Chapter 1: The heavenly avengers. First act of the Boxers rebellion arc.
Sun shone brightly more so then ever scorching the earth exposed to its rays making it dry and crumble by the simple touch of one's foot, numerous people who seen better days were out in the street standing in lane as better dressed people approached them pushing a cart bringing forth dishes of noodles handing them one by one to the starving and heated peasants.
Just as one old lady was about to claim her bowl the hooves of horses echoed and the bowl was snatched, the villagers glared angrily at a bandit riding his steed as he gobbled up the noodle in one swallow before he dropped the dish to the ground.
*POW-POW
The people got down from the shots of muskets as more bandits rode into the village tying the cart with ropes attached to their mounts riding off, the crowd of starving peasants turned to the better dressed saviours with pleading eyes, one of them turned to the bandits signalling with his arm as the few armed men prepared their own muskets taking aim at the bandits "Return the cart these muskets we bought from Adrestian merchants are far superior to that of your own."
The bandits didn't take the threat rather the leading bandit that stole the bowel from the elderly woman snuck his hand inside his short pulling a purple squared pendant speeling an E out, the officials along with the soldiers simply averted their gaze turning their back to the bandits who rode off with the food leaving the starving citizens behind one young boy clenched his fists in anger turning to the officials and the armed men "These bandits stole our emergency food! Get them! Why are you letting them get away!"
"Their Eris faithful" the official answered.
"Just because they follow a certain religious sect doesn't exempt from crime!" yelled a woman trying to calm a crying infant in her arms.
"Well unless you want the Britannian troops to raze your village to the ground then attack them by all means" the official rebuffed before he and his men left leaving the crowd of peasants to fight their hunger and force themselves into their homes.
The young boy that called out the men looked over from the window his eyes never leaving the direction in which the bandits had escaped "Don't think to go after them!"
The boy turned around to see a woman younger than she looks as she was barely flesh at this point only bones with a blanket that resembles flesh on her with a missing eye "Mom why are we being abandoned? Everyone is saying it how the imperial clan had bowed down to the demons and allowing them to split the empire into territories."
"Lee things are complicated" the mother said as much as she can he was still a boy not able to understand the station their in how these demons are just their betters and nothing could be done "Don't worry I'll gouge the other eyes out so you can eat."
"Don't!" Lee demanded holding the woman's hand stopping her action.
"I'll mail it to your dad to sell it in the black market of the capital" the mother tried to pull herself free but her son had more meat on his skin which allowed him to overpower her to the point he unwillingly snapped her wrist, the woman crouched down silently gasping as she held her snapped wrist.
"Mom I didn't mean it sorry" Lee began tending to the arm as the bone skinned woman simply fell from heat and exhaustion allowing Lee to take her to the bed which was nothing more than a few straws thrown together on the floor to look like a bed, Lee looked out in the window with a sigh "Guess we're eating earth poppy again."
Lee came out meeting an all out scramble amongst the starving peasants for the poppies thankfully the youth had a secret place ensuring none had followed him out of the village a few meters away where a dry tree had crouched down in it's roots were poppies that the youth began collecting "Based on the scouts this's mostly where the bandits had escaped."
Lee's ears perked up climbing the trunk a bit he saw a group of men peasants like himself carrying spears and hunting rifles "We're striking at night."
Lee was noticed by one of the peasants "SPY!"
Lee climbed down to escape but before he could even begin to run one of the men jumped up and landed gracefully before him spinning his spear pointing it's tip towards the youth who fell back in fear, the spearmen retracted his weapon upon seeing the spy "It's just a boy."
"Don't be fooled even boys are forced to sell themselves to bandits now" spoke the supposed leader a masked young man with a covered head and black goggled over his glasses carrying a sword on his back and a bow on his left shoulder, he kneeled down before Lee eyeing him through his goggles "Boy how much did you hear?"
Lee stared a bit "Just what are you guys planning?"
"Are you not a spy?"
"No I'm a simple kid just here to grab poppies for food from my secret stash" Lee grabbed the poppies on the dry tree's roots before eating some himself, the men looked between themselves as the boy's mouth and body didn't reject the substance.
Though the spearman was a bit concerned "Boy how long have you been eating this?"
"I forgot when I started it's probably around when the droughts began happening" Lee answered before chuckling a sadly "Nah it's probably even longer, better poppies then rocks, though we were supposed to eat some noodles from the humanitarian aid today."
The masked man pressed further "What happened to the noodles did the aid run out of food when your turn came up?"
"I wish but no it's because some bandits showed up and stole the food, since their Eris cultist the guards didn't do anything" Lee answered.
"Alright boy your free to go but don't let us catch you here again" the masked man made way for Lee who nodded grabbing as many poppies as he can get before running off.
Once the boy was out of shot the Spearman looked at the masked man "It's now or never Cao."
"Indeed Zhang heaven will not rest until this injustice is solved."
(…)
The sun had long set making way for dark clouds and blue sky with no stars to illuminate the darkness but within the lone mountain range inside one of the narrowest entrances a fire was lit up surrounded by numerous bandits who were celebrating and wasting food "Ha part of me wish my old folks were here to see this" one bandit looked up with a red face of drunkenness with a bear in his hand "They were making plans of escape and promising shares to corrupt land lords."
"Yep now all it takes is show them a pendant of some faith and they'll leave ya alone" another bandit cheered as the two pumped their cups together.
*Fop
The terrified little boy crouched down avoiding a spear that was aimed it him, he pulled on his leash a very thick rope wrapped tightly around his neck keeping him in place before a giant target painting behind him the boy again evaded a knife that was aimed at his face.
One bandit slammed his table getting up and pointed at the boy "Stop moving around so much your making it hard for us to hit you!"
"I'll kill you!" the boy shouted trying to chew his way out of the rope "I'll take back the food you stole from my village."
"Hah!" another bandit laughed "Your still one about that kid?"
"Here I'll shut him up with this" the fat bandit brought out a musket aimed at the boy "Good luck dodging this one kid this baby covers about 25 squares the exact spot of your target."
The boy panicked and crouched down putting his hands together for prayer "Lord of Jade please cast a barrier on me."
"Get ready to-"
*SPLAT
The bandit was cut off from both his speech and the pulling of the trigger as he fell.
"Dong?" one of the bandits asked seeing an arrow piercing his head.
Another bandit brought out his musket "Bastard who the hel-"
*THWAMP
He too was silenced when a shuriken was impeded into his eye and making all the way to opposite side of the head, the bandits became alerted looking around but one by one they were all killed with knifes being impeded unto their eyes, spikes stabbing their stomach and chests, arrows piercing their eyes and throats or small knifes splitting their noses in half.
"What's going on?" asked the last standing bandit in fear barely keeping an iron grip on his blade two cloaked figures landed before the bandit who fell on his butt out of startlement.
"You traitor who turned his back on heaven" Cao began reciting as he approached the bandit "You who angered the gods of this land by extorting it and worship eviler deities, now it's time for you to repent and burn in the bowels of Diyu."
"GO TO HELL YOURSELF!" the bandit threw a pebble at Cao who easily caught it he concentrated on the pebble that began to light up with a flick of his hand Cao threw the charged pebble at the bandit who braced himself but the pebble rather than hit him it hit the ground next to him making a debris which the bandit inhaled some off, the bandit quickly coughed not sooner then that a knife was piercing his nose "AHHH!"
The bandit cried holding pierced nose in pain before he could grab the knife to remove it Cao grabbed the knife and pinned the bandit down, Zheng approached putting a crucifier down with some ropes that he quickly latched unto the bandit and pinned him on the crucifier tightening the ropes "For your actions against the land of the dragons from denouncing it's faith, taint it's culture and starving it's people we judge you to have the death of the one thousand cuts!"
The bandit face turned pale "Y-you can't do that! The death of a thousand cuts is forbidden by the laws of the nation and of the-"
"SILEANCE!" Cao yelled bringing his knife "We are no dogs of the weakened court nor do we lick the boots of the demons, we are the sons of the heavenly dragons we bring retribution to please heaven."
Cao dug the knife unto the tendon of the bandit's shoulder tearing it little by little making the thief tear up, Zheng brought his own knife cutting unto the belly of the sinner who began coughing blood. The two avengers hacked slowly but effectively at the man's body turning his muscles inside out while crushing his bones and split them with their bare hands they also applied amputation to his hands, feet's, family jewels and nose leaving the corpse beyond recognition, taking a bit of the blood Cao wrote letters next to the crucified corpse.
Meanwhile the boy that was tightened watched with fearful eyes at the two men who approached him still carrying their bloodied knifes that they hacked the bandit with Zheng swung his knife at the boy's direction freeing him from his leash "Go lad this's no place for a boy."
"I can't leave not without taking back the rations those bandits stole from my village" the boy stood his ground on shaking legs.
"Fear not lad your village and many other's will be fed" Cao assured grabbing the stolen goods and gathering some of the waste the bandits threw on the floor.
(…)
Another scorching day followed as Lee came out of the house ready to capture any maggots he can eat only for his eyes to widen seeing the villagers gathered with cheers and satisfaction in the village's square, curios the lad approached the square surprised to see the two men that cornered him yesterday handing out rations to the starving peasants "You take this bowl."
Lee slowly approached after Zheng called him over to be given the bowl of rice the boy stared down at it with tears swelling up in his eyes before he knew it his hand involuntary grabbed a patch and began eating the rice allowing his tears to cascade down his cheeks finally eating something that wasn't forced just to get by, he was eating real food "Th-thank you."
Zheng smiled as he wiped the tears off of the youth "Think nothing of it kid now I believe you have a mother correct?" Lee nodded as he was given another bowl of rice "Give this to her."
Lee nodded again taking the bowl and ran towards his home with crying cheers followed by many of the villagers that could finally satisfy their hunger with actual food rather than pebbles and sand, the villagers waved at the two outlaws leaving their village.
"If it's not too much trouble who are you guys?" Lee asked the two men who stopped momentarily before they raised their fists towards the heaven above them.
"We are the fists of righteousness and fury!" the duo announced simultaneously "We are the ones to bring back domination of the Jade cult and chase the demons off of our sacred lands!"
Finished with their introduction the two outlaws flipped back avoiding gun shots that were fired upon them, looking over everyone saw imperial troops similar to the guards that were in the village yesterday aiming their rifles at the two outlaws "By decree of his majesty the emperor the two of you are under arrest for attacking Eris faithful come with us quietly."
Cao rushed towards the two guards who fired upon the outlaw that easily jumped over them both and threw metal rings that impeded unto their eyes blinding them, the guards ended up dropping their rifles Cao landed back and with a swift he cut their necks letting them fall lifeless Cao placed some of the blood on his hand before he began drawing on the ground next to guards corpses 'TRAITOR' he got up and turned around to leave glancing back at the dead guards "This's heaven's judgment to you traitors."
Without much else both Cao and Zheng left the speechless villagers with Lee looking over where the two men once stood, a smile sneaking into his lips "Drive out the demons."
(…)
Imperial guards entered the hideout of the bandits some had sickened looks on their faces while one man an aged commander showed the ghost of a smile looking at the damage done to this place especially to the crucified bandit that had his bones crushed, muscles turned inside out and numerous amputated body parts with the words 'TRAITOR' written in blood next to the crucify "They did well."
"Commander" one soldier approached kneeling the aged commander nodded to the soldier who continued "As the witnesses stated everything that the bandits took was recovered by these outlaws and returned to the people and we also learned something about them."
"The outlaws?"
"No sir the bandits we were under the impression that they were two groups one's an Eris faithful while the other an Axis faithful but now we learned their the same group, look" the soldier presented the Eris pendants along with another pendants being sky blue with a triangle shape and an 'A' carving "They most than likely just used the cults as protection since their legalization and assurance of protection to their followers from discrimination."
The aged commander huffed "I knew it, but even then these faiths are false and should had been eradicated."
"Commander we had been requested to be stationed in the Wind province" one soldier announced "It seems these outlaws the Fists of righteousness and fury started to operate there, lord Beifong is scared."
The aged commander again huffed before he signalled for the troops to follow leaving the corpses behind "Wait sir shouldn't we at least bury them?"
"No we'll not give these traitors of their lands teaching a burial let the ravens fest on them for their treachery."
With the firm command and harsh tone of voice the soldier silently dropped the topic and followed his fellow troops out leaving the crucified corpse behind.
A/N: Hello and congratulations for making it here, I had been a fan of Yona of the dawn for about two years now reading up to the latest chapter while also getting into some Chinese history. In this story I'll take a more modern approach to Yona being set in the late 19th century and early 20th century with settings of our real world in example Kouka here is an empire that fills the Qing dynasty we'll also used other crossovers aside from anime's if the name of the lord is any indication to you, Thank you for reading and have a nice day.