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Chang Ban Valley
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"My lord! Cao Cao approaches!" cried a soldier dressed in green.
At the lead of an enormous column of civilians, five generals turned around towards the soldier. These men were Zhuge Liang, Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and Liu Bei. Liu Bei quickly paled.
"Cao Cao?! Impossible! If he overtakes us, my people will be slaughtered!" he cried
Zhuge Liang waved his fan around. "Worry not, my liege, for we will not allow such a thing to occur!" he reassured Liu Bei before turning to Zhao Yun. "Zilong! Get to the back with Lords Fei and Yu and protect the caravan at all costs!" he ordered the young warrior, who, in turn, nodded.
"As you wish, Lord Strategist!" replied the handsome young warrior as he wheeled about his horse, and, with spear in hand, rode off with Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, letting out a war cry. "Come on, men! For Shu!!"
Zhuge Liang then turned to Liu Bei. "My lord, I beg of you, go towards the river, were the boats will arrive soon! I will stay here and direct the troops against Cao Cao's onslaught!"
Liu Bei thought about it, but shook his head. "I cannot leave my people behind while I cower in fear, Lord Kongming. I will stay here and protect my people!" stated Liu Bei stubbornly.
Zhuge Liang permitted himself a small smile before he also wheeled about and rode off to the back of the column.
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Village of Chang Ban
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"HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-AAAAAAAAAAH!" grunted Zhao Yun, as he drove his spear through a line of three men.
All around him, the blue-clad warriors of Wei were overrunning the green-clad warriors of Shu. Zhao Yun knew this was a lost battle, but stood his ground nevertheless. He wheeled about on his left foot and slammed his spear into a Wei soldier's skull, killing the soldier immediately. He then immediately brought his spear back up and swung it in a circle, slashing everyone in a two meter radius from him.
That's when he heard the cry. Zhao Yun stopped his attack as soon as he heard a cry that sounded like a baby's. He quickly snapped out of his trance and charged at the Wei soldiers with a fierce roar, slashing his way through to the source of the cry. He ran about the village, looking for the source, until he found the corpse of a young woman, with the crying baby in her arms.
Zhao Yun fell to his knees, astonished. The dead woman was none other than the wife of his lord. In her arms, the young Liu Chan was still crying, possibly because of all the noise from the battle. Zhao Yun then turned his head towards the village, where he saw the Shu warriors being driven back into a full scale retreat and then looked back at Liu Chan. He knew that if he took the baby with him, he would be putting both himself and the heir in great danger, but leaving Liu Chan here would be considered as treason. He had to decide whether to choose life, or honor...and he knew which one he valued the most.
Making up his mind, Zhao Yun tightened his grip on his spear and with his other hand, he grabbed Liu Chan. Then, dashing through the village, he noticed a horse with a dead rider on it and rushed towards it. He quickly pushed off the rider and mounted the horse, which was soaked with the dead horseman's blood. Wheeling about the horse with only one hand, he dashed towards the retreating Shu forces, which meant going through an entire line of Wei soldiers, all fresh and battle-ready.
The Wei soldiers saw him coming, and got ready with their pikes to bring him and the horse down. Even then, Zhao Yun only prodded the horse faster, increasing his speed tremendously. He was quickly nearing the very deadly line of pikes lined up before him, when he saw something come through the air and ram into the line of Wei soldiers. Zhao Yun quickly stopped his horse and gazed in amazement at the largest boulder he had ever seen. Suddenly, he saw three others fly through the air and land on top of the Wei and Shu soldiers, crushing them instantly.
"By the Dragon God...Is Wu here too?!" he asked himself in a whisper
He then heard a cry behind him, and saw the Wei soldiers scattering about as something slashed through them. Zhao Yun's eyes only widened even more. Slashing through the Wei lines were iron-clad horsemen wielding the largest swords he had ever seen. Their leader, a man covered in chain mail and wielding a WarHammer, shouted at his troops in an intelligible language.
"By the great Gods...demons are attacking us!" whispered Zhao Yun, as he sat there in amazement.
Then, suddenly, the leader's eyes met with Zhao Yun's. The chain-mail clad warrior then turned about and rode up towards Zhao Yun, who was completely mesmerized. Only when the hammer-wielding man was about three meters from him did Zhao Yun react. He quickly thrusted his spear at the man, who blocked it with his hammer, ensuing a battle that lasted half an hour, with neither gaining and advantage. Then, the hammer wielding man suddenly turned around and rode back to his troops, shooting Zhao Yun a furtive glance before shouting something to his men and pulling back the same way they had arrived.
Zhao Yun was left there, stunned, as the iron-clad men retreated. He then shook off his amazement and, with a roar, charged the line of Wei once more, this time breaking through and reaching the retreating Shu forces.
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Himalayas Plateau
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Colin rode forth on his horse, leading his troop of horsemen back to their kingdom. After such a successful expedition, his father, the Emperor, would be pleased. As they reached the plateau, one of his horsemen rode up to him. It was his vice-captain, James Koyle.
"A word, milord" asked the young vice-captain.
Colin smiled at his friend warmly. "Go ahead, James, what is it?"
James now relaxed a bit. "Colin, I still don't understand the purpose of this expedition. We have known of these three warring kingdoms for quite a while because of the captured villages, but still, why draw ourselves any attention?" the young man asked.
Colin sighed. "James, there are things that father does that not even I understand...and the Prime Minister is no less secretive..." the young prince replied
James snickered. "Yeah...Prime Minister Takashi is very weird..." he commented. "But it's weird, don't you think? I mean, an Asian helping us against his own kin?"
Colin smiled a bit. "I don't find it weird, James...the Prime Minister simply saw the wisdom of joining us and helping us in our glorious purpose" he replied
James did not reply for a while, but then sighed and smiled. "Perhaps..."
Colin then narrowed his eyes to get a better view of the incoming plateau. "Now then, go back to your position, James, we are nearing the Gates." Ordered Colin.
James nodded and pulled back to his position behind Colin. Then, as they reached the side of the plateau, a huge imposing wooden gate came into view. At each side, three large torches lit the gate, making it clearly visible even at night. As they approached the gate, Colin took out a metal horn and blew it, creating a loud, hollow sound. The gate then started opening, revealing a dark corridor that led into the very heart of the plateau. Once the gate had completely opened, Colin and his horsemen rode inside, still in formation.
As they rode through the dark corridor, they couldn't resist but look at the activity around them. All along the corridor, soldiers were patrolling up and down, ready for anything. Then, as they rode up farther into the plateau, they reached another gate, just as grand and imposing as the previous, except that this one had the Imperial Seal engraved in the middle of the gate. The soldiers guarding the gate recognized Colin immediately and saluted him appropriately, before rushing to open the gate. The two soldiers who had guarded the gate were now pulling on a normal looking lever. Though seemingly normal, the lever was actually the starting trigger for an entirely complicated device that made the gate open itself automatically.
As the gate opened, a bright light rushed into the dark corridor, illuminating the entire corridor up to the first gate. Beyond the gate stood an enormous city, illuminated by torches and small outdoor outlets. All around the gigantic cave, marble white houses and buildings swarmed the place, with gardens and parks scattered here and there. As the horsemen rode farther into the city, people ran out of their houses to greet them or throw flowers. To them, the raiders and Imperial Army were heroes, men and women who deserved to be fully honored.
Then, as they neared the northern edge of the cavern, the row of houses slowly stopped gracing the sides of the road, and were replaced by statues of soldiers, women, and men, with gardens surrounding the road on both sides, stretching out as far as the eye could see. In front of them, an iron gate lay open, with two squadrons of Imperial Guards at each side of the road. Once they reached the guards, Colin dismounted from his horse, followed by his followers, and greeted the guard captain.
"Captain! How is my father?" asked Colin good-naturedly.
The guard captain smiled at Colin. "He is fine, young master, but he impatiently awaits for you to grace him with your presence." Reported the captain.
Colin laughed at the comment, and, together with his band of raiders, he walked into the Palace grounds, which started in the cavern, but most of it lay on the top of the plateau. As they marched through the hallways of the Imperial Palace, attendants, both female and male, greeted them; the males being respectful and cheery, while the females giggled and blushed when the soldiers looked at them. Colin couldn't help but smile. Seeing so many female attendants reminded him of the fact that his father, the Great Emperor of Pytheas, was constantly harassing him about his need to find himself a companion.
As he thought of this, the small troop finally reached the court hallway, which stretched on for thirty meters in all directions, with stone columns draped with the red and golden emblem of the Empire. As they reached the Imperial Throne, Colin noticed his father talking to some minister, before catching his son's eye and rising from his seat, a look of pure joy on his thirty five year old face. As Colin drew nearer, the Emperor descended from the throne and went up to his son, embracing him in a fierce bear hug, which Colin returned with equal force. As he did, Colin noticed that his father's loyal bodyguards, Yuki Takashi-the silent, yet fiercely loyal Japanese female that they had rescued from a band of bandits on their way to the plateau-, and the equally fierce Reccus Maximus, a former Roman mercenary whom they had saved from execution at the hands of the Arabs. Beside the throne stood Prime Minister Kenji Takashi, the master strategist who had apparently been taught by Zhuge Kongming himself and older brother of Yuki. Colin went to both Reccus and Kenji and shook their hands, both of which were quite happy to see him come back safely. Colin then turned to Yuki and winked at her, to which she slightly nodded at and blushed just barely.
Although their affair was kept quite secret, Colin and Yuki had been seeing each other behind Colin's father's back for a few years now. Ever since that day when they had rescued her, Yuki had almost immediately fallen for the young handsome prince and since then, they had been courting each other at night secretly.
Then, as Colin turned to his father again, a loud, caring voice boomed from behind the Emperor.
"COLIN!!! THANK THE HEAVENS YOU'VE COME BACK!!!" cried a woman's voice.
Both James and Colin turned around to see James' wife, Chen Ling come striding towards them. Although Empress Ling, as they called her, was practically ten years younger than the Emperor, old enough to be considered Colin's sister, she was nevertheless treated by everyone as a wise young lady, and even Colin held her in great respect and admiration. Her beauty was unequalled in the Empire, with her smooth, silk-like, pale skin being a complete eye-catcher. Her long, silky, black hair was currently tied up in a high ponytail, and her delicate looking, skinny, yet beautiful figure was enhanced by the long, yet a little tight, imperial robes that she wore.
Colin looked happily towards his mother, and embraced her with all the love a son could have, a huge which she returned just as much while James looked on happily. Ling, however, then turned to James with an annoyed expression.
"You didn't tell me our son was coming back today, James!" she scolded him, which was a rather amusing scene, since James towered over her, yet was easily intimidated by his wife's temper.
"I didn't know either! I seriously thought he would be arriving tomorrow!!" exclaimed the frightened emperor, while putting his hands up in defense.
Colin laughed at his father's reaction, but then turned around to leave when he winked once more to Yuki, who nodded slightly and walked up to the Ruling Imperial Couple.
"My lieges, if you will permit me, I will accompany the young master to his quarters...I shall not be long" she said softly, which was barely above a whisper.
Both the Emperor and the Empress turned their heads towards her and assented, before continuing with their small scene. Yuki smiled only slightly, but still bowed low before the Imperial Couple before turning towards Colin and leaving with him and the rest of the raiding party. The Prime Minister, though, just looked on with a knowing glance. His sister had told him about Colin and hers' secret relationship, to which he, Kenji, approved of greatly. He was also the one who maintained that they should keep the relationship secret until he could figure out the Emperor's response to such a relationship. Kenji closed his eyes, and, with a smile, nodded slightly in their direction, covering his face with his silver fan and presently returning to his discussion with the Emperor.
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Lookout Tower # 5, on top of the southern edge of the Plateau.
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"Well? Anything in sight?" asked the guard captain to his subordinate. The scout guard shook his head.
"Negative, sir...everything's been calm for a while. Those Arab merchants did get a bit too close, though..." reported the scout.
"Hm...you'd think that by now, someone will have found us..." whispered the guard captain.
"Is there a problem with remaining anonymous, captain?" asked a voice behind the two soldiers, who promptly turned about and saluted. Behind them was Reccus Maximus, chief bodyguard of the Emperor.
"No, sir! But still, with all those raids, it's kind of suspicious that no one has followed us!" clarified the captain. Reccus simply nodded.
"Indeed...however, the more we are left alone, the better. These kingdoms are fighting over dominion, a stupid and vulgar reason. We, on the other hand, we fight for survival and freedom. Our cause is glorious, theirs is not." Stated Reccus as he gazed into the distance. He grew suspicious, though, when he saw a small cloud of dust coming with great speed towards them. He motioned for the scout to look. "What is that?"
The guard quickly looked through the large telescopic machine in the tower. "It appears to be a lone horseman...not one of ours..." reported the scout.
Reccus swore under his breath before nodding. "Is he armed?"
The guard looked into the machine again. "It appears so...he wields a single spear."
"Is he being followed?"
The scout looked again, withdrew amazed, then looked back into the machine. "Negative...he rides alone!" exclaimed the scout.
"What?! Is that man suicidal?!" exclaimed Reccus, before running back to the castle.
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Himalayas Plateau
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Zhao Yun rode as fast as his horse permitted, making sure that neither his lance nor the bundle he had been assigned with fell. After the Battle of Chang Ban, Zhao Yun had told Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang the events that had unfolded in the village, a fact that had shocked Liu Bei and put Zhuge Liang in a pensive mood. That same evening, he had been ordered by both Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang to track down these foreigners and give them the bundle he had been given. Zhao Yun had kneeled in front of Liu Bei, paid his respects, and ran out for his horse, which he had left prepared all day.
After leaving the small Shu encampment, Zhao Yun had no trouble finding the trail of the foreigner's flight. Now, he was riding exactly straight towards the plateau, which made him wonder, what in the world had influenced these foreigners to come to this desolate place?
As he rode nearer and nearer to the plateau, though, he noticed something on its side open and out flowed fifteen riders.
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Gates of the Empire
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Colin was anxious to meet the lone warrior to say the least. He had never met a single man that would charge a fortress alone. Now, with his Imperial Raiders behind him, as well as the Emperor, Empress, Prime Minister Kenji, and both Reccus and Yuki as well, he wanted to see how much of a challenge this lone rider was. As the rider started to get within thirty meters of their position, Colin gave a cry and he charged at the warrior, his raiders right behind him.
Zhao Yun was not caught off guard, though, as he blocked Colin's WarHammer and every slash the raiders delivered with amazing speed as he rode right through the charging attackers and right at the Imperial Couple. His mission had been clear, get the bundle to the leader of the foreigners, and by what he saw, the elegantly dressed couple on majestically looking white horses matched his description of leaders. Zhao Yun charged right at them, Colin and his raiders right behind him.
Meanwhile, back where the Emperor was, Yuki and Reccus had already drawn their weapons and were in a battle ready stance. James looked on to his wife with a serious expression.
"My love, retreat to the garrison. Have the garrison commander call up Lord Drake and have him stay in Alert Stance 2 until further notice." He ordered. The young Empress nodded and turned her horse towards the gates, after which she rode inside the tunnel and towards the garrison buildings.
James now turned back towards where the lone rider was riding straight for him. He looked around him, smiling grimly as he saw Yuki and Reccus fully alert and combat ready, and Kenji wielding his short iron sword, a look of pure concentration on his face. As the rider got within ten meters of the location of the Emperor, Yuki dashed towards him, somersaulting over him while delivering a cross-slash at Zhao Yun's back, who blocked it by thrusting his spear behind his back. Then, as he drew even closer, Reccus delivered a smashing blow to the ground with his sword that caused a shockwave to go right for Zhao Yun, making his horse stumble, from which he escaped by jumping off and, parrying blow after blow, passed by Reccus and ran right for James. Just as he was within striking distance, though, Zhao Yun suddenly fell to his knees and humbly bowed to James, surprising them all and stopping them all in their tracks, especially Colin.
"Milord, I bring a message from my Master" announced Zhao Yun from his bowing position. James looked at Zhao Yun with a perplexed disposition.
"You ride out here alone and face off with my best warriors and only to tell me that you were carrying a message?!?" asked James, dumbfounded.
"Aah...I apologize for that....But I never leave camp unarmed." Explained Zhao Yun
James then began to chuckle in amusement. "Very well then, let us go inside, where we will hear your master's message" he said, as he prodded his horse around and riding into the tunnels, Kenji behind him, closely followed by Yuki and Reccus. Zhao Yun only entered then, surrounded by Colin and his raiders, who were keeping a close eye at their guest.
As they all passed through, the gates slowly closed behind them, finally shutting themselves with a loud *THUMP*.