Chapter 3: A Bloody Summer Festival (3)
When Zheng Meng saw the plumes of black smoke mix in with the golden sun on the horizon line. He knew something had happened to Tengfei. He took action calling his troop of blackguards to their horses and riding to the top of a hill that overlooked the mountain village where the smoke was coming from.
Zheng Meng's horse, a storm wielder, strung electrical strings around its powerful legs all the way to its mane. Struck the ground with its forelimb and let out a high pitch neigh. He wore a long black brigandine that supported black pauldrons with a blue feathered black helmet. Zheng Ming had sent some sidelong glances toward his guardsmen.
"Commander! What are your orders?" His Lentinuent Yi Shan, an excellent horse rider and an even better leader rode next to Zheng Ming's horse with a single hand on his reins and leaned in close, "It looks like a raid on the village. I suspect it might be a few bandits, think we can just circle and engage?"
"No," The Black Guard Commander Denied, "It isn't a bandit raid." His armor rustled as he pointed toward the far side of the wooded hill, "The bandits came from there and then inland toward the village's wood and burned it down on purpose."
They stood atop a tall hill, it could overlook the small mountain village that was cradled in a mountain valley. Tengfei was far away from the main city of Choeyung. Surrounded by wood and valleys, it was small and insignificant with black tall woods standing around while only at the peaks of small hills like this did the woods eventually peel back to form an eagle-like clearing.
The Black Woods, usually referred to as tempered wood, was important though. The wood was blessed with Qi and Durability which made them perfect materials for cultivators.
Zheng Meng unslung his short-spear, "Bandits wouldn't burn the forest. It'd alert us faster. They also would've just taken the wood instead of burnt it, meaning…" He sent a meaningful glance toward Yi Shan.
Who abruptly responded with, "They either don't know what they're doing, or they're doing it on purpose?" Yi Shan straightened his back, "What are they doing?"
"They're attracting our attention." The Black Guard Commander spoke quietly, " Send word to the capital. We're being attacked."
Yi Shan's brow furrowed as his eyes squinted at the forest fire, attempting to peel away the flames so he could look into the village and get a glimpse at who was attacking, his brow furrowed further as a worried look flash across his face, "Commander, are you sure? He suddenly asked, " You do realize…"
"I know full well what this means." Zhang Meng cut Yi Shan off, " Go and send the message then ready your horse and ready the black guardsmen we will be returning toward Choeyung, Tengfei is lost."
Zheng Meng looked regretful, "Tengfei of all places as well. Do any of you have family here?" He looked around, "Right... It's time to ride! We head to Choeyung right now!"
Yi Shan, a younger man than Zheng Meng had trodded off. The grass beneath his horse turned into soot and ash. He closed his eyes tightly, relaying the message forward.
"Finished!" Yi Shan opened his eyes, "The Black Guard Commander of Choeyung is also dealing with a minor problem. It might be a bit chaotic when we get back."
"A minor problem within Choeyung?" Zheng Meng had a firm grip on his reins, "It doesn't matter, put a hand to horse and ride." Zheng Meng whipped the reins of his horse and urged it forward. His expertise in riding the horse was unmatched; within a few seconds, he had reached the head of the pack and was leading the group of blackguard horsemen toward the capital.
The journey had only begun for half an hour. The tree lines were swaying with ease, while the golden sun in the air remained motionless. Zheng Meng had been leading the pack, as he spotted thin lines of red marking the tree trunks. He reeled his horse to a stop.
"Halt!" He reigned his horse, "Retreat!"
The man on horseback he saw deeply entrenched in the woods could not have been shorter than 6'0 and was most definitely tall enough to pass 7'0. His horse had even been accompanied to his size making it half bigger than most of the horses there. The darkness had illuminated his white eyes that were the size of peanuts, the unusual blood splatter that marked his face, and odd-looking shiny armor.
Zheng Meng shouted once more, "Retreat, Ambush! Ambush!"
The tall man urged his horse forward and shouted, "Charge!" Immediately a chorus of roars surged into the sky mixed in with a sharp rumble and the rustling of the bushes.
Yi Shan and a few other guardsmen were with Zheng Meng when the horsemen descended on his position alone. They all saw the men rush out from the brush, some came in from the side while others were going the long way around toward the back of the party, an entire encirclement. He reached toward his left shoulder and quickly took out his spear and shield. The men were coming toward them quickly, they wore strange armor that glistened in the light, with it covering their head, their arms, and their entire torso like an armored block. Zheng Meng, shouted, "Abandon the others you come with me!"
The Black Guardsmen startled, started running across each other. They drew their swords and spears while they stretched out to meet the flanks and their swords stretched out to meet the attacks of the sophisticated raiding party. Zheng Meng had already organized a group of 4 through a mounted assault.
The Black Guard and the Raiding party charged at each other, uttering war cries and waving their swords and spears in between the dense armor each wore. "Come forward!" Zheng Meng Shouted, "Don't back down and fight your way to the open plain!"
Zheng Meng Charged past a raider, at the head of the pack of four he was leading. His short spear pointed toward the raider charge and his shield raised. Yi Shan could watch as Zheng Meng cleanly knocked a raider off his horse, whilst his shield was bashing aside the head of an unfortunate raider. "Don't falter!" His sword gleamed with an unnatural blue hue. The group slammed into the raiders.
"Sir!" A horseman shouted, "We're being cut off from behind! That giant is also nearing us, at frightening speeds!"
Cursing, Yi Shan swung himself to the side in his saddle, swinging his sword into the collarbone of a raider, the raider's sword arm faltered and his body went limp, falling off the horse, "Keep galloping," Yi Shan eyes narrowed, "Meng! They're really chasing!"
The storm wielders electricity mixed into the air, "Charge! Breakthrough!" Zheng Meng shouted, "Don't look back, only save yourself and nothing but that. Only one of us needs to breakthrough!"
Zheng Meng galloped forward, swung his sword like a whip at his enemies. A brilliant blue light cut through a group of raiders as electricity crackled through his arm and ran its way through his hair. Streams of blood poured out beneath cracks of armor, roars of beast and man mingled into the air together to form the chaotic battle of summer.
The riders felt the heat of the summer sun beats on their black brigandines. Yi Shan found himself looking at a sea of horsemen, jerking himself to the side he narrowly skimmed a sword that pierced his brigandine and skimmed across the metal plates. His sword swung itself into the chest of his attack finding no perch it slid off to the side.
His horse neighed and reeled back suddenly, his sword swinging once more finding a perch in their brow and cleaving their head. His head swiveled around he saw the horsemen swinging to his side and to his front, a desperate bid to separate the lieutenant completely from the squad. He uttered a curse and tightly held onto the reins, his helmet peeled away from his scalp, and straws of his black hair slung itself out.
I'm going to die, Yi Shan thought with terror. He heard a high pitch neigh just as his horse tilted and slammed into the ground.
Horsemen slammed into each other at neck-breaking speeds, horses fell and men cried out. Yi Shan looked up just to see a man in silver be thrown from his horse and onto the red-brown ground, pools of blood quickly gathering in the small holes in the ground. Quickly he rolled to the side, however, he cursed and wailed "Agh!" He looked down, "My leg! It's my leg!"
"Lieutenant!" A blackguard, lancing a raider off his horse called, "I won't abandon you, sir!" His horse roared forward and came to a stop, his spear tangling itself between the necks of raiders as he approached.
Yi Shan looked up, the raiders and the blackguard were pushing. The horses trodded and elegantly weaved themselves near each other as the riders launched attack after attack. The ground shook as he found himself staring at a shadow that loomed closer to him.
Firm hoof after firm hoof, it approached slowly and methodically. A spear dug itself into the dirt ground and dragged along the gravel. The horse rider had a hand on his rein and his head watching the ground. Yi Shan felt fear surge into his body, but he didn't shake or wail. He felt like it was pointless. Besides, the giant in front of him looked so confident in his ability, that he felt like moving an inch was pointless.
"Ragh!" The blackguard charged forward. The giant was a few heads taller than them, and barely moved instead letting out an amused grim. The guard raised their sword above their head like a boomerang, ready to launch it into the giant's chest.
No, Yi Shan thought. The giant is going to easily beat you…
And so it did, with a swift rotation the spear had already lodged itself into the blackguard's armpit and ripped itself into their throat. The blackguard fell into the dirt with the spear still stuck inside of their throat, ripping it out of the guardsmen's throat he smiled.
"Black Guard," The giant voice boomed, "You were a very formidable foe."
Yi Shan looked up, "Screw you, you f***** bastard!" He grabbed the dirt, "You ambushed us…"
The giant looked unamused, "I ambushed you?" He grabbed his spear and glided it across the ground, "The clans' watch has sent us here. It's just our job to kill you all here."
"What? Why have they sent you here?! Do you know who you are attacking?" Yi Shan attempted to stand.
"Why do I have to answer a dead man?" The Giant smiled, " You shall become lieutenant of the worm guard soon, so you should begin to beg before your head becomes food."
"Shut up Clannad dog!" Yi Shan shouted, "Spare me the insults and just send me into the dao once more!"
The giant's face crumpled into fury "Call me that once more and I shall take your tongue!" The giant thrust his spear into the ground.
"Oh? How brave!" Yi Shan goaded, "If I had a leg to stand on it'd be buried straight in your-"
The giant cut him off, his horse had stomped on his arm, "I'm going to torture you guardsmen." His deep voice cut through their cries, "And I'm going to take joy in every single second…"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone