Disclaimer-I do not own Pànduàn, Kirshun, and the Odigan Rebels. Everything else is owned by Koei.
Warriors Orochi: Dragon of Judgment
Chapter 12-Shu Skirmish
The rest of the trip through Shu was 'uneventful' to say the least. Pànduàn and Himiko hadn't said a thing to each other all morning. Himiko took the occasional glance towards him but he was more focused on the surroundings than anything else. She most likely figure it was to keep a look out for the Odigan Rebels who had been amassing in the area. Sun Ce stood way clear of both Pànduàn and Himiko for the most of the morning. He had gotten a silent, narrow-eyed warning from Pànduàn earlier as if to warn him not to bring up last night's incident. Himiko could blame him, she had the same thoughts. However, unlike Pànduàn (or from her perspective of what Pànduàn thought), she was caught on whether to be thanking Sun Ce or beating the hell out of him. Probably both.
Finally, Himiko couldn't stand the silence anymore and finally spoke, "Umm...Pànduàn..."
Pànduàn looked at her curiously, "Yes?"
"Are you...angry with me...?"
Pànduàn chuckled, "No, of course not."
"But you haven't said a word for me all day..."
"I need to keep an eye out for trouble," Pànduàn said simply. "Rebels have been amassing in the area we have been traveling through."
A simple 'oh' was Himiko's response, and that was the end of their conversation. However, it was a load off of Himiko's mind. It was a long while before anyone spoke again. Everyone was on alert.
They were approaching Cheng Du, and Odigan patrols as large as seventy-five men had been seen in the area cutting of supply routes to Cheng Du. It was a terrible mess for Shu and they needed desperate help. Unfortuneately, the same patrols that were raiding supply caravans were also the same patrols preventing reinforcements for Shu's allies. This meant that Wu, Wei, and the armies of Ieyasu were unable to aid them. That was until today. Pànduàn was the first to reach the entrance to the forest that lead to the southeastern gate of Cheng Du. It seemed to be smooth sailing from then on.
Or at least, that was what they thought...and hoped.
They were halfway through the forest when an arrow flew right passed Pànduàn's face and into a tree beside him. Immediately, Pànduàn, Himiko, Sun Ce, Sun Quan, Da Qiao, and the few squads of Wu soldiers drew their weapons. They were all ready for a fight. But when the enemy appeared, the simple word 'fight' seemed to be an understatement.
At least sixty well-armed Odigan Rebels, many with large two-handed swords, poured out of the brush and charged the small Wu force. Almost immediately half of the Wu force was down with the rest desperatly trying to fight back. Pànduàn fought six two-handed swordsmen and was slowly but surely pushing them back. Himiko was blasting away at a large group but they began to scatter and surround her. Sun Ce was using his tonfas to bash away at three of the few archers of the Rebels. Sun Quan was fighting two swordsmen but they got on either side of him and he was forced to battle them sideways. Da Qiao was having to better luck, being attacked by a Rebel swordsman while being shot at by a few archers; this was limiting her chances to go on the offensive.
Pànduàn knew he had to go on the offensive soon or he was going to be overwhelmed eventually. He saw an opportune moment when a Rebel jumped up and prepared to bring a terrible strike down onto him. However, Pànduàn was fast and he slashed across the man's chest, forcing him back and into the ground dead. He used the newly made gap to his advantage. He rolled through it and was immediately on his feet; slicing across the back of two Rebels he halved the number of enemies he was fighting in under a minute. He grinned at the stunned expression of the surprised Rebels and readied himself to finish the job. He charged forward, the soldiers readied themselves, but Pànduàn front flipped over the man in the middle and quickly spun around in a circle, taking all three out at once. He smiled. It was time to help the others.
What he didn't know was that the others were doing just fine themselves. Himiko noticed the ploy the group was making on her and back flipped. While in mid-air her Goddesses of Light spun beneath her while facing the Rebels surrounding her position. They fire a round as the spun taking them out in a single wave. She landed and the effigies that were her weapons floated just behind her shoulders. No Rebel could beat her.
The Sun brothers were doing just as well in fighting the Rebels. They both had managed to slay their respective opponents and now charged to take out the Rebels who were crowding their escort. Sun Ce aimed for the swordsmen while Sun Quan aimed at the archers, whose brilliant aim had given his men some trouble. They were able to save the rest of their men and take out the Rebels. Da Qiao had been pinned down by the same archers that her brother-in-law had just taken out, so now she could go on the offensive. She soon managed to take out all the Rebels who attacked her.
The remainder of the small Wu force gathered.
"We need to keep moving," Pànduàn stated. "The sooner we get to Cheng Du the sooner we're out of harm's way. Come on!"
Pànduàn ran off ahead and the rest followed close behind. Soon, Cheng Du's gates were before them.
"Finally," Da Qiao said relieved and Sun Ce strode up to the gate.
"Open the gates! It's me! Sun Ce!"
"You might want to tell them to hurry, Sun Ce," Pànduàn hurriedly said. Sun Ce turned around confused. Pànduàn was facing the way they had just came. But what caught Sun Ce's eye, and body, was the sudden shacking of the ground and the twenty charging Odigan Horsemen. Their lances were pointed right at them. Sun Ce quickly turned around, "Open the gates quickly!"
"Brother!" Sun Ce turned with a start. Coming out of the brush next to the main road were numerous Odigan swordsmen. A sound caught his attention and he looked at the other side of the road, seeing even more Rebels.
"Perfect," Pànduàn grunted as he readied his weapon. The Wu soldiers did the same, as did Himiko, Sun Quan, and Da Qiao. Seeing that the Shu gatekeeper couldn't open the gates fast enough, Sun Ce readied his tonfas for yet another fight. The horses were withing throwing distance now and just when it seemed like they would be crushed a battlecry filled the air. A figure in green smash into the center of the horseman unit and the resulting shockwave knocked down the other horsemen. The entire group was stunned. Out of the dust came a grizzled man with a single green shoulder plate on his right shoulder and mostly bare-chested. He had a little length of green cloth that wrapped around his left shoulder. This cloth was connected to a bulkwork of green pants with other big pieces of cloth and bags over it. In his hand was a polearm with a large, jagged spearhead on the top that had an assortment of decarations near it. He wore large leather shoes and they landed heavy when he turned to look at the group with a smug grin.
"Zhang Fei!" Sun Ce proudly exclaimed. "Boy, am I glad to see you!"
"Glad to help," he replied. "Now let's take these boys!"
"Right," chorused the entire group and they sprung into action, but there was not much to be done. The Odigan's foresaw their fate in fighting and retreated quickly. Zhang Fei frowned, "Well that was pathetic."
He turned towards the group and spotted someone there who caught his eye. And it wasn't Pànduàn.
"Himiko? Is that you?"
"Yes...?"
"So," he grinned as he walked towards her. "Thought about what we said?"
"In a way, but it was Pànduàn here who truly got me to change," she said as she lightly patted him on the shoulder. He smiled as his eyes left her direction to that of Zhang Fei's.
"I've heard about you," Zhang Fei announced. "You're the archrival of the leader of the Rebels aren't you?"
"Indeed. I am Pànduàn Shén."
Zhang Fei nodded and passed him, "Now open this gate!"
"Yessir!" came the reply and the gate slowly creeked open and the group entered the city.
"I'll take you right to Lord Liu Bei," the second Tiger General told Cheng Du's new arrivals. "He'll be wanting to speak with you, Lord Shén."
"Naturally, but I prefer just Pànduàn if you don't mind."
"Not at all. It's one less person I've got to be formal to!"
The entire party laughed just as they reached the gates to Cheng Du's palace and the waiting lord inside.
Whew, chapter 12 is done. And as just a reminder, the crossovers with Dragon of Judgment: Naruto, Inuyasha, and Samurai Champloo; will be published AFTER Dragon of Judgment is complete. Thank you for your patience.
~Teddypro