Post by Tony Stark on Apr 2, 2011 19:10:43 GMT
It had been a few years since Zhao Fai left his home in Jian Xia. The memories were to thick in Jian Xia. The darkness of his past was too heavy to wade through. Fai's future, in his opinion, would stay just as dark if he stayed in Jian Xia. Having left his home with scarcely any gold to his name, Zhao Fai lived off of what he could make. The occasional body guard work, the occasional tournament, and the occasional farming. Once the most promising prospect to come out of Jian Xia, he was now almost a homeless beggar. How the Gods had frowned upon his fortune...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, this must be Jian An. looks like I've made it.[/color]
Having spent a year wandering southern China, Zhao Fai seemed to have made it to Jian An. His raven black hair was tied up loosely atop his head, and he carried his armor in a large burlap sack stuffed with cloth to help reduce the noise. His swords were at his side and was the only sign that this man could have once been something important and worthwhile. Every step he took was like walking through thick mud; he had been walking for 12 hours straight, and by this time his legs were on fire. Beneath his leather armor was the cloth outfit of a commoner, drenched in sweat. The sun was just setting.
He approached the front gates, and he was met by two guards who eyed him with suspicion. One guard unsheathed his sword ever so slightly, just in case Zhao Fai was an undesirable. He was the one to speak first.
"May we help you?"
Zhao Fai smiled as politely as possible, but his body was too tired to muster any sort of false respect.
"I am just a traveler looking for work and a place to rest my head. "
"Where are you coming here from?"
"I've been through most of southern China. My last place of residence was Cheng Sha."
"Is that where you're from?"
"No. I am from Jian Xia, but there was nothing for me there. I hope to create my future in a new city, which has brought me to Jian An. I have heard marvelous things about Wu, and I hope to find a job here."
Zhao Fai thought about also mentioning raising a family, but he didn't want to lie to these men. Zhao Fai had no intention on ever raising another family. The new would never live outside the shadow of the old. The two guards looked at each other, nodded, and granted Zhao Fai entrance. Perhaps they were in a good mood, or perhaps the slight shake in Zhao Fai's voice brought out a sense of pity from them. Either way, Zhao Fai was now in the city.
There was an old inn and tavern located about 100 meters away from the front gate, and Zhao Fai saw the sign right away. As he made his way there, Fai could feel the stares from the politicians, the blacksmiths, and even the children. Who was this sweaty sack of shit that the cat dragged in? Fai had grown used to it. He was comfortable being looked down upon, because in truth he looked down upon himself.
Fai, you need a drink.
He entered the tavern and was greeted by an elderly woman who immediately asked if he needed a room.
"Yes, ma'am, I would like to rent a room for a month. However, I would ask that my down payment be the ten gold I have to my name. I am looking for work tomorrow, and will pay you the difference as soon as I am able."
No fancy talk. No big words. Just the honesty of a man who had lost it all.
Fai handed the ten gold to the woman and was lead to his room. She showed him where the toilet was, as well as the wash area. The first thing Fai did was take a cold bath; he then soaked his sweaty clothes while he dressed in his second set. Once he had combed his hair, he rung his wet clothes out and set them on the desk to dry as he made his way down to the tavern.
It wasn't too packed in the tavern. There were a few people at the bar and a loud, obnoxious group of young soldiers in the corner. Fai hoped that their presence was not foreshadowing a conflict later in this post.
Fai grabbed a stool at the bar and motioned for the bartender.
"I'll be starting a tab for room 11. Give me your cheapest drink."
Fai was given a cup of cheap wine, but the answers to his problems weren't in the bottom of that drink. So, he tried looking for them in another... and another... and another...
Soon, Fai had a formidable buzz, and the noise from the group of soldiers was starting to irritate him. Fai got up from his stool and walked over to the group, and tried to resolve the conflict in a nice, peaceful manner.
"Say, would you guys mind maybe keeping it down a little bit?"
The soldier's looked at each other, and laughed. The soldier closest to Zhao Fai was the one to respond.
"How about if you get on the ground and beg like a dog, we'll consider it."
"Um... or you could just be quiet."
"Now I'm not asking you. I'm telling you... beg."
Zhao Fai was not about to be told off by seven soldiers who were almost 8 years younger than he was. Zhao Fai didn't take shit like that from anybody. Especially when he was drunk.
"Listen, poppy face, I'll tell you what. You meet me in that clearing outside of Jian An in 10 minutes and we'll settle this like men. I will fight each and every one of you butt pirates, and if I win, you never come back to this bleeping tavern again. If you win, then I'll beg."
This made the men laugh even harder. "Listen, you don't know who you're dealing with."
"I guess we could up the stakes... if you win, I won't fornicate your sister again."
The men didn't laugh this time, and the man who Zhao Fai was talking to didn't like the joke.
"You watch your mouth. My sister is only 16, you will not talk about her like that."
"I figured as much. She was a little tight to be 18."
"Alright, that's it. We'll see you there in 10 minutes. And I'm going to kill you."
Zhao Fai strutted away and up to his room to grab his weapons. Was that the smartest thing he had ever done? No, probably not. He really didn't have any idea who he was dealing with. Those men could be generals in Sun Ce's army, and Zhao Fai could have just signed his death warrant. But Fai would take his chances. He'd at least go out with some swords in his hands.
Fai exited the city to find the men waiting there for him. The same guards, too, were present as they stood at their post.
"What are you guys doing?"
"Well, this guy is mad that I fornicated his sister so we're gonna fight about it. As long as we're not in Jian An it's cool, right?"
"... As soon as I see more blood than necessary, I'm stepping in and you're all going to jail."
Zhao Fai did not have a chance to respond to the guard, because the man Fai had been verbally berating was on him like a wolf. With only the light of the torches to go off of, Fai drew his Jian with his left hand and began his defense.
Even drunk, Fai was able to match this soldier blow for blow. His Jian darted around his body like lightning, smacking his opponent's sword away left and right. As relaxed and apathetic as his body looked, he was still standing on the balls of his feet, retreating in a circle as his attacker continued to press the assault. Fai was waiting for his opponent to make a mistake... there it was.
Fai's opponent took one step forward too many, and Fai thrusted his right shoulder forward and threw his right hand down towards his Dao. Immediately his attacker retreated, assuming Fai would draw his second weapon, but it was not so. It was simply a faint, and the man fell for it. It was Fai who was now on the attack.
Fai attacked this man from all angles, spinning and wheeling as his weapon flew at his opponent as if Fai were dancing a ballet. Each motion and movement seemed to mesh together fluidly. Fai attacked with the same tempo that his opponent had attacked with. His opponent would simply assume that this was his maximum pace, until...
Fai pumped up the tempo and his opponent could not keep up. Unable to focus on Fai and the terrain at the same time, Fai's opponent had been maneuvered in front of a log,and took one step backwards too many. Fai's opponent tripped over the log, and fell on his back; Fai pounce immediately, and was on top of the man with his sword at his neck.
He stayed there motionless for a few seconds just to be dramatic.
"You guys aren't ever coming back to that tavern, are you?"
"...No."
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now call me daddy."
"... yes, daddy."
"Mmm... I like that. Now get out of here."
Fai stood up and addressed the other soldiers watching.
"Listen, if any of you guy want to fight, feel free to come at me. But know that the more people I fight, the less likely I am to leave any of you alive."
While it was obviously a dry threat, the other men didn't want to take any chances with this drunken berserker. They picked up their friend as quickly as possible, and left. Fai sheathed his sword, and walked back into Jian An... but was stopped by the guard he had talked to earlier.
"You said you were looking for work...? You have skills that shouldn't be wasted doing menial tasks. Go to the palace, say Cai Da sent you. You'll find work worthy of those skills."
Fai nodded drunkenly to the man, and walked back to the tavern. After having a couple more drinks he went to bed, so that he could get up early and make it to the palace the next day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Cai Da sent me, he said I would find some work here?"
"Yes, Cai Da said you would be coming. We informed Li Wang of your arrival, please follow us."
Zhao Fai, after showering and shaving, had made his way to the palace. Hopefully he would find some good work here in Jian An. Hopefully fortune would smile on him once more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, this must be Jian An. looks like I've made it.[/color]
Having spent a year wandering southern China, Zhao Fai seemed to have made it to Jian An. His raven black hair was tied up loosely atop his head, and he carried his armor in a large burlap sack stuffed with cloth to help reduce the noise. His swords were at his side and was the only sign that this man could have once been something important and worthwhile. Every step he took was like walking through thick mud; he had been walking for 12 hours straight, and by this time his legs were on fire. Beneath his leather armor was the cloth outfit of a commoner, drenched in sweat. The sun was just setting.
He approached the front gates, and he was met by two guards who eyed him with suspicion. One guard unsheathed his sword ever so slightly, just in case Zhao Fai was an undesirable. He was the one to speak first.
"May we help you?"
Zhao Fai smiled as politely as possible, but his body was too tired to muster any sort of false respect.
"I am just a traveler looking for work and a place to rest my head. "
"Where are you coming here from?"
"I've been through most of southern China. My last place of residence was Cheng Sha."
"Is that where you're from?"
"No. I am from Jian Xia, but there was nothing for me there. I hope to create my future in a new city, which has brought me to Jian An. I have heard marvelous things about Wu, and I hope to find a job here."
Zhao Fai thought about also mentioning raising a family, but he didn't want to lie to these men. Zhao Fai had no intention on ever raising another family. The new would never live outside the shadow of the old. The two guards looked at each other, nodded, and granted Zhao Fai entrance. Perhaps they were in a good mood, or perhaps the slight shake in Zhao Fai's voice brought out a sense of pity from them. Either way, Zhao Fai was now in the city.
There was an old inn and tavern located about 100 meters away from the front gate, and Zhao Fai saw the sign right away. As he made his way there, Fai could feel the stares from the politicians, the blacksmiths, and even the children. Who was this sweaty sack of shit that the cat dragged in? Fai had grown used to it. He was comfortable being looked down upon, because in truth he looked down upon himself.
Fai, you need a drink.
He entered the tavern and was greeted by an elderly woman who immediately asked if he needed a room.
"Yes, ma'am, I would like to rent a room for a month. However, I would ask that my down payment be the ten gold I have to my name. I am looking for work tomorrow, and will pay you the difference as soon as I am able."
No fancy talk. No big words. Just the honesty of a man who had lost it all.
Fai handed the ten gold to the woman and was lead to his room. She showed him where the toilet was, as well as the wash area. The first thing Fai did was take a cold bath; he then soaked his sweaty clothes while he dressed in his second set. Once he had combed his hair, he rung his wet clothes out and set them on the desk to dry as he made his way down to the tavern.
It wasn't too packed in the tavern. There were a few people at the bar and a loud, obnoxious group of young soldiers in the corner. Fai hoped that their presence was not foreshadowing a conflict later in this post.
Fai grabbed a stool at the bar and motioned for the bartender.
"I'll be starting a tab for room 11. Give me your cheapest drink."
Fai was given a cup of cheap wine, but the answers to his problems weren't in the bottom of that drink. So, he tried looking for them in another... and another... and another...
Soon, Fai had a formidable buzz, and the noise from the group of soldiers was starting to irritate him. Fai got up from his stool and walked over to the group, and tried to resolve the conflict in a nice, peaceful manner.
"Say, would you guys mind maybe keeping it down a little bit?"
The soldier's looked at each other, and laughed. The soldier closest to Zhao Fai was the one to respond.
"How about if you get on the ground and beg like a dog, we'll consider it."
"Um... or you could just be quiet."
"Now I'm not asking you. I'm telling you... beg."
Zhao Fai was not about to be told off by seven soldiers who were almost 8 years younger than he was. Zhao Fai didn't take shit like that from anybody. Especially when he was drunk.
"Listen, poppy face, I'll tell you what. You meet me in that clearing outside of Jian An in 10 minutes and we'll settle this like men. I will fight each and every one of you butt pirates, and if I win, you never come back to this bleeping tavern again. If you win, then I'll beg."
This made the men laugh even harder. "Listen, you don't know who you're dealing with."
"I guess we could up the stakes... if you win, I won't fornicate your sister again."
The men didn't laugh this time, and the man who Zhao Fai was talking to didn't like the joke.
"You watch your mouth. My sister is only 16, you will not talk about her like that."
"I figured as much. She was a little tight to be 18."
"Alright, that's it. We'll see you there in 10 minutes. And I'm going to kill you."
Zhao Fai strutted away and up to his room to grab his weapons. Was that the smartest thing he had ever done? No, probably not. He really didn't have any idea who he was dealing with. Those men could be generals in Sun Ce's army, and Zhao Fai could have just signed his death warrant. But Fai would take his chances. He'd at least go out with some swords in his hands.
Fai exited the city to find the men waiting there for him. The same guards, too, were present as they stood at their post.
"What are you guys doing?"
"Well, this guy is mad that I fornicated his sister so we're gonna fight about it. As long as we're not in Jian An it's cool, right?"
"... As soon as I see more blood than necessary, I'm stepping in and you're all going to jail."
Zhao Fai did not have a chance to respond to the guard, because the man Fai had been verbally berating was on him like a wolf. With only the light of the torches to go off of, Fai drew his Jian with his left hand and began his defense.
Even drunk, Fai was able to match this soldier blow for blow. His Jian darted around his body like lightning, smacking his opponent's sword away left and right. As relaxed and apathetic as his body looked, he was still standing on the balls of his feet, retreating in a circle as his attacker continued to press the assault. Fai was waiting for his opponent to make a mistake... there it was.
Fai's opponent took one step forward too many, and Fai thrusted his right shoulder forward and threw his right hand down towards his Dao. Immediately his attacker retreated, assuming Fai would draw his second weapon, but it was not so. It was simply a faint, and the man fell for it. It was Fai who was now on the attack.
Fai attacked this man from all angles, spinning and wheeling as his weapon flew at his opponent as if Fai were dancing a ballet. Each motion and movement seemed to mesh together fluidly. Fai attacked with the same tempo that his opponent had attacked with. His opponent would simply assume that this was his maximum pace, until...
Fai pumped up the tempo and his opponent could not keep up. Unable to focus on Fai and the terrain at the same time, Fai's opponent had been maneuvered in front of a log,and took one step backwards too many. Fai's opponent tripped over the log, and fell on his back; Fai pounce immediately, and was on top of the man with his sword at his neck.
He stayed there motionless for a few seconds just to be dramatic.
"You guys aren't ever coming back to that tavern, are you?"
"...No."
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now call me daddy."
"... yes, daddy."
"Mmm... I like that. Now get out of here."
Fai stood up and addressed the other soldiers watching.
"Listen, if any of you guy want to fight, feel free to come at me. But know that the more people I fight, the less likely I am to leave any of you alive."
While it was obviously a dry threat, the other men didn't want to take any chances with this drunken berserker. They picked up their friend as quickly as possible, and left. Fai sheathed his sword, and walked back into Jian An... but was stopped by the guard he had talked to earlier.
"You said you were looking for work...? You have skills that shouldn't be wasted doing menial tasks. Go to the palace, say Cai Da sent you. You'll find work worthy of those skills."
Fai nodded drunkenly to the man, and walked back to the tavern. After having a couple more drinks he went to bed, so that he could get up early and make it to the palace the next day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Cai Da sent me, he said I would find some work here?"
"Yes, Cai Da said you would be coming. We informed Li Wang of your arrival, please follow us."
Zhao Fai, after showering and shaving, had made his way to the palace. Hopefully he would find some good work here in Jian An. Hopefully fortune would smile on him once more.