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<blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 2594930" data-attributes="member: 15043"><p><strong>Desperate Defense</strong></p><p></p><p>“I hate to be a spoil-sport, but where is Hu?” Meiji interrupted, drawing Nayu back from his chuckling. The bard scratched his head worriedly, looking around, until he pointed back towards Liaoxiang after a few moments. “There’s a lot of movement there.”</p><p></p><p>“I think we overshot him,” Nayu thought aloud. <em>Dammit... I thought we could spring a trap on him... but he’s more clever, or foolish, than I thought.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Maybe he’s closer to the armies marching into the city...</em></p><p></p><p>“Um... Felonca? Are you fine now?” the sorcerer asked.</p><p></p><p>“Yes, now that I’m no longer sitting under trees,” the hengeyokai replied, kicking one of the chain-clad demons. “And yes, I can scout for you. It’s dark, and if me and Meiji slip in as hybrids, I doubt they’ll be able to see us.”</p><p></p><p><em>She’s volunteering herself again...</em> </p><p></p><p>“Are you sure you and Meiji can go it alone?” Nayu asked. <em>There’s an entire army out there, and if you get yourself caught...</em> He stopped his mind from going any further. Nonetheless, she must have seen the worry in his eyes, for she put on a brave grin.</p><p></p><p>“We’re panthers! We’re quiet!” she said.</p><p></p><p><em>I certainly hope so...</em> </p><p></p><p>“Before you head out, I want to cast a small spell on you... you’ll be able to talk to me mentally for a while... so tell us what you see...”</p><p></p><p><em>And if you run into trouble, we’ll be able to try to help...</em></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“If there’s so much as a peep out of you,” Felonca hissed ten minutes later, her body low and close to the ground as she and Meiji slinked forward. Her eyes weren’t looking at the enemy, and instead bore down on her cousin.</p><p></p><p>“I didn’t see the twig,” he whispered back in apology, to which she only grunted.</p><p></p><p>With the flames to their front and their black bodies, Felonca was confident that for all intensive purposes, they were invisible to the army of Langya... the soldier’s eyes would have to adjust to the darkness, and they were two small dark objects, close to the ground in the distance. But noise carried far, and Felonca had no doubt that monstrosities and horrors with acute hearing were among Hu’s pets...</p><p></p><p>“You see anything?” Meiji asked a few minutes later.</p><p></p><p>“No, I’m still going closer,” Felonca replied with a muted hiss. <em>Honestly, its like being a part of a trial with all of his questions!</em> “Keep your head low, and stop talking!”</p><p></p><p>She was thankful when he didn’t reply.</p><p></p><p>As they slinked closer and closer, slowly, above the rumbles of thunder from the fiery sky above, they could make out other noises... hisses, screeches, and low, dissonant moans. Felonca wanted to peek her head above the grass, to see what was making the noise, but forced herself to stay put. <em>I still won’t be able to see much...</em> she judged from the noises, <em>I’m still too far away.</em> The moans and groans grew louder and louder, until finally, her curiosity got the best of her, and she looked.</p><p></p><p>She shuddered at what she saw.</p><p></p><p>Most obvious to the eye were great enormous demons... for horrors such as these only could come from the chaotic realms of below... each high above the ground on eight spindly legs, their immense spider-like forms clattering slowly, ponderously towards the great city walls. Between them walked the towering figures that at a glance looked like great men, yet the flames of the city reflected the gnarled warts and cysts that covered their bodies, as well as the leathery wings that stretched from their massive backs.</p><p></p><p>Closer to the ground, she saw the shining metallic armor of yet more of the great ragewalkers, blades whirling around their brilliant forms, as fiery skeletons dashed between them. Then, amidst this cacophany of terror, she saw men... men clad in fine armor, spears sharp, swords sharper, their eyes directed towards the city ahead.</p><p></p><p>Yet despite this menu of fear to set her eyes on, Felonca’s gaze was drawn to one figure. In the midst of the throng, high and imperious on a bone-wheeled chariot, stood a single man. A billowing black cloak covered his back, yet when he turned to give an order, Felonca could see that even his armor, it seemed was made from polished, white bone. Upon his head sat an immense helm of polished steel, a screaming gold skull emblazoned on its front. And as he outstretched his arm, Felonca blinked.</p><p></p><p><em>No... that can’t be...</em></p><p></p><p>Light seemed to shine <em>through</em> the man’s arm, as if there was no skin...</p><p></p><p><em> “Nayu! I see him! I see him!”</em> Felonca hurriedly shouted in her mind.</p><p></p><p><em> “See who? Hu?”</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>“No! The Military Governor!”</em> Felonca replied, crouching even lower as chills ran through her spine. <em>He has no arm! He only has bones for an arm!</em> She heard a muffled noise from Meiji, and immediately pushed her cousin down further in the grass. <em>He’s so dedicated to the dead, he has no arm!</em> Her stomach turned at the thought of what he could do with an abomination like that, and she felt bile rising in her throat.</p><p></p><p><em>Why would someone do that? Why would they get rid of their arm to replace it with exposed bones?</em> she thought, more worry in her mind. Thoughts of the arm leaping from its body and strangling people came to her mind.</p><p></p><p>Then the world went white.</p><p></p><p>For a few moments Felonca furiously blinked, her eyes watering, trying to keep the bright white light out of her sight. Even when she closed her eyes, the color remained, slowly shifting to green, then red, its wide sheet congealing into eight ragged shapes. When she opened her eyes, the shapes seemed to all trek down towards the wall, as if from the sky. As one, the huge horde before her began to move, rumbling forwards, into the city...</p><p></p><p><em> “Felonca!”</em> she heard in her head, <em> “Get out of there now! Won Wei just told me that eight huge lightning bolts just took out some of the key spellcasters keeping the fire off of the Inner Wall! He’s going to have to pull everyone back to the Jade City itself! We’re teleporting out as soon as you get here!” </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>“Okay,”</em> Felonca replied mentally, sliding backwards in the grass far quicker than they slipped forward.</p><p></p><p>“What’s happening?” she heard Meiji hiss.</p><p></p><p>“We’re going back. Hu’s army has finally breached the defenses,” she replied.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“Master Wakabayashi! Shao Wa-Feng!” Won Wei ran up towards the two of them only moments after they teleported back. His robes were now worn and dirty, soot covering the fine silk and linens. “We lost all of our spellcasters along the middle sections of the Inner Wall! Two huge lightning bolts...”</p><p></p><p>“I saw,” Nayu replied grimly. <em>I’m sure Ling in Xianfung could probably see those bolts. Now... what do we do about this?</em></p><p></p><p>“We cannot hold the Inner Walls any longer! We have to retreat to the Jade City, and get out!”</p><p></p><p>“I know,” Nayu replied, testily. <em>We’ll still need some time to teleport people out... and We need to get the Military Governor, if we can. If he lives, even if we destroy this army, he’ll raise more demons and undead to attack us.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>How much time do we have, though...</em> Suddenly, he stopped, an idea in his mind, one which he immediately started to dismiss. <em>No Nayu... that’s too dangerous...</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>...but there isn’t another course!</em> another part of his mind jumped in. <em>The scholars can’t spread themselves enough to cover all the gates, and if you just pull back to the Jade City, Hu’s army will just pour through and crush your troops as they try to reach the walls... there’s too many of them, and they’re going to be too fast...</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>You need to slow them here!</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>You need to kill the Military Governor!</em></p><p></p><p>“Won Wei... how many gates are there along the Inner Wall of the city?” Nayu heard himself say, and inwardly, he winced. <em>Are you sure there is no other way? Some way to attract their attention? Distract them?</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>No... it doesn’t appear so. They won’t go for any bait less than...</em></p><p></p><p>“One... Excellency. But there’s no way we can defend it! We’ll be spread too thin, and burnt to a crisp by this fire from the sky!” Won Wei moaned.</p><p></p><p>“That’s not my plan.” </p><p></p><p><em>If you don’t do things this way, they’ll just avoid your plan. You must seem helpless, unimportant for them to lumber into the trap... </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>If this works... there won’t be a Military Governor to direct them, to get them more demons and other abominations. Hu will have to start recruit soldiers again to replace his losses...</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>And it’ll buy us... I mean them... some time. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Why them?</em> Nayu thought at his sudden mental changing of words, his mind growing darker at the thoughts coursing through his mind. </p><p></p><p><em>You said them because you’re probably going to die,</em> the sorcerer heard a matter of fact voice say in his mind. </p><p></p><p>It had the same voice as his father. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“So they’re right at the main gate?” Nayu asked insistently a few minutes later, and Won Wei nodded. Felonca watched, worried, as Nayu’s eyes flashed upwards towards the one remaining gate to the Inner City, as an affirmative to Nayu’s question rumbled across its wooden beams. The demonic army was already here, battering away at the gate, and she’d seen that look before on Nayu’s face, when he’d threatened the village of Wang Liang... </p><p></p><p>“They’ll be held here,” he said suddenly, looking back towards Felonca and the scholar. “Won Wei, go and get the last of the tomes out that you can... I think I can hold them for a half hour or so,” the sorcerer said quickly, before barking more orders above the intermittent crash of the gate being assaulted, detailing which scholars were to teleport when... first on the list being the scholars teleporting the Emperor to Xianfung.</p><p></p><p><em>Doesn’t he mean we can hold them for a half hour or so?</em> Felonca worried, her thoughts growing dark. <em>Why did he say ‘I’...</em> Her reverie was broken when Nayu turned to her.</p><p></p><p>“Felonca,” he grabbed her shoulders, and looked right into her eyes, “I need you, your father, and your uncle to do something special for me. I need you to go to the Jade City, and supervise the final defense.”</p><p></p><p>“Nayu?” Felonca asked, confused. <em>But I thought we were going to hold them off here! Surely you don’t...</em></p><p></p><p>“Felonca, please!” the sorcerer said, his voice choking slightly before he regained himself, “Please. Promise me one thing.”</p><p></p><p>“Nayu... you can’t do this...”</p><p></p><p>“Promise me you’ll make sure the Emperor gets out alive and unharmed! Okay!” Nayu shouted above another crash against the gate. “The Empire will need someone to rally around, and if his mother is kept in check, Emperor Yuandi can be that person! I trust you with this!”</p><p></p><p>“Please Nayu... don’t...”</p><p></p><p>“Go...” Nayu said quietly, his eyes looking back towards the shaking gate, and Felonca shuddered when she saw the look in his eyes... vacant almost, as if he’d already let his soul leave his body. “Go now... get the walls of the Jade City prepared.”</p><p></p><p>“Nayu... you can’t...” Felonca started to stumble, tears starting in her eyes. <em>There are demons, skeletons, burning men by the thousands beyond that gate! And the Military Governor! He can’t stop them by himself!</em></p><p></p><p>“Felonca... please... go man the last defenses,” Nayu repeated, his voice stronger but his eyes still empty.</p><p></p><p><em>He knows it too! He knows he can’t stop them by himself!</em> Felonca mentally screamed. <em>His eyes are empty! He knows if he does this, he’ll die!</em> Her imagination ran wild... she saw one of the immense spider demons gripping her love in its claws.</p><p></p><p>“Nayu! No!” she yelled, grabbing his shoulder fiercely, shaking him. “You can’t! I...” she stuttered, upset, furious and frightened at the same time. “The people need you! I...” her voice died in her throat, her anxiety and fear conspiring to cut off her voice. <em>I can’t imagine anything without you!</em> </p><p></p><p>At her voice, she watched Nayu’s face suddenly change... something came alive, if only momentarily, in his brown eyes. She couldn’t tell what it was... it was too quick, too fleeting, before the empty, quiet look of resignation returned. For a moment, her old fear returned, and she thought she’d spoken too much... until Nayu turned around.</p><p></p><p>“Felonxi... please... take your daughter up to the wall, where she can help direct the final defense,” Nayu said quietly, slowly starting to walk away.</p><p></p><p>”NAYU!” Felonca screamed, as her father pulled her away. <em>My Emperor! Why are you doing this!</em> She twisted and turned in the larger warrior’s grip, but her father’s hold only tightened. “Nayu! You’re going to get yourself killed! Please!” she thrashed and snapped at her father, “Let me go! Let me go!” Felonxi’s grip only grew tighter.</p><p></p><p>Forlornly, she screamed out Nayu’s name, as the sorcerer receded into the distance, swallowed by the smoke, the flame, the sights and sounds of a dying city...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Nayu closed his eyes, and cursed. <em>What am I doing here?</em> he yelled at himself, even as he stared at the oncoming horde. The flames in the city created a draft, making his robes billow towards the advancing army. <em>Felonca is worried... she’s scared...</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>She cares about me...</em> Nayu fought himself, keeping himself from turning, looking back at her even as he could feel her eyes boring with fear into his back.</p><p></p><p><em>You started this journey wanting to help people, to save people from harm, from danger,</em> Nayu thought, trying to build courage in his veins. <em>You attacked that village of giants to save another village, you fought hard to keep Hu’s armies at bay... </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>...which is what you need to do now.</em> He found his legs walking forward, as another enormous boom echoed through the air as more heavy blows struck the yielding gate. </p><p></p><p><em>A city needs you.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>An Empire needs you.</em></p><p></p><p>He started walking faster, towards the breaking gate...</p><p></p><p>============================================</p><p></p><p>And Nayu goes off... to stop an army. Alone...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Emperor Valerian, post: 2594930, member: 15043"] [b]Desperate Defense[/b] “I hate to be a spoil-sport, but where is Hu?” Meiji interrupted, drawing Nayu back from his chuckling. The bard scratched his head worriedly, looking around, until he pointed back towards Liaoxiang after a few moments. “There’s a lot of movement there.” “I think we overshot him,” Nayu thought aloud. [i]Dammit... I thought we could spring a trap on him... but he’s more clever, or foolish, than I thought. Maybe he’s closer to the armies marching into the city...[/i] “Um... Felonca? Are you fine now?” the sorcerer asked. “Yes, now that I’m no longer sitting under trees,” the hengeyokai replied, kicking one of the chain-clad demons. “And yes, I can scout for you. It’s dark, and if me and Meiji slip in as hybrids, I doubt they’ll be able to see us.” [i]She’s volunteering herself again...[/i] “Are you sure you and Meiji can go it alone?” Nayu asked. [i]There’s an entire army out there, and if you get yourself caught...[/i] He stopped his mind from going any further. Nonetheless, she must have seen the worry in his eyes, for she put on a brave grin. “We’re panthers! We’re quiet!” she said. [i]I certainly hope so...[/i] “Before you head out, I want to cast a small spell on you... you’ll be able to talk to me mentally for a while... so tell us what you see...” [i]And if you run into trouble, we’ll be able to try to help...[/i] “If there’s so much as a peep out of you,” Felonca hissed ten minutes later, her body low and close to the ground as she and Meiji slinked forward. Her eyes weren’t looking at the enemy, and instead bore down on her cousin. “I didn’t see the twig,” he whispered back in apology, to which she only grunted. With the flames to their front and their black bodies, Felonca was confident that for all intensive purposes, they were invisible to the army of Langya... the soldier’s eyes would have to adjust to the darkness, and they were two small dark objects, close to the ground in the distance. But noise carried far, and Felonca had no doubt that monstrosities and horrors with acute hearing were among Hu’s pets... “You see anything?” Meiji asked a few minutes later. “No, I’m still going closer,” Felonca replied with a muted hiss. [i]Honestly, its like being a part of a trial with all of his questions![/i] “Keep your head low, and stop talking!” She was thankful when he didn’t reply. As they slinked closer and closer, slowly, above the rumbles of thunder from the fiery sky above, they could make out other noises... hisses, screeches, and low, dissonant moans. Felonca wanted to peek her head above the grass, to see what was making the noise, but forced herself to stay put. [i]I still won’t be able to see much...[/i] she judged from the noises, [i]I’m still too far away.[/i] The moans and groans grew louder and louder, until finally, her curiosity got the best of her, and she looked. She shuddered at what she saw. Most obvious to the eye were great enormous demons... for horrors such as these only could come from the chaotic realms of below... each high above the ground on eight spindly legs, their immense spider-like forms clattering slowly, ponderously towards the great city walls. Between them walked the towering figures that at a glance looked like great men, yet the flames of the city reflected the gnarled warts and cysts that covered their bodies, as well as the leathery wings that stretched from their massive backs. Closer to the ground, she saw the shining metallic armor of yet more of the great ragewalkers, blades whirling around their brilliant forms, as fiery skeletons dashed between them. Then, amidst this cacophany of terror, she saw men... men clad in fine armor, spears sharp, swords sharper, their eyes directed towards the city ahead. Yet despite this menu of fear to set her eyes on, Felonca’s gaze was drawn to one figure. In the midst of the throng, high and imperious on a bone-wheeled chariot, stood a single man. A billowing black cloak covered his back, yet when he turned to give an order, Felonca could see that even his armor, it seemed was made from polished, white bone. Upon his head sat an immense helm of polished steel, a screaming gold skull emblazoned on its front. And as he outstretched his arm, Felonca blinked. [i]No... that can’t be...[/i] Light seemed to shine [i]through[/i] the man’s arm, as if there was no skin... [i] “Nayu! I see him! I see him!”[/i] Felonca hurriedly shouted in her mind. [i] “See who? Hu?” “No! The Military Governor!”[/i] Felonca replied, crouching even lower as chills ran through her spine. [i]He has no arm! He only has bones for an arm![/i] She heard a muffled noise from Meiji, and immediately pushed her cousin down further in the grass. [i]He’s so dedicated to the dead, he has no arm![/i] Her stomach turned at the thought of what he could do with an abomination like that, and she felt bile rising in her throat. [i]Why would someone do that? Why would they get rid of their arm to replace it with exposed bones?[/i] she thought, more worry in her mind. Thoughts of the arm leaping from its body and strangling people came to her mind. Then the world went white. For a few moments Felonca furiously blinked, her eyes watering, trying to keep the bright white light out of her sight. Even when she closed her eyes, the color remained, slowly shifting to green, then red, its wide sheet congealing into eight ragged shapes. When she opened her eyes, the shapes seemed to all trek down towards the wall, as if from the sky. As one, the huge horde before her began to move, rumbling forwards, into the city... [i] “Felonca!”[/i] she heard in her head, [i] “Get out of there now! Won Wei just told me that eight huge lightning bolts just took out some of the key spellcasters keeping the fire off of the Inner Wall! He’s going to have to pull everyone back to the Jade City itself! We’re teleporting out as soon as you get here!” “Okay,”[/i] Felonca replied mentally, sliding backwards in the grass far quicker than they slipped forward. “What’s happening?” she heard Meiji hiss. “We’re going back. Hu’s army has finally breached the defenses,” she replied. “Master Wakabayashi! Shao Wa-Feng!” Won Wei ran up towards the two of them only moments after they teleported back. His robes were now worn and dirty, soot covering the fine silk and linens. “We lost all of our spellcasters along the middle sections of the Inner Wall! Two huge lightning bolts...” “I saw,” Nayu replied grimly. [i]I’m sure Ling in Xianfung could probably see those bolts. Now... what do we do about this?[/i] “We cannot hold the Inner Walls any longer! We have to retreat to the Jade City, and get out!” “I know,” Nayu replied, testily. [i]We’ll still need some time to teleport people out... and We need to get the Military Governor, if we can. If he lives, even if we destroy this army, he’ll raise more demons and undead to attack us. How much time do we have, though...[/i] Suddenly, he stopped, an idea in his mind, one which he immediately started to dismiss. [i]No Nayu... that’s too dangerous... ...but there isn’t another course![/i] another part of his mind jumped in. [i]The scholars can’t spread themselves enough to cover all the gates, and if you just pull back to the Jade City, Hu’s army will just pour through and crush your troops as they try to reach the walls... there’s too many of them, and they’re going to be too fast... You need to slow them here! You need to kill the Military Governor![/i] “Won Wei... how many gates are there along the Inner Wall of the city?” Nayu heard himself say, and inwardly, he winced. [i]Are you sure there is no other way? Some way to attract their attention? Distract them? No... it doesn’t appear so. They won’t go for any bait less than...[/i] “One... Excellency. But there’s no way we can defend it! We’ll be spread too thin, and burnt to a crisp by this fire from the sky!” Won Wei moaned. “That’s not my plan.” [i]If you don’t do things this way, they’ll just avoid your plan. You must seem helpless, unimportant for them to lumber into the trap... If this works... there won’t be a Military Governor to direct them, to get them more demons and other abominations. Hu will have to start recruit soldiers again to replace his losses... And it’ll buy us... I mean them... some time. Why them?[/i] Nayu thought at his sudden mental changing of words, his mind growing darker at the thoughts coursing through his mind. [i]You said them because you’re probably going to die,[/i] the sorcerer heard a matter of fact voice say in his mind. It had the same voice as his father. “So they’re right at the main gate?” Nayu asked insistently a few minutes later, and Won Wei nodded. Felonca watched, worried, as Nayu’s eyes flashed upwards towards the one remaining gate to the Inner City, as an affirmative to Nayu’s question rumbled across its wooden beams. The demonic army was already here, battering away at the gate, and she’d seen that look before on Nayu’s face, when he’d threatened the village of Wang Liang... “They’ll be held here,” he said suddenly, looking back towards Felonca and the scholar. “Won Wei, go and get the last of the tomes out that you can... I think I can hold them for a half hour or so,” the sorcerer said quickly, before barking more orders above the intermittent crash of the gate being assaulted, detailing which scholars were to teleport when... first on the list being the scholars teleporting the Emperor to Xianfung. [i]Doesn’t he mean we can hold them for a half hour or so?[/i] Felonca worried, her thoughts growing dark. [i]Why did he say ‘I’...[/i] Her reverie was broken when Nayu turned to her. “Felonca,” he grabbed her shoulders, and looked right into her eyes, “I need you, your father, and your uncle to do something special for me. I need you to go to the Jade City, and supervise the final defense.” “Nayu?” Felonca asked, confused. [i]But I thought we were going to hold them off here! Surely you don’t...[/i] “Felonca, please!” the sorcerer said, his voice choking slightly before he regained himself, “Please. Promise me one thing.” “Nayu... you can’t do this...” “Promise me you’ll make sure the Emperor gets out alive and unharmed! Okay!” Nayu shouted above another crash against the gate. “The Empire will need someone to rally around, and if his mother is kept in check, Emperor Yuandi can be that person! I trust you with this!” “Please Nayu... don’t...” “Go...” Nayu said quietly, his eyes looking back towards the shaking gate, and Felonca shuddered when she saw the look in his eyes... vacant almost, as if he’d already let his soul leave his body. “Go now... get the walls of the Jade City prepared.” “Nayu... you can’t...” Felonca started to stumble, tears starting in her eyes. [i]There are demons, skeletons, burning men by the thousands beyond that gate! And the Military Governor! He can’t stop them by himself![/i] “Felonca... please... go man the last defenses,” Nayu repeated, his voice stronger but his eyes still empty. [i]He knows it too! He knows he can’t stop them by himself![/i] Felonca mentally screamed. [i]His eyes are empty! He knows if he does this, he’ll die![/i] Her imagination ran wild... she saw one of the immense spider demons gripping her love in its claws. “Nayu! No!” she yelled, grabbing his shoulder fiercely, shaking him. “You can’t! I...” she stuttered, upset, furious and frightened at the same time. “The people need you! I...” her voice died in her throat, her anxiety and fear conspiring to cut off her voice. [i]I can’t imagine anything without you![/i] At her voice, she watched Nayu’s face suddenly change... something came alive, if only momentarily, in his brown eyes. She couldn’t tell what it was... it was too quick, too fleeting, before the empty, quiet look of resignation returned. For a moment, her old fear returned, and she thought she’d spoken too much... until Nayu turned around. “Felonxi... please... take your daughter up to the wall, where she can help direct the final defense,” Nayu said quietly, slowly starting to walk away. ”NAYU!” Felonca screamed, as her father pulled her away. [i]My Emperor! Why are you doing this![/i] She twisted and turned in the larger warrior’s grip, but her father’s hold only tightened. “Nayu! You’re going to get yourself killed! Please!” she thrashed and snapped at her father, “Let me go! Let me go!” Felonxi’s grip only grew tighter. Forlornly, she screamed out Nayu’s name, as the sorcerer receded into the distance, swallowed by the smoke, the flame, the sights and sounds of a dying city... Nayu closed his eyes, and cursed. [i]What am I doing here?[/i] he yelled at himself, even as he stared at the oncoming horde. The flames in the city created a draft, making his robes billow towards the advancing army. [i]Felonca is worried... she’s scared... She cares about me...[/i] Nayu fought himself, keeping himself from turning, looking back at her even as he could feel her eyes boring with fear into his back. [i]You started this journey wanting to help people, to save people from harm, from danger,[/i] Nayu thought, trying to build courage in his veins. [i]You attacked that village of giants to save another village, you fought hard to keep Hu’s armies at bay... ...which is what you need to do now.[/i] He found his legs walking forward, as another enormous boom echoed through the air as more heavy blows struck the yielding gate. [i]A city needs you. An Empire needs you.[/i] He started walking faster, towards the breaking gate... ============================================ And Nayu goes off... to stop an army. Alone... [/QUOTE]
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The Celestial Empire (Romance of the Three Kingdoms-ish, Updated 12/09/05)
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