You know, I feel like I can get through this easy enough. MOVING ON! This one should be simple enough to do as I know how I'm running this.

Disclameer (yes, intentional): Dynasty warriors is owned by Omega force and Published by Koei. I only own my own alterations to the plot, which just happens to be the inclusion of myself, Nu, Shinra, Ma and Fei (god that took a while) along with the black smith whom...oh god I forgot the name. And I made her...and the archer. Su Zhi in her badassery is owned by Lorze the Brooks. Go read the Warrior of art for that. (DO IT! I'll wait. This stories not going anywhere)

Please support the official release (especially when DW7 empires comes out (which at the time of writing, it already has. Just A DAY LATE SHIPPING -_- ))


Chapter 54

Flames of Hell.

Standing upon that ground was probably the most fearful I had been during the Nanman campaign.

She claimed to be a demi-goddess...and all I had was my reputation as a demon.

I knew she was good with those knives of her, and the boomerang was good in itself.

I don't know why, but while I do admit to being scared...

I was thrilled...

I don't know how long we had been pacing. Two, three minutes, maybe more. The rain continued to pour, with a few spots of thunder coming down as well. Zhu Rong kept eyeing me up, trying to gauge what I'd do as I flipped my longsword around in my hand. I was practically doing the same back.

Let's see...the knives are good for ranged combat, so I want to close it if I want to take those out of the equation. Saying that the boomerang itself lends itself to the short and midrange, so she's got her bases covered. The lack of armour means that chances are she'll be relying on her dexterity to get by or blocking with the blades.

She spun around, throwing the blades at me with lightning speed. I barely had time to duck under them, feeling them fly over my head once more, hearing my cape tear behind me. She kept spinning, throwing the boomerang one handed towards me. My eyes shooting open wide before my body decided to move, my arm impulsively slamming the ground as I used it to spring upwards, barely dodging the whirling death as it cut into my left boot, somehow missing the steel on the front. I breathed as I landed, quickly moving to my feet and taking my stance again, looking at her.

"You've got some skill at least" I commented, seeing her smile. That was when it hit me. She threw a boomerang.

Boomerangs always come back.

I turned quickly, hearing it coming back in the same line, diving to one side in an effort to avoid it, only this time failing, feeling it dig into my side before I hit the ground. I gasped, thankfully only cut by one blade, slowly lifting myself up again, shaking my head as I felt the pain, placing my spear arm on the section. Thankfully nothing more then a flesh wound, but still going to sting like a bitch. I looked at her, seeing her smiling as she held her boomerang ready.

OK, she's got a good combo on her. Let's see if she's a one hit wonder. I charged at her this time, watching her ready a few extra knives, throwing them as I got halfway towards her, only this time grabbing a second set and throwing them at a separate angle. I stopped, swinging my sword skyward to deflect the first wave and raising my spear to deflect the second, the blades themselves embedding in the wood. She then moved to throw the boomerang again, leaving me time to move. I swung my arm back, throwing the spear at her with everything I had, the chain rattling as the spear flew. She stopped her motion, diving to one side to avoid the javelin, nimbly landing on her hand, springing along whilst spinning to throw the weapon at me. I followed her, leaving the spear embedded, my hand staying low as I tried to drag the chain around her, hoping her lack of knowledge of our weaponry would play against her.

She smiled, throwing another set of knives at me, the blades flying at me, with not enough time to block with my sword. I smiled, she'd falling into my trap. I throw my arm back, grabbing my cape and throwing it at the blades, watching it quickly unravel and quickly pierced by silver. This was where I was glad I'm from the future. I had gotten it lined with good old chains, making sections of it impenetrable to weapons like that. Only thing that can truly get through that would be arrows and bolts. Swords and such however...let's face it, you can't protect yourself from everything. They didn't in medieval times from swords, they don't in this age.

As the cape slowly fell, I kept on running, now only in my leathers with nothing to drag me back. Zhu Rong threw a new set of blades, with a boomerang throw in the midst. I dived forward to get to the over side from my spear, diving over the boomerang and rolling under the blades, feeling some hitting the steel and bouncing off thankfully. I looked over to her, seeing her now standing over the chain, obviously not thinking it's anything out of place.

I smiled, yanking on the chain to start it pulling back, the links going taut as the spear quickly flew back, slamming Zhu Rong in the back as it returned. I charged forward at the same time, swinging my sword down with my spear at a different section. She quickly raised the blades on the 'rang, the weapons colliding before she shifted the angle, blocking the spear as well. I gritted my teeth, trying to force her back as she held me back with one hand.

She wasn't even trying. I watched her smile, seeing her pull her hand back, gasping before I jumped back, seeing three strands of silver slipping silently from her grasp to head to me. I dived once more, watching the blades fly over my head, doing a roll to get on my feet, standing up quickly.

She looked like she was enjoying this, throwing the 'rang up and catching it in her other hand with a grin. I quickly put the longsword away, giving the chain some slack before taking the spear off the gauntlet, spinning it quickly in my hand.

"Alright...if you're playing it that way..." I spoke, flexing my now spearless hand. "I'm gonna have to have to put you out" we began pacing around each other at this point, keeping an eye on one another. I tried to figure out if she had any more daggers on her.

"Better then you have tried, sweetie, and they have all turned to ash" She replied, juggling her 'rang once more. "This is Our Land, and if you wish to take it, then you will meet the unquenchable fires of the Nanman Spirit"

"If you haven't noticed, firebird, it's raining" I flipped the spear once more, thinking up a plan of any kind. "And this rain will do nothing to douse my spirits, but it will ruin the spirit of the people of Nanman" I held my free hand out. "If you haven't noticed, this rain has already worked to the detriment of your people...How long until that spirit is reduced to nothing but embers?" She didn't look any the worse for the revelation to hit her, but I knew that it had to hit home. It would have with me.

She slipped in her defensive stance, leaving me with a small opening. I quickly grabbed my crossbow, firing a bolt off at her leg, charging forward as I replaced the crossbow. She swung her 'rang skyward, her grin vanishing when she saw me. I threw myself into a slide, thrusting my spear upwards as I flew between her legs.

I pulled it back as I went by her, seeing blood on the tip, feeling the warmth on my face of her blood. I flipped myself up, turning to her and seeing her clutching her chest...OK, on one hand, I'm thankful I hit her chest because, of course, it's a chest hit, but I'm also thankful because it wasn't a certain OTHER area I could name (Hey, we may be enemies, and I may be more...erm...of a non-believer then the Nanman, but I care for my enemies, don't want them to be devoid of certain parts of their gender specific anatomy...and I don't want to know what'd happen if I destroyed the womb of a descendent of a god)

She turned around slowly, wiping her hand on her bra, showing me a deep wound on her chest, but acting like it was nothing. I couldn't help but gasp, cracking my neck and spinning the spear in my hand once more. Come the hell on, that would cripple most people. Then again, she's not most fighters. I smiled, knowing my work was cut out for me.

She threw the 'Rang at me, throwing some daggers at the same time and running at me. It was a moment of overload as I tried to figure out what to do, my body moving before my mind did. I flew to one side to dodge the 'rang, moving further to avoid the knives, but not reacting fast enough to avoid a swift uppercut, my face flying upwards. She carried this on, slamming a fist into my chest before bluntly jumping at me, forcing us both down to the ground, her on top of me, her legs around my chest, with my hands above my head. She grabbed her boomerang as it returned, wedging the blades next to my neck, starting to push it down. I moved my hand to grab the blunt end, trying to force it away whilst reaching for my spear, pulling slowly on the chain. She looked at me, seeing me reaching, lifting the 'rang up and slamming it down on the chain. I felt it snap, the chain falling slack as I pulled on it once more.

She grabbed a knife, lifting it over her head and holding it with both hands. I saw her, my hands moving as I had to grab her arms, the sliver of silver shining a mere inch from my eye. Fuck am I glad I grabbed that. My breath become altogether too shallow, seeing the gleam in her eyes as she figured that she was in a position of power. I guess she was dominating me to say the least. I had to get out of this somehow, and I had no idea how that was.

PING!

The blade suddenly flew to one side, saving my eye from getting the point of the matter, but cutting across my nose. We both paused, noting what had happened before acting. I got in first, letting her go and slamming my fist into her face, watching her recoil in pain. I then followed up, grabbing her hair and dragging her down to me. I put as much force as I had into it, slamming my head against hers, feeling the pain but watching her recoil once more. I slammed my fist into her chest once more, throwing her off me before scrambling backwards and grabbing my spear, shaking my head as I stood up.

I saw the broken arrow in the ground, looking over to the base and seeing Nu on the wall fighting off a group of soldiers. She was still covering my back, thank heavens for that. I saw Zhu Rong standing up slowly, grabbing her 'rang again and throwing it at me. I breathed, getting an idea in my head.

"Hey, Goddess of Fire!" I shouted, flipping over forward and going over the top of the weapon. My spear was thrust through the hole, keeping the momentum going and landing on my feet, spinning the rang on the end of the spear, feeling the weight of the thing on the wood. "Burn through this!" I pulled my arm back, throwing the 'Rang off the weapon and watching it fly towards the Amazon. She panicked, diving back away from me to duck under it, landing badly and sliding on her front. I charge at her as the 'rang went over her head, diving on top of her, grabbing her hair in a fist and slamming the spear into the ground by the side of her head.

"Yield!" I shouted in her ear, gritting my teeth as I did so. She tried to struggle at times, but eventually stopped, sighing and shaking her head.

"Looks like I'm burnt out" She spoke, sighing. "I yield...you got me" I breathed a sigh of relief, shaking my head. "Looks like you got me...now do it" I sighed, pulling my spear out of the ground and standing up off her.

"I know it might go against the Nanman spirit...but I'm going to allow you to live...if you run now" I backed away, holding my spear towards her. She looked at me, surprised as I reloaded the crossbow, but lifting herself up slowly.

"You sure about this hot stuff?" She replied, walking slowly over to her 'rang and picking it up.

"I best the Goddess. Seems the demon had his day" I told her, breathing a good sigh of relief. "Now go...but if you take me on, I won't hesitate" She sighed, putting it over her shoulder. "It's up to you what you do with your men...but I wouldn't be surprised my men have them" She started walking away, sighing again.

"You do what you will...see you another time" She walked off, leaving the battlefield behind her as I flipped my spear around, sad that the chain had broken. I also grabbed the cape, just putting it on my shoulder. Best way to finish this battle...

"It's time to clean up"

I walked away, knowing what my target was now.

King Meng Huo of The Nanman Tribe.

Somehow I fought off the Goddess, and her combination of weapons.

And for what it's worth...it was fun. Was definitely something I'd do again.

But now I had to think of the future, Meng and Nu could handle the frontline on their own.

I needed to think of Quan...and to do that I had to finish this battle...once and for all.