by Tao Wong
When he noticed that Wu Ying was looking, he spoke, his voice so loud that it rattled the windows and made the stones on the ground tremble. “You can run. But we’ll find you, you little rat.”
The loud, almost joyful and insane, voice rang through the streets, chasing Wu Ying and Bao Cong as they ducked into the next alleyway. They pushed through only to find that this one ended not in another street but in a dead-end.
Rather than stop, Li Yao focused her chi in the tip of the spear again and lunged forward. Her attack created a shell of ice around her, one that protected her body as she smashed into the wall and shattered it into pieces. Yin Xue followed her, bouncing past her still form as she recovered to keep running. Another crash, this time of a door being thrust open, echoed toward Wu Ying and Bao Cong. They entered the living room of a peasant house, the front door swinging on one broken hinge as Yin Xue clashed with unseen foes in the street ahead. Wu Ying noted a pair of mortals as he twisted around, intent on throwing another blade strike down the alleyway.
“Get out!” Wu Ying shouted at the civilians, the little girl and her brother screaming. A loud, distressing creak originated from above his head, making Wu Ying glance at the wobbling ceiling. “Now.”
Then he had no more time. The first of the guards came rushing in, thrusting with his polearm. Wu Ying blocked, gripped the edge of the weapon behind its sharp knife-head, and pulled, punching the guard of his jian into the man’s face. The attack laid out his opponent on the ground, blocking the entrance. The next few moments were a hectic battle as Wu Ying blocked and cut, doing his best to stall the attackers in the entranceway. All the while, dust from the compromised ceiling fell around him.
For all his skill, eventually Wu Ying fell back. One too many spears were shoved at him, forcing Wu Ying to back off. As he did so, he flicked his gaze at the corner where the children had been. Once he noted their absence, he struck upward. He only needed to use a little bit of his chi, focused through his sword intent. Lines of sharp power scored against the ceiling, weakening already compromised joints. His enemies spotted his intentions only seconds before the roof gave way.
Throwing himself backward, Wu Ying tapped the ground with his feet as he floated out the doorway even as the ceiling fell, blocking the entrance Li Yao had created. As the dust and smoke from the collapsed building exploded around him, cloaking his body in the remnants of the home, Wu Ying could only hope that the kids really were out of the house. He had no time to check.
He turned and ran, intent on catching up with his friends before he spotted the city wall. Finally.
There was about thirty feet of clear ground between him and the wall, an area that was fast filling with soldiers. As if they had known where the Green Waters Sect members had planned to go, the army of Wei had sent their men to line the wall. Wu Ying’s friends had stopped, resting for a second in an impromptu stand-off. Wu Ying hurried to them, and once they noted his presence, Li Yao offered him a nod.
Together, the group surged forward another ten feet, smashing into the wall of soldiers. They managed to gain a few feet, even against the wall of fighters, before they stalled. The cultivators pushed, inching closer to the staircase that led up the wall. But then the pressure between the attackers stymied their advance, forcing them to hold their ground as they fought desperately to move ahead. Spears lashed out from behind walls of shields, daos cut down and sideways at the cultivators as they fought.
“We can’t stay here,” Wu Ying snarled, catching another blade high on his own and responding.
His attack drew a line across his opponent’s forehead, splashing blood down on his eyes and blinding him. His opponent staggered back, yanked aside and replaced by another, creating a brief moment of respite.
“We’re trying!” Li Yao shouted, even as she parried aside three spears with her own.
Yin Xue was much more silent, focused on his own battle. To Wu Ying’s surprise, the cultivator had both his jian and a smaller blade, blocking attacks with one blade and striking with the other. It wasn’t a style Wu Ying had ever noticed Yin Xue using before, but it seemed highly effective in this crowded situation.
A scream from beside Wu Ying drew his attention, and he saw Bao Cong stagger back, his shoulder pierced by a spear. The cultivator swung his dao, breaking the spear shaft before catching a second that sought his stomach. Even as Bao Cong released a burst of chi that sent backward the soldiers pressing him as the metal in their armor reacted, he paled further. Of them all, the blacksmith had the least amount of skill in melee combat and it was showing.
Once again, Wu Ying cast around in his mind for an option. He had used all the charges in his bracer already—the first time to deal with the cultivators when they came out, the second one to break the formation. None of his other attacks were strong enough to open the way. Li Yao, their strongest fighter, was tired and already taking on one side of their shrinking formation. She’d blown past any blockade that had blocked their way with the liberal use of chi, but strong as she was, all that had an effect. Bao Cong was tired and injured. Only Yin Xue had any real energy left. But he too was fighting multiple opponents. It was unlikely he had anything else to add.
As Wu Ying made up his mind to attempt the breakout himself, hoping to plow all his energy into a Dragon’s Breath attack, a familiar armored form appeared in the corner of his vision. A single shout from the cultivator and their opponents retreated, leaving the team surrounded but for the wounded and the corpses that lay strewn around their feet.
“Nowhere to run, little bird,” the armored figure said. “I told you so. But be glad, for you will fall before Mo Hei.”
“Did he just say that?” Yin Xue said derisively as Mo Hei walked toward them. “Is his ego so big that he needs to announce his name before trying to kill us?”
“I’m more worried about the part where he’s trying to kill us than his oratory skills,” Bao Cong said. “Maybe you can focus on how we are getting out?”
They had no time to even swear or offer a smart-aleck reply as Mo Hei and the two guards around him approached. If it was only those, Wu Ying could see them winning. But there were also the soldiers surrounding them. And even if their enemies were not particularly gifted cultivators, Wu Ying’s group wasn’t in their best states. Quantity had a quality of its own, and their enemies had quite the quantity.
“When they close in on us, I’ll break us clear,” Wu Ying said.
The way Mo Hei and the guards were coming, the ring around them would have to part. In that small gap, Wu Ying hoped he could break through the enclosure, freeing them to run. It would be dangerous, and Wu Ying knew he’d have to stay behind, but it might be the only choice.
“Idiot,” Yin Xue snapped, shaking his head. He reached sideways and flicked his hand upward, a glowing jade seal appearing. It was the same one Wu Ying had noticed him take from the tomb. There hadn’t been time to discuss what it was, and Wu Ying had doubted Yin Xue would talk of it. Even as he watched, the jade seal doubled in size and doubled again, increasing in form as it floated above the group. “Get in close. The family protective seal isn’t something I can control very well.”
Even as Yin Xue finished speaking, jade chains shot out from the seal, striking the ground in explosions of dust and stone. Any soldier in the way of the chains was struck and thrown aside, taking others with them. They lay bleeding on the ground, bones crushed, limbs shattered. Even as the soldiers recovered, the jade seal spun, twisting and following the motions of Yin Xue’s hands, its chains striking the unlucky standing soldiers.
“What the hells, you couldn’t do that earlier?” Bao Cong complained as he finished wrapping up the new injury on his leg, struggling to do so as blood dripped down his arm.
A flick of Yin Xue’s hand sent the seal spinning directly toward the wall. The group ran under cover of the spinning chains, protected from those who attempted to close in on them. Mo Hei snarled, breaking into a run and tossing aside his own men as he tried to cl
ose the distance.
“We have to hurry. The seal will not last long.” Each word was labored, and Wu Ying sensed Yin Xue’s chi levels dropping as he manipulated the seal.
Even as they ran, their opponents continued to harass them. Archers at the top of the wall opened fire, no longer worried about hitting their own as commanded by their unit leaders.
The team managed to make it another twenty yards before they slowed again. The pressure from the massed soldiers who had nowhere to go, even under the threat of the spinning chains, meant that Yin Xue had to direct the chains to strike multiple times. Under cover of their wooden shields, soldiers were thrown from side to side before their shields broke, leaving their owners to take the strike on their body. Yet each moment, the jade seal slowed, forcing the group to deal with attackers who crowded around the edges and behind them.
Wu Ying let himself fall back once more, doing his best to keep them back and going so far as to withdraw a second sword to help him block the attacks. He was entirely grateful for the undershirt armor that Elder Lee had made him purchase. If not, he would have already taken at least a couple of serious injuries as he scrambled to shield Bao Cong and the others. As it was, his legs and arms were bleeding freely, from strikes that he had managed to edge away from vitals but not block entirely.
A roar brought Wu Ying’s attention to the side as a giant sword swung at him. He crossed his blades in quick order, angling them so that the attack would slide down and hit the guards. Mo Hei’s swing smashed into the crossed blades, throwing Wu Ying backward as the momentum of the attack refused to end. He was flung backward, taking a glancing blow from Yin Xue’s jade seal chains. A glancing blow from a raised sword dug into the edge of Wu Ying’s armor, making him gasp in further pain. Luckily, the soldiers also cushioned his flight, and together, they were sent sprawling and rolling.
Wu Ying stood, shaking his head, ribs aching from where his guard had dug into his chest. The mail might have saved him from cuts, but it did nothing for impact. As he idly cut downward with one sword to deal with another soldier struggling to get up, Wu Ying was shocked to see that his lead weapon had a deep chip in it. Mo Hei’s single attack had damaged the sword. Even as Wu Ying marveled, he realized that the jade seal had stopped spinning, its chains retracted.
Another shout as Mo Hei rushed forward, sweeping his weapon down in an overhead cut. Having learned his lesson, Wu Ying ducked to the side and sent a quick stab at his opponent’s wrist, at the gap where bracer and gauntlets met. Unfortunately, aiming at a target so small on a moving target was difficult at best.
Impossible in a situation like this.
His blade glanced off Mo Hei’s armor, doing no damage before Wu Ying was forced to dance aside and cut with his other weapon at a threatening soldier. Forced to both guard his back and fight the armored cultivator, Wu Ying had no time to help his friends, even as he noted how Mo Hei’s team had joined the fight as well, engaging Li Yao and Bao Cong.
Already, Bao Cong was injured again, falling back and waving his hands before him. As Bao Cong’s opponent surged forward, he was caught in the sudden spray of tiny metal dust that Bao Cong had dispersed with his chi, blinding his opponent and making them jerk back in surprise. It bought Bao Cong a second to staunch the bleeding in his shoulder.
Wu Ying needed to disengage from his opponent, but he couldn’t do so. The larger, stronger cultivator might not be as skilled, but he was certainly stronger and faster than Wu Ying. The extra reach of Mo Hei’s long weapon meant Wu Ying could only attack his arms at best, his fingers at other times. Unfortunately, knowing those were likely targets, his opponent had armored his hands and fingers well, leaving Wu Ying’s attacks to skitter off in a screech of metal and a shower of sparks.
Rumbling arose from beneath Wu Ying’s feet. He didn’t know where it was coming from, but he didn’t have time to look—until a shout drew his attention. After he had jumped over the latest attack, rolling to come up near a soldier and sinking his blade into the man’s groin, Wu Ying looked up. He blinked, spotting a familiar face.
It was Tou He. Riding an ox and leading a small herd behind him. Wu Ying’s eyes widened in surprise. Just before the lead ox struck the entangled group of fighters, Tou He jumped off, pulling his staff from his storage ring and swinging it down. Wu Ying’s opponent staggered, his helmet dented under the force of the blow before his entire body was caught and thrown as an ox struck him with its shoulder.
All around, the herd slammed into the guards and cultivators. Li Yao jumped up, lightly running across the back of an ox, and struck with her spear at her opponent who had done much the same. It was a marvel of agility and control, as neither party stopped fighting even amidst the rushing animals. As the oxen parted further, Wu Ying ducked and used the bodies of the soldiers as shelter. Even in their fury-driven rush, the herd had no desire to rush through the packed group and instead struck at the edges, at those loitering in the gap between alleyway and wall.
That meant that Wu Ying and the others had a bit of breathing space. Enough so, Wu Ying launched a weakened Dragon’s Breath attack at Bao Cong’s opponent, who had managed to stagger back into the fight. Between the distraction of his own fight, the oxen, and the over-the-top battle between Li Yao and her opponent, he never saw Wu Ying’s attack that crippled his foot. Immediately, Bao Cong stepped back, disengaging. Wu Ying, seeing that Tou He had the rest of the fight in hand, grabbed Bao Cong’s arm and dragged him toward the stairs, which were now finally within grasp.
Already, Yin Xue had taken to the stairs, fighting his way up. Unfortunately, he was being hampered by the arrows of the archers above. Thankfully, even the extortions of their unit leader did not make them fire callously, for the group was too packed together to make for easy targets.
“Hurry up,” Wu Ying ordered Yin Xue.
Only silence greeted his exhortation. Yin Xue was already fighting, beating aside spears and stabbing at the guards above him. Every few seconds, he ascended another step, ignoring the occasional missed attack or too close arrow.
Wu Ying glanced at Bao Cong, who offered him a nod. He’d already set aside his dao, pulling his bow from storage and fitting an arrow to the string. Propped up against the wall, Bao Cong picked off the guards that continued to harass Tou He and Li Yao.
Wu Ying sprinted up the stairs to join Yin Xue. Just before he reached Yin Xue, he twisted and jumped toward the wall, his feet pushing against the stone edges, and climbed upward with the momentum he had gained. One hand, still clutching a sword, reached upward, fingers just brushing the top of the parapet. Enough to haul him into the sky. As Wu Ying jumped, ascending the wall, he twisted around, swords flicking out on either side.
The Dragon fishes in the Lake.
His first strike took a throat, the second a shoulder. The archers, who had been trying to target his friends, staggered away. But Wu Ying was not done. Upon landing, he twisted on one hand, launching himself at the final archer. A hasty block with his bow broke the weapon but sent Wu Ying’s sword aside. As Wu Ying landed on his feet, he twisted and executed Falling rocks in a Rainstorm as he borrowed the momentum of his attacks. The kick sent the archer off the wall, out into the open to crash down amidst his friends and enemies.
“Li Yao! Tou He!” Wu Ying screamed, alerting his friends.
They turned briefly and retreated, trying to reach the stairs. Bao Cong limped up the cleared staircase as Yin Xue reached the top, facing the opposite direction Wu Ying faced. He no longer had time to watch for his friends, for Wu Ying had to deal with the soldiers on the wall. Still, Tou He and Li Yao were close enough to ascend the staircase, blocking off their enemies below.
They’d reached the wall.
Now they’d just have to disengage.
Chapter 23
A quick disengage, a tip cut to draw across his opponent’s neck just below the straps of his helmet. It opened a shallow wound, barely an inch deep, but it was more than enough. The veins and arteries that ran
across the body were not deep in certain locations, locations that Wu Ying had long learned. The small motion was all it took to end a life and free Wu Ying to regard his friends.
Below, Tou He held the stairs, fighting Mo Hei to a standstill. Staff and sword clashed again and again, neither party gaining an advantage. Tou He was more skilled, able to deflect the weapon and forcing it to crash against the stone with every other attack. But his occasional retaliatory attacks did little against Mo Hei’s armored form. Slowly, so slowly, Tou He was being injured, his arms bleeding from missed blocks.
Behind him, Li Yao stabbed her spear into the mass of attackers below, batting aside any cultivator who tried to ascend the staircase in an unconventional manner. Even as Wu Ying watched, another cultivator took a running jump, bouncing off one of his friend’s shoulders and leaping to the stairs. Li Yao caught his sword with her spear, edging the attack away before spinning in place and kicking him back into the air.
Bao Cong stood at the top of the stairs, taking his time and firing arrows into the throng. He focused on the few archers, and from the hesitant ways the soldiers moved to pick up fallen archery implements, it was clear that he was more than effective. Even so, his movements had slowed significantly, the wounds he’d acquired slowing him down.
As for Yin Xue, he, like Wu Ying, was free and clear of any dangers as they’d managed to deal with the soldiers on the wall. After moment of debate, Wu Ying handed Yin Xue a bundle of formation flags.
“Get it set up. Outside,” Wu Ying ordered Yin Xue, gesturing out of the city.
Wu Ying drew a deep breath, removing something from his storage ring as he turned away from Yin Xue. He could only hope that the man followed his orders, for Wu Ying needed to take care of the other cultivators. He quickly approached Bao Cong.
