Authors Notes : And we are on chapter 2 of this story , now we'll finally be able to get into the Archon War at its bloodiest and ruthless . And by that I mean , more Guizhong and Zhongli moments with very minimal actual fighting .
XD
But for real , I do hope to actually get some action scenes in here and there . Though its very difficult to do since I have a bit of trouble writing proper fight scenes , that and the fact that this whole story is basically just bits and pieces of important moments in Zhongli's life . And I doubt all the bloody war moments were things he would like to remember , if at all .
I'll admit that my reasoning for only including the Archon War in the span of a single chapter in 'Lord of Winds' was due to my own laziness , but also partly because I also wanted to get into what Venti would have done to the Lawrence Clan after he woke up . Considering how he is very different from canon Venti , even if he still has that playful attitude to him .
But enough about that , let's get right into the chapter !
Morax didn't know how it all really started .
Who fired the first shot ? Who attacked first ? Who started it all ?
Who knew ? And honestly speaking , he wasn't even really sure it mattered .
The Archon War had begun .
And it was already increasing in intensity and bloodshed .
From intelligence reports , he had heard that the Goddess of Salt had been forced to relocate her people after declaring that she would not participate in the war . This declaration led to her being forced to move her people out of their own homes entirely , due to her reluctance to fight the war .
Morax could not , would not let such a thing happen to his own people .
Morax himself had to already start mobilizing his men to prepare an adequate defense of his own territory . He already had an army to defend Liyue , as once the war had been announced , many of his people had stepped up and joined the army to help defend their home . He had found it both admirable and noble that so many of his people joined up with him .
He already heard that gods were starting to attack and wage assaults on each other's territory , in an attempt to gain more ground and land .
Morax had to be ready for it .
At the moment , he was standing at the top of a guard tower overlooking the potential directions an assault could be led .
" My lord ! Our scouts have reported in ! " Morax heard one of his commanders call out from the ground .
He didn't respond but simply jumped from the tower and landed in front of his commander on the ground .
The commander directed him to the scouts who were on their knees , awaiting further orders .
" Stand " Morax commanded and they quickly got up " What have you learned ? "
" Sir , we have confirmed that the God of Nature intends to strike against us tomorrow . He leads his army against us and will most likely attack from the west " The scout explained " That is all we were able to uncover my lord "
'So Falco intends to strike against me and my people ? Most unfortunate ... '
" I see ..." Morax contemplated the information he had just received before turning to his commander " Commander , prepare our men for defense . We must hold our land "
" Yes sir " The commander saluted and bowed before running off to follow his orders .
Morax himself must now prepare for his first battle .
Morax was currently wondering what he was feeling right now was what humans called 'fear' .
Or was it 'nervousness' ? He wasn't completely sure .
Morax pushed whatever feelings he had away , as he and his army faced off against Falco . Both armies and gods standing opposite sides .
The God of Nature had indeed led his army from the west , just as intel had told him he would .
The words spoken between them were brief and straightforward . That was the one thing that Morax did appreciate about Falco , he was always honest about his intentions .
" Morax ! Surrender your land and I'll let your people live !" Falco demanded .
Unfortunately it would not save Falco . A pity .
" No "
Was Morax's simple reply .
No further words needed to be spoken , Falco gave the order to attack as Morax ordered his men to charge to meet their enemy halfway .
The two armies collided and there was no clear sight of who had the advantage as of yet .
Morax had used his geo powers to cause ripples in the earth for Falco's men to fall into and would summon large rocks to crush some of them into paste .
Falco was not dawdling either , he had used his powers of nature to blind Morax's men with leaves and would summon vines to strangle and crush some of his men .
Morax grit his teeth as he narrowed his eyes as Falco .
He had to deal with Falco above all else . His men could hold their own against Falco's men .
He charged at the god of nature , but just as he was about to impale him with his spear , Falco held up his sword to block against the powerful strike .
The two parried blows at each other , Morax getting a hit in Falco's shoulder , while Falco got a hit in Morax's thigh .
It practically became a game of attrition and Morax was not about to lose .
Falco jumped back as thousands of leaves and the grass itself started to be drawn to him . Morax eyes widened as he understood what he was doing .
'He's charging up for an attack ! '
Morax turned to his men , he might be able to stand this attack but his men can't !
" Everybody get behind me now !" Morax shout resonated throughout the battlefield and all of his men quickly followed his orders and broke off from their engagements with the enemy .
Morax stood at the forefront of his men as he summoned the powers of geo to construct a barrier around his men , he just needs a minute ...
" NATURES FURY ! "
Falco shouted as he released his attack at Morax , it came in the front of a thousand leaves all backed up with the magical force of nature behind them .
Morax's eyes widened and he urged himself as he poured his power into erecting the barrier .
Morax closed his eyes as he felt the attack draw nearer and nearer ...
...
...
...
...
...
When Morax opened his eyes again , he is staring through a translucent gold tinted shield . It takes him a minute to realize that he had managed to create a barrier that shielded all of his men from danger .
' I did it ... I really did it ...'
Morax looks to the opposite side of the field and can only stare in awe .
The attack may not have hit his men ... but it did hit Falco's .
The attack had shredded dozens of his men who were not able to get out of the radius of the attack in time .
By the looks of it , over half of Falco's force had been destroyed by his own hand .
The God of Nature looks in shock over what he had just done . Before he looks at Morax and their eyes meet .
Morax lowers the barrier and his men charge forward , ready to finish off what's left of Falco's men .
" Fall back ! Fall back now !" Falco shouted at his remaining men before running off with them into the hills .
Morax watched Falco flee with what remains of his men .
Morax didn't bother to chase after him , he was already beaten .
They had won .
But Morax knew in his heart that this battle would be just one of countless more that would come .
Morax hated it when he was right sometimes .
Since that first battle with Falco , he had waged and defended against several more gods , each more challenging than the last .
He had begun to lost count over how many battles it had been since he had started fighting .
Morax walked through the field of glaze lilies , gently touching each one as he passes by .
He needed some time alone to think about his next move , their last battle had ended in a draw and he still needs to worry about Falco possibly regrouping and attacking his people again . He needs to-
" Morax ? "
Morax's eyes widened as he spun around and summoned his spear and pointed it at the source of the voice .
" Morax wait ! "
But he immediately stops when he registers who the voice is .
" Guizhong ? " Morax said in surprise and quickly desummons his weapon " What are you doing here ? "
Truth be told , he was actually happy to see Guizhong after so long . He can't quite recall how long it has been since the two last saw each other or even when they had their last game of chess together . And it worried him that he wasn't able to send anyone to Guili Assembly to check up on her and her people to at least make sure they were still alive .
So seeing her here is nothing short of pure relief for Morax .
" Is it really so hard to believe that I wanted to see an old friend again ? " Guizhong said with a smile .
" You haven't visited in quite some time , I thought you were busy handling your own people in this war " Morax says . Between protecting his people and his land along with planning assaults/defending against other gods , worrying about keeping his people and his men fed , he didn't really have the time to visit Guizhong . He had assumed that she was in a similar situation .
" I'm really sorry I haven't visited in a while Morax but ... I have indeed been busy protecting my people and fighting back against other gods that seek to take my territory " Guizhong explained " I haven't particularly much time to visit you "
'Fair enough . I can't really complain about that '
" But that's actually what I want to talk to you about Morax ... about the war " Guizhong added quickly .
" How so Guizhong ? "
Guizhong gave a soft smile " Shall we go to our usual spot to discuss this matter ? "
" Very well . Let us go " Morax nodded as he followed Guizhong .
They had headed to their usual spot where they would play chess , Guizhong actually suggested they play a game but they both ended up deciding that they should focus on the matter at hand . They still ended up brewing tea and discussing . Well , not right away , Guizhong had a whole slew of questions to ask him when they settled down . Particularly about how he had been since the war began , how he is personally and more questions along those lines .
Morax found it wasteful that they be wasting time like this when they could be organizing their men and planning out their next move , but deep down Morax could not deny that he found it nice to chat with his old friend after so long .
Of course , she eventually did tell him about what she wanted to discuss with him and it ... interested Morax to say the least .
" An alliance ? "
" Yes , Morax an alliance between the two of us and our people " Guizhong said with a smile " It is an agreement that is mutually beneficial to the both of us "
" But why do you suddenly want to have an alliance ? Why did you not come to me during the start of the war ? " Morax asked several questions " Are you having trouble defending your people by any chance Guizhong ? "
" To answer all of your questions , the reason for why I didn't ask for an alliance as the start was because I was busy fending off gods that were trying to attack my people . I promise you Morax , if I could have done this sooner , I would have " Guizhong explained " And to answer your second question ... I have not had any problems defending my people or my territory ... so far ..."
The unsteady tone in Guizhong's voice did not unnoticed by him .
Guizhong let out a sigh " I'll be honest with you , my people and I have been able to fend off gods that have attacked us only because of strategy and luck . But even those two things only go so far , if I ever go up against a god that is both strategic and powerful ... my people and I are doomed " Guizhong narrowed her eyes at him " Which is why I came to you Morax , you have the strength I need to defend my people . And I have the smarts to back that strength up so ..."
Guizhong extended her hand across the table at him .
" Will you join me in this alliance ? "
Morax considered the proposition for a moment .
Before he took her hand and shook it " I accept your alliance Guizhong , I am happy to work with you "
" Same . Now how about a game of chess ? It has been too long " Guizhong smirked before setting a chess board .
Morax let out a sigh and resigned himself to this , she was not going to take no for answer .
Morax panted as he wiped some sweat from his brow " Is that enough Guizhong ? "
" no ... not nearly enough " Guizhong looked tired as well as she panted too " Keep going ... "
" Very well ..." Morax caught a deep breath before he continued to do what he had been doing with his hands .
This continued for the next few hours , before Guizhong was satisfied .
" ...Aaand done ! " Guizhong said as Morax finished " Thanks a lot for your help Morax "
" My pleasure " Morax nodded .
" With this device , we will able to defend our lands a bit better now " Guizhong giggled as she stroked the big device .
Guizhong had called Morax over to her territory in order to do some work on a brand new type of ballista . Since they had begun working together , that meant Guizhong had begun to supply Morax's men with her arsenal of advanced weapons . And there were quite a few of them to name such as crossbows , greatswords , high quality arrows and even ballista's .
Morax had to hand it to Guizhong : She wasn't known as the Goddess of Blacksmiths for nothing .
" So what will you call it ? "
" Hmmmm ... I think I'll call it the X-Bow " Guizhong smirked at him " Quite nice wouldn't you say ? "
" Its fitting I suppose " Morax inspected the new machine " So how does it work ?"
" It is capable of firing automatically if targeted at a specific foe or collection of enemies . Of course , I've also designed it to be capable of being manned by both mortals and other adeptal beings "
Guizhong walked around the giant device with a pep in her step and a big smile on her face , she was certainly happy .
Morax had a soft smile on his face , it was amusing to see Guizhong in such high spirits , she always was when she finally completed a new invention .
Heavens know they need some optimism to keep them going with the Archon War still raging on .
Guizhong turned to him with a smirk " Now all it needs is some good old target practice to calibrate it ..." She gave him a sly smile " Care to volunteer Morax ? "
" If you're seriously suggesting that I stand around while you shoot me with arrows and bolts , then the answer is no " Morax denied immediately .
" Oh come on Morax ..." Guizhong walked over to him and placed her hands on his chest " You would make such a big , strong and sturdy target ... I'm sure you would be able to handle it ..."
Morax felt his cheeks turn red at Guizhong's words , and he found himself at a loss for words .
Guizhong laughed in her hand as she moved away " Kidding ! I was just kidding Morax ! Of course , I wouldn't use for target practice ..."
Morax turned away with a look of annoyance .
" Though ... I wasn't joking about you being big , strong and sturdy ... makes me curious if every part of you is like that " Guizhong teased with a faint blush on her cheeks .
If Morax had been drinking something , he most likely would have chocked on it .
'Is this what humans refer to as flirting ? '
And that is the end of the chapter ! Hope you all enjoyed the scenes of Zhongli and Guizhong and Zhongli not understanding what seduction and flirting is , it was definitely a fun part for me to write .
:P
In fact , I would say a huge chunk of this story is just Zhongli and Guizhong moments . There goes all the gritty war scenes ...
XD
But jokes aside , I think its honestly better this way since I quite frankly suck at writing large scale battle scenes , at least ones that involve gods and such . So its better to just keep them small scale .
Well , I hope to see you all in the next chapter .
Angel Out .