by Mark Swaine
“Ó, mā (Oh shit),” exclaims Mǎkè, hardly believing his misfortune.
En route to the citadel, the dragons carrying survivors hang on tight. Observing the carnage playing out before on the ground, Xan Li's face screws up wildly as she witnesses the deaths of her brothers and sister in arms. The Samurai and Jade soldiers fend of mercenaries on the roof tops, allowing the survivors to board the dragons waiting in mid flight. Soldiers toss the less able to open arms aboard the ridged backs, others are less lucky as they are overcome by daggers and swords. But what Xan Li doesn't expect is the charging of undead bodies scaling the sides of the buildings and making it over the ridged roofs. Xan Li feels helpless as she sees two of her sisters in arms and a Jade soldier in need of help.
“They can climb?!” bellows Daisuke.
“Daisuke fall back!” screams Anzu.
“No, you need more time!” replies Daisuke as an undead Japanese geisha takes a bite from her forearm.
“Daisuke!” screams Anzu in protest. “Finish boarding the survivors, die well Sergeant Dun,” adds Anzu before racing to aid Daisuke in holding back the undead.
As Daisuke is brought down and ripped apart by her limbs, Anzu fights for the both of them as Sergeant Dun urges the survivors faster on the dragon's head. The survivors crawl across the dragon's head and onto its back, and as the last survivor boards, Sergeant Dun unsheathes his Dao swords. Daisuke grunts in agony as she's hoisted into the air by grabbing hands and she screams wildly as the undead fight over the suspended feast. As the undead gnaw away at every inch of space available, Sergeant Dun races in to aide Anzu and Daisuke with blades slashing. The undead bite at his arms and legs, but he keeps hacking until the arms release her. Dragging her backwards, Daisuke grabs his shoulder and stands to her feet. Severely outnumbered, the undead cautiously advance. Anzu, Daisuke and Sergeant Dunn tread backwards until they run out roof. Fearing a fate worse than death, the two contemplate leaping to their deaths. Defiantly scowling at the outstretched hands and teeth approaching them, the two soldiers bellow wildly before charging to their fate.
“This is not happening, this is not real, this is not real. Another nightmare, this is not happening,” mutters Xan Li.
“Of what do you speak?” asks Zui with his arm draped around a dragon spike.
“This is not real,” says Xan Li ignoring Zui.
Coming out of her trance, Xan Li hails Zui as she sees the rescuing dragons adjacent to them coming under attack from undead and corrupted dragons. Zui removes his wicker hat and feels the wind against his face to sense its direction, then he wedges his foot underneath a loose scale and raises it a little. Alerted by the slight discomfort, the dragon turns its head to Zui, performing a series of Tai-Chi manoeuvres, commanding it to change course. The dragon rushes ahead of its kin on its flank as the blades in Zui's staff open, and he crouches with his staff held in a backward spread position. Even though in his drunken state he sees three blurry sets of dragon back raiders, Zui’s aim is still true. A second before the dragon tilts its head in a sideward turn to head the flanking dragon head on, Zui flings his staff against the wind. His blade ended staff twirls rapidly and appears way of course as it flies off to nowhere. With the dragon playing chicken with its kin head on, Zui sprints unevenly along its back and down its neck as its turbulent glide.
The dragon with the survivors aboard rushes to outrace the corrupted dragon snapping at its tail with raiders ready to board and maim the survivors. Zui's staff appears from behind them and slices their bodies in half. The two valiant dragons rush under and over one another and and the drunken man flips off the dragon's head and over the body of the other passing dragon above. As the lift of the high winds carries Zui over the saved and corrupted dragon’s, he catches his staff in a rolling mid air journey as the undead dragon’s belly is opened up by the passing dragon’s sharp tail below. Zui lands back onto the dragon in a tumbling roll. With the airborne enemies alerted to threat, a snarling undead dragon veers to its side ready to take its live feed head on. The scales of the dragon raise in fear of the oncoming undead beast and it looks back at Zui and growls for aid. Xan Li catches onto the dragon's request and looks at Zui trying to focus with his eyebrows raised.
“My turn,” says Xan Li marching to the dragon's head.
Xan Li charges forward and back flips over the dragon's head and swings herself into the dragon's mouth by its top lip. Crouching on the edge of the dragon's bottom row of teeth, she ignores its hot, fishy salt air breath and clicks her Katana an inch from hilt. The dragon, confused at first, releases a growl of realisation before filling its mouth with a gaseous mist and flammable liquid. With the undead dragon growing closer by the second, Xan Li's dragon coils its neck. Holding onto the roof of the dragon's pink ridged palate, the dragon grinds its back teeth before lurching its neck forward. A sudden loud boom blows away the surrounding clouds as a rapid moving fireball carries Xan Li bellowing straight toward the undead dragon. The fireball impacts upon the dragon’s snout and Xan Li's cindering body shoots through its mouth with her Katana extended by fire and magic. As a line of sparkling fire divides the undead dragon from within, Zui and the survivors hold on tight as their dragon dives in a straight descent to retrieve the smoking Onna-Bugeisha freefalling against a backdrop of burning bodies and two halves of a blazing dead dragon. Landing upon the dragon's back, Xan Li’s burnt and bloody body begins to regenerate as looks around strangely, doubting her strange and unlikely surroundings.
“I am dreaming, I am still encaged. Something, something does not feel...this is not real,” grunts Xan Li angrily.
Xan Li feels the impact of a hard object across both sides of her face as Zui strikes her with the blunt ends of his staff. Snapping out of her trance, she suddenly comprehends that she’s in the here and now, not the confusing mirror of her former prison blade.
“That was real... and so is this,” says Zui, offering her ale from a concealed clay pot.
Xani Li declines Zui's frothy ale as the side of her face completes forming the rest of her skin.
“More for me,” says Zui as he raises the pot to his mouth.
The Ale half reaches his mouth and blows laterally in the rushing wind as he looks closer at something approaching.
“What in Raijin's crushing gaze,” says Zui in wonder whilst tying his pot to his belt.
In the near distance, the Tower of Guang fires bolts of sizzling plasma at undead dragons circling the perimeter and testing for weaknesses. Uncorrupted dragons aid in bringing down the cursed reptiles as they attempt to breach the domed peak of the tower with trailing blazing balls of fire. The crackling bolts of jagged plasma zap the undead reptilian dragons, sending them in a plummeting spin to the ground.
“What is that?” asks Zui.
“Whatever it is, it’s protecting whatever lies within the tower,” replies Xan Li.
Zui taps his foot under the dragon’s scale and performs another series of Tai-Chi gestures. The the dragon looks back at Zui and growls in reply.
“You’re right.They’re protecting the Tower of Guang, the beast asks of our assistance once we have unloaded the survivors. Good luck to them,” slurs Zui raising his pot of mead.
Before long, each of the rescuing dragons land within the citadel walls where squadrons of soldiers lead them inside the barracks. No sooner than the last of the survivors have left the safety of the dragons backs, the dragons lift back to the skies. With Jade soldiers, Onna-Bugeisha, Samurai and a drunkard giving chase to mercenaries, raiders and undead beings on dragon back, chaos ensues. Circling the massive circumference of the tower, bright coloured bolts of shooting plasma narrowly avoid those defending it. Jade soldiers fire arrows into their distant targets with deadly precision as Samurai and Onna-Bugeisha leap from dragon to dragon to engage their enemies in armed combat. A team of marauders jump from a dragon above and land onto theirs. Some of them land successfully; others roll off on impact or miss completely and wail in their long fall. Fightin
g back to back, Xan Li and Zui gruesomely defeat their opponents with ease. A canvas of body parts litters the sky with sprinkling blood as heart red, shocking blue and striking yellow electric plasmid bolts deafeningly impale a tranquil dance of spiny wings screeching in airborne death. A ground force of mercenaries storms the high walls of the Shinnen palace and Tower of Guang with anchors and ropes. The Shinnen palace Gate Keeper, an old long bearded man named Lingquan fends of the attackers with his trusty staff. The armoured old man has defended the palace entrance nearly all his life, and as multiple mercenaries fly and tumble down the wide stone steps, he makes good on his title.
“None must be allowed to breach. Lingquan needs reinforcements,” says Xan Li.
“You’re right, somebody had best tell them,” replies Zui.
“If they breach that wall those Jade soldiers don’t stand a chance,” says Xan Li.
“You telling me of these things as if I should care?” says Zui curiously whilst tasting the ale on his lips.
“We must aid the Jade forces push back the invading hordes,” replies Xan Li.
“I am not a Jade soldier, not anymore! I agreed to help you and Mǎkè, I did not agree to this!” shouts Zui. “You, you are just like all the others, like the General! I offer you my hand and you take my whole arm. I will not help the General do his job, nor will I protect a selfish assumed immortal,” bellows Zui growling between swigs.
“You will let these soldiers die for your anger, name one amongst them who have caused ill will!” shouts Xan Li. “Do as you wish, I shall aid the palace guards. But those soldiers defending the Tower of Guang, they need reinforcements, they need you,” says Xan Li.
“No, they need the Great Emperor and the almighty General Arachie, maybe they they can bribe the raiders with front row seats at the next Four Seasons Sports Festival!” says Zui.
“You are a bad drunk Zui, not a bad man, I know you will make the right decision,” says Xan Li with a quick smile before stepping off the dragon.
Xan Li lands squarely on her feet amongst an army of new recruits, leaderless and unsure without a commander to best direct their attacks. Xan Li aids the recruits in killing her foes whilst leading a trail of blood as she charges up the palace steps to aid Lingquan. Lingquan suddenly exhales in terror as he sees a face in the crowd who does not belong. A shaven headed teen battles against five armed mercenaries with his bare hands as he cracks skulls, sweeps legs and whirlwind kicks bodies into the air.
“Yang Shen, what are you doing out there!” bellows Lingquan, “Guards, bring him to me!”
A group of soldiers grab hold of Yang Shen and drag him away as a large group of raiders recognise his importance, identifying him as royalty.
“Onna-Bugeisha, aid them,” says Lingquan.
“What of you?” replies Xan Li.
“None have passed, none shall pass,” replies Lingquan.
Xan Li races to the front of Yang Shen's escort and cuts down the approaching raiders as they make their way back up the palace steps.
“You fool!” says Lingquan angrily grabbing Yang Shen by his robe. “Are you harmed?”
“No I am not harmed. Why did you have me removed in the midst of battle? I want to fight!” shouts Yang Shen.
“You are royalty!” replies Lingquan.
“I do not care!” replies Yang Shen.
“We must hold the line, let him fight, he is able,” advises Xan Li.
“No!” shouts Lingquan.
“'Tis not of your choice Gate Keeper, I will not run and hide whilst my countrymen fight and die!” shouts Yang Shen.
“Should you receive injury, should you suffer one scratch on your finger, I drag you kicking and screaming,” seethes Lingquan.
“Agreed,” says Yang Shen whilst chopping a raider’s throat before breaking another's neck with a roundhouse kick.
Zui, still stewing over Xan Li's words, reluctantly raises his foot underneath the dragon's scale. The dragon looks back at him and Zui lazily issues a few hand signals. The dragon lowers to the ground around the tower and Zui leaps off the wing to find a nervous group of tired and bloodied Cadets guarding the circular base of the tower. Zui drunkenly trips over the bodies of raiders and higher ranking Jade soldiers, and looks curiously at the flowered wall. Over a hundred raiders in the near distance continuously drop from ropes and march slowly toward the tower.
“Soldiers, aim for their legs,” says Zui slurring beyond comprehension.
The tired soldiers look at the stranger weirdly, not only due to his strangely announced presence, but because they didn’t understand a word he said.
“What did you say?” asks a soldier.
“I... saaaaaaaaid... aim, for their lllllleeeeegs,” slurs Zui.
“Drunkard, turn and flee, or stay and die,” says a soldier urgently.
“What? Soldier I cannot understand a single word you are saying,” says Zui, glaring at him. “You wish trouble with me, do you have any idea who I am? Because I don't,” he adds, in a sudden bout of hysterics.
“Not only are you trespassing on private grounds, but you are in harm’s way. You have no place here, now flee!” shouts another soldier.
“I am trespassing on private grounds? I had no idea, please accept my deepest apologies,” says Zui mockingly whilst looking up at the tower. “Is this not the Tower of Bullshit where the almighty dances like a love struck wench atop his clouds?” says Zui innocently.
The offended soldiers glare at the drunkard fiercely, and one of them raises his bow before releasing a warning shot. Zui catches the arrow and throws it back at the soldier pinning his green loin cloth under his legs and into the loose brick wall behind him.
“How many entrances does this tower possess? For I see none,” says Zui as the raiders begin running toward the tower.
“We, we know not of any ground entrance, ‘tis sealed,” replies a soldier quickly.
“Then, by Raijin's ballsack why are you guarding the entire perimeter when the attack is coming from one direction... that direction,” says Zui pointing to the racing attackers.
As word of their strategic error passes the circular formation, the soldiers guarding the blind side suddenly race to the front and take a knee before the first line of soldiers. The Cadets start to take note of Zui’s authority and feel sense of familiarity in his command.
“Follow my lead,” says Zui. “I want staggered advances of arrow and blade,” says Zui, walking toward the charging crowd.
“Where are you going? You will be struck by our arrows,” shouts a soldier.
“Stop slurring, you are a Jade soldier now, and remember... arrow and blade, and don't you dare...” seethes Zui, '...rob my fucking seat, or take my drink, I haven’t finished it, there’s still a bit left...” says Zui, glowering and pointing a wavy finger.
“Of what do you speak?” shout numerous new recruits.
“I was sat there first you bastard, and just put the Ale on my tab, or yours if you prefer,” murmurs Zui before racing into combat.
The two blades flick open on Zui's staff as he meets the raiders in the battlefield. They they raise their swords and he swipes the end of his staff across their shins. As the raiders fall to their knees, he runs the other end of his staff across their necks, creating headless obstacles for the second line of attackers. Zui twirls his staff and swipes at the guts of the second line. The raiders grip the long red streaks running laterally across their bellies, screaming loudly whilst toppling over the headless bodies in front. With a few seconds to spare, Zui chugs from his pot ale and his ears twinge as hears the tug and release of coiled twine behind him. Zui holds his hand up to a mercenary charging toward him and stops the man in his tracks.
“Hold this,” says Zui passing the pot to the confused raider.
Zui suddenly leaps into a side twisting roll as a volley of arrows narrowly misses his rapidly spinning body. Zui lands back on his feet and takes the pot of ale off the arrow-impaled mercenary before he falls flat on his
back. Zui looks back at the soldiers as the Archers reload and the front line striking down the raiders in single strikes of sword and spear.