Chapter 51: Across the Ancient Sands
"So these are what they call camels," laughed Helen, as the creature she had mounted grunted patiently and began to clop across the soft, omnipresent bed of sand that sprawled across the sun-swept horizon. "These guys look even stranger than Yoma! China just gets more and more interesting by the day, wouldn't you say, Deneve?" she asked, tapping her ungulate mount's hump irreverently, prompting it to grunt again, this time in mild annoyance.
"For once, I agree with you," sighed Deneve. "Just don't force that poor thing to throw you off her back. She dislikes you plenty. And it's not like we obtained these steeds easily. How much did the trader ask for?"
"One hundred gold pieces for each," grumbled Tabitha, wrapping a white turban around her head. She looked especially uncomfortable as her long-necked camel rose from its resting position and moved to follow Helen. "That's seven hundred gold pieces gone in one day."
"Let it rest," said Miria, riding her camel at the head of the seven warriors. "Remember that this is not a mission that was officially sanctioned by Liu Bei or Yue Ying. We're lucky that she let us embark on this journey at all, considering now that only Flora and Cynthia remain by the Grand General's side. We must complete our investigation and return to Shu as soon as possible in the event of Wei's attack. We have limited supplies, and we can't fight against large numbers of enemies for long." She shielded her eyes from the direct glare of the sun as she looked up at a circling, screeching hawk above them. "But now… at least, with this journey, we're one step closer to discovering the source of Yoma activity in China."
The scenic Kumtag Desert, revered for its massive sand dunes or "Sand Mountains," was the most clear-cut route to the Mogao Caves and provided a refuge from enemy forces. Their destination was the Dunhuang oasis that lay across the desert. If they could reach the oasis, they would reach the Caves, for its many entrances were conspicuously built against the sides of the mountains – at least, that was what the local nomads had told them.
The Claymores' feats of endurance far surpassed of the normal human, and accordingly, they each only needed a white cloak and a turban to protect them from the sandy elements. It was, to their luck, a calm day, and the only complaint Helen had the right to voice was of the scorching heat. "I hate these turbans and this long cloth!" she whined. "What's wrong with riding in our old uniforms? And look at Miria," she added, pointing at the Duchess's long black cloak and ebony, silver-embroidered armour. "She gets her oh-so-new costume to show off!"
"Stop behaving like a child," said Deneve coldly. She looked outwards at the expansive sands that led to the ancient grottoes of Mogao. Small groups of other camels, caravans and settlements dotted the wilderness; even the most numerous bands numbered to merely about ten or twelve. "We can't expose our identity as soldiers here. It's not worth the risk, even if it's of a low level. But Miria… you are certain we will find the answers we seek here?"
"Zhuge Liang's visions have revealed more threats than just Isley and Priscilla," said Clare. "Unfortunate as that is, it's given Yue Ying more clues into the reasons why these two monsters have settled in China. Apparently…" she paused. "They are not simply seeking to overwhelm the land with Yoma and Awakened Beings, but to turn China's greatest mortal warrior into one of their own."
"Into one of their own? You mean a silver-eyed warrior, like Zhou Tai?" asked Yuma.
"Close. But typical of Isley, it's obvious he wishes to Awaken that warrior, not simply impart a portion of Yoma flesh to him."
"And just who is this… warrior who has caught Isley's attention?" asked Jean.
"You mean, who was he. Lu Bu is long dead. He was executed by none other than Cao Cao."
"Then why can he still tear into Zhuge Liang's visions?"
"That's what we're here to find out," said Clare, as her camel clopped on, its toes kissing the soft, hot sand dunes. "To see if the ghosts of the past really have been laid to rest."
They travelled east, their backs to the slanted angle of the beaming star, for several hours. The late afternoon crept up very slowly upon them, and the air took even longer to cool. The seven warriors gradually fell into silence as the journey continued to drag on, and even Helen had quietened down by the time the stars began to glimmer faintly in the firmament, heralding the early evening. In the backdrop of the desert, the melody of ancient flutes and tambourines sounded as the Bedouins and minor tribes that travelled along the Silk Road continued their journey, dancing and singing. They were a peaceful people, and they did not look upon the distant turbaned women with any suspicion at all – they were simply fellow wanderers, living with care and with joy on the sands of the ancient Kumtag.
Miria pursed her lips and allowed herself a small smile. She was happy to admit it – it was beautiful, to bear witness to such mundane, everyday peace. There had been so many occasions when she had neither the chance nor the energy to reflect seriously on the war she had waged in China for three long years. Had it been this long, already? But then again, so much had happened. She was now a Duchess of the Shu Kingdom – something so many (and she herself) could never have imagined. She now understood so much more about this foreign, ancient land, but at the same time, she also wondered why she had managed to fight for so long without truly understanding the reasons behind the Three Kingdoms conflict, and the presence of Isley.
Her thoughts turned to Flora and Cynthia. She had requested that they stay behind, partly because they were fully capable of protecting their Shu allies, but also because she did not want to force them away from Zhao Yun and Zhou Tai. She would never admit it as a warrior, but as a woman, she felt somewhat jealous. They had found such happiness in the arms of mighty, selfless men, both of whom made no secret of their adoration for the silver-eyed women. She could see the joy in Flora's eyes whenever she spoke to Zhao Yun. And did she even need to wonder about Cynthia? By now, the wedding would have passed, making Zhou Tai her husband.
Even Galatea… even she had found happiness in the arms of a lover. A dark, tyrannical, megalomaniacal demon of a lover, but a lover nonetheless.
The fact that her juniors – and senior – had discovered such happiness aroused a slight, niggling envy, a yearning that she had always harboured even when she would rescue good men from Yoma on the Continent. There were some who were genuinely grateful, and even several who wished to see her again. Granted, she had never acted on these urges due to her responsibilities as a commander, but still…
It would have been nice… to have a man command her.
"Miria," came Clare's concerned voice. "Listen."
The Duchess paused as the desert pulled her out of her reverie, and her eyes narrowed. "The flutes and tambourines… they've gone silent."
Jean adjusted her turban. "You can sense a sinister presence, can't you?"
A rumbling in the immediate distance echoed across the dunes. As the sky characteristically darkened rapidly, Miria nodded, and she pointed towards the evening star. "Isley's Awakened Beings are coming, directed by this mysterious light. It's beautiful, but it must serve as a guide for his armies, too." She loosened her black cape. Her embroidered, silver dragon flashed in the light, and she drew Zulfiqar from its scabbard. "Ready yourselves, warriors of Shu and Wu."
"Awakened Beings in the desert, 'ey?" said Helen, raising her eyebrow at the looming shapes that blotted the glimmering stars. "Aren't they hot?"
"Perhaps. But they made one crucial mistake," said Miria calmly, dismounting her camel. She waved it away, and their mounts grunted, backing away. "I already planned for an ambush like this. We'll destroy them and push on to the Mogao Grottoes before they can regroup for more reinforcements."
Husks of dark carapaces burst from the desert mounds, endless grains of sand pouring down their shells in a cascade of miniscule rocks. "Four, five… eight of them," muttered Tabitha. They were similar to the Awakened Beings at Nanman, despite being larger and more menacing. Possessing ten pairs of beady, soulless eyes, their jaws dripped with purple venom and dripped onto their clawed feet. The leader clicked coldly, and the oversized beetles began to advance.
"Choose your targets," cried Miria, "and force them back!"
But what the women had not prepared for was an assault from below. The sand burst open underneath their feet, and six massive pincer-like claws snapped at their somersaulting bodies as they tumbled through the air, evading the organic weapons with the litheness that came naturally and through rigorous training and fighting. Clare unleashed her Quicksword, slashing apart a bladed mouth and rolling across the sand. Deneve and Helen threw off their turbans and slashed upwards, severing one of the monstrosity's arms. Yuma pivoted beside Jean and blocked a venomous strike from another's horrid claws. Miria bent her knees, roaring her sword's name. It hummed to life, shimmering quicksilver and surrounding her in a chrome aura. She allowed her instincts to assume control, and from her body emitted seven mirages, dashing towards the thirty-feet tall insectoids. The creatures noticed, and they shot forth their weapons – enormous tentacles that split into multiple tendrils, surrounding the seven women in a cage of lethal blades. Miria swore and prepared to attack the nearest beetle with a horizontal slash to its leg.
"Don't fail me," she gritted, preparing to cut into armour and bone and flesh.
Her eyes widened as she felt her body tremble for a split second. The immediate vicinity suddenly shook, as if a minor tremor had disrupted the fault lines beneath their feet. She looked back, and to her amazement, there were no longer seven mirages, but thirty-six. Her Phantom was quadrupling into several dozen mirror images that spread across the desert, hurtling and rocketing around the confused and disoriented Awakened Beings with a speed their owner could barely keep up with. "Holy shit!" roared Helen in impressed amazement. "That's a lot of… you! How did you pull out so many?"
Miria shook her head, unable to answer. She hadn't tapped into even ten percent of her Yoki, and even when she pushed herself, never had she achieved the stage of controlling thirty-six mirages at once. Why, then, was her body creating these illusions on its own without draining even a small portion of her energy? What was happening?
"Zulfiqar," she murmured in realization. Zulfiqar… really can augment my abilities at its own will! Her spirit invigorated by this, she sprinted towards the confused brutes and somersaulted up. Twenty "Mirias" carved twenty powerful wounds into the carapaces of the beetle-like demons. Purple blood spurted upwards and dashed across the sandy dunes. Her speed increased until it could not even be seen by the naked eye, and she hurtled up, then down, then diagonally into the sky, her scimitar slashing up two insectoids and eviscerating another. Within a heartbeat, three Awakened Beings had fallen before her, and Zulfiqar hummed contentedly, as if it craved for more violet gore. She landed, staring up. She had not even begun to activate her Yoki yet.
She would have to thank Yue Ying later. Zulfiqar truly was amazing.
Encouraged, the other six moved up beside her. "Impressive," acknowledged Clare. "I'm going to go all-out, too."
"Yuma, Tabitha!" cried Jean, "let's attack their flank. We'll catch this horde between us and destroy them with as little fuss as possible."
Deneve looked into the distance, to the east. Night was about to cover the land completely, but the distant oasis could still be glimpsed. The sandstone of Dunhuang was illuminated by the unusually brilliant moon amidst the faint traces of vegetation that still grew around the oasis – trees, grass and aromatic plants – surely they were treading the Silk Road, the trade route that connected China to other empires beyond the Three Kingdoms. "Is that our objective?" confirmed Clare, gripping her sword tighter in anticipation.
"Yes. Purge this desert of these foul beasts," snarled Miria. "Dunhuang isn't far ahead! We're almost there."
She raised Zulfiqar, and it glowed dutifully again. "We don't have time for these demons. Send them down to the second death!"
These Awakened Beings never learned. Their teamwork had certainly not improved since Miria's last battle against them at Nanman. In fact, the Shu-Wu allies' solidarity was as obvious as the lack of coordination between the former Claymore-wielding warriors. The former had come a long way, and their clean, efficient victory over the latter was proof of that.
*
By the time the Shu-Wu allies had swept aside the Awakened Beings, the sun had entirely disappeared, and it was important to find shelter for the night before the elements of the desert made their rest extremely uncomfortable. But they were in luck. On the edge of the desert lay the oasis town of Dunhuang, only several hours away from the Mogao Caves on camelback. A trading post known for its melons and grapes, it was founded by one of the Han Emperors, Wudi, as one of four garrison commanderies that asserted Chinese control over the Silk Road. The town was also a major settlement for traders and missionaries and pilgrims of diverse faiths from the western empires, and it was from here that the Buddhist faith began to spread, winning the hearts of nomad and native alike, and encouraging the pious to build monuments in commemoration of their devotion. It was a multicultural, harmonious and quiet locale, but one which existed under the shadow of Isley.
By nightfall, the seven warriors had reached Dunhuang's outskirts. But despite their progress, Miria was worried – extremely worried. The small commune was filled with men, women and children, all of whom seemed blissfully unaware of the fact that the Mogao Caves were the bastion of terrible monsters. Isley, Priscilla… and Lu Bu… they had to be here, in the Mogao Caves somewhere. But why had these people not fled? "This is unsettling," she muttered, her black cape draped around her as the other six warriors kept their turbans wrapped tightly around their heads, so that their blonde hair and silver eyes would not arouse suspicion. They walked through the sandy streets slowly, where tall, fertile trees leaned over the small huts and pathways. "This oasis is in such close proximity to where the portal is supposed to be hidden. Is Isley not interested in this town? But surely the Awakened Beings from our previous skirmish would have destroyed this place long ago."
"Hostages?" proposed Clare quietly, moving out of the way of two running children. "But I'm not sure if that makes, sense. Perhaps it is to maintain the illusion of a peaceful settlement whilst the armies of Awakened Beings continue to vomit forth from their portal. They must have an extensive underground network of caves underneath Mogao, to reach as far as they have."
"Then our objective is to infiltrate these caves. We shall rest, and then attack the Mogao Caves directly the following morning. We'll find the portal and destroy it before Isley can summon anymore of his minions."
A young, masculine voice rang out behind them without warning, and Yuma visibly jumped. "I'm afraid I cannot let you do that – at least, not with a head count of seven."
The women froze momentarily, but kept their cool. "We're just fellow nomads, the wives of cattle herders," lied Miria, speaking in her best Chinese. She refused to turn and face the source of the voice. "We don't know what you're talking about."
"You are not the wives of nomads," came his reply.
Miria froze in shock. "What did you say?"
"Your aura of demonic chi… of Yoki… even a novice soldier would be able to deduce that you aren't of Chinese origin."
Clare and Deneve looked at Miria. What should we do now?
How did he know?! In the flash of an instant, she whipped around, throwing back her cape and drawing Zulfiqar, and her comrades followed suit. Since he could sense their Yoki, there was no point in hiding, and the townspeople in the immediate vicinity backed away, their expressions bespeaking of their bewilderment and fear. But the figure that stood before them had also donned a turban and white cloak, shrouding his form from complete discernment.
He held up his gauntleted hands. "Wait. I am not your enemy. I am, in fact, your friend."
He slowly loosened his desert garments and let them fall onto the sandy pavement. The townspeople who still lingered gasped in astonishment – and reverence. They either quickly scuttled away, or kneeled and lowered their heads. On her part, Miria's eyes, instead of narrowing, widened. She was staring at emerald armour hugging grey cloth, a long ponytail, and large, almost boyish chestnut eyes – there could be no mistake.
This man… he was the one she had encountered at the gates of Jieting!
"General Jiang Wei? What are you doing here?" she cried. "Why have you been following us?"
"And more to the point, how did you manage to slip past our detection?" wondered Deneve aloud. "Is your masking of your chi that well-trained?
"You're the clumsy bastard!" blurted Helen. "But wait – that doesn't make sense, if you're so good at aura control – "
His fresh lips were closed together in grimness. "I'm sorry for deceiving you like this. On order of our Grand General, I was to reveal myself only if you were in dire peril. But I think that if I didn't do so now, you would be headed for great danger nonetheless." Jiang Wei paused. "Swallow your pride, Duchess. It is too dangerous out here. We must gather reinforcements before we launch a general assault."
"But we are so close," insisted Miria. "We made the journey here. We must finish it here, too. Think of the lives we could save, and the battles we would avert, if we destroyed the portal now."
"Lady Huang told me everything. And are you certain you could defeat Isley? Priscilla? Lu Bu?" he asked incredulously, "especially if they are together in that expansive network of grottoes?"
Miria fell silent, and Clare lowered her head, gritting her teeth. "Damn it. If they launch a coordinated attack against us… even with our level of skill and Miria's Zulfiqar, we can't…"
"I stand by the Duchess," said Tabitha indignantly. She moved beside Miria, unwilling to concede to Jiang Wei. "We should follow her orders to the letter."
Jiang Wei shrugged. "Fine," he sighed. "If you insist, then I have no choice…"
Tabitha's hand wandered to her sword.
Jiang Wei quickly held up his hands again. "… Then I have no choice but to propose that we settle this with a contest of sorts."
Miria blinked, and encouraged by her willingness to listen, he continued. "We shall engage in a brief campaign to annihilate each and every one of the Awakened Beings that lurk in the Kumtag Desert, and ensure that Dunhuang is not held hostage to such monsters. With our combined skills, it should be easy to root out their auras. If your sword – Zulfiqar - can defeat more Awakened Beings than my spear, Blink, I will accompany you in your advance to the Mogao Caves without complaint."
"And if I kill less of the beasts than you?" Miria asked.
"Then you are coming with me, back to Shu. No excuses, no rejection."
Miria looked at him suspiciously for several moments, before nodding hesitantly. The general's proposal seemed straightforward enough. She sheathed her scimitar. "When shall we begin the operation?"
"Tomorrow, at sunrise." Jiang Wei's eyes glinted. "It's fitting, after all. I stand by my contention that we cannot attack the Mogao Caves as we are now, but we can certainly rid the denizens of this town the rest of the monsters plaguing Kumtag."
Miria gave a small smile as she turned away. "Well, that's one thing I can certainly agree with."
"Hey, kid," snapped Helen suddenly. "I can see your eyes running themselves over the Duchess's arse. Want your hands to do the same, huh?"
"What are you talking about?" denied Jiang Wei sullenly, but fell silent when Miria shot him that look.