Clash of Alliances

by Pierre Dimaculangan

  ​

  ​Ogge tenggres mongturri jun.

  ​Ekktin hannda tinuk hadun jeb.

  ​Ekktin hannda saddod hnopp yekk.

  ​Hortin deichnich hyung ta drum,

  ​

  ​Who would will to pay the burdensome price?

  ​A soul of such thirst is a soul that is cursed.

  ​Grant his wish and he will feel free.

  ​And promise him the power of eternity.

  ​Seek him. He will surface…

  ​Kurr opened his eyes and stood from his seated position. He grabbed his cloak to cover his armored form and donned his heavy cowl. “Yes, yes I shall,” he said with a shallow grin. Sprinting at a pace far swifter than any man could attain, he sped north toward the capital, his passing marked only by the fallen leaves and grass that danced to the wind of his strides.

  4 The Pass

  The chirping crickets and crackling sound of their campfire was drowned out by the melancholy song of Sun Xin’s flute. Even the sound of Buff Baby’s constant bickering with Zuo Shilong was calmed as he continued with the song. Music cast a spell of its own— one that calmed the spirit and soothed the soul. Though Sun Xin played a harmonious song, his face maintained an emotionless expression. The music also put his thoughts into perspective and told his story through a melody that only he could understand.

  ​He needed to stay distracted from the pain of losing his Master Lo, but it was in such idle moments that the pain further intensified. He could not even begin to think what he would say to poor Meiling. Her grief would tear apart his own heart. Sun Xin could not afford to let these feelings fester, for a distraction was the worst thing could befall him on an operation.

  ​As the Academicians that accompanied him rested by the fire, he tuned his flute with a knife, shaving away the holes that produced tones that had become either too flat or too sharp. Such activities were therapeutic and helped put his mind at ease.

  ​In the background, Buff Baby told stories of his exploits throughout the provinces. He took great pride in recalling his days with his band of rogues adventuring and fortune hunting into the unknown, many times getting into trouble and spending days evading the authorities. Zuo Shilong was intrigued by the stories but hesitated to believe if they were all true. He even pretended not to show much interest. Xin approached them by the fire and glanced at Buff Baby.

  ​“Now I realize that I have heard of you. You’re that sellsword fortune hunter that calls himself a bandit lord. Your exploits made some news in the central provinces,” he said looking him in the eye.

  ​“Ha! So you have heard of me, eh, Master Swordsman. Told you I was famous,” he said with a satisfied grin.

  ​Zuo Shilong restrained himself from laughing at Buff Baby’s childish disposition by disguising it with a snort and a cough.

  ​“The name ‘Furious Tigers’ has come up over the years. You and your gang have appeared in many notice boards, but I didn’t give them much attention. Some of the local lords and merchants have placed a pretty heavy price on your heads because of your… meddling,” Xin said as he leaned against a tree stump. “My hit list was long enough. And I don’t do it for the money.”

  ​“Such speech is dark even for me,” commented Zuo Shilong.

  ​“You guys live needlessly complicated lives,” said Jirgal as he sat lazily by the fire. “What is there in life to pursue other than good food, drink, nice clothes and a comfortable abode?”

  ​“Hahah! I’ll have you know, there were more than a handful who tried to claim the bounties. I personally delivered them to the gates of hell. Let’s just say that if you had the stones to confront me back then, it may have not ended well for either of us, mate,” Buff Baby said with his arms crossed. “Well… mostly for you.”

  ​“If that belief puts your mind at rest, then keep believing it,” yawned Sun Xin as he lay on his back and rested his head on a log.

  ​“I have been meaning to ask, master swordsman, how you managed the Pale Foreigners’ swordfighter. I felt his power from afar. It was qi unlike anything I have ever felt. I did not think he could be overcome,” said Zuo Shilong.

  ​Sun Xin opened his eyes and sat up trying to recollect his experiences in combat against Kurr. “I don’t know. I can’t even figure it out. It was strange. Something came upon me that I’ve never felt before. I meditated the previous night and sought ‘Heaven’ like the sage had suggested. It may have altered my state of mind. I don’t know.”

  ​On the other side of the camp fire, Big Bang mostly kept to himself and stayed occupied fiddling with his gear and cleaning the barrels and chambers of his heavy, cumbersome weapons. One could say that he was easily the most mysterious member of the company, locked in his own little world. None of them, except perhaps the Academicians, had any idea where he may have come from or what it was that caused him to become so eccentric. Every now and again he would mutter to himself concerning things that were of little sense, and then in the next moment, he would seem to be completely coherent, only for an instant. Everyone else simply shrugged at his peculiar ways.

  ​The sounds of the wilds at night were alien to Zuo Shilong who had still not grown accustomed to living away from the Shaolin monastery. He would turn his gaze to the slightest noises and sounds that did not resemble the chirping of crickets and cicadas or the hooting of owls.

  ​“Calm your nerves, monk. There’s no around but us for one hundred li,” said Wen Ping, who could not help but notice his uneasiness.

  ​“That is simple for you to say. You were not there when the beast attacked us,” said Zuo Shilong. He slid his hands into his unrolled sleeves, suddenly feeling chilly.

  ​“‘Beast’?” questioned Wen Ping.

  ​“Yes, it was massive. It was larger than an ox, had the face and mane of a lion, and had a set of horns longer than an antelope’s!”

  ​“Don’t forget the thick hide that my hunting arrows couldn’t even penetrate,” added Jirgal. “You should have seen it! The thing tore apart my wagon like it was made of paper. I lost everything!”

  ​“What, a nian? You’re describing something that isn’t supposed to exist. Were you two drunken by midday?” said Wen Ping.

  ​“What? No, I do not drink. We are telling the truth,” said Zuo Shilong.

  ​“And how is it that you managed to survive this ‘monster’?”

  ​“The old man who was with us… he stood up to the creature after we crashed. He just walked up to it and told it to sod off. I was like, ‘What on earth?’ I could not believe it. I thought that would was going to be my deathday,” said Jirgal.

  ​“The beast had knocked me unconscious so I missed the mentor’s interaction with the creature. I can neither deny nor affirm Jirgal’s story, but I do believe him,” Zuo Shilong added.

  ​Wen Ping facepalmed and massaged his eyebrows. What a bunch of uneducated country bumpkins, he thought.

  ​“Don’t be so quick to discredit such claims, Academician,” Sun Xin interjected. “What they saw was, indeed, a nian. On my way north to the capital I saw such creatures amassing with the Underworld. If anything, they may have been the very same kind of beast these two are describing.”

  ​Wen Ping just sat for a moment glancing at them blankly as if unsure of how to react. “Welp… I suppose if there’s any time such imaginary creatures would emerge to confirm their existence, it would be now, wouldn’t it?” Wen Ping uncorked a calabash bottle and chugged down its contents. “And you said that hermit whom you call mentor drove the beast away by just speaking to it?”

  ​“Yes,” they both said.

  ​Wen Ping chugged down more wine.

  ​“I wish he were here. The mentor is very wise and wields a great power that he does not claim as his own. I feel at peace when I am with him,” said Zuo Shilong.

  ​“You have nothing to worry about. See, I wasn’t there when the beast attacked you. But now, I’m here,” bragged Buff Baby. He too unfastened a bott
le gourd full of wine which hung from his belt pack. “I drink to my brave and fallen comrades, my brothers and sisters in arms. I pray that they are at peace wherever they are, dead or alive. If I don’t see them again in this life, I will surely find them in the next!” he exclaimed before he chugged down the wine. He flopped onto his back and fell asleep but not before shedding a tear for his lost comrades.

  ​The team continued their journey tirelessly throughout the next two days stopping only to feed and water the horses. Their southwestward direction deviated little as they cut through fields, rocky terrain, and the bush, being careful to avoid the main roads and trading routes. It was when the sky had turned gray and thunders rolled that the rugged trail led them to a remote and eerie pass at the foot of the mountains where the hills met the cliffs. Unusual stone structures and tall statues were lined along the narrow pass which cut through the steep rock faces and impassable hills. It was remote and secluded.

  ​“I am not a stranger to this province, but this is the first time I’ve actually arrived at the Pass or at least have come this close,” thought Sun Xin aloud.

  ​“Were you too afraid to enter?” asked Zuo Shilong innocently.

  ​“Fear is never a reason I refrain from entering a place. No other operation has ever brought me this way and thus I had no reason to come,” Sun Xin said plainly.

  ​“And of course, the skies obliged to dress accordingly for the momentous occasion,” added Jirgal as he pointed to the sky. They proceeded to enter the pass as he continued to survey his surroundings. They were barely twenty paces in and Jirgal could already feel the chill of the air in his bones. The surrounding area was dry and dreary. Even the vegetation seemed to struggle to grow there.

  ​“I guess this is really it. The Pass of Ill Return,” Wen Ping thought aloud. The others pulled on their reigns and turned to listen to what he had to say.

  ​“It’s more like ‘gloomy’ to say the least. You want to know scary? On my thirtieth birthday, you should have seen me and the boys when we raided the tombs and crypts of… never mind,” said Buff Baby, trying to be careful with what he revealed. He shuddered at the memory. Sun Xin dismounted and observed the trail that led deeper into the entrance. Tell-tale prints of all sorts had made their way toward the entrance. Most were from animals except for a few that had managed to imprint deeply into the dirt. They were several days old and were made by human feet. Neither wind nor rain had managed to disturb them.

  ​“These belong to Bai Lang. Only he leaves this type of cleated boot tracks… makes it easier to navigate wilderness terrain. The old huntsman didn’t even bother to hide his tracks, and they only go in but never come out. They’re a few days old but he remains in the pass,” Xin said to himself. “We should proceed.”

  ​“This looks like an accursed place. No wonder so many claim it is haunted. If anything, it looks like the perfect place for an ambush,” commented Wen Ping.

  ​“Indeed. Keep your eyes peeled and stay close. Minimize chatter. I’m talking to you, Bao,” Xin said to Buff Baby.

  ​“I bet he’s lots of fun at parties,” Buff Baby whispered.

  ​“I do not believe he has ever had the pleasure of being invited to one,” Wen Ping replied.

  ​“Oooh, now that’s savage,” chuckled Buff Baby, chewing on a mouthful of betel nut.

  ​The air that proceeded out of the pass was stale and smelled like a bog. It made the place seem all the more uninviting.

  ​“Good grief. This is just what we need,” commented Jirgal as he tried to blow out the smell from his nose.

  ​“Whatever the case, something about this place has inspired those stories from more than just its ominous appearance,” said Zuo Shilong.

  ​“I don’t know,” shrugged Wen Ping.

  ​With caution the team rode deeper into the entrance as Jirgal surveyed his surroundings anxiously. Wen Xiao shook her head, and Big Bang stared blankly ahead before unleashing a loud, obnoxious yawn.

  ​“There’s no time for stories. Our mission is under the heavy pressure of time. We must make haste, and that means we’re going to explore this pass in its entirety,” said Sun Xin in an authoritative tone.

  ​“What’s to fear? Right now I am probably the most dangerous creature for many leagues,” bragged Buff Baby.

  ​“You just volunteered to be my meat shield,” said Jirgal.

  ​“Do you not do anything other than brag about yourself, Buff Baby?” Zuo Shilong said under his breath.

  ​“You are most dangerous? Hahaha,” laughed Big Bang as he juggled a grenade in the palm of his hand.

  ​“Cut the senseless chatter, all of you. Academicians, take positions in the left and right flanks. I’ll ride fore,” Sun Xin ordered.

  ​The chilly winds began to pick up speed and the Academicians lowered their cowls over their eyes. Xin tightened the strap of his broad-brimmed hat and secured his long, dark blue scarf around his neck. A towering stone arch with ornate carvings of images marked the entrance to the pass and a set of ghastly stone statues welcomed them in. The air smelled stale even as the wind blew through. Wen Ping whispered a prayer and instinctively felt for the sword slung to the left of his hip, and rested a hand on the bow holstered onto the right. The horses became even more agitated when lightning danced through the darkened sky.

  ​“Am I the only one who finds it comical that a thunderstorm rolls in just as we make our entry?” asked Jirgal.

  ​“My compass hasn’t stopped spinning erratically since we passed beneath the stone arch at the entrance,” said Wen Ping. Xin gave no reaction to the Academician’s statement. He did not want to admit that he was also quite bothered with the place. Strange noises resounded from the crevices of the stone hills and cliffs that lined up along the path. Ancient stone carvings and statues covered in weeds and creeping vines continued to appear at random all around the pass as a light mist began to envelope the ground and the air around them suddenly grew eerily still. Even the sparsely populated trees looked diseased, their trunks were disfigured and leaves unevenly scattered.

  ​“We should have not come here. This whole place feels unnatural,” whispered Wen Ping.

  ​“Relax, I’ll protect you,” whispered Buff Baby with a chuckle.

  ​“Keep your eyes peeled,” Xin said, after being distracted from his focus.

  ​The otherwise broad path continued to cut through vegetation, and the pass narrowed as the steep mounds of dirt and stones seemed to close in on them. The path would broaden yet again as it wound through the uneven terrain. Though the thunder and lightning had subsided, the sun continued to hide behind the overcast, and the light that bathed this part of the wilderness was foreboding and gray. The rocky pass had now led them to a vast opening where a large collection of ruins rested upon an elevated area not far from the path. The ruins lay beneath a canopy of trees in a lightly wooded area. Crumbling stone steps led toward the remnants of great stone pillars spread across the ground where dusty old bones of both man and beast lay half-buried in the ground. Dilapidated walls once so high and mighty, now fallen and barely taller than a man, snaked around the area of the ruins.

  ​“Amazing. These are Yin Dynasty ruins. They must be over three thousand years old,” observed Wen Ping. Sun Xin and the rest of the Academicians surveyed the area. Beyond the ancient ruins and into the distance, the path led to steep, rocky, and treacherous terrain that not even the horses could traverse. An alternate route snaked away from the original path that led into a deep canyon that meandered toward a mountain.

  ​“We must settle here for the night. It will not be long until the entire valley becomes dark,” said Xin. All trace of Bai Lang had disappeared but Xin nevertheless searched for signs of his passage in the area.

  ​The group continued to scout the ruins’ premises finding nothing but bones and a few isolated remains of animals. Some of the bones were human and lay scattered and half-buried in the dirt.

  ​“How unfortunate it
was for these wanderers to have found their way here only to die. I find it rather suspicious,” thought Wen Xiao aloud. Skeletons of horses in various stages of decay were also found not far from the final resting place of the men.

  ​“Even my kin have attempted to come through here. They carry the banner of the great Khan from their campaigns a few hundred years ago,” Jirgal observed. “These must have been from that renegade squad looking for treasure.”

  ​“This place is not what it seems,” commented Sun Xin as he picked up a skull and a large bone. “These remains tell us that these men were killed, possibly fighting for their lives. Cracks, slashes, and holes riddle these bones.”

  ​One large bone in particular caught Sun Xin’s attention and the others gathered to have a look. Wen Ping cupped his hand over his mouth.

  ​“That strange marking upon the femur looks like it was—”

  ​“Made by teeth,” said Xin finishing the Academician’s statement. “It does not match the tooth patterns of wolves or even tigers. It is human.” Sun Xin was familiar with wildlife from being accustomed to living in the frontier. Jirgal and Zuo Shilong looked at each other concernedly. Big Bang continued to scour the ruins on his own, rummaging through old iron and bronzewares some stone’s throw away from the group.

  ​“I think I found something. Look here,” called Wen Xiao. She stood over a spot where rusted swords and shields lay broken in the dirt. He bent down and picked up one sword in particular. It was evidently ancient but not damaged, and it was shorter than most current swords and sported a hilt forged in the pre-Qin style. Surprisingly, the sword maintained an unusual luster. It was made of a metallic sort of steel— extremely rare for that time since most swords were of iron and bronze.

  ​“How very interesting,” she muttered.

  ​Sun Xin glanced over to where she stood. “That is an artifact from the Warring States era. It’s rather strange that it has not rusted out completely. It even looks battle-worthy. Maybe there really is treasure hidden here. The Khan’s warriors were definitely on to something.”