Warlords: Three Kingdoms

[暗兵] - The Shadows

Xun Jiang's steely eyes roved around the faces of the other lieutenants, his grip on his halberd staying strong and still. He sat there, quiet as a statue as everyone else devolved into their own incessant babbles. If it wasn't for the fact that they were members of the Shadows, he would have impaled each and every one of them for even speaking a single word out that wasn't half-amusing or wasn't important.

He was going to have to teach them to stay quiet outside of assassination missions one day.

A methodical, malicious voice slowly slinked out of cold, pursed lips, the sound more like a passing wind than the echo of a whisper. "You people talk too much."

Trendkill wrote:Again Jian smiled. For even if they never made it to Changsha it pleased him to know that Xiao would consider it, which meant that he was, at least somewhat, taken seriously. "Well, I'm in no hurry to find a woman. I have too much ahead of me to waste time with romance, but it would be something worth seeing, if only to go to a far off place like that," he said in a whimsical tone.

For a moment his expression changed to a serious one. He looked back up at Xiao and said, "of course I want us to go where we'll have the best chance of making a name for ourselves. Don't go picking somewhere like Changsha just because your little brother thinks it might be fun. After all, you're the responsible one for a reason."

I wouldn't consider it a waste of time, Jian. Our parents are the perfect example of how marriage can effect everything from politics to the battlefield. Mother is gentle, kind and sociable - traits our esteemed father, by his own admission, lacked. She helped make him a more rounded individual and gave him something to fight for.

Xiao smiled again as the two crossed a small bridge not far from the gates of the family estate. The stream they traversed was almost a river this time of year, full of fish and hugging the reeds at it's banks.

"We'll go wherever the King says we'll go, provided I can convince him we're worthy of his notice and support. Changsha's as good a place as any. You sure you don't want to travel north and learn what the horsemen have to teach us?"

Luo Xiao wrote:I wouldn't consider it a waste of time, Jian. Our parents are the perfect example of how marriage can effect everything from politics to the battlefield. Mother is gentle, kind and sociable - traits our esteemed father, by his own admission, lacked. She helped make him a more rounded individual and gave him something to fight for.

Xiao smiled again as the two crossed a small bridge not far from the gates of the family estate. The stream they traversed was almost a river this time of year, full of fish and hugging the reeds at it's banks.

"We'll go wherever the King says we'll go, provided I can convince him we're worthy of his notice and support. Changsha's as good a place as any. You sure you don't want to travel north and learn what the horsemen have to teach us?"

For a second Jian's attentions shifted to the river as well, another brief yet all too often occurrence of him slipping off in to a daydream, then his eyes shifted back just as quickly when the north is mentioned. A smile formed on his face at the thought of learning mounted warfare from those who were the very best at it. "Ah yes, I would like that very much. I have heard tales about the Qin and how they fought against the mounted nomads there. Oh what I would give to face a horde of barbarians charging over a hill like a swarm of locusts!" His clenched fist shot in to the air as his excitement at the possibility became apparent.

As they approached the door to the estate Jian scratched his chin then said, "well, I know you have some boring affairs of state to attend to, as you often do, so I think I'm going to hit the tavern. You're welcome to join me there later. I know you don't care for those places but, who knows, we may meet someone of interest."

[暗兵] - The Shadows

For a man as big as Xun Jiang, his last words came out of his mouth in a rather suprisingly quiet way. If Shan Dian hadn't already been accusstomed to these members of The Shadows already, he would have brushed it off a simple whisper amongst the winds; but since were not the case, the flash assassin knew better. Turning his icey cold stare at Xun Jiang, the hint of red within Shan Dian's brown eyes only seemed to be amplified by the way the sun was reflecting off of them. Like two little red lights piercing through a cloud of shadows, Shan Dian's gaze conveyed perfectly the bloodlust and malice that poured out of him like a hole in a barrel full of water. The grip on his sword tightened as he continued to stare at Xun Jiang, before he finally spokeg. "Oh hey, you're still alive. I thought you died while playing statue." The mask, amongst other things, hid the small smile like reaction that would have been on Shan Dian's face while speaking; although it was similiar to a smile, it would probably be more accurate to call it an evil and bloodthirsty smirk.

Kakirot83 wrote:
Tai smiled at this man. At least he was honest about his intentions, and what he wanted form life. It was more than most people could say, and even if he wasn't the brightest, it seemed to work for him.

He had his own way of reading into things, and maybe in some way, that could count for something. Maybe given some time, he could be useful to the world, but for now, she'd settle for being useful for now.

"Outside the city sounds good, people here have too strong an aura about them. But it's not rabbits we'll talk about I should think......."

She turned to face him finally, and took her arm and intertwined it with his, taking hold of his hand and leaning against him.

"Lead the way, possible King of Blood."

Zhuwen eyed Tai, not sure what to make of her. He had believed that the lady would stay aloof for the walk after her refusal of Zhuwen's offer, but here she was now being close to the man. It was nothing to complain about, just strange. Her last words made Zhuwen let out a loud laugh.

"King of Blood huh? That doesn't sound bad at all! I don't know if you mean I'll just be a killer or an actual king, but it sounds cool nonetheless. Maybe that old fart Xiang Yu would like to give his throne away."

Zhuwen laughed again, seeming to not care that he was in Chu territory and his words would probably lead to an execution. Luckily for him, or possibly for both of them, no guards seemed to be around and people around them didn't seem to care. He began to lead Tai outside the village, leading her to a small secluded forest, where things seemed to become much more tranquil. Zhuwen was still hoping to change Tai's mind about his offer.

"So then, Lady Tai. Tell me about yourself, anything. I'm very interested to know."

[quote="Cao Chao"]"Get up," said the former mercenary general coldly, barely stopping himself from giving the man a good kick for being such a flaky pussy. "I hate frakking sycophants. Save your flattering talk for someone that wants to hear it. I'm a general, plain and simple."

"Have you been listening to what I've been saying?" asked Ji Bu angrily, shaking his head. "You think that these pathetic excuses of soldiers are granted permission to protect the Hegemonic King? Laughable. The Hegemonic King is protected by handpicked guardsmen who are trained to the highest standards by the King's brother, the young general, Xiang Zhuang. While he isn't much of a general, Xiang Zhuang is probably one of the best swordsman I have ever seen. The only one better is Xiang Bo . . ."[/quote]

"It is amazing, my lord, that so many talented warriors come from a single family," Ranzhen replied once he had regained his footing. "Far more amazing how the Great King drew so much talent to him. If you would oblige me, could Master Ji Bu recount how he came to be in the service of the Great King? I can clearly see the need to separate legend from fact and I do not see another opportunity to ask this question so informally."

Radical Dreamer wrote:"It is amazing, my lord, that so many talented warriors come from a single family," Ranzhen replied once he had regained his footing. "Far more amazing how the Great King drew so much talent to him. If you would oblige me, could Master Ji Bu recount how he came to be in the service of the Great King? I can clearly see the need to separate legend from fact and I do not see another opportunity to ask this question so informally."

"I was the commander of a mercenary force at the beginning of this mess," replied Ji Bu, folding his arms across his chest. "I entered into the service of the Hegemonic King's uncle, Xiang Liang, when he began to gather troops to him and before Yin Tong, the governor of Kuaiji was killed. To prove myself to Lord Xiang Liang, I dueled briefly with the Hegemonic King and was able to hold my own for a period of time. It has been three years now . . . I was once a commander of a small mercenary force . . . but now I am a ranking general in the service of the King of Kings."

GreenFabre wrote:

	II For directly behind young Po was the kijo's hunched form. "Quian Yen . . . you brought a snack." The kijo calmly said in a croaking, raspy voice. Slowly it turned its face towards Quian's direction. Its eyes never leaving the young boy right in front of her. A small gesture that slightly hinted it was not a question. ______________________________________________________	I A shadow suddenly appeared behind Po Huai. Engulfing the young boy with its dark, slender silhoutte Its mouth poised near his neck, as it slowly licked its lips. A wide, toothy smile, as if... delighted ..in his prescence. There was no laughter here. No sound. No anything. Just a growling aura of menace, barely contained.. ______________________________________________________

Po Huai turned around as something was touching his neck. He knew it was something from his fellow Shadow Guild members. He wonders why he bother putting up with them. Odd bunch, craze killers all but yet something fascinate him about them.

Signing he turned around towards the dark, slender silhoutte.

[quote]"I was the commander of a mercenary force at the beginning of this mess," replied Ji Bu, folding his arms across his chest. "I entered into the service of the Hegemonic King's uncle, Xiang Liang, when he began to gather troops to him and before Yin Tong, the governor of Kuaiji was killed. To prove myself to Lord Xiang Liang, I dueled briefly with the Hegemonic King and was able to hold my own for a period of time. It has been three years now . . . I was once a commander of a small mercenary force . . . but now I am a ranking general in the service of the King of Kings."[/quote]

Ranzhen absorbed the knowledge like a sponge. He had not had time to aquatint himself with the ruling hierarchy in Chu; buying his way into the court through donations entailed more dinners than research. "It must have been quite a battle to impress the Great King. Have you been in a great many battles, Lord Ji Bu? Out of all those you have fought in, which would you say was the most pivotal?"

Though he was simply mining Ji Bu for information, there was no denying the interest and slight admiration in the young man's eyes as he listened with rapt attention.

Radical Dreamer wrote:Ranzhen absorbed the knowledge like a sponge. He had not had time to aquatint himself with the ruling hierarchy in Chu; buying his way into the court through donations entailed more dinners than research. "It must have been quite a battle to impress the Great King. Have you been in a great many battles, Lord Ji Bu? Out of all those you have fought in, which would you say was the most pivotal?"

Though he was simply mining Ji Bu for information, there was no denying the interest and slight admiration in the young man's eyes as he listened with rapt attention.

"I've been fighting since all this began," replied Ji Bu, shaking his head, "Xiangcheng, Chengyang, Huling, Donga, both the victory and the defeat at Dingtao, Chenliu, Handan, and finally that great victory before the walls of Julu. Of the lot, Julu not only broke the might of and doomed the Qin, but also created the aura of ferocious invincibility that the Hegemonic King has cultivated. With only fifty thousand troops, we broke two massive Qin armies that outnumbered us ten to one."