(A/N:: So, this chapter is a bit longer. Onwards to the Evil Temple of Evil!)
Sima Yi hesitated at the gate, eying his old apprentice. Jiang Wei stared back with his best mimicry of Zhuge Liang's expresionlessness.
"Armor, you moron. Get yourself some." Oh. Right. Jiang Wei nodded and jogged off to get the armor he had stashed before his arrival. When he returned, he noted Sima Yi had swapped his hat for a helmet and was messing around with the straps securing a breastplate. Clearly, the older man hadn't done armor in a while. Yi noticed the boy's gaze. "I'm not suicidal either, you idiot. Now, let us proceed."
They did. The walk to the temple was oddly peaceful. Nothing and no one crossed their path, but there was something distinctly amiss.
"Um, Master Sima Yi...?" Wei mumbled, nervously poking the older man in the shoulder.
"I noticed. No animals. I told you there was something wrong at this temple, didn't I?" This was whispered, as they were already within sight of the meditating monks. The smell of incense filled the air, along with did the low hum of prayer wheels. "You go first. You're the warrior."
Wei gulped, then stepped forward into the clearing. The monks raised their heads in unison. "Um... I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could..." He wilted under their silent stares. "I was just um..."
Another one glided out of the temple. Probably the abbot. He smiled-- a weird sort of expression that did not reach his yellow eyes. "Welcome, child of Shu. Are you here to see the source?" His voice was harsh and grating.
"Er, y-yes. How did you know?" All round him, the other monks rose from their meditation to encircle him.
"You have no other reason to be here, child of Shu. Be happy. We shall bring you to it!" Only his finely-honed warrior instincts saved Wei from the first attack. He dodged and leapt, trying to avoid the sharp talons the 'monks' were suddenly sporting. More of them poured from inside and around the temple, swarming him. They were forcing him up the steps, toward the center of the corruption. He swung his trident desperately, but it wasn't enough. He was getting overrun. Something hit him, hard. Before he fell, he managed a cry for help.
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Still hidden, Yi watched what was happening with a feeling midway between horror and twisted fascination. Those creatures that were attacking Jiang Wei were outside of Yi's extensive knowledge of demons, and thus certainly something to be studied-
"Help me!" The boy's cry broke through Yi's thoughts. Leave him. He already betrayed you, why help him? All things considered, Yi probably should have listened to the voice in head that time. It made a lot more sense than zapping his way into the center of a homicidal mob of probably-undead creatures controlled by a psychotic immortal out to destroy his kingdom.
"Idiot boy. Didn't Zhuge Liang teach you anything?" he snarled, hauling the younger man to his feet again.
"... I thought you didn't care if I died?" Wei managed between gasps.
"I don't. He would. Now help me." I'd rather kill you myself. Back-to-back, they tried to fight their way out, through an ever-growing crowd of the creatures. Together, they could hold them off, but not progress. Yi could see the red stain spreading from the boy's side. He was wounded, and clearly weakening. That wasn't going to help matters. He felt Wei stumble and caught him one-armed, vaguely aware that he had a bit too much practice at rescuing pretty boys.
"Get out of my way!!" A girl's voice rang out as the creatures were flung left and right by a flying red-and-gold blur.
"Kid. We're moving." Yi hauled Wei toward their rescuer. She grabbed him by the other arm, and together the three of them fled the temple grounds.
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Once they were safely away, Yi called a stop to their mad dash. Jiang Wei needed a medic, after all, and running and being dragged with an open wound were generally bad. Their rescuer handed Yi the med kit she had brought along. Assured that his old student was no longer in direct danger, Yi relaxed enough to recognize who had saved them.
"Princess?!" he gasped, floored for a split second before he contained his astonishment, "Ah. It is good to see you awake. Thank you for coming."
"I protect my friends," she replied quietly, "That's how we do things in Wu."
"I see. You have my gratitude, Princess-"
"Shang." She corrected.
"Sun Shang Xiang," Well, it was a little better, "I shall repay you in full some day. Does anyone at the castle know you are gone?"
"Uh... They probably do by now."
"Well, the search party should be here soon, then. Zhuge Liang will know where we are." No sooner where the words out of Yi's mouth when a small contingent of Wei palace guards rounded the bend in the path. They scowled. Wei winced. Shang waved. The three were escorted back to the castle.
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"Zhongda, I'm not even going to ask you to explain the circumstances," Guo Jia grumbled, staring down his old student and said student's new partners-in-stupidity, who were currently kneeling on the floor of the small chamber.
"Well, that's simply wonderful, because-"
"Be quiet! I won't ask you to explain, I'll just yell at you generally, because you haven't learned a thing in ten years, have you?"
"I have learned plenty! You just haven't been around to see it!":
"Oh, certainly. And then you run off and practically get yourself killed because you want to prove something. What did you prove? Hm? Enlighten me!"
"Well, I proved that Princess Sun is a personified deus ex machina, that the temple north of the city was Black Horn's source in the region, and that there are possibly many kinds of undead things capable of running around," Yi explained as viciously as he dared, "Does that count as enlightening?" Evidently it did.
"And you in your eternal wisdom walked right into it?" It was clear to all who listened that Jia was holding himself back from either banging his head on the wall or hitting Yi with something that would leave a mark.
"It was that idiot boy's fault!" Yi point at Wei, who mumbled something and tried to shrink into the floor.
"You let him." Stating the obvious.
"I knew what I was doing! He didn't!" Defensive, almost childishly so.
"You could have died!" Despair more than paranoia. Yi flinched. For the first time in a long time, a look of guilt flickered across his face.
"Lao Shi... You... You know I don't die that easily. I foresaw the rescue, even. And as you can see there has been no lasting harm done." The usual arrogance had returned to Yi's voice, and he pulled himself to his feet. Jia shook his head, pride in the younger man's abilities warring with rather more reasonable aggravation at his antics.
"I suppose not. From here on in, however, do try not to walk headfirst into the problem, alright? Leave that to warriors."
"Duly noted, Master Fengxiao, duly noted."
(A/N:: And what they will be fighting shows itself! Thoughts? Concerns? CAPSLOCK RAGES ABOUT ACCURACY? Hit me with them! Oh! And the pairing poll is still open; so far I got all of one vote, and that was for Liu Bei. So, if you want Shang paired with someone else, review!)