man expected this and prepares to counter. Swords connected and two swords are scissoring the single blade of Meng Da.
In this grueling clash, Liu Chan whispered, "He is my father!" This instilled suprise to his foe. The deadlock stopped, when Liu Chan successfully pushed back his enemy. With one sword, the boy stabbed the man in the arms, while stabbing the opposite leg, with the second sword.
Liu Chan took his swords out and held them both to look at the man before him. Meng Da frowned as blood dripped down his mouth. "Please." His eyes pleaded to the boy. "Do not harm the people."
The successor-to-be turned around. Then, a smile graced his face. "I see. You're a good man. Just like him."
Meng Da confusingly looked at the boy. "Who?"
Liu Chan turned around and kneeled to meet the man eye to eye. "My father." This answer suprised the defeated man.
The boy noticed something wrong. 'It's quiet.' He looks around and sees that the battle is over. Then a white robed figure walks up to him and Meng Da.
Zhuge Liang looks coldly at the man. "I don't know what your lord has been saying about lord Liu Bei, but those are surely lies. That man has to be one of the kindest men I've ever met. Truth is that he never wanted this battle to happen."
Meng Da stared at him and then switched his gaze to the floor. "So why? Why start this battle that caused so much misery to my men and these people?"
Zhuge Liang sighed and started to walk away. He stopped mid-way and turned his head. "Because I convinced him to go."
Liu Chan and Meng Da looked at him with suprise. Then, changed to sorrow and anger respectively. Zhuge Liang ignored the looks he got and walked away. Cogs started to form in his head.
'I don't care what the people think of me. As long as my lord get's the appraise, then that's all that matters. I will be willing to take the burden.'
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Third Gate
"Girlie! Pick up the damn slack! You're slowing the whole damn army!"
"Shut up you wrinkled proon!"
This lovely conversation is taking place in the midst of rundown. A pack of Shu troops sweatdrop at the archers. The old Huang Zhong would berate the innocent little Sun Shang Xiang. That'll be a good kids's tale.
Suddenly, an arrow flew out of nowhere and hit Huang Zhong on the shoulder. "Old man!" Sun Shang Xiang cried out.
Both them and the troops looked at the one who send the arrow. A man with messy hair and a beard is holding a bow. On his face, is somewhat a smirk of his accomplishment.
"Now that's a bullseye!" The man yelled. "And there'll be plenty more from Yan Yan!"
He closed one eye and aimed at his next target. The girl next to the old man. But then, a strange force struck him in the chest. Not a weapon or an arrow. But an emotion he cannot describe. This feeling flutters when he sees the girl.
Sun Shang Xiang saw him stop in mid shot. As she wasn't prepared for an attack, she knew she would've died if that arrow came out of that bow. Now knowing or caring why he stopped, she got out her own bow an arrow to strike him down. But, fates would've had it, when she found out why he stopped, due to the next words he said.
"Marry me!"
"What!" Shellshocked to say the least, she shakingly pointed at the man, Yan Yan. "No!"
This time, it was Yan Yan to be shocked. "Why not!?"
Sun Shang Xiang held up three fingers. "Well. Three reasons. One, your an enemy. Two, I don't like you. Three, I'm engaged."
"Gah!" Yan Yan turned around and put his head on the gate with a bang. He slammed the gate with his fist. "So cruel."
Then, he turned around with a smirk. "I found a way to counter all three reasons. One, you could join me. Two, I can make you like me. Not forcibly, by the way. And three, I'll just kick the guys ass."
The girl just rolled her eyes. "This is stupid!" She unleashed an arrow at him which hit him in the leg. Then, she jumped high in the sky to shoot more arrows at him. He grunted when he took the arrow out and rolled to the side to dodge the other arrows. What he didn't expect is a body heading towrds him. Foot first. His body gave way and flew back to the gate, making a hole. The gate opened to reveal a row of enemy archers lined up and ready to fire.
Their target? The lone tigress on the floor.
Sun Shang Xiang closed her eyes as they were about to fire. Images of her father facing the same predicament. 'Father. What do I do?'
A minute passed and nothing happened. The female archer opened her eyes to reveal all archers dead on the ground with arrows sticking out their bodies. She heard panting behind her and turned around. Her eyes widened. "Old man..."
The said old man is on his knees with his bow in his hands and in a horizontal position. The girl could see the eyes of a hawk instead of a feeble old mans failing eyes.
The man stood up and walked to the girl. Sun Shang Xiang bowed her head, expecting an insult or a jab at getting into an ambush like that. "Girlie." Here it comes...
"You did good."
The girl looked up with wide eyes. The old man smiled at her. "But not as good as me though."
This caused her to pout and cross her arms. "Oh yeah!? One day I will old man!" She then pumped her fist out to the air, causing the old man to wearily sigh.
"You..."
They both turned to see Yan Yan pointing at the old veteran. "You..."
Sun Shang Xiang turned to her ally. "Old man? Do you know him." He responded with a shake of his head.
Huang Zhong readied his bow and Sun Shang Xiang also, ready for the fight of their lives. Yan Yan mustered up all his strength into two words.
"Teach me!" "WHAT!?"
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Valley
The sound of metal and wood clashed against each other was heard across the valley. Two men. Two legends stood across from each other, yet not facing one another. One has a sword in his hand. The other, a spear.
At the sidelines, three people watch, along with a crowd of enemy and allied soldiers. Nao Tang looks at the the man with the sword in awe. He didn't believe his father would last a second against this guy, but now he sees a full-fledged battle.
Pang Tong looks at the man with the sword with slight suprise. He wanted to believe the man would win, but knew that his lord wouldn't win. But now...he truly places his full trust and belief.
Zhao Yun has a face of pride for his lord. He has always believed in his lord and that belief hasn't wavered in the slightest ever since the battle has begun. Right now, he is glad he joined this army and serves under his lord Liu Bei.
The said man slightly pants and has several cuts on his figure. He drops to his knees, but kept his grip on his sword. His men wanted to go near him, but that would interrupt the duel.
The other man, Ma Chao, also sports several cuts on his body. He drops to his kness, and his spear falls to the ground as blood trickled down the deep gash on his chest. His body falls to the ground. He uses all of his strength to turn around to stare at the sky, with the sun blinding his eyes.
'The power he posseses. The power to overcome Justice. This power of Virtue...'
He feels a shadow over him, and he looks to see the man who he was fighting. The man looks down on him. "Ma Chao."
Ma Chao looks up at his enemy. "I guess this is the part where you finish me off." More of a statement then a question.
Instead of a blade to the chest, he is greeted to getting picked up from the man. "Wh-what are you doing?"
Liu Bei responded by kneeling down to meet eye-level. He grabs Ma Chaos spear and gives it to said man. "I can see it. The good in your eyes."
"I can see you fight for the good. For the people. You fight for one of the virtues of life. You call this Justice. I call it Virtue. Two things hold different aspects but is under the power of light. You can see this as well."
Ma Chao looks at the man with suprise, but looks down. "But I have lost my way of Justice. I don't know what to do anymore."
Liu Bei puts a hand on his enemy's shoulder. "Then, fight for Virtue. Fight, not under my command, but with it. Fight along other holders of Virtue. You can get back your Justice and will deliver it under the name of Virtue."
The lord of Shu extends his hand out to Ma Chao. The man looks apprehensive about this. He thinks and looks at Liu Bei straight in the eye.
Liu Bei's hand was grasped.
The soldiers all cheer for that beautiful moment. Zhao Yun just nodded and went to get his horse. Pang Tong sighed a breath he has been holding. Nao Tang runs to his father and hugs the man, but quickly lets go for the sake of both father and son humility.
Ma Chao had a small side on his face. 'This virtue...'
He sees his soldiers and Liu Bei's hugging each other or shaking hands. He also sees the boy he almost killed hug his father.
The smile widens.
'It's a beautiful thing.'
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Cheng Du Castle
"Get get out of here! Get to get of here!" Frantic mumbles of one Liu Zhang spread across the castle.
The man grabs a hold of everything he needs most. Tea pots, tea cups, the tea itself.
He runs out of the castle entrance only to see an entire army welcoming him. Pure horror stricken on the mans face has made a couple of soldiers and one officer laugh. Liu Zhang spots a face he recognizes.
"Yan Yan! What is the meaning of this!?"
The man pointed at Huang Zhong. "Free lessons, man!"
Liu Zhang gits his teeth and his jaw drops at another man. "Meng Da!? You!?"
Said man just looks at his lord with a hard face. "Your motives are trechorous and your cowardice is completely open."
This caused confusion on his ex-lords face, but the regal man shook his head and spots one that causes him to become depressed. "De tu? Ma Chao?"
The Splendid simply said nothing.
Liu Zhang just looks around him with hopeless eyes and then sees his relative. "Liu Bei."
Seeing as there is no hope for him, Liu Zhang crosses his arms and pouts. "Fine. You all win. Just let me have some tea in peace." He huffs and takes his leave.
This made everyone in Shu cheer for victory. In the midst of all the cheering, Sun Shang Xiang spots Nao Tang. "Tang!"
She runs up to the whiskered blond and hugs him, to which he spins her around. Yan Yan sees the blonde and whistles. "Damn. Those are big muscles." His eyes almost popped out. "And that's a big scythe! Holy shit!"
Liu Chan looks and smiles to see his father a-okay.
Liu Bei looks around and smiles as his army cheers and jumps.
The battle is over.
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???
Men in blue battle suits run around trying to get things ready. Shouts of officers were heard to order those men.
Talking is heard from the tent. At the entrance, a man with an eyepatch crosses his arms. Inside, a group of men huddle around the map table.
One of them at the end of the table. The man looks like the lord. He stands up and stabs the knife on the map, right by the location.
It's called Chi Bi.
The lord smirked.
The war has just begun.
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Yeah. End of the battle.
Sorry for the long wait. Laziness took me, and inspiration for my other story happened to come across me.
