Clash of Alliances

by Pierre Dimaculangan

  ​“They are the Shan Gui’s fighting elite— the death squads, now even more deadly under the influence of Terukk elixir,” Sun Xin said to Wen Ping and Wen Xiao as they gazed in awe of the training grounds.

  ​“Are they truly that strong?” Wen Xiao asked.

  ​“They’re dogs,” Sun Xin replied plainly. “Let’s proceed.”

  ​The team remained hidden from view as they used the elevated catwalks that overlooked the training grounds. No guards patrolled the area. Why guard the things that do not need to be guarded?

  ​“This is where we part ways. The two of you find Jade Lotus and free her immediately. I will scour the rest of the facility for the whereabouts for eunuch Liu and the others. We are to meet at the entrance to the deep tunnel network after the deeds have been done,” said Sun Xin. “Take the fortress blueprints to find your way. I have the diagrams already memorized,” he said as he handed the scroll to Wen Ping. “Remember your training and take no chances. This is the farthest either of you will ever be within enemy territory. You will never find yourselves in a more volatile situation.”

  ​Sun Xin climbed a ladder to the upper stories of the fortress and Wen Ping and his sister went deeper into the fortress underbelly. Skillful utilization of stealth and athletic navigation was all that permitted them safe passage through highly guarded chambers. It was not long before they found their way toward the dark dungeons—most of which were dank and empty. It was also the only place that seemed to have no guards.

  ​“Are you certain this is where they would hold Jade Lotus?” asked Wen Xiao.

  ​Wen Ping unrolled the fortress map and blueprints and studied it again. “There is little doubt, sister,” he said. “She must be in one of these cells.”

  ​They entered deeper into the dungeon’s cell blocks with but one torch to light the way. The cells were many though were all empty. “Why, why are there so many cells?” thought Wen Xiao aloud.

  ​“They must intend to take many prisoners. For what purpose, I do not know,” Wen Ping answered.

  ​The sound of a faint coughing alerted the sibling duo toward the far end of the dungeon. The torchlight revealed a figure covered in rags and strapped with barbed wire to a post, her legs and arms spread wide. It was clear that she had been tortured, beaten, and subject to horrors unspeakable. Her head drooped low and blood poured out from her nose and mouth.

  ​“That must be her. That must be Jade Lotus,” said Wen Xiao. They approached her and brought her under the light of the torch. “Hey, Jade Lotus, your White Wasp sent us to come rescue you,” she said.

  ​She looked up at Wen Xiao though barely able to lift her own head. The torchlight revealed the deep scar running diagonally across her face. “White Wasp… she lives? Oh, she lives, my sister lives!” she exclaimed with gladness. Her facial expression switched from relief to alarm in the next moment. “You shouldn’t have come here. You should have just left me,” she said as her mouth quivered from weakness. “You’ve sprung the trap! You need to get out before— ” without warning, an arrow plunged itself deep between her eyes and she died before it could complete its penetration. Wen Ping and Wen Xiao spun and drew their own bows toward the direction of the shot. Whom they saw was none other than the dark bowman whom they had seen entering the fortress underground via the obscure entry. He was perched on a protruding wooden frame placed on the ceiling as if in waiting for their arrival.

  ​“We have been anticipating your petty rescue attempt. However, I had expected the White Wasp to come in here and take the bait herself. What a waste of good bait. You are from the League of Martial Scholars, correct?” he said with a deep, masculine voice. The bowman leaped from his perch and, with full control, landed onto ground level. The length of the drop should have broken both of his legs upon impact, but after the dust around his boots had settled, he stood without a problem. He was thin, with rounded eyes and an elongated chin. A thin mustache was delicately shaved above his lip. “I see two standing before me… now where is the third, the one who’s fond of wearing blue robes? What was his name again… the Wandering Wolf, the Blue Bladesman, Nightmare of Monsters?” he asked them with an arrogant grin on his face. The influence of Terukk elixirs was evident in his glistening eyes. “How beautifully convenient that the Wandering Wolf himself would come all this way and spare us the grueling task of having to hunt him down. It has made our mission that much easier.”

  ​Wen Xiao had enough of his talk, and released her arrow from its nock. The arrow flew straight and true toward his face with great speed, but the bowman merely turned and leaned back away from its trajectory. Wen Ping released his own arrow immediately after, but the bowman caught the projectile by the shaft, spun around, nocked, drew, and released the arrow in one continuous motion. The arrow flew into Wen Ping’s chest exactly where his beating heart rested, but it fell short of the organ by only a hair’s breadth, impeded by the Academician armor beneath the black robes. He screamed in pain when the arrow tore into his pectoral muscle.

  ​“Brother, no!” cried Wen Xiao, thinking the wound was fatal.

  ​“No cause for alarm. It did not reach my heart,” said Wen Ping as he broke off the arrow shaft from his chest. The two Martial Academicians stood to their feet and took off their Shan Gui overcoats. Their Academician uniform and armor radiated nicely in the light of the torch.

  ​With his brief display, the bowman was evidently a masterful archer, clearly surpassing the skills of even the Academicians’ greatest shooters.

  ​“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Nuh, uh-uh,” he said shaking his index finger at them. “That is not a nice thing to do to someone you’ve just met. No bother, after I am through with you, I will aim for him. My arrows always find their mark.”

  ​Wen Xiao unsheathed her sword but was halted by her brother not to engage.

  ​“We will be shot before we can get within our blades’ reach,” he said.

  ​“Hehe, your partner is a smart fellow. I guess surrender is your only option at this point,” said the bowman. He already had an arrow of his own nocked and ready to loose. Wen Xiao pulled a small pouch from her belt pack and tossed it at the bowman who then shot it midair and caused a thick cloud of suffocating dust to engulf him. While he coughed and was momentarily disoriented by the toxic fumes, Wen Ping and Wen Xiao diffused the torchlight and made a hasty escape from the dungeon. They made a beeline for the passageways that led directly to the entrance to the deeper tunnel network where they were supposed to rendezvous with Sun Xin. Wen Ping struggled to match his sister’s pace, and he clutched his chest, trying to ignore the pain of the barbed arrow head embedded in his chest.

  ​The duo dashed down the corridors and a series of discreet passages outlined in the blueprints Fa Lien had provided. The deep underground tunnel network was close but Wen Ping’s struggle to continue had worsened, and he collapsed onto the floor on his hands and knees.

  ​“I don’t think this merely a flesh wound anymore, sister,” he said.

  ​“What? C’mon we’re almost to the rendezvous point. We can wait for the chief there,” said Wen Xiao, pulling his hand.

  ​“No… the poison has already found its way into my heart. I can feel it pulling me into darkness,” he said. He coughed and thick, discolored blood oozed out of his mouth. Wen Ping’s eyes and face became red, and breathing suddenly became a struggle. Wen Xiao fell to her knees and watched helplessly as her brother succumbed to the poison the bowman’s arrow had administered. “Continue to the rendezvous point and wait for Xin, little Xiao. It seems that these tunnels will be my tomb. But you, you must live. Promise me you will not seek retribution,” Wen Ping pleaded. “That path is paid with two graves.”

  ​Wen Xiao could not bring herself to accept the fate her brother had already accepted. Tears of sorrow and rage poured from her eyes and they fell upon Wen Ping’s face. “You can’t do this to me, Ping. We were supposed to have the best plum wine served at your table on the day of your twenty-ninth year,
” she sobbed.

  ​“Yeah, I would’ve wanted that, but alas, it’s not my choice anymore. I can almost taste it… it’s right at the tip of my tongue now,” Wen Ping mumbled with a weak smile. “Do send my love to mama and baba. It’s the least I can do as an unfilial son. Take care of them, will you? Make sure they are safe when the enemy arrives. “You must go. No one will come searching for you at the rendezvous. Go. Now,” he ordered, as he gasped, coughed, and wheezed.

  ​“No, I can’t leave you. Don’t force me to live with such a decision. Just let me stay with you right here even for just a little while longer,” cried Wen Xiao.

  ​“You never did listen to your big brother, my stubborn little sis,” Wen Ping whispered to her. “You were always mischievous too. Strong-willed as well as stubborn— a true black sheep of the family. Do you remember when we were children, Xiao? You stole my clothes and hid them in the bushes while I bathed in the lake. I had no choice but to run about town butt-naked looking to get my hands on you. That is my fondest memory.”

  ​Wen Xiao managed to laugh at the memory even as tears continued to stream down her cheeks. “Yes, I do remember. Even Baba found it most amusing… he couldn’t hide his smile while he scolded me.”

  ​The bowman appeared before them some stone’s throw away on the other end of the tunnel. He just stood there ominously in the dim lights of the candles lining the passages, staring at them as Wen Ping withered away to his poison.

  ​“Go, Xiao. Go! You cannot beat him alone,” Wen Ping groaned. He discreetly primed a grenade from his belt pack and cut the fuse short. He grabbed a small candle that stood nearby. “He is arrogant. He will walk over to me and watch me die, but he will discover his mistake to be one that is most… explosive,” he said as he managed a mischievous smile. Wen Xiao embraced and kissed her brother one last time before disappearing into the darkness of the passageways, sobbing as she ran.

  ​The dark bowman of the Shan Gui nonchalantly walked over toward Wen Ping just as he had predicted. “Did you really think I would leave my weapons unenhanced?” He looked ahead into the direction where Wen Xiao had fled. “Interesting route. Just where exactly were you planning to flee? None of these tunnels provide an exit. Maybe you Academicians are not as clever as the legends say.”

  ​Wen Ping merely smiled and narrowed his eyes at him. “Good,” he said. The bowman didn’t know about the deeper underground tunnel networks. His baby sister would be safe as she awaited Sun Xin.

  ​“Arrogance has already defeated you. In the Art of War, I’m cleverer than you realize.” Wen Ping lit the shortened fuse on his shrapnel grenade, and with a momentary fizz, it detonated before the bowman could even turn to dive away. Dust, fire, and dirt filled the tunnels for many chi, and the heat, force and sound of the explosion knocked Wen Xiao off her feet. Even after the dust had settled, she remained face down on the ground unwilling to stand for she was still overcome with grief at the fate that her brother had met. But he would not have wanted her to remain there. She forced herself to stand and proceed toward a hidden passageway that led directly to the entrance of the deeper tunnel networks. Her grief had to wait.

  ​Above ground in the very heart of the large fortress, Sun Xin crept through the hallways in the darkness in search for clues to the whereabouts of the eunuch Liu Jin who was leading the operations of the united Underworld. Most of the rooms, chambers, and offices were empty and ironically, the building was not as populated as he expected. He had no precise plan as to his method of attack or his escape much less his route to the underground tunnel exits. He secured his weapons and gear and adjusted the uniform he had donned over his usual robes in order to better blend with the others who occupied the building. If he were lucky, those who noticed his passing would not bother giving him a second look lest he drew too much attention to himself. He was not exactly where the same colors of the fortress guards.

  ​The architecture of the fortress was especially unique, even strange in comparison to that of other architectural wonders of the Middle Kingdom. It much larger inside and the floors and halls were constructed with much more stone than wood. It almost felt foreign. Recalling the diagram and blueprint stamped into his sharp memory, he proceeded toward the rear of the fortress compound where the end of the hall opened up to reveal the largest courtyard of its grounds. Battalions of the Shan Gui’s death squads stood below in the large square waiting to hear an address from their leaders.

  ​Sun Xin spotted them on the other side of the square—the eunuchs with Liu Jin standing in amongst them. They and the higher ranking Shan Gui officers personally inspected the troops group by group and one by one, testing the limits of their strength and endurance with feats too great for ordinary people. Their displays of calisthenics, weight lifting, and stamina were impressive and undoubtedly surpassed even the most capable of warrior monks from the Shaolin and Wudang sects. If they were strong before, they are now made superhuman with the influence of Terukk alchemy. “Highly-trained brutes are still brutes,” Xin muttered to himself. He has had previous experiences and encounters with them before.

  ​They were occupied. It was good, but the setting provided no opportunity for an assassination, and there was no alternate route through the square for him to reach eunuch Liu for a steely kill. Sun Xin quickly recalled the fortress blueprints in his mind. He remembered something vital. The ground beneath the square was not solid, but rather spacious. Underneath the feet of all the warriors standing in the square was an armory and storage hall filled with weapons and crates of explosive black powder. Sun Xin retraced his steps into the fortress and navigated the corridors to reach the underground storage facility. A pair of standard sentries stood at the entrance. Sun Xin moved to a sprint and triggered his crossbow at the first guard’s forehead then lunged at the second with a quick knife swipe across the neck. Neither knew what had just taken their lives. He looted the key and unlatched the vault doors.

  ​The storage armory was packed with a large array of arms and armor, and crates of premixed black powder were stacked all throughout the chamber. Supplies to craft some large bombs were well within his reach. He tightly packed several large fragmentation shells with extra loads of explosive powder and replaced the fuses with a slow burning variant which he had in his kit. He places several of them firmly against some of the support columns standing along the length of the armory. The result should be that of a massive explosion followed by a catastrophic cave-in causing maximum enemy casualties. He grabbed a torch and ignited the first fuse – the longest of the bunch then continued with the rest which had fuses that grew shorter and shorter in consecutive order. That way the bombs would burn and detonate at precisely the same moment.

  ​“This is too easy, too convenient,” thought Xin. “But it ought to leave a crushing blow to their forces.”

  ​Sun Xin made his way back to the hall that overlooked the square. The army stood to attention when the eunuch leader stepped onto a platform beyond the edge of the courtyard and gazed at the warriors the way a proud father would to his children. His words were faint from where Xin was perched but he listened intently for any piece of information that would clue him to their intentions.

  ​“The day has come for us to march! March against the oppressive finite powers that dominate us and trample our freedom. It is time for the Ming to fall before the power of a united Underworld. No longer will an empire dictate our lives. We will live as free and illuminated peoples under the banner and safeguard of the Terukk overlords! The Emperor’s army will fall before strength of our great forces. Their numbers will do little to impede the juggernaut of our onslaught! Let us behold the dawn of a new world! We – ” Liu Jin paused midsentence when his attention was redirected to a figure limping through the crowds and moving toward him. He was bloodied with his armor and uniform burnt and halfway shredded. It was clear to be the dark bowman whom Sun Xin and the Academician witnessed discreetly entering the citadel. “Qinbo? What is the meaning of this?”<
br />
  ​“That name… now I remember you,” thought Sun Xin. “I hated you.”

  ​“Interlopers, sire. Martial Academicians infiltrated the stronghold in an attempt to liberate Jade Lotus. I killed one but alas, the other vanished in the underground passageways. I scoured their length but all trace of her ceased entirely,” said Qinbo.

  ​“Vanished??” Liu questioned.

  ​“There’s more. I believe the Wandering Wolf is among them,” Qinbo added.

  ​The warriors standing in the square clamored at what Qinbo had announced. “I have reason to believe he is here now in our midst, wearing our colors and walking among us in an attempt to take your life.”

  ​“Ha! Such hubris! Is there no end to the foolishness of these imperial loyalists?? No matter. I should have expected this. His presence has made the completion of our own task all that much easier. He has come to us,” said Liu.

  ​“Leave it to them to have the audacity,” said Qinbo.

  ​Liu stood still for a brief moment as if he were listening intently to an unseen and inaudible source. He suddenly redirected his gaze toward Sun Xin’s position where he was perched in the shadows of the second story balcony overlooking the square. “There,” Liu whispered as he raised a hand pointing to Xin’s current position.

  ​Sun Xin, unsure of what was happening was taken by great surprise as the bowman Qinbo drew and loosed an arrow toward him with remarkable accuracy. The arrow arced over the length of the courtyard and raced toward him, and it was only with sure reflex that Sun Xin leaned away from the shot as the arrow grazed the surface of his robes. Nearly half of the shaft of the steel-tipped arrow embedded itself onto the stony wall. It was time to vacate the premises. The large congregation of elite soldiers maneuvered for his capture but several consecutive explosions shook the ground before they could get into pursuit. Fire, dust, debris, and twisted metal burst from below as the ground beneath their feet crumbled and collapsed. The intense heat and sheer force of the blast instantly annihilated over half of the warriors present. The rest fell to their deaths beneath the crushing weight of rubble and the raging flames that ensued. The flames began to spread and the deafening sound of the blasts echoed throughout the entire valley. Soon, alarms of gongs, horns, and bells resounded across the entire valley.