R&R please. Thanks.
Leaning over the rocky, cracked outcropping that jutted out of the mountainside like a gargantuan thorn, it watched the newcomers emerge from the tunnel that was one of many that stretched through the mountain that loomed over the fortress it was currently laying siege to.
One by one, they stepped out of the darkness of the underground shortcut and into the bright white of the mountain wasteland. Each one it gazed at intensely, taking in the minor and more important details.
First to emerge was a small creature that it first assumed was a rat. A moment later it realized that it was a red panda, a creature seldom seen in Tibet. And not just any red panda, it realized. It had seen him before. In her dreams.
Second to emerge was a larger animal, a tiger in fine clothing. Again, he was familiar. After him was an eagle, larger than normal, very likely a threat to be eliminated in future. Then there was a goose. A very elderly goose that look nothing like a warrior. What was he doing here, it wondered. Next in line was another tiger, a female. A beautiful one too, though no arousal or attraction was felt. Unlike the male, however, neither it or she knew her.
After the female tiger came a creature it had never seen before in its life. A black and white round figure that resembled a yin-yang symbol more than anything else. It frowned, unable to decide if the animal was a credible threat. Still, there was plenty of time for it to find out.
After the unknown animal came a much smaller creature very similar to the other, roughly half a head shorter than the red panda. It realized with great surprise that the smaller unknown animal was a child, a little girl. The old goose was one thing, but a child?
It had no time to wonder what a child was doing in this place, when its attention was drawn to the next few animals that emerged. After the child there came an avian, a black crested crane, though it was difficult to tell with the rice hat he was wearing. Then there was an attractive green tree viper wearing a pair of lilies, a common accessory, then finally a golden langour monkey with a praying mantis resting on his shoulder.
Something about the monkey seemed familiar, but its attention was currently drawn to a very recently discovered problem: the tunnel. As already evidenced by the arrival of the newcomers, the tunnel network led directly to the fortress, meaning that even more reinforcements could arrive to defend the fortress, creating an obstacle even itself could have trouble removing. It cursed itself in its native tongue for not realizing this before.
Something had to be done.
Tonight.
General Tujiu came from the isolated mountain village of Shounao Huiyi in the northern area of China. At the age of nineteen he had been drafted to the Imperial Army, which at the time had been in heated conflict with a enemy country, the war occurring so long ago he couldn't remember which one. Two months of training, harsh discipline, bloody knuckles and broken bones, and then he had been sent into battle dressed in his very own armor, armed with his very own sword, drenched in his very own sweat. It was in his first battle that he'd made his very first kill: an enemy archer that had gotten to close to the main action and paid the price. Since then Tujiu had done many things, some great, some not so great, some terrible, both to survive and to rise through the ranks. He'd won battle after battle and sliced and diced dozens of the enemy. He'd laid low in sand pits and snow banks, praying that the enemy wouldn't discover him. He'd drank his own sweat and chewed bark peeled from trees. It was that kind of determination and ruthlessness that made him what he was today: Commander-in-Chief of the entire Chinese Army, promoted at the remarkably young age of thirty seven some twenty years ago.
Had he not lost his mind, the infamous General Tsin would have been proud.
And so when General Tujiu looked down from his perch on one of the higher roofs of the fortress and saw Emperor Xian and the Jade Palace warriors approaching, he did not panic. Instead, he flapped his large obsidian black wings, swooped down from the roof, flew through the window of the map room and touched down on the floor. Colonel Sao, a tibetan fox, was already standing at the doorway, waiting for him.
"What's the report?" Tujiu asked.
"No deaths have been reported in twenty seven hours." Sao said. "Oh, and I was going to inform you that the Emperor and the warriors have arrived, but I assume from your expression that you already know this."
Tujiu's scowl deepened. Was his displeasure really that obvious?
"What are your orders?" Sao asked.
"Give them a royal welcome. The Emperor's among them after all. Then tell them that I will meet them in my private mess hall." That was what he called the large empty chamber that had been converted by the army into his own personal dining area.
"Yes, sir. Pardon my asking, but have you figured out what you are going to say to the Emperor?"
Tujiu's eyes narrowed, but not at Sao's question. Of course Xian would be demanding an explanation for his disobedience the minute he greeted him.
"Fortunately, yes I have." He said slowly. "Bring them to my private mess hall and I will greet them in a few minutes. Dismissed."
Sao swiftly left the room, leaving Tujiu to stare down at the map riddled with red marks that looked more like blood than ink.
Perfectly perched on a flattened area of the side of the largest mountain in the Himalayas, the fortress had been built like a number of smaller buildings piled together to form a massive yet symmetrical complex, with the smaller 'towers' standing on both sides like twin siblings standing by their parent. The main building contained hundreds of rooms, half of which were passageways leading to the various 'sections' of the fortress. Surrounding the three structures was a stone wall that strongly resembled the great wall that stretched across china's border, completely circling the fortress and forming a defense which only the strongest of explosives would be able to penetrate.
Rectangular shaped and pure white in color, each 'section' of the main structure seemed to serve a different purpose. In the largest section, the place which you first entered upon stepping through the gigantic double doors that desperately needed oiling, was an entrance hall still as glorious as it had been long ago, the walls, floor and pillars made entirely of blood red garnet and decorated with golden lanterns. Various doors and archways led to the many areas of the massive building.
In one area on the left hand side there was the largest mess hall Tujiu had ever seen. When they had first entered the fortress the square shaped tables had been neatly piled one on top of the other and engulfed in cobwebs. In the kitchen, the tables and stoves had been covered in three inches of dust, the utensils tidied away in the storeroom. No food had been left to rot and stink up the place, much to the relief of Tujiu and the soldiers, who fortunately had brought their own lifetime's supply. Months later, the mess hall was now being used for its purpose, the cobwebs cleared away and the tables scattered around the hall where the soldiers could sit and eat.
In another area on the right was a library of all things. Scrolls and books covered the numerous shelves that dominated the place, taking up an entire three floors. Many of the scrolls and books that had been quickly inspected contained writing and symbols no-one had ever seen before, let along read. Not wanting any lowly soldiers to read the scrolls and books and discover something they shouldn't, Tujiu had strictly forbidden anyone to enter the library, though he himself occasionally felt giddy at the thought of the knowledge that must be contained within. On the third floor of the library there was a circular archway that led onto a wide balcony, where they discovered a massive circular device made entirely of metal. Tujiu knew it as one of those ridiculously complicated astronomical devices that supposedly allowed you to see shapes in the stars and predict the future.
Near the base of the main structure was a large bathhouse that looked like it hadn't been used in decades. When they had first discovered it, the water had been drained from the gorgeously constructed pits where many years ago the soldiers and servants of the fortress had washed themselves. In a higher area of the bathhouse was an even more luxurious room that looked like it had been built only for the ruler of the fortress to use.
Above the baths was a series of guestrooms that months before had been covered in dust. Since the soldiers rested in the army camp stationed right next to the fortress, the luxurious rooms were still empty, but recently cleaned in preparation for the Emperor's arrival. Another bedroom, separated from the others but far larger, looked like it had once belonged to the previous ruler of the fortress, but very soon would have the Emperor himself as its occupant. Tujiu had taken residence in a small section close to the library, where a study and map room was located.
The final section of the main structure, located at the very top of the building, was a throne room accessible only through a series of passageways and stairways stretching from the entrance hall. By far the most beautiful room in the entire fortress, the throne room bore an unusually strong resemblance to the hall of warriors at the Jade Palace, with a few differences: the throne room was twice as large. Instead of a moon pool a golden throne draped in red silk stood at the far end of the hall atop a short series of steps, and in place of columns six jade dragon statues lined the walls. The Emperor himself would be jealous.
The two smaller towers had very different purposes. The right hand tower featured a prison that made Chorh-Gom look like a children's play area. Said prison was currently unoccupied but still looked like it would even the strongest of prisoners. Above the prison was a slightly smaller room that was at first thought to be a torture chamber but later turned out to be a foundry. The machines were still in remarkably good working condition, and Tujiu was still disappointed that they had no metal to try them out with. There was also a small armory that was unfortunately empty. At the very top of the tower was a mechanical room filled with giant gears which were currently still and dusty. No-one could guess what it was for.
The left hand tower was far less grim, more like the world's biggest warehouse. A massive armory mercifully full to the brim with weapons of all kinds sat at the bottom, while above was what once had been for food storage. At the top was a slightly smaller room full of crates of all sizes. Though most of the crates had been carefully transported to the storeroom that had been built right next to the army camp, Tujiu had strictly forbidden anyone from opening them, not wishing to unleash anything unpleasant.
Though the library was surely a wondrous find, the most interesting areas of the fortress were not located above ground. Three weeks after the army took over the fortress, a group of soldiers had made a surprising discovery in the library: after one of them accidentally knocked a wall lamp, a doorway had opened in between two bookshelves. Upon inspection, they had found a passageway that led to a network of corridors deep beneath the main structures. Two areas of great significance had been found: a treasure vault that made many of the soldiers who knew its existence very happy, and a tomb, a dusty dull stone chamber with a single coffin. Though just a handful of coins from the treasure would make one seriously rich, Tujiu was more interested in the tomb, for deep down he sensed that there was something far greater than gold hidden in that chamber... somewhere...
But wondering would have to wait, for at that moment the door to his private mess hall opened. In walked Colonel Sao, along with Emperor Xian, Grandmaster Shifu, the Furious Five, and a panda who could only be the famous Dragon Warrior.
General Tujiu put on his best 'smile', and bowed.
"Greetings, your highness." He said. "Welcome to the Himalayas."
Boring, I know, but I thought a detailed description of the fortress was in order. Anyway, please review.