Disclaimer: I still do not own Dynasty Warriors or anything in this fic except my own created character. Grr… :waves fan in a huff:
Chapter Two: A Friendly Spar
When morning came, Jing awoke, ready to do whatever it took to be a great warrior. He smiled as he stepped outside his tent, looking about the Wei encampment. Picking up his weapon, which he called "Fang Breaker", he stepped over to a small clearing nearby and began to train, spinning and slashing with his pike. He had heard many stories from his father about Pang De back when he and another warrior named Ma Chao fought alongside each other when they protected the Liang Province from Dong Zhuo's men, as well as defeating Cao Cao at Tong Gate. Jing smiled as he trained. He, too, wished to be remembered for the battles he would be involved with, wanting to be as famous and as strong as his cousin. He increased his movements in both speed and power, putting more force in his swings and stabs. Unknowingly to him, some soldiers were now gathered around him and were watching him, impressed that he was able to use a pole-arm so effectively. Wei did not have many pole-arm users, since the only ones were Zhang Liao and Xu Huang, as well as Pang De. Having another pole-arm fighter would give them a better edge against the kingdom of Shu, since the majority of their fighters fight with pole-arms.
Zhang Liao, having woken up and dressed, walked over to the large crowd and asked one of the soldiers what was going on. "Pang De's cousin is training. He's got potential," one of the soldiers replied. "Really? I'll have to be the judge of that," Liao said as he made his way through the crowd until he finally saw Jing. As he stood there watching, he had to admit that Jing did have some potential, but he was still a long way's off from getting there. A slight smirk came across Liao's face. What if Jing had a spar with an expert pole-arm user? De would go easy on him since he's family. No, Jing needed a real opponent and a good match. He stepped forward as Jing finished his movements. "You're pretty good, Jing, though you still need more training." "I know, Lord Zhang Liao, and I will continue to train until I become as good as my cousin, if not better," Jing replied. "Well, what if you were to spar against me, Jing? I'm sure you can handle it." Jing looked up at Liao with a look of both flattery and unworthiness. "I…I would be honored to spar with you, but I don't think I'm in your league…"
"Nonsense!" Liao patted his shoulder. "A good spar is what you need to get a feel of what a battle will be like. This will give you the edge you need against other opponents." Jing thought about this for a moment before he nodded. "Alright. I will give it a shot." "That's what I want to hear! Just so you know, Jing, I won't hold back." Brandishing his glaive "Gold Wyvern", Liao took a stance before him. Jing gripped his pike tightly as he did the same, though his mind was yelling at him. Are you NUTS? This is Zhang Liao…ZHANG LIAO! This guy is way out of your league…and you want to spar with him? You're going to get yourself killed! But Jing had already made up his mind. He needed this. He needed to face an experienced warrior in order to set a goal in which to surpass. "As well as I hoped you would, Lord Zhang Liao. I will not hold back either." Liao smiled. "Then this will be a good battle. Here I come!" And he dashed at Jing, bringing his glaive downward at an angle, aiming for Jing's shoulder. Jing brought his pike up to block the blow, a loud CLANG echoing throughout the clearing from the impact. Jing may have blocked it, but Liao's own physical strength was more than his, and he felt himself losing the power struggle. But then, he remembered hearing about using one's own weight and power against themselves. So he feigned back and brought his foot up, placing it against Liao's midsection, and threw him overhead.
"Not bad…" Liao said as he scrambled to his feet. "You're a quick study." He advanced again, this time taking time to aim and strike instead of blindly slashing. Jing was able to block most of them, though a few got through to knick his shoulders and legs. "Damn….I got to fight back." Liao's attacks were giving little room for Jing to go on the offensive, so he had to turn this around somehow. But how? Then it came to him. He had to time it right, though, or he would lose this spar. So he stayed on the defensive, and Liao found it harder and harder to get a solid blow in. He's gotten better already, eh? Heh. Seems we have a prodigy on our hands. That thought made Liao smile, seeing how he had a hand in helping Jing become better. He then feigned a blow by making the swing short, just out of Jing's way in order to throw him off, and then came back with a reverse blow, hoping to hit him in his side. But Jing had been waiting for this. Catching the blow with his pike's pole, he gripped it tightly and lifted himself up into the air, and vaulted over Liao. "What?" Liao was caught completely by surprise, and when he turned to face Jing, he saw the two-pronged blade of his pike right in his face. Liao froze, then relaxed as he smirked. "Seems you win, Jing. Well done."
This was met by some applause from the soldiers, some of them coming over to personally congratulate Jing on a good win. Jing felt both embarrassed and relieved for having such a great battle. He shook Liao's hand. "Thanks, Lord Zhang Liao. I didn't expect to win." Liao smiled. "That's alright, Jing. I didn't expect you to pull off such an amazing trick. And you don't have to call me 'Lord Zhang Liao'. Simply 'Liao' will do." "Alright, Liao. I hope to spar with you again. That was a great spar." The two walked off towards the main camp, talking like friends who had known each other their whole lives.
Wow. That's more like it, huh? I felt really good writing this one. And yes, what I said about the pole-arm users is true. Take a gander at the Shu line-up. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Jiang Wei, Wei Yan, Yue Ying, Ma Chao, and Xing Cai. That's more than half of Shu who use pole-arms. Too bad for Wu, though. Their only pole-arm user is Lu Meng. And then, of course, there's Lu Bu, but who cares about him? -shrug- Oh well. Expect a lot more in my next chapter. See ya soon!
Oh, and Jianus? I won't make him uber-strong. Besides, it'll take more than one-three hits to bring Ma Chao down. XD