Changshan Provincial Roleplay

[Arkain Hibiki]

Sergeant Chin "You ain't done no wrong by us, little lady. Finding these little flaws in your superiors is what us simple soldiers live for. The captain, he comes from a strictly military family. Only son, and all. Only thing he knows is battle. Anything more complicated then that, messes with his head too much. And women, they are far, far more complicated then battle. Deadlier too."

Chin turns to stare at the smithy, hoping the time away would have helped the captain regain some senese. Sadly, it has not, and with the captain still missing, Chin shakes his head and turns to address the troops.

Sergeant Chin "Fan, you and Minshi there go look for the captain. Tell him whatever you need to get him back here. If we hurry, we can get back to Xunliu before night fall. Have this whole thing over and done with in two days."

The two soldiers nod and head off towards the smithy, as the sergeant turns to address the smith again

Sergeant Chin "And don't worry too much about the Lord. He's just been pushing himself too hard. Hunting and Patrolling like that, seems to have wore himself out. Oh, but there was that thing on his neck. Look like something big and nasty got him one good one."

[Redbird]

Sergeant Chin "You ain't done no wrong by us, little lady. Finding these little flaws in your superiors is what us simple soldiers live for. The captain, he comes from a strictly military family. Only son, and all. Only thing he knows is battle. Anything more complicated then that, messes with his head too much. And women, they are far, far more complicated then battle. Deadlier too."

Chin turns to stare at the smithy, hoping the time away would have helped the captain regain some sense. Sadly, it has not, and with the captain still missing, Chin shakes his head and turns to address the troops.

Sergeant Chin "Fan, you and Minshi there go look for the captain. Tell him whatever you need to get him back here. If we hurry, we can get back to Xunliu before night fall. Have this whole thing over and done with in two days."

The two soldiers nod and head off towards the smithy, as the sergeant turns to address the smith again

Sergeant Chin "And don't worry too much about the Lord. He's just been pushing himself too hard. Hunting and Patrolling like that, seems to have wore himself out. Oh, but there was that thing on his neck. Look like something big and nasty got him one good one."

Daiyu nods as she listens to the Sergeant and shakes her head that Lenwu had such an empty education. She was glad her parents made sure she was well rounded in all aspects of life. "I understand. It is still sad to me though. All people should learn as much about life as they can so that they do not miss out on anything and so they will be prepared for pretty much anything when it comes to them. Perhaps those of you more schooled in life should take him under your wing and show him there are more things to life than battle?" She laughs softly and then shakes her head when the Sergeant tells her of Lord Tianshi's injury. "Then we must get to your lord as soon as we can to make sure it has not festered and become infected. Where is he located currently? Maybe I can ride on ahead while you round up your wayward Captain?"

[Arkain Hibiki]

The sergeant shrugged, unconcerned with all the philosophy this young lady was spouting off about

Sergeant Chin "With that horse, you'd get there much faster then the rest of us. You may as well go on ahead, well we gather up our erstwhile captain."

Chin nodded to the remaing men in the unit

Sergeant Chin "Alright, got a missing captain to find. Check any location that might have a horse. Poor kid probably thought to find the 'stolen' horse himself."

[Redbird]

The sergeant shrugged, unconcerned with all the philosophy this young lady was spouting off about

Sergeant Chin "With that horse, you'd get there much faster then the rest of us. You may as well go on ahead, well we gather up our erstwhile captain."

Chin nodded to the remaining men in the unit

Sergeant Chin "Alright, got a missing captain to find. Check any location that might have a horse. Poor kid probably thought to find the 'stolen' horse himself."

"That is fine, but might you tell me where he is currently? No one has informed me of that as of yet. It would help knowing exactly where he is so I'm not taking a tour of China trying to find him on my own don't you think?" She says this in a teasing tone as most men do not appreciate women telling them what to do. She settles her things in Ming's packs and then gets on him herself and waits for the directions.

[Xiao Gau]

-=Those who live there would hardly recognize the town of Kualang now. Since the Red Mask's and their sadistic leader took control of the town, walking down the once safe streets is a gamble. Rough men and women, all wearing red sashes around their hips, prowl the streets and houses, taking what they will from whoever. No one in the town has been spared from the depredations of the Red Masks, signs of abuse and torment are evident on almost every person in the town; although the local gravedigger has been seen cackling his dirty shack.

But no matter how depraved his 'troops' behave, they still pale in comparison to the beast leading the irregular forces. Most evenings Kai amuses himself by tying a random captive between two poles and throwing knives at them from decreasing distances. At times he's been seen prowling rooftops and killing small animals and children with thrown blades, for no reason at all. The people of the town fear him, local priests claim the horrid little half-breed is a demon sent to punish them for not helping their fellows at Xuwu. Even his own men, murderers, barbarians and cut-throats all, fear him and his blades.

But the worst nights in the poor occupied town, came after Kai learned that a pretty little blacksmith girl had left the town the very morning he and his forces rode in. His rage was something frightening to behold. Blood flowed, thick and innocent, from anyone who crossed the madman's path as he strode from the burning smithy.

------

But things settled down as the month progressed. Kai's rage cooled and the wiser words of his lieutenants managed to pierce his thick skull. The twisted corridors of Kai's mind began to work to a goal again, rather than mindless slaughter. Taking over the town's large inn as his own temporary quarters. Calling his fastest runners, he sends them out to gather Zhu Liu and Jun Shan, and call them to the town. It was time to have real fun.=-

[Jun Shan]

Jun Shan's band of men had stopped on a rocky hill overlooking what would be, in normal times, a pleasant village. The men stood in ordered ranks watching smoke rise from cooking fires as they waited for Jun's order to attack.

They were still waiting when the runner arrived gasping out the summons from his lord Kai. Jun nodded simply sighed, looking over to his men he cleared his throat before speaking.

"Well boys... it seems we have to cut this short. Keep it simple, flatten it... kill them all." With no further word the small army moved forward in a relentless march spears held upright. The most unsettling part was the silence, not a man uttered a word or warcry, and soon the villagers would share that silence.

[Arkain Hibiki]

Sergeant Chin "Captain didn't even get that out before his brain shut down? Man, he must be worse then I thought. Lord Tianshi is in a little village called Xunliu. Its about half a days walk, so probably an hour or two on horseback, straight east. Lotta troops set up around it, so it shouldn't be hard to miss. We'll find the captain and head after you, but be careful. I heard there's some nasty bandits running around, making a right mess of things...and people. Chin rubs thoughtfully at his chin for a second, and mumbles to himself Ahh..to be young and crazy again..."

Two of the other soldiers snicker slightly, and Chin glares at them, his face reddening slightly.

Sergeant Chin "Don't make me angry, children, or you'll wish it was that demon Kai that got a hold of you. He'll kill ya quick, but you'll live through what I'd do to you...well, if you could call that living."

[Redbird]

Sergeant Chin "Captain didn't even get that out before his brain shut down? Man, he must be worse then I thought. Lord Tianshi is in a little village called Xunliu. Its about half a days walk, so probably an hour or two on horseback, straight east. Lotta troops set up around it, so it shouldn't be hard to miss. We'll find the captain and head after you, but be careful. I heard there's some nasty bandits running around, making a right mess of things...and people. Chin rubs thoughtfully at his chin for a second, and mumbles to himself Ahh..to be young and crazy again..."

Two of the other soldiers snicker slightly, and Chin glares at them, his face reddening slightly.

Sergeant Chin "Don't make me angry, children, or you'll wish it was that demon Kai that got a hold of you. He'll kill ya quick, but you'll live through what I'd do to you...well, if you could call that living."

"Thanks Sergeant. I will let Lord Tianshi know you will be following soon. Thanks for the warning, I'm sure I'll be fine. Ming is fast. I hope you can find the Captain. See you all when you return to camp. "

Daiyu takes off and heads toward Xunliu. After an hour or so of riding, she sees the fires from the camp and rides up to the closest soldier.

"My name is Kong Daiyu. I was told by one of your soldiers that Lord Tianshi is in need of a doctor so I am here to administer aid to him. Please lead me to him."

[Xiao Gau]

Arkain and Redbird
-=During the early evening, an elderly man approaches the small village where Tie Yi Tianshi has set up his camp. Dressed in simple peasant clothes that have seen better days, the old man shuffles sedately into the village, leaning slightly on a crooked cane.

Looking around to get his bearings the old man approaches one of the guards on patrol.=- "Excuse my old eyes youngster.. but can you tell me where I might find the Commander of this outpost? I urgently need to speak to him." -=The old man says with a pleasant smile.

He looks around some more, noting the presence of a horse amid the footmen. A shrewd look comes over his features as he turns back to the guard.=- "There wouldn't happen to be a blacksmith here in town, would there?"

[Jun Shan]

The slaughter didn't take long, in all it wasn't even an hour before his men were marching back to their meeting with Kai and his mob leaving nothing but a smoldering pile ruin behind them. The carrion birds had already begun their gruesome work of picking the corpses of the slain villagers clean.

Jun marched at the head of his men on foot saving his horse, and he knew it looked good to his men to see their commander trudging with them. It wasn't long before they arrived, the return trip seemingly easier now that the men had a taste of slaughter and there was the promise of more in the air.

His men began to set camp outside of the ruined town, they could hear the screams of citizens as they were harrassed, robbed, and killed by the bandits that now took up residences in their former homes.