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Summer, Nineenth Year of the Xin Zhuo Emperor
“Imperials are hitting us hard! They've taken the northern walls and are attacking both the East and West Gates!”
The Emperor’s forces had recovered impressively quickly to the surprising intervention of the Egui Army, and soon the Red Ghost’s forces in Xuchang were being sorely pressed. Mao gui wounded were quickly piling up in the main square as manogel projectiles slammed into buildings nearby.
After only eight days the Changping Tombs Incident appeared to be drawing to a close.
The wounded oni shook slightly under the qilins’ barely restrained fury. The Red Ghost had obviously not predicted this rapid turn of events.
“They're trying to cut us off. Very well, it is time to retreat.” The qilin flatly replied.
Immediately the orders were passed, the drums beat and the horns sounded. Soon enough, wagons began to be piled with wounded soldiers and siege equipment as a line of oni and guardian lions began setting up barricades nearby. The blue equine turned to bow to Boran. “My lady, the fates it seems have deemed this day inauspicious. We will retire into Xiapi. Rest assured, our forward momentum has only been temporarily rebuffed, and we will soon establish contact with your people.”
The Berang tightened her cloak while Eshak and Rweark busied themselves packing supplies under the watchful eyes of her guards. “I understand. Reverses are to be expected and I have no doubt of your abilities.” In spite of things, Boran smiled at the Red Ghost. “At the very least I am glad you have eliminated the Princes’ faction and brought me to safety.”
The qilin looked distracted however, absently waving the Matriarch’s entourages on as he continued muttering to himself.
“The Imperials reacted quickly. Their behavior is beyond their capabilities.”
Boran, Eshak, and Rweark looked at each other and nodded, before covering their heads and joining elements of the retreating army heading out of the city.
Now standing by himself in the middle of the central plaza, the Red Ghost suddenly went silent.
“Someone betrayed us.”
***
Boran and the others had just walked to the South Gate of Xuchang when a voice suddenly called out.
“Oi! That sha! Seize him!”
Immediately the cyno and oni guards grabbed Eshak by both arms, holding the stunned servant in place.
Boran turned as well.
“What is the meaning of this?” She asked.
In a moment, the Red Ghost appeared with the Egui Sha and along with a dozen oni, minotaur and cyno soldiers. The qilin's eyes blazed with fury.
“He must have betrayed us!”
“What?”
The Red Ghost ignored the Matriarch, bearing right down upon Eshak, who froze in fear as the equine's bloody horn jabbed him in the stomach, then traveled up to his throat.
“Do you think I am blind?” The Red Ghost snorted. “Do you think I'm an idiot? Do you think I do not see you slink off into the darker places? Do you think I don’t hear your whispers? Do you think I don’t sense the Imperial Palace on you?”
The tip of the horn drew blood. Still held in place, Eshak gulped and gently tried to shake his head. The qilin's blazing eyes glared at him, then at Boran, before pulling back and gesturing with his snout.
Boran’s guards quickly turned the Matriarch around and hustled her through the South Gate.
“Come, my lady. The enemy is rapidly approaching and Father doesn't want you to see what must be done.”
“What?”
As the remainder of Boran’s entourage disappeared from view the Red Ghost stared back at Eshak with a mixture of anger, disappointment and disgust.
“You’ve been playing a dangerous game, Eshak, servant of Lord Buzhong. It is time to end them.” The qilin spat on the prisoner and turned to his own Sha.
“Fatemeh.”
“Father.”
“Take this scum to the walls. Cut him into a thousand pieces. Show the Emperor what happens to our people will be extracted likewise upon foes and traitors.”
“Yes, Father.”
“No!”
Boran abruptly reappeared, looking disheveled, her cloak missing and her ceremonial knife in hand. A commotion back at the wall suggested her guards had only just realized that she had slipped from their watch.
“Nehbandan helped me escape from the Prince.” The Berang declared. “If you kill him, you must kill me as well, for I had placed my trust in him.”
The qilin turned his fury to the Matriarch.
“Foolish creature! I never should have offered my hospitality to the likes of your kind!”
Boran defiantly stood her ground, knife pointed at the qilin despite the guards surrounding both of them.
“I owe the Sha my life.” She emphasized.”If he made mistakes in the past, then I see it as a lesser issue than the good he has done for me.”
The Red Ghost snorted.
“Seize the Berang!”
Boran wheeled around with her knife but almost immediately a cyno and a minotaur grabbed her and wrestled away her weapon.
Fuck.
The Red Ghost turned to an oni officer. “We'll offer her life in exchange for ransom from her people. Punish the guards for failing their duty. Meanwhile, take the Matriarch to the walls as well. I want her to watch her ‘friend’ be skinned alive first.”
“I'll never be your hostage.” Boran interrupted.
The Red Ghost looked back upon her like she was a bug. “What did you say, dirt?”
“I said I will never be your hostage to control my people.”
The qilin snorted. “I'll see. I have ways.”
Boran laughed. The Red Ghost thought he could frighten her into submission. But diplomacy was her element, and after the Princes’ dungeon she was no longer afraid of death. “So do I, and my corpse will be less than worthless to you.”
A metallic shard appeared out of her sleeve, and went to her neck. The guards holding her froze, staring at their Father for direction.
Those blazing eyes narrowed. “You wouldn't.”
“Try me.” She hissed. “My husband is going to war against the greatest empire in the World over my kidnapping. What would he do to your forces?”
“You would turn mao gui against mao gui, just for your sick little toy.”
“You are killing mao gui right now!” Boran yelled in absolute exasperation. “You say you're trying to save our people, but all I see you do is send your troops to die and execute anyone you deem unworthy. Well perhaps that includes me, and all the Berang as well.”
“Traitors aren't mao gui. They're human.” The Red Ghost snorted. “He'll probably betray you to the Imperials the first chance he gets.”
“Am I human? Is your precious war winnable if every one who fails your standard becomes human?” She gestured to Eshak who hadn't seemed to have moved since the qilin confronted him. “This mao gui saved my life. I would be dead without him, so I am willing to die before he does for me. You want my people's treasure and my fleet for your cause. Very well, but it will be on my terms.” Boran glared right into those blazing, wild eyes.
“I will obey, I can be a loyal ally, if only you forgive him.”
For a full minute, two pairs of eyes bore down upon each other as if they were opposing suns. This was a contest of will between the fervor of madness and the fervor of righteousness.
Then the qilin blinked.
Boran nodded. She knew his greed for power would override his sense of purity.
It was time to offer a token of submission. Breaking free from her guards, the Berang fell to her knees.
“Spare him. I beg of you. I owe him my life. That means something.”
The Red Ghost snorted in annoyance, before turning away.
“Fecking Berang. Your kind always wants to scheme and haggle. Very well, I will spare your toy for now.”
Eshak was released, falling to the ground in a heap. Boran bowed. “Thank you, my lord.”
“You and your toy will remain as guests until you can be handed back to your people. Your toy will be a prisoner until you pay a hefty ransom. And it will be high, for what happened here. Only then will this account be settled.”
“I accept.”
By now the rearguard had deployed within the plaza and a steady stream of soldiers were retreating through. Clearly the city would not hold for much longer.
“Final orders for the city, Father?” The oni officer asked.
The Red Ghost drew a deep breath, holding back all the frustrations of the last quarter hour.
“Fall back. Burn the city behind us. Let the humans retake only ashes.”
New Dragon Gate inn Intro Theme
From
evvonic!
“Imperials are hitting us hard! They've taken the northern walls and are attacking both the East and West Gates!”
The Emperor’s forces had recovered impressively quickly to the surprising intervention of the Egui Army, and soon the Red Ghost’s forces in Xuchang were being sorely pressed. Mao gui wounded were quickly piling up in the main square as manogel projectiles slammed into buildings nearby.
After only eight days the Changping Tombs Incident appeared to be drawing to a close.
The wounded oni shook slightly under the qilins’ barely restrained fury. The Red Ghost had obviously not predicted this rapid turn of events.
“They're trying to cut us off. Very well, it is time to retreat.” The qilin flatly replied.
Immediately the orders were passed, the drums beat and the horns sounded. Soon enough, wagons began to be piled with wounded soldiers and siege equipment as a line of oni and guardian lions began setting up barricades nearby. The blue equine turned to bow to Boran. “My lady, the fates it seems have deemed this day inauspicious. We will retire into Xiapi. Rest assured, our forward momentum has only been temporarily rebuffed, and we will soon establish contact with your people.”
The Berang tightened her cloak while Eshak and Rweark busied themselves packing supplies under the watchful eyes of her guards. “I understand. Reverses are to be expected and I have no doubt of your abilities.” In spite of things, Boran smiled at the Red Ghost. “At the very least I am glad you have eliminated the Princes’ faction and brought me to safety.”
The qilin looked distracted however, absently waving the Matriarch’s entourages on as he continued muttering to himself.
“The Imperials reacted quickly. Their behavior is beyond their capabilities.”
Boran, Eshak, and Rweark looked at each other and nodded, before covering their heads and joining elements of the retreating army heading out of the city.
Now standing by himself in the middle of the central plaza, the Red Ghost suddenly went silent.
“Someone betrayed us.”
***
Boran and the others had just walked to the South Gate of Xuchang when a voice suddenly called out.
“Oi! That sha! Seize him!”
Immediately the cyno and oni guards grabbed Eshak by both arms, holding the stunned servant in place.
Boran turned as well.
“What is the meaning of this?” She asked.
In a moment, the Red Ghost appeared with the Egui Sha and along with a dozen oni, minotaur and cyno soldiers. The qilin's eyes blazed with fury.
“He must have betrayed us!”
“What?”
The Red Ghost ignored the Matriarch, bearing right down upon Eshak, who froze in fear as the equine's bloody horn jabbed him in the stomach, then traveled up to his throat.
“Do you think I am blind?” The Red Ghost snorted. “Do you think I'm an idiot? Do you think I do not see you slink off into the darker places? Do you think I don’t hear your whispers? Do you think I don’t sense the Imperial Palace on you?”
The tip of the horn drew blood. Still held in place, Eshak gulped and gently tried to shake his head. The qilin's blazing eyes glared at him, then at Boran, before pulling back and gesturing with his snout.
Boran’s guards quickly turned the Matriarch around and hustled her through the South Gate.
“Come, my lady. The enemy is rapidly approaching and Father doesn't want you to see what must be done.”
“What?”
As the remainder of Boran’s entourage disappeared from view the Red Ghost stared back at Eshak with a mixture of anger, disappointment and disgust.
“You’ve been playing a dangerous game, Eshak, servant of Lord Buzhong. It is time to end them.” The qilin spat on the prisoner and turned to his own Sha.
“Fatemeh.”
“Father.”
“Take this scum to the walls. Cut him into a thousand pieces. Show the Emperor what happens to our people will be extracted likewise upon foes and traitors.”
“Yes, Father.”
“No!”
Boran abruptly reappeared, looking disheveled, her cloak missing and her ceremonial knife in hand. A commotion back at the wall suggested her guards had only just realized that she had slipped from their watch.
“Nehbandan helped me escape from the Prince.” The Berang declared. “If you kill him, you must kill me as well, for I had placed my trust in him.”
The qilin turned his fury to the Matriarch.
“Foolish creature! I never should have offered my hospitality to the likes of your kind!”
Boran defiantly stood her ground, knife pointed at the qilin despite the guards surrounding both of them.
“I owe the Sha my life.” She emphasized.”If he made mistakes in the past, then I see it as a lesser issue than the good he has done for me.”
The Red Ghost snorted.
“Seize the Berang!”
Boran wheeled around with her knife but almost immediately a cyno and a minotaur grabbed her and wrestled away her weapon.
Fuck.
The Red Ghost turned to an oni officer. “We'll offer her life in exchange for ransom from her people. Punish the guards for failing their duty. Meanwhile, take the Matriarch to the walls as well. I want her to watch her ‘friend’ be skinned alive first.”
“I'll never be your hostage.” Boran interrupted.
The Red Ghost looked back upon her like she was a bug. “What did you say, dirt?”
“I said I will never be your hostage to control my people.”
The qilin snorted. “I'll see. I have ways.”
Boran laughed. The Red Ghost thought he could frighten her into submission. But diplomacy was her element, and after the Princes’ dungeon she was no longer afraid of death. “So do I, and my corpse will be less than worthless to you.”
A metallic shard appeared out of her sleeve, and went to her neck. The guards holding her froze, staring at their Father for direction.
Those blazing eyes narrowed. “You wouldn't.”
“Try me.” She hissed. “My husband is going to war against the greatest empire in the World over my kidnapping. What would he do to your forces?”
“You would turn mao gui against mao gui, just for your sick little toy.”
“You are killing mao gui right now!” Boran yelled in absolute exasperation. “You say you're trying to save our people, but all I see you do is send your troops to die and execute anyone you deem unworthy. Well perhaps that includes me, and all the Berang as well.”
“Traitors aren't mao gui. They're human.” The Red Ghost snorted. “He'll probably betray you to the Imperials the first chance he gets.”
“Am I human? Is your precious war winnable if every one who fails your standard becomes human?” She gestured to Eshak who hadn't seemed to have moved since the qilin confronted him. “This mao gui saved my life. I would be dead without him, so I am willing to die before he does for me. You want my people's treasure and my fleet for your cause. Very well, but it will be on my terms.” Boran glared right into those blazing, wild eyes.
“I will obey, I can be a loyal ally, if only you forgive him.”
For a full minute, two pairs of eyes bore down upon each other as if they were opposing suns. This was a contest of will between the fervor of madness and the fervor of righteousness.
Then the qilin blinked.
Boran nodded. She knew his greed for power would override his sense of purity.
It was time to offer a token of submission. Breaking free from her guards, the Berang fell to her knees.
“Spare him. I beg of you. I owe him my life. That means something.”
The Red Ghost snorted in annoyance, before turning away.
“Fecking Berang. Your kind always wants to scheme and haggle. Very well, I will spare your toy for now.”
Eshak was released, falling to the ground in a heap. Boran bowed. “Thank you, my lord.”
“You and your toy will remain as guests until you can be handed back to your people. Your toy will be a prisoner until you pay a hefty ransom. And it will be high, for what happened here. Only then will this account be settled.”
“I accept.”
By now the rearguard had deployed within the plaza and a steady stream of soldiers were retreating through. Clearly the city would not hold for much longer.
“Final orders for the city, Father?” The oni officer asked.
The Red Ghost drew a deep breath, holding back all the frustrations of the last quarter hour.
“Fall back. Burn the city behind us. Let the humans retake only ashes.”
New Dragon Gate inn Intro Theme
From
evvonic!
Category Artwork (Digital) / Doodle
Species Kirin
Size 2620 x 3165px
File Size 5.95 MB
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