Chapter 54: Destiny of a Dynasty (part 3)
After a few minutes me, White, Landon, Haruka, Tanya and the 3 Lee Sisters are sat together in the front row again, with our cola flavoured milkshakes with which we give our compliments to both Noire and Blanc. It is now on the stage the performers for this part of the show are standing there: Noire herself is there with an electric guitar attractive as ever. Blanc herself is also there with a large drum kit sitting behind them with her drum sticks at the ready, ready to rock. There is also Rom, Ram and Uni standing there only the Lastation CPU Candidate has her own Barrett 50 Cal cradling in her arms. But there are other people on the stage as well: Zhen Ji is there with a flute in her hand who stands next to another lady.
This lady I recognise to be none other than Cai Wenji from Dynasty Warriors in her DW7 clothes: a kind and wise Caucasian woman with brown eyes and long brown hair. Her hairstyle is very unique as while it covers her ears but not her fringe, her hair is split into 3 at the back and in the middle it is tied up in braids as well. She wears a traditional dress that covers a lot of her body apart from her arms and feet, the dress is blue with white and black layers with a few Chinese letters on them. Over her waist is a few light blue ribbons tied together. Underneath her dress she wears a black shirt under some sort of ancient blue t shirt that is open at the top, which I can only guess since I'm unfamiliar with their clothing of the area or era. She wears long arm gloves that don't cover the hands that are black with gold moon symbols at the bottom and at the upper arm. For footwear she just wears what looks like ancient pumps that are black with gold design. For jewellery she wears an extravagant gold head piece in the shape of a moon with a few gold ornaments, and a gold stick that goes through it. She also wears a large gold necklace that drapes over her shoulders as well as two bracelets on her wrists: a light blue one for her right wrist and a gold one for her left wrist. The kind wise lady carries in her hands a harp, which she practices soothingly.
The final person on stage I recognise to be none other than Zhao Yun, his hair is long and black tied in a ponytail, his eyes are brown, his appearance is modern as he wears a green headband, a white leather jacket, a green top and green combat trousers and boots, on his back is his holstered spear.
It's not long before everyone starts performing, while the musicians play a suitable song from Dynasty Warriors which are awesome indeed to listen to, Uni then patrols with her gun, marching like a soldier with her sniping rifle held upright. The other 3: Rom, Ram and Zhao Yun then stand on their head balancing themselves as well as forming a letter b with their legs.
Once again there is a lot of awesome stuff happening at once, it's hard to know what to focus on: Blanc's awesome drum playing, Noire's guitar riffs, Zhen Ji's soothing flute playing, Cai Wenji's calming harp playing, Uni's skills with throwing and catching her rifle as she marches or Rom, Ram and Zhao's acrobatics. I'm not the only one as I see my front row friends with their jaws dropped.
It is then Uni starts patrolling again, as the three acrobats lower their legs down and do a roll so they're right way up again, they then spin their legs around them like a gymnast and moving their arms out of their way for a good few dozen times and quite quickly too, earning them and the other performers plenty of applause. Once again the trio roll over so they're standing on their heads with their legs reaching high, only for Zhao to then do a cartwheel from his position to a standing position away from the candidates, he then does plenty of back flips only to then land his feet on top of the candidate's feet, only for the candidates to quickly raise their legs up high while Zhao stands on each one of their legs up high. He then gets out about a dozen juggling balls and starts juggling them effortlessly for a while, he then stops juggling afterwards only to then launch them all into the air. The moment the balls are launched in the air, Uni stops her patrol at a point where her back is turned to the acrobats, without turning around or even aiming her rifle she randomly fires her Barrett 50 cal. Only to my surprise every one of her shots actually hits every single juggling ball.
There was no way she could have seen those juggling balls nor any way those juggling balls could have been rigged. She just basically hit 12 moving targets with her back to them without aiming her gun at them; she just fired at them casually while moving her rifle in a random fashion. She's definitely an amazing shot without a shadow of a doubt. As the song the musicians play is nearly finished Uni then pulls out the magazine from the rifle chucks into the air in an arc only to catch it with her rifle again with the magazine fitting into the gun again with much precision. When the song has finished everyone was on their feet applauding the musicians, the acrobats and the skilled markswoman.
"Wow Uni sure is an excellent shot." Landon said cheering the crowd on.
"I never knew Rom-chan and Ram-chan were such skilled acrobats, their man was also very good as well." Haruka added.
"Yeah he's Zhao Yun, the poster boy of Dynasty Warriors; he's always been doing daredevil stunts." I explain. Well from what I've seen from the Dynasty Warriors Intros over the years.
"Heh heh, Blanc is an awesome drummer, it's so amazing to see Zhen Ji perform her harp she's excellent at it, wow they're an awesome band: Noire is like a pro with a guitar and Cai Wenji with her harp." White said while clapping.
"Uh huh. How pleased I am that I helped train Zhao Yun in becoming the stunt master he is today." Xing Cai smiled with pride.
"Who would have thought Rom would be this good at gymnastics along with her twin sister, their older sister is a wonderful drummer." Da Qiao spoke in a similar tone to the Shu female warrior.
The musicians or as Noire would call them the Lastation coffee morning all time band, started playing another enjoyable piece of music from Dynasty Warriors. Uni does something different this time around, instead of patrolling she dances on the spot using her gun as a prop for her to dance with. For fun she decides to flirt in a cute way. As for the acrobats Zhao Yun just lowers himself down only to reach out and hold onto the other feet of the candidates as he drops down into a forward roll, allowing Rom and Ram to get up. While Zhao Yun then practices his training doing impressive moves with a spear, the Loweean pair then run towards a different wall on their side only to then run up it, when they have run up as high as they can go they then jump off the wall to a side of the pillar opposite the wall. They then jump upwards to the wall again like Mario does in a ping pong fashion. Up and up they go from the pillar to the wall until eventually they grab onto a horizontal pole, only to then climb onto it and lower themselves down so their folded legs are effectively gripping the pole.
While I've done that move in plenty of platforming video games before, to see those two do it, it is very impressive. They even manage to wave to the crowd with one arm as the crowd applauds them. As if on instinct Zhao then unholsters his spear, with the weapon firmly gripped by both of his hands he then charges with it only to quickly strike it in the ground using it as a make shift gymnast pole, when the spear hits the ground he launches himself in the air reaching out only for Rom to catch him by the legs.
Rom must share the same sheer strength as Blanc does to be able to catch him with ease, Zhao Yun's high jump and Rom's catch earned them another round of well-deserved applause. As soon as the applause has finished he then gets out some folded paper fans. He tosses a few up in the air, meanwhile on the ground while Uni does some sexy dancing with her sniper rifle, she fires a couple of bullets only from sheer talent each bullet hits the fans. Like before Uni was neither aiming nor looking at the targets. I'm in awe with her skills as a sniper. She must be the best marks lady in all of Gameindustri let alone Lastation, the crowd appreciates her skill and they give her a round of applause.
The brave Shu general Zhao Yun then launches himself from his position as he does a backflip in mid- air, only for Rom to catch both of his arms. After a… you guessed it readers another applause, Rom lets go of Zhao Yun's left hand allowing him to reach into his jacket reaching for another paper fan. In synchronisation with each other Rom and Ram start swinging on their pole getting into a rhythm, as they swing away from each other and towards each other. With perfect timing The Shu stuntman Zhao Yun launches himself from Rom's grip as he's somersaulting in mid-air. Meanwhile on the ground below Uni is swinging her sniper rifle in a circular, arc and like before at the right moment she appears to randomly fire her gun, only at the point she fires her weapon it hit the very fan the Shu general was carrying, afterwards Ram was able to catch the brave stuntman with no difficulty what so ever.
The crowd are on their feet clapping and cheering with much enthusiasm and passion. Wow this is amazing, what's even more amazing is that the 3 acrobats and sniper then repeat that part a few times to prove it's not a fluke, eventually Yun is caught by Rom after going back and forth only this time she flips him up in the air, he then does lots of somersaults before landing on the floor, the Lowee twin candidates then follow suit. As if on cue the moment Rom and Ram land on their feet is the exact moment the song ends. My friend's jaws are dropped at this spectacle; talent does not begin to describe everyone that has performed on stage today. I am very proud of them all and I know White is as well, for the acrobats and Uni to perform such unbelievable, mind blowing stuff with such precision, and the musicians to perform the songs together and to play their instruments very well, I am indeed amazed, maybe amazed is not doing their performance justice.
"This must be the most awesome thing I have ever seen, I never imagined the CPUs to be this talented wooo!" Landon cheered.
"I've been here for a while and this place or it's people never ceases to amazes me." I reply to him with pride.
I feel nothing but joy and pride as another song is now played and the 3 candidates and their male friend then rush off from the stage with Uni going in one direction and the other 3 head out the other way. They then reappear only this time Uni is on a stunt bike carrying her rifle in her other hand, draping the powerful weapon over her shoulder, while Zhao, Rom and Ram are on a mountain bike of their own together. The threesome are literally standing on the bike with Zhao in the middle, while he holds the Lowee youngster's hands as they stretch their arms and legs in a star shape. Both Rom and Rom carry targets for Uni to shoot. Both bikes then move towards each other quite quickly almost as if they're intending to joust. As both bikes drive past each other Uni casually fires her gun from where the rifle is, both targets are hit before both bikes leave the stage.
We give them a round of applause only for the bikes to go through the stage in the other way. This time around Zhao Yun is just holding onto the back of the motorcycle, while Rom and Ram each hold onto a handle with a very firm tight grip at the front. Their bodies are well balanced horizontally like a flag, there is also a target that is held with their thighs too. To see them do this is completely unbelievable, I never thought that was possible, oh how I love this world especially Lastation. Like before when both cars pass each other, Uni shoots both targets in her own impressive way, while managing to throw the rifle forward into the air and catching it rewarding them with another round of applause.
To our pleasant surprise from the stage floor two large ramps are activated that lead to nowhere though they're both quite large and face each other. The bikes return only Rom, Ram and the Shu stunt master have their own bikes now, they're all lined up together in a row holding a target for Uni to shoot in their hand, the bikers then race towards each other and with full speed they jump the ramp flying in the air across the stage.
I would never have imagined a stage being big enough for a truck let alone for 4 motorbikes to jump across, but with the unbelievable immense size of this stage the bikes jump across with no trouble. In fact they never even crash in mid-air and as always Uni manages to shoot the targets in her impressive way, which never ceases to amaze us as we are on our feet even chanting their names, in appreciation Uni waves to us as she drives off from the stage.
Their routine carries with another bike jump towards each other and more of Uni's impressive shooting, only all 4 of the bikers do a loop a loop doing a few successful rotations before landing. Even with Uni's bike spinning around and the targets constantly spinning around, she still manages to shoot the targets successfully. I love to know how she does it, I thought I was a crack shot but she's definitely in a league of her own.
The fantastic four do another cool ramp jump with the same impressive target shooting, only they do a barrel roll making Uni shooting the targets even more of a challenge, but even with that she still retains her flawless perfect accuracy, after doing a few rotations without a botch they all land on the other side of the stage, leaving the crowd speechless as they do these death defying stunts.
The awesome foursome then do the ramp jump again, only this time they all jump spinning their bikes around they must have rotated at least 1080 degrees each, though while it appears more challenging for them they still land successfully, and another batch of targets have bullet holes in them by our own Lasation's finest sniper.
With the next jump they do, all the 4 professional bikers are actually standing on the bike smiling as they wave to the enthusiastic and happy crowd with their free arms, they even blow a few kisses before the bikes land successfully and the bullets reach their target with no miss. Their stunts just keep on getting better and better for me.
After that they do another jump but this time all the bikers hold onto the handle of the bike with one hand, and a target or a gun respectively in their other hand. They do all of this without sitting on the seat of the bike. In fact as they accelerate the bike, their bodies are balanced horizontally like from before as with just one hand they hold on for dear life. As they jump over the ramp we gasp in amazement as Uni just casually fires her sniping rifle at the targets with one hand, without looking at them before, all the bikers land successfully earning them a big round of applause.
It is at that point the song is nearly over as they appear to do one final spectacular jump, even though all 4 of them are sitting in their bikes this time, when the bikers jump off the ramp in mid-air they then do an astonishing somersault from their bikes. It is at that point where Uni shoots the targets that the other 3 gymnasts carry, before being able to land in the seat of her bike again effortlessly. I'm impressed they all managed to land their somersault successfully despite having to carry something with one hand. Not long after the bikers land on the bikes that once seated, the bikes then land successfully from that ramp jump.
As if on cue the moment the wheel reaches the stage the music ends. Instead of heading out of the stage all 4 bikers turn towards us and stop in a line as they stand up waving to us, even blowing kisses. In fact the musicians themselves also take a flirtatious bow to us as we cheer loudly.
"They were so awesome on those bikes, I'd love to get a bike Landon, they look so cool." Tanya hinted at Landon
"You read my mind Tanya." He agreed.
"It can be arranged guys, I say they did look like they were having so much fun on those bikes. I can't blame them though they're such magnificent machines and are so cool to ride." I commented.
As the applauding continues the ramps are lowered down into the stage and the bikers then drive off the stage. Another incredible song from Dynasty Warriors is played and now our 4 stunt people return, for this song they have left their bikes but while Uni is on the stage carrying two Barrett 50 Cals. The other 3 are standing together to the left, on top of a horizontal tight rope that spans the entire stage, and in their hands are targets for Uni to shoot. The 3 of them then walk together in unison holding out their targets while placing their other hands on their hips.
I would have thought that even for these guys, walking together on a tight rope without balancing yourself properly would not be possible, or even hip firing dual wield sniping rifles successfully, but these guys are able to do it with no trouble at all, and with each act they do they're more and more impressive. I really do enjoy as well as appreciate how it becomes more challenging to them as they do more daring stuff as the wonderful music continues on.
Though it takes a while for the 3 tight rope walkers to reach the other side, they do so without falling off and Uni is able to fire even akimbo sniper rifles without missing and without looking. The trio bow in applause while Uni throws both weapons in the air and juggles them for a short while before, throwing them in the air a great distance one more time, only to then catch them by the triggers with her hands.
The tight rope walkers promote themselves to tight rope runners as they all hold another target each, as the Ezio Auditore de Firenzes run this rope with such speed and agility without falling down, the increased speed doesn't prevent Uni from shooting her targets in her own impressive way. After seeing them run across, I can't help but notice that by both ends of the tightrope there is a large pile of hay. I couldn't help but laugh at the reference.
The crowd chants "we are assassins." during that run. Once the "assassins" reach their destination they then hold a different target and cross the tight rope again, this time they literally do a cart wheel over the rope, even from what I have seen from before, it appears far-fetched that the Lowee candidates and Zhao Yun can cartwheel over a rope with a target in their hands, their talent is unbelievable and it is such a privilege and an honour to be able to see them perform like this. As the acrobats cross the tightropes like the brave dare devils they are, Uni dances for a bit in quite a flirtatious manner, only to then hold her rifles on her shoulders and fire both guns which hit the targets, despite the targets constantly moving in a circular motion that is moving towards the right. After which while she waits for the acrobats to reach the other side Uni then throws her impressive guns in the air at quite a height, only to catch them both with ease. She even once emptied the magazines of the rifles, only to then throw the weapons up in the air, she then throws magazines which click into place of the rifles in the air, the rifles then fall back down and she catches the guns with no difficulty. I have to say that is a cool way to reload your gun. Eventually though the acrobats make it to the other side and the crowd gives the gymnasts a generous round of applause with which the gymnasts respond by smiling and waving.
Like before they step it up another gear as the gymnasts on the tight rope cross again with targets in their hands, this time they do lots of front flips rapidly, and the fact that they do that all the way across without a break or a fall is mind blowing, they even hold the usual targets in their hands. Despite the fast speed and the constant velocity change of the moving targets, Uni is still able to shoot them. I wonder whether she has a special sense that enables her to detect targets without looking at them, and to be able to shoot them without properly aiming her gun.
Once again the tightrope stunt guys head back, but this time they moonwalk backwards carrying their targets. As they approach the centre of the stage some bars are activated that are above the rope, each of a consistent height above the rope, which I'd say is about two decimetres above. Each bar has a target on it for our pro Uni to shoot and they all move slowly towards the gymnasts.
I couldn't help but notice how thin some of the bars are as well as how long they are, which I guess adds to the challenge.
The moonwalking the gymnasts do is very hilarious, they're real pros of it, it's almost like they're good dancers. When a bar does reach them they all jump over it as though it's part of their rhythm, I'd love to be able to do what they do, they've gotten cheer after cheer after cheer. Meanwhile with Uni for this part, she spins around like a ballerina and at the exact right moments she fires her rifle which hits the targets. I often wonder if there's any target Uni can't hit? This awesomeness never ceases for me, eventually more bars are activated only this time they are of varying heights above the rope, from one decimetre to over a metre. There are even some bars that go below the tight rope. It's almost like some 2d platform challenge for them now, very appropriate indeed not only that, they have to go backwards with the moonwalk too. Again like before the bars have a target but these ones are activated remotely, my gut feeling is they'll activate at a time when the gymnasts are on the bar. The song that the musicians play is nearly finished. Probably just as well as this is the case, I think this is their hardest challenge yet.
The crowd are cheering the gymnasts on as they cross the tight rope backwards and have to dodge the bars.
"I'm not sure if I could do what they do in a videogame, let alone in their circumstances." Landon gasped.
"Yeah you're not the only one it's kinda ironic considering we're arguably being a video game." I reply to him
"It's an adventurous video game." Tanya agreed.
"Uh huh, it is a challenge. Haruka added.
"I agree." White said.
"Yeah it definitely is a roller coaster, one of excellence I'll tell you that." I mentioned.
"Those performers are very brave doing all of those stunts, as well as the musicians to perform in front of this huge crowd. They're very kind people too." The Wu youngster added.
"It's great how everyone is with them every step of the way. I feel the duties we perform as a nation can ensure peace will occur for future generations." Xing Cai agreed.
We watch with our mouths open wondering if they'll do it, I kinda feel tense for them right now. The first bar comes along and they jump over it, after which that bar has its target activated which Uni shoots, another bar comes along which is even higher than the first one. The gymnasts do a higher jump lifting their legs up so they become horizontal, while the bar moves under their legs. After performing that manoeuvre they then move their legs back down so they land on their feet. All this while they're facing backwards to the end my word, I'm speechless. Meanwhile during that time Uni shoots down a target that appears on the bar with ease, while doing her impressive ballerina like spinning. Amazing indeed.
The moment their feet touch the rope they quickly drop down so their bodies are under the rope, only to then roll under the rope while holding it tightly, as the next bar goes over them they crawl backwards slowly while upside down. It is then I see 2 bars approach their location one of them being over the rope, and the other being below at their level. With unbelievable skill and balance they hold onto the rope and steer their bodies so it's perfectly perpendicular to the rope, how do they do it, balancing themselves like that? They're so skilled, where would they have got the chance to train like that? They're so unbelievably talented. Our jaws are dropped as they maintain that position with their bodies for long enough as both bars go past them. Two targets then appear on both bars which Uni manages to shoot simultaneously with her back to the targets. For fun the gymnasts do a few swings on the rope only to then launch themselves up in the air at the right moment, all 3 of them then do some somersaults only for them to land on a bar with their back towards the other side.
Though they're closer to the other side, they still have some way to go and the very bars that they're standing on are moving slowly but surely back to the start.
It is then the gymnasts back flip to a bar behind them that is higher, only to then do it to another higher bar, they do this a few times until they're at the highest point of this challenging obstacle course. At this point targets from the previous bars show up. Just by turning around slightly and firing both her guns while her back is facing them, Uni is able to shoot the targets down with rapid succession and it's awesome she's able to fit that into her routine.
Though there are no more bars that go higher for the gymnasts there are more bars on the same level, in fact these bars are actually parallel to the rope rather than perpendicular. Despite the bars being cylindrical to add to the difficulty, the 3 gymnasts cross the bars with ease, but they don't cross over forwards mind you. They actually cross them backwards and not only that but they do so in various ways.
For Zhao his method of crossing, is that he rolls under the bar holding on firmly while he's upside down, he then crawls backwards upside down, as soon as he's crawled back as far as possible he then lowers himself down letting go of the bar with his hands, only to then move his body towards the next bar and then grab it. He then then let's go with his legs, as he moves his legs towards the next bar and he then grips the bar tightly. He then repeats the process with each bar.
For Rom she just merely does backward cartwheels repeatedly in one flow, but she ensures that her cartwheels never cause her to fall, as the ground so to speak isn't consistently there.
Ram meanwhile just runs backwards only when she reaches the edge she does a backflip to the next bar.
It's amazing how this fantastic foursome is able to do their own different thing. I like how the 3 gymnasts do their own daring way of crossing the bars, I also really like how the sniper below is able to shoot, but as I look at the targets that are shot I then notice how they all hit the bulls-eye, which is more power to Uni's talent at what she does.
It is then they reach the final bar in the sequence, and Zhao is now standing upright on the bar, there are no more bars for them to cross and they are as close to the other side as they can get. All 3 of them decide to jump off backwards towards the other side, as they're in the air they do plenty of somersaults there which appear to be very quick ones, almost as though they've become spinning balls.
I wasn't sure if they could make it considering how far away the rope is, as well as how little surface the rope does provide to walk on. During the gymnast's decent Uni does a somersault jump of her own a few times, while with perfect timing she shoots two random targets that show up.
Astonishingly the gymnasts do reach the pole though, landing feet first as the song is nearing its end. The gymnasts then pose while standing on the rope as they receive plenty of flash photography. Soon afterwards the trio then do a handstand on the rope only to then grab onto the tightrope with their hands they then do lots of complete swings, they then increase their rate of swinging as they move faster and faster, it is then they let go as they fall towards the centre of the stage. The group then do somersault after somersault almost like they're spinning balls once more. Meanwhile our expert sniper in black then throws both of her guns into the air really high as she holds out her arms.
I was not expecting this to happen; both Rom and Ram actually land in Uni's arms together, I never knew Uni was that strong, in fact the Lowee twins are just sitting on her arms very comfortably. Suddenly Zhao Yun then lands on both the twin's arms as their arms form a seat, with which he lies on comfortably. Finally both rifles fall into Zhao Yun's hands.
What a finish and its awesome how they timed it, as the moment the rifles are caught is the moment the song finishes. Everyone has done well and we are on our feet giving them a standing ovation. They have lots of photos taken of them, they are overwhelmed with flowers and money. We ourselves are cheering at this awesomeness.
After a brief while Zhao Yun drops down, Rom and Ram follow suit, the musicians themselves leave their positions to join them, taking their instruments with them except for Blanc as she plays drums. They all congratulate one another, showing how proud they are of each other. We're still cheering them on and the concert is filled with applause, and people on their feet chanting and waving our banners with patriotism and pride.
As if on cue I could hear Darth Vader's theme being played and so the gymnasts leave the stage, waving to the crowd and blowing kisses. As our Jedi in Black walks to the stage, for fun we show our salute to him. As usual our Jedi in Black is followed by his storm troopers who are playing this theme with their musical instruments.
"What is Darth Vader doing here? I thought he was evil." Landon gasped understandably.
"Don't worry he's a good guy here." I reassured him.
"What is he doing here though? What tricks is he going to do?" Tanya said bewildered.
"Oh he's got a hidden talent." I answered.
"Oh yeah he's very good at reciting poetry, Cai Wenji is known for her poetry and it would be interesting to see where this goes, we've been more than entertained throughout so let's see what this is like." White added.
"I have heard how inspiring her poetry really is she is a remarkable lady." Da Qiao said.
"Yes, lots of people enjoy hearing her speak." Xing Cai added.
When they reach the centre of the stage Vader gestures his band of white soldiers to stop, as we are excited to see him and we are wondering what they're going to do together? Whatever it is as White have said we have been entertained throughout, let's see what this is like.
