Dialogue has been difficult for me to make believable, so I'm saying 'screw it' and transitioning to a more slang-y, modern diction. Artistic license or simple laziness? You decide. Musical inspiration: 'Lucifer's Angel' by the Rasmus, 'Seraphic Deviltry' by Theatre of Tragedy, 'Damned and Divine' by Tarja, Disturbed, Godsmack… Credits of course go to koei for the original game characters, simulations of the historical battles, and the absolutely awesome double mosou; if you can time it right! :P
"I cannot understand how you do this all the time!" Anli voice dripped disgust as she plucked at her light travel armor and shifted uncomfortably in her saddle.
"Sorry, friend," Zhi returned. "I needed a chaperone. Our Lord's orders." Zhi could barely manage the latter statement with a straight face; she could not resist curling her lip. God, she hated that arrogant bastard.
"And, what do you mean 'All the time'? I've only been out on a real campaign once."
"You know what I mean, you jerk," Anli sighed and brooded for a moment, her pouty lower lip sticking out a bit, then brightened.
"I do think it's cool that I get to learn how to use a crossbow, though. And can I play with your throwing daggers? Do you really think I can pull off being a secret bodyguard?"
"If you can keep your mouth shut, you'll be great," Zhi grinned at her. "And stay away from my knives, you greedy war monger!"
"I can't wait for the parties, and the food, and the –"
"Where do you think we're going?" Zhi asked in amusement. "The ball? We are going to WAR."
"Pfftt! I know you military people have this sweet little deal called 'R&R.'" Anli scoffed.
"Rest and relaxation, my lily white ass!" She lowered her voice and winked. "You didn't start that little thing with lover boy during 'R&R!'"
"First of all, your ass is probably not so white and smooth anymore," Zhi continued as Anli tittered and one of the nearby soldiers made a coughing sound that sounded more like a choked off laugh, "And second, I'm going to acquaint you with rest and relaxation methods myself if you don't stop calling him lover boy!" Zhi heard a quickly muffled guffaw and glanced over at her First Platoon Sergeant. When the man saluted her with a mischievous glint in his eyes, she smirked and snapped her fingers. As a short crack of thunder startled the nearby horses, the man jumped and dropped his pike. As he stumbled to catch his weapon and surreptitiously began rubbing his wrist, his men began to chuckle. Zhi turned back around. Anli reined her horse closer.
"What did you do?"
"Zapped his hand."
"Zhi! You can't do that to your own people!" Anli was aghast with self-righteous horror. Zhi rolled her eyes.
"Why not? It was funny. Plus, he was being disrespectful. I don't mind them sharing in the joke, but that smart ass salute undermines my authority."
"None of the other officers do things like that."
"That's because A) They can't, and B) they're men. I have to lead a bit differently because I'm a woman."
"Why?"
"How many women are officers, Anli? I know the Sun family has a daughter who may become one fairly soon, but she's royal. I don't have that advantage."
"How did you learn these things?"
"When I started with the Yellow Turbans, I was promoted way before I was ready just because of my abilities. Obviously, the men didn't appreciate the quick rise in rank. There were a couple of – incidents – and I had to hurt some of them."
"What happened?" Anli's eyes were huge.
"I, ah, I was almost raped. I burned one of them pretty badly and, er, another one, I cut off a couple of his fingers. Should've cut off something else, but I wasn't in a position to be picky. I don't know if the burnt one ended up dying or not," Zhi shrugged. "And honestly, after what he tried to do, I don't really care. But the others respected me more after that and whenever we got new recruits, I made it my personal goal to scare the hell out of them early on. Never had any problems after that."
Anli was silent for a time. Zhi rubbed her arms briskly. She had never spoken of those terrifying first few days in command to anyone so candidly – not Jin, not even her brother. She suspected that both men had known on a certain level that it had happened, but neither approached the subject and she had preferred it that way.
"So why'd Lord Cao Cao decide you needed a chaperone for this campaign? I mean, you went gallivanting off to take care of those bandits without another woman around." Zhi snorted.
"Something about how this was a coalition and that his allies would look upon it as scandalous that I was the only woman in camp and that I would ruin the image of his proficiency as a leader."
"Is that what he said?!" Anli was appalled at her Lord's apparent frankness.
"Of course not! He honey-coated the whole speech. It was actually pretty impressive; I couldn't have done it with a straight face." Zhi smiled. "I thought Xiahou Dun was going to hurt himself when the whole 'protecting our women from immoral advances' phrase came out." Anli sniggered daintily.
"I don't think that'd be a problem; between your history and – lover boy – you'll be covered!" Just as Zhi opened her mouth to return fire, a courier galloped from the front of the marching column to meet them. He saluted quickly and kneed his horse closer.
"We're arriving, Lieutenant. Lord Cao Ang needs you to send a man ahead to settle berthing."
"Very good, Corporal." The man nodded and kicked his horse into a gallop towards the rear. Zhi turned in her saddle to face the Sergeant she had reprimanded earlier.
"Sergeant Jiang."
"Ma'am?"
"Take my chaperone's horse and make sure we get a good site."
"Yes, ma'am!" Anli tossed her the reins, which Zhi looped over her saddle horn. As the sergeant jogged up and down his platoon, issuing orders to squad leaders, she held out her arm and aided Anli into the saddle behind her. Zhi handed over the reins as he mounted. Anli sighed in apparent bliss.
"Does this mean we get to sleep in the good tents now?"
"Yes, we get to sleep in the good tents now."
Zhi barely managed to stifle a yawn as the assembled generals and lords finally concluded their first war meeting. Making a mental note to meet with her Platoon Leaders to adjust the watch-standing rotations, she joined the queue of men heading out of the tent.
It seemed that autumn had arrived early and she hoped that the supply lines were set up soon so she could request cold weather gear for her men. Shivering a bit in the chilly evening air, she hurried through the still unfamiliar camp layout. Cao Cao's commanders preferred a different footprint from the Yellow Turban generals; overall it was a more efficient use of space, but she continually found herself in the wrong section of camp.
Consequently, she arrived at her personal command tent after her Sergeants had arrived for evening muster. She entered, bowed in apology, and hastily gave out her orders.
"Si Shui Gate is an hour's march from here. We will be providing support to the special forces unit that will be out doing recon, so expect our first movements to be night ops. We will maintain a Moon formation about their flanks and rear. A mobile medical unit and crossbow squad will be joining us as well. Light sword, those with hatchet-throwing abilities may bring their kit, medium armor, and three day's worth of rations. Terrain is old growth forest, hilled, and there may be some ravines so bring light climbing gear. Standard preparation protocol should be followed; we muster the day after tomorrow at dusk. Dismissed."
The dawn found Zhi in the sparring circle with Cao Ang, working on new techniques with her weapon. Mid-morning was reserved for equipment inspections and last minute repairs to weapons and armor. By noon, Zhi was heading through Headquarters Battalion, thinking of grabbing a quick nap after lunch when she noticed a commotion in the main open square before Cao Cao's tent.
A few of the military leaders she recognized from the previous night's war meetings, notably the unassuming and quiet Liu Bei, were chatting with Cao Ang and Xiahou Dun. He was flanked by two men whose names she could not remember… Ah yes, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. When Xiahou Dun spotted her, he waved her over and introduced her.
"We're waiting for them to finish digging that hole for the main banners," Dun said when introductions were complete, pointing to a group of soldiers struggling with a long, thick pole and the heavy Wei banner. He nudged Zhi with his elbow and leaned down to whisper in her ear,
"That great moron skulking about next to Liu Bei thinks he can best Dian Wei in a contest of strength." Xiahou Dun gestured towards Guan Yu with his chin.
"What did he do?" Zhi whispered back. Dun snorted.
"Lifted a couple barrels full of water."
"Of water?? Wow." Dun scoffed again.
"Bah! Dian Wei has something better planned. Just watch."
A sort of commotion ran through the crowd as the men finished attaching the banner to the pole and then stepped away from the whole thing. Zhi stared, trying to figure out what was going to happen, and then her eyes widened as she took in the whole set-up. She stood on her tiptoes, clutching Dun's forearm while trying to see around the crowd that was milling about, and said,
"He's not going to life that by himself is he?" Dun chuckled.
"Yup, it's pretty amazing. I've never seen him do it, but it wouldn't surprise me."
"But –"
"Shut up! Here he comes."
Shouts of encouragement rang out intermittently in the quiet that followed and Dian Wei entered the cleared area. He began stripping his weapons and armor. The weapons in particular took a while to shed and masculine laughter punctuated the crowd's noise as daggers and mysterious blades made a surprisingly big bristling pile. Wei arched a sardonic brow at Guan Yu and was replied to with more laughter. The two giant men glared at each other for a moment and then Dian Wei suddenly removed his tunic and undershirt. Cao Cao's men cheered and Zhi tugged on Dun's sleeve.
"What's the big deal?" she asked. Dun grinned.
"I had no idea he could play a crowd like that. Oh, Guan Yu ripped his tunic right down the back went he lifted those barrels. Or maybe our boy just likes to show off."
Dian Wei walked over to the pole, lying ready to be lifted into position. He squatted low and lifted the end before beginning to walk it upright. The length of the pole would work against him as he moved closer to the base and as the tip, heavy with its burden, moved higher into the air. The crowd fell silent as Dian Wei moved the thing up higher and higher, muscles bulging alarmingly.
Hmmmm… Zhi thought to herself. That's too easy, let's give him a little bit of a challenge. She raised her palm. A gentle breeze built, fluttering the heavy banner minutely. Over by Cao Cao, Sima Yi glanced at her sharply. Zhi grinned a little and then concentrated.
A strong wind burst through the camp suddenly, sending tunics flapping and dust flying. The big Wei banner unfurled to its fullest and billowed in the wind. Shouts of alarm sounded as the pole lowered a bit.
With the wind maintaining itself, Zhi turned her attention back to Dian Wei, and then her mouth went slack. The man just grunted and steadied the pole for a moment. Finally, chest heaving, he began to move forward again and with a great final effort, the pole slid into its hole and flew all the way upright. The banner billowed in the breeze regally and some sort of leering chant began among the gathered troops. Guan Yu looked murderous while Zhang Fei chuckled.
Zhi sniggered to herself while Dian Wei caught his breath until she caught Dun regarding her curiously. He looked solemn for a moment until a grin broke out across his face and he said,
"I am so telling him!" He darted off through the crowd that was now beginning to disperse.
"No! Come back!" she hurried off after him.
Dusk settled over the land the next day. Zhi's platoons began patrols and recon missions with both Dian Wei's and Xu Zhu's special forces. Sima Yi had chastised her for the flagpole trick but Dian Wei had bellowed with such honest laughter that he left off, leaving Zhi grinning smugly.
There were times that Zhi felt like she had imagined all of her previous encounters with Dian Wei. For all outward appearances, nothing had happened or was happening between them. Then again, every once in a while she'd find herself standing before him, caught by his eyes. Every time Zhi had to stop to reorganize her thoughts, forcibly think about her accelerated heart rate, and tamp down the power that his presence seemed to call to. She hoped like hell that he was having the same problems because she felt like an utter idiot when it happened.
It only took a single week of gathering intel before the warlords deemed it time to begin the assault on the gate. For two days straight, Zhi was in council meetings and had to rely heavily on her sergeants to make sure her platoons were ready for combat. During the final meeting between their own officers, Cao Cao placed her platoons under Cao Ang's command and assigned her temporarily to Dian Wei's unit. His and Xu Zhu's men had been given the assignment to approach the enemy archer and crossbow units from either side of the ravine that led to the gate itself and signal the allies when it was clear. It was an extremely important task that would determine the outcome of the battle and would require both stealth and speed to accomplish. The downside was that they would miss the majority of the battle and the assault on the gate. Both berserkers did not appear too pleased at that, but both inclined their heads silently in assent and accepted the honor they were given. Grudgingly.
Zhi had just finished picking her machete and spear up from the blacksmith and was heading back to her tent when she decided to detour. The stars seemed especially bright in the cool air and she found herself standing at the edge of one of the many ravines in the area, a stand of trees between her and the camp. It was relatively quiet for once, the dark washed over her and she felt like she belonged there. In the shadows. Still, something seemed to be missing…
Ah. Perfect. The cadence of his footsteps was unmistakable and she brought her hands up to rest on his forearms as he stopped behind her and put his arms around her shoulders. She leaned back into him as he rested his chin on top of her head.
Silence. And a perfect communion between two people who barely knew each other. Zhi knew exactly what this was, a private goodbye. While death could happen at any time to either of them, tomorrow was an actual battle. Death would be happening all around them. Just because Wei was one of the most powerful warriors in the land and Zhi was in possession of an unbelievable set of powers, a single stray arrow or wayward thrust of a peasant's sword could end them. Every warrior was used to death; they spent their lives bringing it to whatever enemy got in their way. Zhi's regret was not being able to say goodbye to those she had loved. She felt blessed to have this time with this man.
She eventually ended up back in her tent, glad that the stars had shone only faintly on them in the dark. She was starting to feel quite at home there, both damned and divine.
Zhi rubbed at her smudged face as she made her way in the silent column of men through the forested cliffs overlooking the ravine leading to Si Shui Gate. There had been no speech, all buckles had been tied with strips of cloth, all metal rubbed with the same grease/soot mixture that kept oozing into Zhi's eyes as she sweated. All communication was through hand signals. They were deep within enemy territory, their target destination a string of watch towers running along the cliffs. Most of the men were in position. It had taken then entire night to move stealthily through the woods, avoiding detection of the enemy scouts, but they had done it. And now she and Dian Wei were approaching the last watchtower.
They sat back to back and took turns dozing, waiting for dawn to break and the signal to be sounded. They did not have to wait for long. Full light had not even broken when a single, sustained horn note sounded. Immediately, Zhi and Wei leapt to their feet. They drew their throwing weapons at a full sprint through the foliage. Dian Wei took the first sentry easily with a dagger through the eye before the man could even ascertain where they were coming from. One quick jerk and he had his dagger back in his hand. An arrow whirred past Zhi's ear as they burst from the foliage before the watchtower to a startled but efficient group of archers.
Zhi flexed her fingers and set the tower floor on fire. The wooden building caught quickly and soon the archers were leaping from the thing – right into the twin blades of Zhi's spear and half-moon of Wei's axe. Not one archer was a match for either warrior and the remaining couple of soldiers fled in terror. Not even breathing hard, Zhi stepped away from the collapsing tower and lowered her spear.
"Damn, it's right there," Zhi breathed. She felt Dian Wei step closer to stand beside her. Looming before them was Si Shui, the gates sealed. The cliffs at first glance appeared to be non-traversable. Until Zhi took a closer look.
"Look," she breathed, placing a hand on Wei's wrist.
It was a perfect little trail, barely wide enough for a single person to pass at a time, hidden among the brush and scree. She looked up to see him chuckle menacingly.
"Perfect," he said. Looking down at her, he quirked up an eyebrow.
"It'll take most of the morning to get through that, so let's move before we miss the fight!
The trail provided an excellent view of the flat land before the gate and the battle that began upon it. War machines, siege engines, perfectly formed battalions in various formations moved across it like pieces on a chess board. It was fascinating to watch.
"I think we should hit up that group over there," Dian Wei said as they hurried down the little path. Our forces are outnumbered and will be severely weakened by the time we get over there. Then, when the gate falls, we'll be in a good position to get in."
The sun was almost midway into the sky when the two broke free of their descent and ran out into the open. Dian Wei vaulted into the saddle of a wandering horse, holding his hand out as he galloped toward her. She grasped it and he flung her into the saddle behind him. They galloped around clashing platoons until they reached a platoon under Lui Bei's banner struggling against the superior numbers of the enemy general Hua Xiong.
Dian Wei did not even pull the horse to a stop before he leapt off, axe in the air, to crash into a bunched group. They scattered like leaves before the wind and Zhi could not get off the horse fast enough.
Oh how she had missed this. The heady power of a true battle. Madness took hold quickly and she welcomed the reddened haze. Every impact of her blades through flesh built upon her momentum, making her faster, stronger. Somewhere nearby, she could sense Dian Wei's movements and she instinctively began to move toward him. Fighting in opposite directions they nonetheless were able to time their movements to create a synchrony of impacts that helped to direct Zhi's awareness of the elements around them.
A moment in time seemed to crystallize. Both of their weapons reached the apex of their swings at the exact same instant. Zhi drew in a breath, let it out….
And released fire.
Beside her, Dian Wei let out a roar that she echoed. Fire flickered at the edges of their blades and air added impetus to their swings. In seconds, they tore through every single parry attempt and wiped out half of the enemy forces. For a stunned moment, Zhi wondered if she truly was going insane. One point of her spear came to rest on the ground before her as her vision doubled and blurred. She and Dian Wei had come to a halt face to face and he appeared to be momentarily confused as well.
Then his eyes focused. She saw his pupils dilate before he reached out to her, tossing her effortlessly out of his path as he ran down a group of hapless soldiers. Zhi reached skyward, clenched her fist and brought it down in an abrupt jerk. Lightning cracked into Dian Wei's targeted group and he stopped short. Zhi laughed and darted past him.
They eventually reached the first duel Zhi had ever seen. Of course, they were too late and watched as the big warrior Guan Shu forced the general Hua Xiong into retreat.
"So much for Hua Xiong," Dian Wei said scathingly.
It seemed so. The gates were broken through. The enemy was retreating. Zhi raised her spear and her voice in victory. Si Shui was theirs.