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Post by Sam on Jul 19, 2011 3:58:18 GMT
 Cao Cao sat in his residence, illuminated only by a single solemn candle. He was having trouble sleeping that night, he couldn't put his finger on the feeling. Time seemed to go by as fast as a conversation with Yu Bao - dangerously slow. The King's head rested wearily in his hand as he brooded over his desk.
He wasn't doing anything, he could not find any ideas of what to pass the time with, his mind seemed ever blank, straying from thought to thought only ever briefly, they fleeted by without pause. He didn't get a chance to pick anything to do.
A shrill wind shot through down the corridor and entered the study, with a dreadful howl and hit Cao directly in the face - like it was meant to all along. It wasn't a good feeling. The wind instantly died away, his sole candle had been quenched in the gust.
Cao struggled to his feet, raising a hand to keep a cloak on his shoudlers for warmth, the night was unusually cold. Cao took up the extinguished candle and wandered off alone out of the hall to relight it. He wandered out of his door and began walking down the corridor very slowly, as if he was concentrating on adding effort to be able to walk.
He came by a torch on the wall, but a thought hit him. He knew not what it was, but it changed his mind. He leant over and set his light on the ground below the wall-mounted torch. Pulling his cloak firmly over his shoulders again he wantered out into his entrance hall.
The world was deathly silent, he didn't like it one bit for some reason. Cao felt an unquestionable sense of foreboding, and wandered outside. The sun was just leaving the sky and a blood red horizon lingered. Cao wandered over to a railing, looing over the steps and the palace grounds below, gazing outward.
Cao's peace was interrupted suddenly with shock, he practically shit himself, he turned around, "What in the heavens! What do you want?" A soldier was bowing there, how he got there without him noticing the Lord of Wei had no earthly idea. "Apologies my lord, but I have an urgent missive from Hefei."
Cao's eye cocked up, interested, but anxious to know. "Give me it." The man produced a piece of parchment from his uniform and handed it over. It was from Li Dian and Yue Jin. Cao looked over it in anxiety, his reading seemingly getting faster and faster as he got further into the letter.
In Cao's eyes were fury, irritation and pain both plagued his expression. His teeth met as he clenched them against his inner pain. His old fist, clenched in a ruthless fist, binding the letter his in hand. "You may go back." The solider bowed and ran off down the steps exiting the palace.
Cao's anger turned to panic, at the news he was given. He made his way back to his study. Retreiving his candle and relighting it on the much larger torch. He wandered into his study and set down the candle. Falling back in his seat, unable to think clearly, he could do nothing to change things.
His troubles were interrupted by a loud call from outside, he threw aside the letter and shot back up and rushed out the way he came. He met the man at the top of the palace steps. Cao asked hastily, curious and fightened at the same time, "What is it?" The man bowed hastily, an expression of great distress on his face.
"My lord..!" It was Cheng Qi. Cao Cao grew anxious, he stamped his foot and said, "Spit it out." Cheng Qi dropped to the ground and bowed, "S-S-Sun Quan. Sun Quan has killed, Zhang Liao." Horror descended over the King's face.
He thought of the letter he had just received, now this. The letter didn't say anything about that. Only that Zhang Liao had been taken prisoner. Cao wondered in his fear, how he only came to learn both at once. Cao shouted, "That soldier, call him back." Cheng Qi raised hastily, and shouted down the stairs, calling the soldier back who luckily was not too far away to not hear. He turned back and ran towards the palace.
When he got back to the top of the stairs, the King was pacing back and forth in the throne room with Cheng Qi standing before him. The messenger walked forward and knelt before Cao Cao. Whos aid, "That letter you just delivered me? Why has it only just reached me now." The soldier knocked his head against the ground, begging, "The generals gave me some travel money, and I had nothing to spend it on, so I stayed at a few taverns and had a few drinks. I had a bit too much when I went and wasted a couple of days travel. Please forgive me my lord."
Cao Cao knew even with those extra few day he could have done very little to alter this; but his wrath was great and he needed someone to pin the blame on to ease his pain. He barked, "Useless wretch! This your fault!" He stormed over to his throne and seized his sword.
The soldier begged, and pleaded and the cold steel was unsheathed, "My king! My ki-" His pleading was cut short. Cao's sword in one furious swing had chleaved the head from his body, the lifeless body slumped forward to the floor, unleashing a torrent of red across the ground from the death blow. Cao Cao was not done, he screamed out in fury and swung his sword on a turn, which cleaved his throne in two, a corner of it slid off and crashed to the ground.
Cheng Qi watched on, not wanting to get on the King's bad side right now. The King moved up behind the Emperor's seat and desk and stood there in thought. It struck him, the report all fell in line. Sun...fucking, Shang Xiang! The thought moved to words, "Sun...fucking, Shang Xiang!" He sent his foot flying levelling the Emperor's desk and sent it rolling down the dais, it crashed before Cheng Qi's feet, who cringed at the close-impact.
"Was that all it fucking was? A seduction scheme!" He walked forward and seized his sword again, and it's scabbard. He sheathed the weapon, stained with the fresh blood of the messenger.
He threw the weapon, the Qinggang Sword, at Cheng Qi, who caught it just as it was about to hit him in the face. "Take my sword and bring me that bitches head! No questions!" Cheng Qi bowed and complied gladly, turning and setting off at a jog, to be hasty.
Cao Cao waited until Cheng Qi was well out of sight, and then looking at the soldier's corpse, he began to cry. He fell back onto the steps of the dais, and wept uncontrollably. "Wenyuan...oh, Wenyuan!" He pounded his fist countless times on the wooden dais, and rested his head on his sleeve as he sobbed uncontrollably.  |
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Post by Sam on Jul 19, 2011 15:10:20 GMT
Cheng Qi growled under his breath as he stormed out of the palace. The grief of the loss of Zhang Liao burned within him, and his hatred for the Sun clan shone brightly, second only to his lord. He was not one for tears, Cheng Qi was as solid as a rock, his will could not be broken.
It was with great delight in his heart that he received Cao Cao's sword, empowering him with command to dominate. He bowed to his lord and went about his order. Kill Sun Shang Xiang Although over fifty, the burning hatred give him a youthful energy and he wasted no time leaving the palace grounds and calling up a a dozen Imperial guards.
When they had assembled to him, his lord's sword tucked under his arm, he spared their feelings not, "Orders from the King. To Sun Shang Xiang's residence, this bitch will fucking pay in blood, I will personally sever her head! Only then will I be satisfied!" The soldiers didn't know what he was talking about, Zhang Liao's death had reached very few ears, but they complied, Qi had the sword that commanded the whole empire. "It will be done."
The guards and Cheng stormed off to the residence, it was very close to the palace. They burst in without any thought and scoured the place. Cheng held his King's sword as he entered, the soldiers reported, "She's not here, but we did find Shen Ha." Cheng Qi shoved them aside violently and jumped to Shen Ha's side, he was on the floor apprently unconscious.
CHeng Qi bellowed at him, grabbing his tunic, "Useless fool!" He stood back up and paced, unable to stay still will rage, "Wake him the fuck up!" The guards went into the back and brought water and went about it.
Cheng Qi stormed out followed by two guards. He turned on them and shouted wrathfully, "Alert every guard station to tighten their watch, no one gets in or out of the city! I will not let this good-for-nothing hussy give me the slip!" The two guards departed.
Cheng Qi couldn't control himself, he was livid, not a moment did he stand quietly. He never trusted that bitch, and now with her seduction ploy she had seen Zhang Liao falter and meet the axe. She would pay, oh how she would pay. Cheng Qi wasn't going to simply kill her, he was going to watch her squirm as he sliced her open to avenge Zhang Liao.
He stormed off in the direction of the palace, and coming to the gate guards he commanded, suddenly realizing, "Send guards to find that Lu Xun too, damn southerners. They will all die!" The guards did so seeing the sword he held.
Cheng Qi if you can believe it so, was still quite calm and collected. He was working out these things in his head, while he seemed outrigt pissed off, he did retain himself. Here he turned to the palace, to report to the King.
The alarms of the guard posts went up all over the city all most at once, each responding to the other with the relayed commands. The hunt was on.
Back in Sun Shang Xiang's residence, the guards had been working on reviving Shen Ha.
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Post by Shen Ha on Jul 19, 2011 17:29:02 GMT
The news had been grave. It was all Shen Ha could to do fight back tears. He was glad, at least, that he was already seated when the letter was handed to him. Otherwise, he couldn’t imagine being able to stand long after reading the letter. It was such very grave news.
Carefully picking his messenger, he had to inform Sun Shang Xiang. He had to make a plan, and he had to act npw. Waiting any longer would see the Wu princess put to the sword. Each stroke that falls on Zhang Liao shall fall on Sun Shang Xiang. We told you this, Sun Quan, and yet you still shorten my commander’s body by a head?
Shen Ha had been furious at first, and he thought now of Sun Shang Xiang or Cao Cao, but of his sword and his spear, and thought how great it would be to wear his armor and ride to the Bronze Spire Castle of Hefei and take the garrison out to charge Sun Quan’s camp. With the letter came Zhang Liao’s two hook swords, and Shen Ha kept them with him now, saving them for the day when their edges would glow bright with Sun Quan’s blood, and they took the head of Sun Quan, as he did their wielder.
It was only after Shen Ha had calmed down after his initial barrage of anger that he thought of Sun Shang Xiang. She is nothing to me but a vow, but this vow I swore to fulfill. It was my dying commander’s final duty of me. My rage would send me south with an army, but my duty would send me south with Cao Cao’s captive…
Shen Ha knew what to do for a moment, but when he finally acted, he did so fast. He sent a letter attached to a bird to Sun Shang Xiang, informing her that they were leaving today for Wu. He sent to inform her what she needed to do while awaiting for his arrival.
Taking up a brown surcoat and black riding pants with leather boots, Shen Ha departed while also wearing his broadsword on his belt. Upon reaching Sun Shang Xiang’s borrowed estate, he was glad to see Cao Cao had not yet made it here. If he had, than all my plans would be forfeit, and she would die as Zhang Liao did, with a falling sword and a head to follow.
He walked in and closed his eyes, knowing what was to come. He had wrote to them, and if the bird reached them, it would be a strong fist of Lu Xiu to find him. His eyes were closed as he waited. He heard a pair of footsteps approaching; one a heavy set, one a light. Lu Xiu and Sun Shang Xiang.
“Do it and go.” Shen Ha said. And then he found himself on the floor, a pain surging from his nose. He kept his eyes closed and eased his breathing. Now, all he had to do was wait.
A long time had passed, but he heard the rumbling of horses outside and the crackling of torchfire and the gathered footsteps of a company enter the estate, while Shen Ha still lay awake on the floor, his eyes closed, and feigning unconscious.
The guards slapped as Shen Ha, but he did well to keep his body loose, as if he had no control over it. After a few minutes of being handled, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes, pushing at the guard over him, faking surprise.
“What is the meaning of this?” Shen Ha bellowed at the guard over him, reaching his hand to feel the bruise left by Lu Xiu’s fist.
“I…” Shen Ha paused, “That bitch! I was ambushed. Cheng Qi,”
Shen Ha looked to the official. He is Cao Cao’s man, aye, and the murderer of Sun Shang Xiang if I do nothing.
“If I know her, she’s likely to be in the streets openly. You take your company to the barracks. I have heard of buildings there with tunnels beneath Xuchang. Spare no quarters while searching for her. I will gather a party and ride to inform Cao Cao of the escape.”
Shen Ha lied. Cao Cao would know nothing. Shen Ha was not a traitor. In fact, he was serving Zhang Liao justly, but Cao Cao would not see that in his rage. Cheng Qi and his men swarmed back to their horses, and as they galloped off, the torch flames faded slowly into the distance. He mounted his own horse, a dark brown, nearly black stallion that Wenyuan rewarded him for riding so bravely at Xiaoyao beside him. He said a fine warrior needs a companion on the battlefield, and there was no finer friend to a soldier than a horse. May I one day prove you right to judge me a warrior, Wenyuan. But today, I will choose honor over revenge.
As Cheng Qi’s men rode in the wrong direction, Shen Ha rode now for the path he told Sun Shang Xiang to take. He rode now to free her.
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Post by Sam on Jul 19, 2011 18:49:31 GMT
Cao Cao laid on the steps up to the dais, rolled up quivering is distress. He felt so cold. He blamed the cold breeze coming through the open hall, but in his heart he knew, the sand was drawing to a close. It made him all the more miserable with grief, he held his lay there uselessly, incapable of raising himself.
His grief proved to fierce and he would find it hard to open his eyes. Such was the state the staff of the palace found him in when they came to investigate the noises. A broken king, among a bloody hall. What the...
Maids and guards alike rushed over in concern and held the king, he was dathering all over, but his body was covered with perspiration and his temperature ridiculously high as they laid hands on his forehead.
He could neither speak, nor signal in anyway. They braced themselves, and ignoring the carnage, lifted the king against his body's will, and carried him to his chambers.
* * *
Cheng Qi reentered the palace with great haste, still carrying the sword. He entered the hall looking for the King, but he was no longer there. There was a muffled ruccus coming from the residence, and Qi broke into jog as he made his way over, with great anxiety upon his heart.
He ran to the King's room and found a crowd around the King's bed. He pushed his way through and found Cao Cao, who was laying there deathly pale, with a wet cloth upon his forehead. Qi fell forward to the bedside and looking on sadly noticed that the King was asleep.
Qi looked back to the crowd, his anger suffering a setback, "What happened?" "We found the king in a bad state in the hall, we brought him back here like this." Cheng's gazed moved back to Cao Cao as he he set the King's sword against the wall near the bedside.
His lord's breathing was ailed, it came infrequently and weak. Cheng Qi wasn't used to seeing his lord like this, his heart shattered and his will deserted him for a moment. The once resolute advisor, finally broke down. The man who had brought him under his wing back when he was still but a rising star in the world. He couldn't bear it.
He stood back up and turned, "Take good care of him." The host servants nodded miserably, Cheng Qi walked out the door and coming into the hall he looked over at the mess, so much anger, so much misery, and proceeded on.
Cming outside he staggered over to the railing, where Mengde himself had so recently been leaning against. He looked up at the sky and amid the final rays of the sun this day he saw the stars and their lusure was dimmed, a sole tear rolled down the man's face. As he realized, and cursed the world. Heaven was cruel. It denied Cao Cao the gift of unification and the country peace once again at Red Cliff, and now it was going to take him, his vision unfulfilled, his rivals unconquered.
Cheng Qi bowed his head over the rail, and the tear descended to his jaw, and slipped from his grasp. The first tear Cheng Qi had dispensed in his entire adult life. If this was to be his lord's last night then he would aim to complete his final command. "Take my sword and bring me that bitches head. No questions." Qi took the words to heart and was about to vow so in his mind to the completetion of it, but was so saddened at the prospect, that he may never get to show her severed head to a living Mengde.
He quickly stormed back into the residence and pushing his way once more through the servants he took the King's sword back, his lord was still out, so he left again.
Descending the palace stairs again, his determination prevaield over his physical exhaustion and the constant running up and down these darned things. He made his way back to Shang Xiang's residence.
Entering he found his men gone and Shen Ha awake. He walked towards the man. "You have screwed up big time Shen! What the hell went wrong?" Cheng was in no mood to discuss these things. "Atone for your failure." He raised the King's sword to the man's vision shwoing his superior and further bolstered authority over the lieutenant and said, "By the King's command, hunt and find the Princess. Alive or Dead, bring her back. And that boy Lu Xun too if you should stumble across the wretch."
Shen Ha rode off, Cheng Qi wondered where the hell his men had got to, suspecting Shen Ha of some perverse trickery was his first thought. If that Shen dares try anything out of line, I'll see him pay. Cheng Qi was in no mood to be fucked with especially with his lord's life seemingly hanging in the balance. END. EDIT: fixed some faulty colour coding |
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Post by Storyteller on Jul 22, 2011 1:43:25 GMT
Using the Reward Rubric, this thread scored high in plot, moderate in conflict, high in Character Development, and moderate in Entertaining Factors.
Sam - 15 Reputation Points for Writing Ability, 1 SPECIAL Point
Shen Ha - 10 Reputation Points for Writing Ability, +1 Benevolence
EDIT: Sam gains one SPECIAL point for developing Cheng Qi.
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