ROTK - War of the Gods
Chapter 16
The figured pulled back it's hood to reveal the Goddess Sun Shang Xiang underneath. She dropped her chakrams, which were her weapons of war, and kneeled down beside Zhuge Liang. Tears streamed from her eyes, but she made no cry. Instead, she whispered to him with only the greatest effort, "I'm sorry to come to you this way, but I fear this may be my last chance."
"What is wrong my dear," the Angel asked, sitting up in his bed. She clung to his hand as if she clung on for her very life.
"I cannot continue to live this lie. I've known since the day I arrived that I had made the wrong choice. I knew it was the wrong choice before I ever decided. I should not be here with Sun Jian. I should be on Earth with Liu Bei..."
Zhuge Liang pulled his hand away and stood from the bed, turning away from the Goddess. He knew he could not take her back with him. "What you ask," he said, shaking his head solemnly. "It is too much."
She ran to the other side of the bed where the Angel stood, again taking his hand in hers. "Am I to suffer for an eternity on account of one mistake?" Zhuge Liang again shook his head. He could think of nothing to say to her, so instead she continued. "Every day that I wake up next to Sun Jian, I die a little more. I am the Goddess of War, Zhuge Liang. Was I not supposed to be attracted to his fearlessness? How is it that I made the correct choice when Liu Bei suffers too..."
She was pleading with him, asking for a mercy that he was not entitled to give. "The correctness of your choice is not what concerns me, my lady. You have made a decision and a commitment to Sun Jian. The consequences of that decision are yours alone to bear. If you were to come back to Earth... I fear that many more would suffer. Indeed, they would suffer a fate far worse."
She took her hand back slowly and turned from the Angel. "I came here seeking not your permission, Zhuge Liang," she said, a sudden change coming over her. "I possess the ability to leave at any time."
"Why then?" He asked coming up beside her. "Why do you torment me so?"
"Torment?" She asked in amazement. "Year in and year out I lay by Sun Jian's side, feeling as if I am betraying Liu Bei each time that I do. There is no one here that I may confide in, and you speak to me of torment? I will tell you why I came here, Zhuge Liang. Not once have I heard someone tell me that I do not have to suffer through this silently. Not once has another been able to truly know my heart. Coming to you this way, I hoped that somehow I would gain the encouragement needed to follow my heart. I will not receive it from you though, I understand that now."
She was quiet for a while. "Then what will you do?" He finally asked.
"I will do what I must," she replied, speaking as if she were speaking to herself. "Good bye Zhuge Liang." With that, she vanished from the room.
The words she had spoken last repeated over and over in Zhuge Liang's mind. There was hidden meaning, but Zhuge Liang could not decipher it. Had she gone to Earth without him? Was his mission now pointless? When Sun Jian learned of her betrayal, he would surely not allow Zhuge Liang to stall any longer. Fearing the worst, he went back to Earth.
When he arrived at Liu Bei's Temple, he found Zhang Fei there guarding the door. "Quickly," he said. "I must be allowed to see our Lord."
"No one is allowed in," Zhang Fei replied gruffly. "Not under ANY circumstances."
"You fool," Zhuge Liang cried. "Your brother Guan Yu will surely be killed!" Zhang Fei thought about it for a while, but he was intoxicated and suspected a ruse on the Angel's part. Liu Bei had been very specific that under NO circumstances was he to have visitors. He told the Angel that it was impossible. "Well then," Zhuge Liang said. "At least tell me if he is in there with the Goddess Sun Shang Xiang."
Zhang Fei thought about this too for a while, but still suspecting a ruse, he replied, "I cannot say."
"Well, would you tell me if she was not in there as well?"
Zhang Fei was too intoxicated to understand, so he replied, "I'm not sure..." Zhuge Liang knew then that Sun Shang Xiang had indeed come to Earth to be with Liu Bei. Now, Guan Yu was certainly at Sun Jian's mercy.
----------------------------------------------------
Sun Jian stormed into his throne room, his face flush with anger. He shouted at his assembled officers, "Zhuge Liang has kidnapped my wife! All of you, go now and take possession of the moon from Liu Bei. From there, we will launch an invasion of Earth. Liu Bei has gone too far this time."
Immediately, the officers Lu Meng, Taishi Ci, and Sun Ce set out for the moon. They were expecting to find the settlement there that Zhuge Liang had spoken of, but instead, they found a huge fortress on the light side. Surrounding this fortress was an army of enchanted horsemen led by none other than Liu Bei's human brother, Guan Yu.
The man with the beautiful beard rode out across the white dunes and began to rail at the three Gods. "How dare you come here before the details of the transaction have been finalized! This shall be viewed as an act of war, followers of a pretend God!" Guan Yu rode out at them furiously. Though he was only human, his presence struck fear into the hearts of the three Gods.
"Lu Meng," Sun Ce shouted out. "Meet him in combat!" Lu Meng flew at the approaching horseman, holding up his glaive so as to behead the man as he passed. Guan Yu was quicker though and raised up his magnificent sword, Blue Moon Dragon, just as Lu Meng passed.
The weapon's clashed with a force strong enough to kill anything in a one hundred mile radius. Guan Yu's troops though, were protected because of their enchantment. Guan Yu jumped down from his horse and began to duel the God on foot. "Attack!" He yelled across to the army that stayed ready to strike at the base of the fortress.
The force, 2000 strong, came on at top speed, heading for the two Gods Sun Ce and Taishi Ci. A fierce battle erupted as the two sides clashed. Guan Yu had numbers on his side, but Sun Ce certainly had the strength advantage. He and Taishi Ci were knocking away horses and riders, blasting them high into the air because of the low gravity.
After fifty bouts with Lu Meng, Guan Yu realized that his force was almost completely decimated. The Gods were simply too powerful for the small detachment of enchanted humans. After the last of his troops were crushed by Taishi Ci's twin clubs, he and Sun Ce turned and watched the battle that raged between Guan Yu and Lu Meng.
Lu Meng was losing ground to the enormous human, but suddenly, Lu Meng grew to twice his normal height. Guan Yu backed up defensively, gripping his weapon intensely with both hands. "You have fought a good battle human," Lu Meng said to him, "but this ends now."
The God swung his glaive at Guan Yu, but the human was able to jump to the side and roll away. Lu Meng now loomed high over him and Guan Yu knew there would no almost no way to land a hit now that the God's reach had been doubled.
Lu Meng's weapon began to glow a bright red as the brought it down powerfully upon the place where Guan Yu stood. Rather than role away again though, as he knew he could, Guan Yu decided to hold his ground. He raised his Blue Moon Dragon over his head and put all of his enchantment into the weapon.
The glaive struck it hard, producing a large explosion and sending a powerful shockwave across the surface of the moon. The two men were locked together, pressing as hard as they could against the other. The human's strength was shocking to Lu Meng, and he was saddened that he would have to take the man's life.
"You have fought well Guan Yu," he said, "and you have earned a proper burial. Perhaps if you had chosen the true God of Heaven and Earth to serve, we would have been friends."
"There is only one true God," Guan Yu shouted out. "And his name is Liu Bei!" He pressed Lu Meng back and began swinging wildly at the God's legs for they were all he could reach. Lu Meng effortlessly blocked the attacks and then spotted an opening in Guan Yu's approach.
He blocked the Blue Moon Dragon one last time, and then swung his glaive in from the side. It struck Guan Yu on the waist, cutting the man into halves. Lu Meng shrank down to his normal height and looked down at his fallen opponent. "Though I am absolutely certain that I am in the right," he said to Sun Ce who had come up as well, "I cannot escape the feeling that his man's death shall trigger my own."
Sun Ce laid his hand upon the other God's back and assured him, "He was only a human."
---------------------------------------------------
Atop the mighty fortress which had been constructed there, Zhuge Liang watched on as the three Gods crowded around Guan Yu's fallen body. A single tear escaped from the Angel's eye and fell forty stories to the ground below. A tiny diamond appeared on the surface of the moon where the tear struck.
"Live or die," he whispered, "they will do it together."
To be continued...
Chapter 16
The figured pulled back it's hood to reveal the Goddess Sun Shang Xiang underneath. She dropped her chakrams, which were her weapons of war, and kneeled down beside Zhuge Liang. Tears streamed from her eyes, but she made no cry. Instead, she whispered to him with only the greatest effort, "I'm sorry to come to you this way, but I fear this may be my last chance."
"What is wrong my dear," the Angel asked, sitting up in his bed. She clung to his hand as if she clung on for her very life.
"I cannot continue to live this lie. I've known since the day I arrived that I had made the wrong choice. I knew it was the wrong choice before I ever decided. I should not be here with Sun Jian. I should be on Earth with Liu Bei..."
Zhuge Liang pulled his hand away and stood from the bed, turning away from the Goddess. He knew he could not take her back with him. "What you ask," he said, shaking his head solemnly. "It is too much."
She ran to the other side of the bed where the Angel stood, again taking his hand in hers. "Am I to suffer for an eternity on account of one mistake?" Zhuge Liang again shook his head. He could think of nothing to say to her, so instead she continued. "Every day that I wake up next to Sun Jian, I die a little more. I am the Goddess of War, Zhuge Liang. Was I not supposed to be attracted to his fearlessness? How is it that I made the correct choice when Liu Bei suffers too..."
She was pleading with him, asking for a mercy that he was not entitled to give. "The correctness of your choice is not what concerns me, my lady. You have made a decision and a commitment to Sun Jian. The consequences of that decision are yours alone to bear. If you were to come back to Earth... I fear that many more would suffer. Indeed, they would suffer a fate far worse."
She took her hand back slowly and turned from the Angel. "I came here seeking not your permission, Zhuge Liang," she said, a sudden change coming over her. "I possess the ability to leave at any time."
"Why then?" He asked coming up beside her. "Why do you torment me so?"
"Torment?" She asked in amazement. "Year in and year out I lay by Sun Jian's side, feeling as if I am betraying Liu Bei each time that I do. There is no one here that I may confide in, and you speak to me of torment? I will tell you why I came here, Zhuge Liang. Not once have I heard someone tell me that I do not have to suffer through this silently. Not once has another been able to truly know my heart. Coming to you this way, I hoped that somehow I would gain the encouragement needed to follow my heart. I will not receive it from you though, I understand that now."
She was quiet for a while. "Then what will you do?" He finally asked.
"I will do what I must," she replied, speaking as if she were speaking to herself. "Good bye Zhuge Liang." With that, she vanished from the room.
The words she had spoken last repeated over and over in Zhuge Liang's mind. There was hidden meaning, but Zhuge Liang could not decipher it. Had she gone to Earth without him? Was his mission now pointless? When Sun Jian learned of her betrayal, he would surely not allow Zhuge Liang to stall any longer. Fearing the worst, he went back to Earth.
When he arrived at Liu Bei's Temple, he found Zhang Fei there guarding the door. "Quickly," he said. "I must be allowed to see our Lord."
"No one is allowed in," Zhang Fei replied gruffly. "Not under ANY circumstances."
"You fool," Zhuge Liang cried. "Your brother Guan Yu will surely be killed!" Zhang Fei thought about it for a while, but he was intoxicated and suspected a ruse on the Angel's part. Liu Bei had been very specific that under NO circumstances was he to have visitors. He told the Angel that it was impossible. "Well then," Zhuge Liang said. "At least tell me if he is in there with the Goddess Sun Shang Xiang."
Zhang Fei thought about this too for a while, but still suspecting a ruse, he replied, "I cannot say."
"Well, would you tell me if she was not in there as well?"
Zhang Fei was too intoxicated to understand, so he replied, "I'm not sure..." Zhuge Liang knew then that Sun Shang Xiang had indeed come to Earth to be with Liu Bei. Now, Guan Yu was certainly at Sun Jian's mercy.
----------------------------------------------------
Sun Jian stormed into his throne room, his face flush with anger. He shouted at his assembled officers, "Zhuge Liang has kidnapped my wife! All of you, go now and take possession of the moon from Liu Bei. From there, we will launch an invasion of Earth. Liu Bei has gone too far this time."
Immediately, the officers Lu Meng, Taishi Ci, and Sun Ce set out for the moon. They were expecting to find the settlement there that Zhuge Liang had spoken of, but instead, they found a huge fortress on the light side. Surrounding this fortress was an army of enchanted horsemen led by none other than Liu Bei's human brother, Guan Yu.
The man with the beautiful beard rode out across the white dunes and began to rail at the three Gods. "How dare you come here before the details of the transaction have been finalized! This shall be viewed as an act of war, followers of a pretend God!" Guan Yu rode out at them furiously. Though he was only human, his presence struck fear into the hearts of the three Gods.
"Lu Meng," Sun Ce shouted out. "Meet him in combat!" Lu Meng flew at the approaching horseman, holding up his glaive so as to behead the man as he passed. Guan Yu was quicker though and raised up his magnificent sword, Blue Moon Dragon, just as Lu Meng passed.
The weapon's clashed with a force strong enough to kill anything in a one hundred mile radius. Guan Yu's troops though, were protected because of their enchantment. Guan Yu jumped down from his horse and began to duel the God on foot. "Attack!" He yelled across to the army that stayed ready to strike at the base of the fortress.
The force, 2000 strong, came on at top speed, heading for the two Gods Sun Ce and Taishi Ci. A fierce battle erupted as the two sides clashed. Guan Yu had numbers on his side, but Sun Ce certainly had the strength advantage. He and Taishi Ci were knocking away horses and riders, blasting them high into the air because of the low gravity.
After fifty bouts with Lu Meng, Guan Yu realized that his force was almost completely decimated. The Gods were simply too powerful for the small detachment of enchanted humans. After the last of his troops were crushed by Taishi Ci's twin clubs, he and Sun Ce turned and watched the battle that raged between Guan Yu and Lu Meng.
Lu Meng was losing ground to the enormous human, but suddenly, Lu Meng grew to twice his normal height. Guan Yu backed up defensively, gripping his weapon intensely with both hands. "You have fought a good battle human," Lu Meng said to him, "but this ends now."
The God swung his glaive at Guan Yu, but the human was able to jump to the side and roll away. Lu Meng now loomed high over him and Guan Yu knew there would no almost no way to land a hit now that the God's reach had been doubled.
Lu Meng's weapon began to glow a bright red as the brought it down powerfully upon the place where Guan Yu stood. Rather than role away again though, as he knew he could, Guan Yu decided to hold his ground. He raised his Blue Moon Dragon over his head and put all of his enchantment into the weapon.
The glaive struck it hard, producing a large explosion and sending a powerful shockwave across the surface of the moon. The two men were locked together, pressing as hard as they could against the other. The human's strength was shocking to Lu Meng, and he was saddened that he would have to take the man's life.
"You have fought well Guan Yu," he said, "and you have earned a proper burial. Perhaps if you had chosen the true God of Heaven and Earth to serve, we would have been friends."
"There is only one true God," Guan Yu shouted out. "And his name is Liu Bei!" He pressed Lu Meng back and began swinging wildly at the God's legs for they were all he could reach. Lu Meng effortlessly blocked the attacks and then spotted an opening in Guan Yu's approach.
He blocked the Blue Moon Dragon one last time, and then swung his glaive in from the side. It struck Guan Yu on the waist, cutting the man into halves. Lu Meng shrank down to his normal height and looked down at his fallen opponent. "Though I am absolutely certain that I am in the right," he said to Sun Ce who had come up as well, "I cannot escape the feeling that his man's death shall trigger my own."
Sun Ce laid his hand upon the other God's back and assured him, "He was only a human."
---------------------------------------------------
Atop the mighty fortress which had been constructed there, Zhuge Liang watched on as the three Gods crowded around Guan Yu's fallen body. A single tear escaped from the Angel's eye and fell forty stories to the ground below. A tiny diamond appeared on the surface of the moon where the tear struck.
"Live or die," he whispered, "they will do it together."
To be continued...
