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Post by Boydie on May 1, 2011 12:50:17 GMT
Gai was stunned, speechless. In the small amount of time for the loyalists to enter the room Sun Ce and the other officers had jolted into action, killing 5 or 6 loyalists in a flash. Gai knew he might get the blame for this act of disobedience; he had opposed the alliance in the first place, threaten to not recognize the alliance even if it was accepted. But the one thing what pissed the Grand Commander off the most was these so called loyalist who say they are loyal to Sun Jian, but will turn they’re blade against his own son. Gai was now in ‘pure mental mode’.
Gan Ning had dealt with the archer whom had been aiming at Cai Mao, now another three loyalist swordsmen’s charged Sun Ce and Mao, who was still down on his knees. Gai sprinted across the hall and rolled pass Mao and picked up his sword he had dropped and pounced in front of Ce, protecting him and Mao.
“STAND DOWN OR SUFFER DEATH BY MY BLADE!” Gai roared towards the three charging loyalists. One of the loyalists laughed and shouted to his operatives “NO SURRENDER!” The first loyalist charged screaming at Gai with his sword over his head, the man forced the sword down on Gai with an almighty force. Gai quickly raised his sword and clashed with the sword in a deadlock; with his free left arm, he thumped the man in the ribs with a jab. The loyalist gasped for air has he heard his own ribs break, with the open opportunity, the veteran kicked the man away from him and raised his sword back over his head and slashed the man’s throat on one quick movement of his sword, the loyalist fell to the ground trying to stop the blood pour from his throat with both his hands, Gai quickly plunged his sword into the mans chest, to give him a quick and painless death.
With momentum on the Grand Commanders side, he swiftly moved to attack the other two Loyalist’s. They exchanged blow’s which met blocks from Gai’s sword in a two verses one contest. One of the Loyalists swung hard which Gai stepped back from and dodged and the momentum of the sword drove just passed Gai and shattered in half as it hit a pillar in the grand hall. The veteran bounced forward with his sword and thrust it into the man’s chest. The Loyalist hit the floor like he had been hit by lighting.
The last loyalist was a young lad in his late teens. Gai looked at him with pity. “Why do you continue to fight? This isn’t your fight lad, you look like you weren’t even born when the Great Lord was roaming the land’s of Jiang Dong were you? Drop your weapon and I will spare your life.” The young lad dropped his weapon and nodded immediately before running out of the grand hall at full tilt.
They’re a good number of loyalists still left to fight Gai thought. “Bofu! Let me protect Degui! Your life his more valuable than anyone else in the kingdom of Wu to be protecting anyone than your own life!”
With that Gai continued to protect Ce and Mao until Ce regained his composure.
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Post by Ma Chao on May 1, 2011 14:55:56 GMT
Sun Ce was offered a rare opportunity during a very hectic event. After dispatching any of his own men that were foolish enough to stand before him, the young leader was able to witness the acts of his officers. Usually, during a skirmish or large battle, one was constantly trying to fight for his own life and could not concentrate on what their comrades were doing. Normally, officers were spread across the battle lines, far from one another. In this particular case though, many great officers were all within one room displaying their incredible skill.
Sun Ce was caught in a moment of mixed feelings. His adrenaline was pumping and his heart was beating extraordinarily fast, but there was a certain slowness to the scene. He stood in awe of what he saw.
Li Wang looked like a whirling dervish, spinning acrobatically and striking multiple foes. He could have easily slain both men, but one chose to live and the Commander General spared him. Granted, the leader of the loyalists was spared, for now, but he would now have to write with his left hand.
Cai Mao was again speaking to Sun Ce while fighting off assailants, but Ce was half listening. He heard the mention of a deeper set up and also that Huang Gai was not involved. It was what Ce wanted to believe, but he was just not sure as so many random events had unfolded thus far.
Then a most familiar sound was heard and it seemed magnified due to the acoustics of the main hall.
Jingle Jingle Jingle
From one of the doorways, ironically the same one everyone was coming in from, it was like a magic door, came Gan Ning of the Bells. Interestingly enough, all else that had entered to find such a bizarre seen had an expressionless face or one filled with fright. Ning, on the other hand, had a small grin developing across his face. He moved with the speed of a cheetah and the agility of a mountain goat, heading towards Cai Mao and Li Wang. The bells jingled and the bodies hit the floor, in that order.
Sun Ce snapped back to reality when Cai Mao shoved him out of the trajectory of an arrow. The envoy was struck instead and he had possibly saved the young lord of Wu's life. Such acts of bravery would not be forgotten, but they could not be rewarded if the savior was dead.
Cai Mao was down and wounded. Gan Ning had done his best, as did Li Wang, to protect Mao and he was now safe. That is, unless the remaining soldiers could get to him. However, it was then that the veteran of Wu stepped in. It was almost as if Huang Gai was caught at a crossroads, not knowing how to advance or which way to go. No one though, truly knew what was going on in his head though. It would be his actions that spoke for him.
The elder rolled, as if losing 20 years and regaining some of the fervor of his youth, and halted just before Sun Ce and Cai Mao. He yelled out orders to stand down and the roar was so powerful that vases and paintings fell from their fixtures. It looked like one of the soldiers, who was probably the youngist loyalist, shit his pants right away.
In a matter of minutes, Huang Gai destroyed two of the men and spared the young man who needed a new change of pants. There was, however, one more loyalist and after seeing all others either dead or out cold, he decided to run for it.
The soldier darted for the palace doors and reached the top of the endless stairs when two arrows ripped into his chest, sending him to join the other traitors. Then, three men could be seen appearing from head down as they climbed the stairs and entered the throne room.
To everyone's relief, it was Fu Lin, the leader of the Wu guards. He was a close friend of the family and was one of the veterans along with Huang Gai, Cheng Pu, and a few others.
Sun Ce moved to help Cai Mao up and then assisted him as he staggered toward the others. It seemed the like the traitors had been put down and a moment of peace washed over the group. That is, until the sound of an armored individual could be heard through the palace. As if knowing his name was brought up, Cheng Pu appeared through the magic door.
"My lord, I only just heard of what was happening!"
A smile came to Sun Ce's face as it always did when he was in the presence of Cheng Pu, his other uncle figure. Both he and Huang Gai had been close to Sun Jian and it was with that thought that Ce's expression changed drastically.
If Taishi Ci was still present, he and Gan Ning probably had no idea what the hell was going on. Not that anyone really did at this point, but now things got much more disturbing. Cheng Pu or Huang Gai could have easily ordered the loyalists to strike during the meeting. However, Cai Mao had showed up randomly with no one really knowing of it. Gai was already in the city though and so was Pu.
Sun Ce felt ill at ease and tried to contain himself. He staggered a bit, thinking of the repercussions if one of his most loyal officers was acting behind his back. Killing Cheng Pu or Huang Gai would be a blow to his being that would not recover.
Then, another random thought had come to mind. In retrospect, Sun Ce would realize that it was not actually a random thought, but in fact it was offered by Cai Mao only minutes prior. The moment he was having was cut short by Cheng Pu who again spoke up.
"What happened here?"
All eyes were now on Cheng Pu and Sun Ce snapped back to reality, offering a question for his elite to answer.
"Demou, you had nothing to do with this....?"
Cheng Pu was angered by the question, but knew he had to respond and also that something bigger than he thought could have been going on.
"My lord, I was nearly moving through the halls when I heard the commotion."
Sun Ce then thought back to what he had previously heard, that Cheng Pu was going to a house in the corner of the market district at night. Ce questioned him about it.
"I...I did not want anyone to know", he said, seeming quite embarrassed.
"My wife has been ill and can not...pleasure me, my lord. I had met another woman and wanted to keep it hidden."
Sun Ce was at a loss for words and possibly all the others in the room as well. It was actually quite funny, but if it was true could not be known yet. Unfortunately, all eyes then shifted to Huang Gai.
Two more soldiers had entered in behind Cheng Pu. He assured the group that they were with him and just slow. They too looked toward Huang Gai because everyone else was. In fact everyone was so confused by what the hell was happening they did not notice Fu Lin standing near Cai Mao.
Again, Sun Ce felt an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach and he turned to face Cai Mao. As he did so Mao's face turned into one of pure anguish. The young lord could not discern fast enough before a blade ripped through Mao's chest. The brave and honorable warrior was killed in the worst possible way, stabbed in the back by a cowardly traitor.
Standing there with a blood soaked blade was Fu Lin. It never crossed Sun Ce's mind that he could have been involved. Only if one could recall the events that unfolded would they piece it together.
Cai Mao was correct all along and again it struck as another piece of sheer irony. Fu Lin was waiting for any envoy because it was protocol to do so after agreeing to an alliance. The arrival of Li Wang and Huang Gai certainly changed the tide for the initial men that Lin had lined up would have been enough to finish the job. He was with the two other soldiers, archers, that cut down the first guard sent for aid and also the last loyalist that tried to leave.
Again, ironically, Huang Gai was taking all the blame due to his emotional outburst and rank. He could have done all that was considered, but in fact he had not. Cheng Pu as well as innocent, but that was the type of trick one's mind can play when the truth was no where in sight.
Fu Lin sent a volley of insults toward Sun Ce and all others who accepted such an alliance. He demanded that the honor of Sun Jian be rememered and that even if Ce did not decide to annul that it would happen when Liu Biao found out his elite was murdered.
Sun Ce's rage could not be contained. If any of the men who served him knew, by now, he was one of the most killed warriors to wield a weapon in these times. In single combat, there were few who could match him and he would use every ounce of skill obtained over the years of his life to seek revenge.
The young tiger started to spin his spear and whipped it around in a dazzling display of weapon mastery. The two soldiers with Fu Lin huddled closer to him for protection and that was exactly what Sun Ce had hoped for. The spear cut through the air and as the blade tip did so it sang a song of mourning for Cai Mao as well as the fools who entrusted their lives to Lin.
Fu Lin figured that Sun Ce would call him a traitorous bastard and then have him executed for treason. Such would work to his advantage and possibly he could act as a symbol to the rest of Sun Jian's followers. Then, he knew what was going to happen as his life flashed before his eyes.
Around Sun Ce's back the spear went and he then raised it towards and over his head. As he spun one more time he began to extend his arm and brought the spear head to its intended targets.
Crimson blood spattered from one man to the next instantaneously before the spear tip sliced the throat of the next victim. In one deadly attack, Sun Ce had ended the traitorous lives of Fu Lin and his comrades. Ce could only hope that Cai Mao would know that he was avenged.
Sun Ce calmed down and turned back to face Huang Gai and Cheng Pu. A single tear ran down his cheeks on both sides of his face, one for each of them. He was wrong to ever consider they would turn against him. Even if Gai did not agree with the alliance, he would never act out in such a manner.
However, although it seemed over it was not. The yelling of people could be heard outside the palace. Sun Ce and all of the officers moved toward the top of the palace stairs and peered down. Standing there were the remnants of Fu Lin's men. There was roughly 20 or 30 and they were waiting on a command from Lin. He was supposed to yell out, but his severed vocal cords did not allow for it.
The remaining loyalists were not sure what to do. They did not see Fu Lin so they assumed he was dead. The palace gates were barred from the inside and only now was the commotion of what happened drawing the attention of people around the city.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
-Li Wang took down 2 (1 was killed) -Cai Mao is injured by an arrow! -Gan Ning has arrived! -Gan Ning takes down 3 men! (None were killed) -Huang Gai takes down 3 men! (2 were killed) -Fu Lin arrives! -Cheng Pu arrives! -Fu Lin murders Cai Mao! -Fu Lin is slain by Sun Ce! -20 to 30 loyalsts remain but are unsure how to respond
Note: Cai Mao can attempt to defend himself, as to not god-mod on my part, but Fu Lin and two other men would be near him attempting to kill an already injured man.
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Post by Li Wang on May 1, 2011 15:35:47 GMT
Li, like the others, had been watching Cheng Pu ever since the veteran came in. Li and Huang had bypassed the veteran on the ranking ladder, so it may just have been that he was seizing the opportunity to slay both Cai Mao and Li Wang. Li still believed it when Cheng Pu offered the rather pathetic excuse about his wife. But that could wait for another time. Right now, his eyes were drawn to the commander of the guard, who was now drifting over to Cai Mao. His hand was gripped on a blade prepared to plunge it into Mao's back.
No... Li whispered as he flipped his blade over in his hand, prepared to hurl. Mao, watch out! Li yelled as he hurled his blade and then attempted to follow it, key word being attempted. Li experienced a shot of pure agony as his fractured bone actually broke, driving him to the floor and leaving him incapacitated. Tears came to his eyes as he could do nothing but watch Cai Mao murdered; all his hard work had come to nothing now that the envoy was dead. Liu Biao would assuredly seek vengeance upon the land of Wu, and while this assault went on Lu Bu would descend upon Jian Ye. Wu might survive this double assault, but it would neatly cripple their capacity to make war.
I must make amends... Li managed to thing before blacking out from the pain in his leg; when he woke up, the traitorous guard was dead on the ground and the Wu officers had gathered at the top of the stairs, preparing to defend themselves. Li staggered to his feet, scooping up a fallen bow and a quiver of arrows as he did so. He hobbled on his good leg to take his place in the officer's line, immediately nocking an arrow to the string and letting it fly; it neatly removed the plume of one loyalists helmet and pinged off another's.
We're going to have to fight a two front war now. Li thought aloud at a volume all the assembled officers could hear.
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Post by Boydie on May 3, 2011 17:01:29 GMT
After all the commotion had deceased, Cheng Pu had gave Sun Ce an reasonable excuse Gai thought, Pu had always been a bit of a lady’s man, back in they’re younger day’s it wasn’t uncommon to find him and Gai with two to three lucky lady’s wrapped around they’re muscular arms in there local bar. If his misses wasn’t ‘performing’ he would go looking for some action Gai thought.
But all eyes suddenly looked upon the Grand Commander. A growing nervousness came across Gai as he started to defend himself.
“Oi! If I wanted to kill Degui, I would have had the pleasure of doing it myself! I wouldn’t get my Lord’s soldiers to do it!” Gai stressed.
Suddenly a cry of pain filled the hall, Mao hit the floor hard as Li Wang tried to save him, but he was too late from the looks of things and passed out in pain, Mao had been stabbed deep in the back by no other than the leader of the Wu guards, Fu Lin, he stood they’re with an expression of accomplishment and a blade dripping with the blood of Cai Mao. Sun Ce quickly dealt with the traitor and killed him on the spot. Everything was happening so quickly!
Gai sat down to take in what had just happened. They’re would be grave consequences for the kingdom of Wu if Liu Biao allied himself with Lu Bu in a sea of rage, Ce could be having to defend his kingdom on two fronts. In while in his thoughts a downpour of chanting could be heard; “Down with Jingsheng! Down with Jingsheng!" Gai couldn’t make out the number of Loyalist chanting but it was bloody loud, so they’re was quite a lot of Loyalist’s from the sounds of things.
“Lord Bofu, what are your orders?”
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Gan Ning
New Member
*jingle jingle jingle*
Posts: 21
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Post by Gan Ning on May 5, 2011 6:53:51 GMT
*All in a rush, it had clicked. The bland face, the subtlety of the eyes, and of course the style of Degui. The man who had just been killed despite everyone's best attempts otherwise was none other than Cai Mao. Ning watched the following events with a sort of detached attitude. He hadn't been in a position to do much else, and in the meantime he had been able to observe his new comrades.
There were Cheng Pu and Huang Gai, stalwart veterans both. They were wily and powerful, both physically and in their influence over the young lord; Li Wang, a truly terrifying foe, where it ever to come to that. He had easily dispatched trained soldiers while all the while apparently being on the verge of a rather painful-looking collapse; and of course, there was Sun Ce himself. Watching him, Xingba couldn't help but grin. He's like a clumsier me! he thought to himself after witnessing Ce's deft spearplay.
There was absolute silence in the throne room for several seconds as some unspoken sentiments were shared among the veterans and their lord, or at least that's what Ning assumed was happening. There was a tear on Lord Sun's face, in any case, and that usually meant something.
But reality interjected itself harshly upon the assembly once more as a commotion could be heard outside the throne room and down the stairs. The group moved toward the top of the stairs to see what was going on, only to be greeted by a great many more loyalists. Xingba didn't need to follow to know what was happening out there, and he instead made his way around the battle-torn throne room.
Ning grabbed one of the discarded bows, testing the pull of the string, and swung it and a quiver of arrows into place over his shoulder. Moving to the now-deceased body of Fu Lin and making absolutely certain to use someone else's sword, he finished the job that Sun Ce's spear had begun on the dead man's neck. No more'n you deserve, an' that's comin' from a pirate, he mumbled under his breath.
His grisly work was quickly completed, and Ning moved to join the others just as the entirety of the scene was settling in on them. Behind the group, where the assembled "loyalists" at the bottom of the stairs wouldn't be able to see him, he tapped Ce on the shoulder. Let 'em know what happens if'n they keep tryin'a kill you... Xingba held up the severed head by the hair in one hand, and brought his bow up with the other. And please oh please, let 'em come. I'm just gettin' warmed up, thought Ning with a devilish grin.
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Post by Ma Chao on May 5, 2011 16:00:41 GMT
The sounds of metal upon metal contact rang out in the courtyard as guards tried to break the gates open. Yells of promised aid to Sun Ce and insults against the Sun Jian loyalists were also heard. Little did the guards know that the loyalists were teetering on the edge of a decision. Should their insults strike a nerve, the soldiers could charge and possibly overwhelm Ce and his officers. On the other hand, the presence of such elites standing by Ce's side could serve to deter an assault.
That was, of course, until Gan Ning tapped Sun Ce on his soldier. Ning had in his possession the severed head of Fu Lin and it was obvious what he wanted Ce to do with it. Grabbing the head, by its hair, Ce held it out in front of him and showed it to the loyalists. They would now know the fate of their supposed leader and would have to decide whether to live or die.
"Your pathetic attempt to destroy the alliance has failed!"
Sun Ce tossed the severed head down the stairs and it bounced as it went, leaving a trail of blood. His eyes were filled with rage at the audacity of his own soldiers.
"What do you think my father would think of this? You turn on his son and threaten the entire kingdom of Wu?"
Sun Ce spoke of not only turning their weapons upon his officers, which they had too to get to Cai Mao, but also of the stability of the region. Wu did not want to have a two front war with Liu Biao to the west and Lu Bu to the north. Ce did not want the alliance either, but Biao seemed to be the lesser threat of the two.
The loyalists were still not sure how to react. Many of them lowered their heads in shame when Sun Ce called them out on their actions.
Still, there were many who did not agree with his decisions. In their eyes, Liu Biao was responsible for Sun Jian's death and that meant he should be killed. Certainly, they thought, Wu should not be aligned with such an enemy and that is what spurred the attacks.
"Do not feel ashamed my brothers! Could there be a more worthy cause than to die in the honorable name of the Great Tiger?"
It was true, to die in the name of one that you respected was honorable. However, it depended on situation. They were not honoring the late great leader, but instead hindering his dream. What would be more glorious than his first son spreading the glory of Wu across the land? Maybe, if some of the loyalists lived, they would understand that putting aside one's feelings for the better good of the kingdom was necessary. It was, after all, called strategy.
"Enough!"
Sun Ce whipped his spear through the air and then pointed it towards the group of loyalists. They could either die at the hands of Ce and his elites, or they could make an attempt at glory; if that is what they thought it would bring.
"Those of you who feel as if your emotions have gotten the better of you, step forward and live. For the rest of you, find peace with your former master in the Nine Springs."
The time for talking was over.
Five or so loyalists turned their backs on the others and were immediately cut down as traitors. Witnessing such actions sent Sun Ce into rage mode. Immediately, without hesitation, he charged forward. In retrospect, he may have thought informing his allies that he was charging would have been a good idea. However, as usual, he was not known for his patience or well thought out actions.
Five or so loyalists turned their backs on the others and were immediately cut down as traitors. Witnessing such actions sent Sun Ce into rage mode. Immediately, without hesitation, he charged forward. In retrospect, he may have thought informing his allies that he was charging would have been a good idea. However, as usual, he was not known for his patience or well thought out actions.
"Atta....."
The loyalist with the largest mouth, possibly the second in command, did not even finish what he was saying before being skewered by Sun Ce's spear. The weapon tore through the air, after being thrown like a javelin, and pierced the loyalist dead center in his chest; sending him flying backward into his comrades.
Sun Ce was now weaponless, but his skills in single combat far exceeded that of the lowly soldiers attacking him. Making one of them look like a child, with no experience whatsoever, Ce disarmed him. A sword swing downward had missed after Ce avoided to the side. Quickly, he had grabbed hold of the soldier's arm with his right hand and laid him down with a thunderous punch from his left. The sword dropped to the ground, but before Ce could pick it up another man was upon him.
One would think that witnessing their comrades being ass raped, even unarmed, would have been enough for them to stand down. However, they had already decided their fate. It was too late to turn back.
The other soldier had similar results to his ally and was unsuccessful in his attack on Sun Ce. He attempted an overhead strike, but was not fast enough and his blade was caught over his head after Ce grabbed both of his arms. The two men were looking at one another, eyes to eyes, but it was broken when Ce head butted him in the face. Blood splattered from the loyalist's broken nose and he reeled back in pain. The sword in his hand was held loosely and it was kicked free by Ce.
Quickly, the young leader picked up one of the swords from the stairs and used it to defend himself.
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Post by Ma Chao on May 13, 2011 18:24:13 GMT
Sun Ce picked up a blade from the stairs and parried an attack right away. He was slowly being surrounded, but if he was going to fall it would be a glorious end. The soldier that attacked him was kicked backwards and he flew into some of his allies.
“Come! All of you! If I were afraid, I would not be Sun Ce!”
His voice was booming and powerful. It sent chills down the collective spine of the enemy and some of them soiled their pants. A few of the soldiers were hesitant to move forward, but they would not even have to worry about it. Sun Ce was charging them!
The young lord dove right into the ocean of enemies. Some of the loyalists were caught off guard and they fell with Sun Ce onto the stairs. Bodies were rolling down the palace stairs like boulders down the side of a mountain.
The men who were still hunting him moved with the bodies down the stairs. Sun Ce was able to just bring up a sword to protect from an overhead strike. The enemy blade glanced off of his and caught one of the loyalists on the arm. Another swift kick from Ce sent the enemy temporarily backwards so that he could get to his feet.
Just then, as Sun Ce was about to slash at an enemy, he was hit from behind by the shaft of a spear. The blow caught him on the back of the head and he stumbled forward. The loyalists stood there, watching their injured leader reach a hand to his head. Ce looked at his hand and blood was covering it.
His vision waned, but he still was not through. He yelled out one more time in defiance and swung his weapon wildly.
Another shot to his back sent him down, for good. He was not dead, but now at the mercy of the enemy.
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