The Phoenix Awakens (Wei/Jin/Wu/Vagrant)

[Cao Pi]

183AD

Spring

The Governor's Gardens

Late Afternoon


Notes: This thread takes place BEFORE the events of the site and goes someway to explain the new regime of Wei, what happened to the Cao family and in particarly Cao Pi. At present only Wei, Wu and Jin representatives can join due to their close proximity geographical.

EDIT: This means characters cannot die (due to taking part in the past) however they can be captured, exchanged, and so forth. 

Tagged: Xu Huang  , Wu Zhou Shang Sun  , Yuan Shao

Harmony. There was a sweet smell of blossoms in the air, as Cao Pi leg over knee sat in tranquility, quietly meditating. Every bird in the sky, every leaf which swayed ever so gently in the breeze; he could feel it all. Empty. At ease. Completely one and in perfect balance. A subtle trickle of water extended from the koi garden, and there was a chime from the golden bells and gongs. He inhaled every element, welcoming nature into his body as his chest rose like the mountains pushing down deep into his abdomen and further before releasing the air through his lungs, sighing upon completion. 

His eyes opened and like a bird of prey they circled the environment. There was a shiver over his body as his nostrils sucked in another gasp of the fresh air before in a single movement, he coiled from snake-like elegance into his ram like posture. Out puffed his chest, up rose his chin. The clap clap of his saddles upon the wooden floor as he headed away from the zen garden. His cold, white fingers ran across the wooden support as he floated across the bridge where the swans turned to admire his form. His eyes did not flutter or pay any obedience to them. 

The night passed as usual. His faster, Cao Cao the great, an imperial politician of the Han put on a feast and a cow was slaughtered in a guests honour. Pi didn't eat much. His appetite was missing.  He was excused on the basis he promised to study the Art of War before bed. "Ah you make me so proud my son. Soon this will all be yours." Internally he rolled his eyes at his father's comments. He daren't show his true intentions publically. The son smiled back with false honesty "Father, if I achieve even half you do in my life, I will die a content man." and with that the young man took his leave. A little of him died every time he had to bow, or give courtesy. To watch all the lords molest women, and talk of the Han and the corruption of the court. 

His fingers traced his brooch as he approached his quarters, the guards bidded him a pleasant evening. He did the same with eyes uttering not a sound. Sounds were for beauty or tragedy. Why waste words. Too many fools diminished the value of vocabulary. Words are art and meaning could be expressed in so many ways. He sat for a few moments, pulling out his brush and ink and penning a few notes on a scroll. The night faded quickly as the warm embrace of the Spring disappears and the harsh darkness of the night rolled in. His candle flickered, and the man rubbed his eyes and yawned. Before him laid the first few chapters of the Art of War. He had rewritten them. Some of it stuck, some of it didn't. 

He felt tired and drained, and despite not remembering he somehow found his away to the bed on his floor. It felt like velvet. So comfortable and reassuring. A few minutes of shifting around to find warmth before he drifted away into the subconscious of his own mind. 

---

"Get back" cried a strange voice. He couldn't see anything but his hearing was pristine. The man sounded older, he was labouring and panting heavily. Each time he tried to open his eyes he felt a searing pain. "I said get back!" the man sounded threatened but aggressive, he could hear a crackling sound and something flailing around in the open space between them. 

"I feel...so awake...." his voice didn't sound familiar as his eyes began to crack. The muscles shuddered and flinched as the lids raised revealing burning blue eyes to the stranger. "What....what... what are you? A monster?!"  there was fear suffocating the man but it sounded more familiar now. It was deep but affluent. 

Eyes wide open. He could see everything. He was burning up. He felt hot. Inside and outside. He needed to get out of his clothes, out of this. Out of his skin. "Argggghhhhh" he cursed as he fell to his knees panting for breath, panting for water. "I....I...."

---

Thud thud thud.... Thud thud thud....

The eagle eyes opened, as the dust rippled off the unused book table in the corner of the room. 

Thud thud thud... Thud thud thud....

The pale arm of the man felt around below his bed, reaching for his double-blade. No words were exchanged. As his sweat soaked nude body rose from the bed silently. There was no more noise from the door and Cao Pi had stopped breathing. He focused on his surroundings. His hands felt heavy from his weapon. One foot in front of the other, as he tangoed towards the wooden door. There was something outside, someone but who? Friend or foe? 

And then it came, a foot through the door with no warning. Tearing through the planks of wood. Cao Pi in a panic immediately speared the culprit through the centre of the door. The silver of the voulge turning crimson, as the uninvited let out a howl of agony. "You little shit!" cried the gruff sounding veteran. The young Cao Pi wiggled his blade out of his wounded looking around for an exit. The commotion suggested there was more than one, and the noise was only going to attract more. 

Crash...

An arm penetrated the door. Cao Pi needed to relax. He needed to think. He couldn't meditate. Headstrong Cao Pi charged from the door hoping the surprise and the strength of a damaged door would buy him some time. He crashed into it, as a winded Cao Pi plummeted over the door and onto the grass. Fortunately the men were dazed and took a few moments to get to their feet with their armour. A little unsure what to make of the situation, he was already sprinting for the exit of residents. Completely naked carrying only his weapon as the moonlight only pinpointed him as a target. 

"Brother!" 

A voice came from behind. The young man turned, there stood his younger brother clad in his battle armour. The euphoria of seeing him was thwarted by an axe which removed his head in a single motion. Cao Pi's face turned to horror immediately as the head of his brother seemed to slowly fall form his shoulders and thud on the ground. Every ounce of his body seemed drained and worthless as the motionless corpse collapsed to the ground. Cao Pi felt like doing the same. "Brother..." a single tear rolled down his face before the notorious brow lowered to face his enemy.

Unconventionally dressed he spun his blade to and fro towards his brothers assailant. "YOU!" he cursed towards him with all the hatred he could summon in his body. He wasted not another breath on the murdered. As the clash of steel met, both men leaning in towards one another before repelling and dancing. Left right, left right. The axe slid across the flesh on Cao Pi's shoulder but he couldn't feel anything as he rotated under allow the axe to sweep right across. "YOU!" and with that he lunged forward as if the Heavens were behind him launching his opponent into the air with his blade in his intestines. The fury within him burnt, he had never felt so alive. Blood drooled from the mouth of the impaled man as the axe fell to the floor. A few of his follow guards could only watch as Cao Pi pulled his knife from the uniformed mans hilt and took it to his throat. "You took a life before it deserved to be taken..." his tongued flickered with venom "you took something from me which cannot be reborn." the knife made its way to the mans face before carving into his eyes. "Allow me to do justice." the man whimpered and cried in agony as the knife did the work. It only took a few moments for Cao Pi to drop the blade, the rush had gone. The blooded blade on the floor was nothing compared to the monstrosity he had created which laid on the floor, holding its stomach. He has horrified himself. "I.... I..." he looked at his brother and then the guards. He needed to fly. 

His is hand coiled around his blade as he ripped it out of the man. For a moment he considered putting him down and out of his misery but he decided against it, as his bare feet pounded across the paths of Xuchang. He needed to get out. 

[Xu Huang]

     "Come on, you will have do to better than that!"

     Xu Huang grinned as he summoned all of his might against this mighty foe. He had never faced such resistance before, and if he were any different person, Huang might have believed he would face defeat here today. Yet, Xu Huang had not known the bitter taste of defeat, and he wouldn't start now. As the two men's strength went against each other Huang felt the other slip slightly, a mistake the man would soon come to regret. Without hesitation Huang yelled and with all his might he finished his opponent off. SLAM, the muscular man's hand came crashing down onto the table and Huang stood up with his arms raised as he let out a cheer of victory. "Please, a drink for my dear friend here. He fought admirably and he deserves a reward! Don't you think boys?" A loud cheer rang through the inn as the old man ran into the back of the inn to gather the proper supplies needed to fill such a large order. He was a kind old man, always smiling yet everyone knew deep down he hated every single person there currently. Yet he couldn't say no to that much money so he grinned and bared it.

     The traveling warrior was just making his way through the city on his way back to Yuan Shao and Jin. He had been gone for some time now dealing with rumors of bandits and other kinds of evils. He took it upon himself to face off against these evils so he went on long trips looking for any evildoers in an attempt to help bring peace back to this land. Yuan Shao could not lend any troops as he began his plans on expanding his control over the neighboring provinces so Xu Huang traveled and fought alone, making the most of his time before he would be called into battle by his lord. Deep down he knew that he alone could not save this land but the few drinks in his stomach weren't letting him think about that much, especially as he inhaled another cup of sake. He met this crew of ten or so in a small village. They were tasked with guarding a large caravan of food and supplies that were heading towards Xuchang. Believing them to be undermanned Xu Huang offered his services for free, as long as he had food to eat. He had gotten quite close to these men, believing them to have great character. They too wished to do what they could to help rid this land of evil. They had just reached Xuchang tonight and were staying at this inn for the night before heading back off. Sadly it was here that they would part ways so Huang wanted to show his gratitude to them by paying for their drinks. He underestimated the size and strength of their stomachs.

      Xu Huang needed some fresh air so he excused himself from the table, as well from the drunk man was wrapped around his arm quite tightly. He looked up at the night sky, past the tall buildings and just gazed at the stars. He was slightly tipsy as he had drank quite a lot but he had a stronger constitution than most so he still had his wits about him. He smiled and closed his eyes while he listened to the silence of the city. He closed off the noise of the inn and just listened to the heart beat of the city. You could hear the distant footsteps of guards as they made their patrols. You could hear the sound of fire moving from their torches and braziers as a slight breeze moved through the city. You could hear every now and then a slight cry as a baby awakened from a dream only to be quickly silenced by the love and care of their mothers. This city was beautiful and filled with life, and it was something that Xu Huang thought of constantly as motivation to fight this chaos. Xu Huang stood out there for quite some time, enjoying the peace and quiet. Yet little did he know that chaos had been struck like a match deeper in the city and that soon he would be wrapped up in it before too long.


Words: 725
Tagged: Yuan Shao , Wu Zhou Shang Sun , Cao Pi

[Cao Pi]

There was a clash of swords in the wind, as the flames around licked the sky. The commotion provided a great cover, but left an already exhausted man completely lost. Everything looked the same to him. What was his home residence was now a labyrinth. Cao Pi stumbled, slipping on the stairs leading down into the outer sanctum of the Cao estate. Ugh.." he muttered, looking down at his wounds. He clutched at his chest with his wretched fingers trying to soothe the ache. "Where am I?" he gasped his eyes shifting left and right unable to make out any of the buildings in the dead of night. Only a few of the lit torches remained and his only compass had been to run away from the voices which belowed in the depth of night.

"There he is!" a ferocious voice came from behind. The young man wasted now time, and picked up the pace. He tried to ignore his wounds as best he could. His bare feet upon the hard stone floors as he began to sprint in an attempt to escape. In and out, his lungs panted and panted. His teeth dug down upon one another and he swayed left and right trying to stay upright. He could hear the armour from behind swaying as they tried to keep up. He rushed down the stairs the best he could, trying not to fall or stumble. The descent bothered his body as he moaned in pain trying not to look behind in fear for what he might find. "Come on Pi.." he growled. It was then his foot caught itself beneath the other, tripping him. He spun out, as timed slowed for a few moments as he could only watch as his hands instinctively rushed in front of him to halt him crashing to the ground. He felt the pain before he felt anything else.

If he needed a quicker way to reach the bottom of the stairs he found it. One step after the other he felt each one, in cruel embrace bruising his pain skill and he barreled down. Thud.. thud... thud... thud.. winded and wounded it eventually came to an end. What had been half a staircase felt like enough steps to reach the heavens. "uuhhhhh." the man grimaced trying to open his eyes. The voices were still coming from behind as his body shuddered. He needed to move, he couldn't feel his body and he shook his head. "Grrrrr." he rallied his inner fibres.. he needed something. He couldn't fall here.. surely not.. so prematurely.

He rose to his feet, it took him a few seconds and any advantage gained over his pursuers had been lost. The descended the final few steps and were quickly upon him. Running wasn't an option now. He knew he had to fight and he rotated his blades and unlocked them at the centre. Now he could see them all. There were five of them.. arrogant smiles upon their faces and the pack of wolves licked their lips in anticipation. 

Cao Pi paced sidewards, and they followed. "Cowards..." he panted. "Have you no honour?" he taunted in desperation looking for inspiration from something, something..
 

Tagged: Sima Shi, Xu Huang, @aurora

[Xu Huang]

     As Xu Huang listened to the peacefulness of the night he began to notice some things that piqued his interest. All of a sudden he saw small groups of guards run through the side streets and alleyways, coming from the walls of the city as they made their way into the inner city. As a small group of guards ran past the light of a torch Huang noticed for a split second that their swords were unsheathed and were stained with red. Something was off here, and Huang could not stand idly by without checking it out. If someone needed, or there was trouble deeper in the city, he wanted to aid the city so Xu Huang began to make his way towards the inner city.

     Huang did not get far before he noticed up ahead a small group of 3 guards were huddled together, who seemed to be speaking to each other in hushed whispers. Deciding to speak with them before going further into the city, Huang approached with a wave of the hand as he called out to them. "Ah fellow guards, I apologize deeply for prying, but I couldn't help but notice-" as Huang called out to them he noticed them immediately turn towards him and their eyes went big before their expression turned into one of anger. They quickly unsheathed their swords, which the light nearby also showed to be covered in in red, and charged at Huang. "No witnesses!" His instincts kicked in instantly, he kicked back with force to gain some distance and give him time to unsheathe his large axe from his back. Once it was in his hands he swung with great force in a horizontal slash, connecting with all three swords as he batted them out of the guards hands. He saw them attempt to reach for daggers they had on their sides but Huang would not give them the time to reach for them. He reversed his grip and brought the axe back for another horizontal swing creating deep gashes in the chests of all three men killing them almost instantly. 

     "Something bad is going on, I need to get further into the city." As he said this quietly to himself he quickly ran off ahead. He had only been here a few times but he knew way well enough. Though he noticed the further into the city he got, the more crowded with guards it became. If he wished to progress further, he would have to move through the alleyways and wait for the guards to pass. Becoming one with the shadows, Huang continued to make his way through the city, hoping he could get by without creating too much of a scene. 

Words: 454
Tagged Cao Pi Sima Yi

[Cao Pi]

The young man, concentrated taking a deep breath. He was outnumbered. His eyes locked shut focusing in one what he would do if he was in their situation, he could hear them chuckle but he blocked it out. "It's over.." beckoned one of the peons who stepped forward to try and slay Zihuan. Deeper he went, controlling his heart rate and slowly down the blood flow. There was no need to act rash or out of instinct. His brow lowered as he unleashed a spiraled raged, launching into the air and flurrying in a ferocious yet graceful manner.

"..."

There was thud, as Cao Pi returned to the ground. Raising his arched back wiping the blood off of his double-blade. He turned to the man who had stepped forward of the many. "...it's over.." he agreed finally. The motionless man lookedhorrified as he stood for a few moments before his body gave way. Cao Pi closed his eyes for a few moments; as a tremendous crack came from the body parts of his foe tumbled to floor. 

Rallied, Cao Pi spun his blades with red as ripe as the smoldering furnace. The men looked to one another, not liking their odds. He had decimated the grunt alone having not broke a sweat in the process and seem to operate like his wounds were not even factored in. Though Cao Pi knew the truth, there was only so long he could keep this up. "Never show..." he muttered under his breath. "...weakness." he panted recalling the lessons of his childhood. It was time to take it back to basics.


"Ha.. ha....ha..." Cao Pi had forgotten himself, having been so distressed and thrown into chaos he had allowed his persona to escape him. He acknowledged it now. He had let his enemies get the better of him.. they caught him off guard. Zihuan finished up laughing, admiring the baffled looking fools that stop before him. The tides of this fight had shifted dramatically. Now he was in his element, with his mind off the events that had come before.. at least momentarily.


"Fools!" the mouth of snake growled, as he dictated the tempo of the battle now shifting the weight of his body to his right leg but leading with his left. His swords crashed against theirs, as they danced beneath the moonlight. Back and forth. The numbers slowly filtered in, more guards descended the stairs.. others headed from the gatehouse what had been a small brigade turned into a personal army.. though Cao Pi didn't seem overly concerned as he batted them back, again and again. Slowly circled by the advancing horde.

Tagged: Xu Huang 

[Xu Huang]

"Almost there, just a little more."

     He quickly made his way through the city, avoiding all guards as he continued to move further into the city. He saw a decent group of guards move together towards a large complex so he decided to follow behind them, figuring they would lead them to what was really going on. Huang, as he followed, tried to listen in on the guards in an attempt to gather any possible information he could. Nothing was to be gained though, besides them shouting orders between each other as they continued to pick up the pace as they reached the large gate entrance of the complex. That was when Huang recognized where he was, this was the estate of Lord Cao Cao and his family. 


     Cao Cao and Huang were not well acquainted but the one time they met Cao Cao was kind to him, something Huang did not expect from such a person. He knew limited information, but his gut told Huang that Cao Cao harbored no ill intent, and Huang did not believe he deserved to be betrayed like this. Xu Huang needed to do something, he needed to get in there and help save anyone he could. Huang cared not for questions, he held fast onto his belief and began to charge through groups of guards. Even if he couldn't get there in time, he would create a distraction that would pull guards away from the estate to deal with him. "Followers of evil, turn and face the axe of Xu Huang!" Beginning to cut them down, he made his way into the estate. Bodies flew all over the place as Huang fought harder than he ever had before in his life. Having heard a commotion ahead, Huang began to fight even harder, in hopes he would get there in time to save whoever was in need of help.


Words:311
Tagged: Cao Pi

[Cao Pi]

From the left... now to the right. He skirted backwards only to be pushed back into the circle. Sweat beamed down his face as his hands tightened around either blade. Again, blocking from the left as a spear thrust towards him before rolling low and blocking incoming swords. He arose, to be punched in the face by the hilt of one man and flailed by another across his back. There was a flair of pain, which rippled his body but he refused to show it as he immediately retaliated, gripping the culprit and head butting him before running him through on the spot.

What had begun as an elegant dance now turned into a struggle, as his energy slowly left him. There was no respite as another wave came forward trying to grapple him and bring him to the ground. "No.." he panted, throwing one of them back and resisting the will of the other men. He bit down hard on one of them, forcing him to release his grip which allowed him another strength to maneuver out of their hold, breaking free. 

It was then, a gap in the circle appeared. Cao Pi took the created moment to rest his body to observe what the guards were witnessing. A single man broke through their ranks with his giant axe. Dumb founded, Cao Pi didn't recognise the man. But the enemy of his enemy, was his ally and he increased his intensity once more. "Arrrgghhhh!" he cried gripping one of the men caught out, plunging his sword into his chest. He paid little attention to the other man for the moment, focusing on his own well-being, shifting he blades together and forming the trademark single double blade. The advances of two more foes were blocked either side, before he greeted one with a kick to the kick and the other was granted his demise, with a vindictive slash at the throat.


The space around the bottom of the stairs was clearing out, with the death count of the guards and many of them distracted with the new challenger. Some decided to flee, although Cao Pi expected it was just to bring more foes. He needed to move, and quickly.. he had already wasted too much time. 

[Xu Huang]

     Fighting through the group of guards, none of which seemed to be able to provide any form of challenge, Xu Huang continued to cut open a path as he finally saw someone who was fighting desperately for his life. He seemed to look familiar then he realized the dashing man must have been one of Cao Cao's sons. No matter who he was, he was in desperate need of help so Huang began to run towards him. Huang dodged a sword strike, punched the man right in the stomach before he used his might to grab onto the puny guard and he tossed him forward with all his might, aiming at the guards that blocked the man's path from the entrance. 

     Huang noticed many guards running away, though he knew they would be coming back with more reinforcements so he needed to move quickly. Turning that run into a sprint he burst through a group of guards that tried to waylay him as he finally reached the group of guards that were trying to dog pile onto the man. He did a low horizontal swing, cutting off the legs of a few guards as he got in front of the wounded man before he turned around towards the rest of the guards and the entrance. "Can you move, my lord? I don't know how much longer you or I can hold out, we need to get out of here." Not aiming to kill, but only trying to keep the guards at a distance, Huang did large and long swings around him. Huang looked around his sides hoping to find someone else who he could bring along to safety but all he saw were corpses, mostly guards but some men and women in robes as well. He might not have been able to save them, but he would save Cao Pi. 

Words: 310
Tagged: Cao Pi

[Cao Pi]

The man swooped in and with a few cleaves of his battle axe forged a path for Cao Pi. Zihuan wasted no time, and headed for the break within the bodies; tiptoeing between the corpses and heading towards the gatehouse now in site. "I'm okay.." he winced, clutching his wounds.. a lie still completely naked as he sprinted, not wanting to question why this man was helping him.. at least not yet.

The gatehouse was ahead, as Cao Pi pitter-pattered across the stone floor.. left foot, right foot. Not turning back to see the men chasing them. The gate began to close. He knew if it fully shut there would be no escape for either of them. He growled, stopping for a few moments. "Think... think.." the man halted beside him, with a dumbfounded look before switching his attention to the pursuers buying Cao Pi a few more moments. "Hmph..." the man huffed upon his breath lifting off.
 
He raced forward, striking down several of the guards on his way. "Stay here.." he ordered the man to defend his position at the basin of the gate mouth as Cao Pi climbed the stairs, two guards headed down to confront him. He thrusted one of them into the wall, and then threw him several feet to the ground. The other guard put up more of a fight. He came at Pi with a spear, narrowing missing the mans face. Before Pi retaliated, striking the man on the leg. They brawled for a few moments before Cao Pi raised his blade and planted it into the chest of his foe, sending him falling down the stairs to his demise.

The young Cao reached the top of the staircase, looking left and right knowing he needed to act immediately; having isolated the man near the gate. He looked left again .. then right.."where is the gate mechanism?". His eyes locked on to the man holding a torch who pointed at him. Cao Pi reached down lifting a spear from the ground before constricting his arm back, and launching it through the air. The spear spiraled, whistling through the night before impaling the victim through the chest, sending his torch crashing to the floor.

Cao Pi wasted no time, and sprinted over to the man releasing the mechanism on the firmly closed gate - opening it almost instantaneously. Now he needed to reunite himself with the warrior. "Hmm." he mumbled to himself, heading outside and peering over the wall. It was a long way down and the staircase only operated the mechanism from the inside; there was no need for a staircase on the outside. "Damn.." heading back down the way he came would be suicide.

He gripped the man, dead beside him ripping the spear out of his chest and tossing it aside; before wrapping around him. "Here goes nothing.." he closed his eyes saying a few prayers of goodwill before throwing himself off the edge with the dead corpse leading the fall.

Tagged: Xu Huang

[Xu Huang]

     Huang heard the man and instinctively obeyed as he saw him make his way up towards the top of the gate. He needed to make sure it stayed open so they escaped. Huang's new job was to keep him safe, and give him a proper path to come back down on so they could make a hasty escape. Huang used his axe to lift a man off his feet and slammed into a group of incoming guards. He sliced up and down, left and right, cutting down a guard or two with each swing. When the occasional guard got within range of him, he would dodge and deliver a swift elbow into their face before cutting them down. Yet he was slowly being overrun, getting nicked every now and then by a spear that was just out of his vision. He knew he wouldn't last much longer unless they got out of this estate. That was when the gate opened and he saw something that scared the hell out of him.

     He saw a familiar figure start to jump off the top of the gate after throwing a guard down before him. With a look of shock he moved quickly. A large shout bellowed from Xu Huang as he swung around creating a path and he sprinted towards the man, catching him before he fell. He quickly let Cao Pi onto the ground and began to run forward, staying ahead of him, cutting down any guard that attempted to face them as he made his way towards the stables near the entrance of the city. As they made their way, Huang noticed archers up ahead so he grabbed onto Cao Pi's hand and pulled him into an alley way. They were pinned down with nowhere else to turn. Xu Huang stood firm and began to keep the guards at bay while he tried to think of a way to get out. That was when he heard the roars and screams of men that sounded very familiar.

     The arrows stopped coming towards them as Huang pushed the guards back so he could see what happened and there he saw the men he came into the city with bringing a quick end to the archers. The men were drinking when they heard the noise outside as it softly echoed through the city. As they went to check it out they saw Huang being herded into an alleyway by the group of archers so they ran to help. "Huang, you owe us another drink the next time you see us!" With that they ran towards the guards and began to fight fiercely against them, creating an open path for Huang and Pi to move down. With a hearty laugh and a nod, Huang continued his escape from the city, making sure Cao Pi followed him closely. 

Words:473
Tagged: Cao Pi

[Cao Pi]

Cao Pi caught his breath, straightening his back up against the wall ,as their newly found allies came to their rescue distracting the archers with close quarters combat. Now outside of the family residence they entered the main square of the city. Cao Pi's instincts immediately came in to play. They had a better chance of survival out here. "Follow me" Cao Pi ordered "quickly!" he kicked down a door, forcing entry into a house. The two of them scrambled into the house and closing whatever was left of a door behind them. It didn't take long for the owners of the house to rise to profanity, swearing at the two men for trespassing. 

Cao Pi ignored them, ripping up the floorboards. "Can you find me some clothes?" he politely asked the axe man as he was still completely naked. He dug with blade into the wood, stripping several of the planks back; which revealed a dark basement. "An old mine shaft.." Cao Pi was even surprised. He hadn't used it before. All that reading had paid off, the scholars of old were telling the truth after all. "If I'm not mistaken this should lead us out of the city..." he winced in pain a little before heading down into the depths. It was pitch black, and there was a bitter, dry smell in the air.

He coughed, before signalling to above the coast was clear.. or at least as clear as he could make it. The mess they had made only meant the men would be in hot pursuit. They needed to move quickly. "Hurry.." he called to behind him, as he lightly jogged running his hands across the pickaxe wounded walls beneath the city. Every now and again a critter would scurry, or a bat would flutter in distress. Cao Pi held his nerves for what seemed close to an hour.. eventually there was a light in the distance.

He picked up the pace, and the gap between them and the light was closed in a matter of minutes. The young man was joined at the mouth of the mine, where they could at last enjoy fresh air. He let out a sigh of happiness, exhaustion and agony before collapsing to the floor. "Uhhh.." Cao Pi moaned, shifting around trying to get back to his feet. "...my head..." he felt light headed.. fuzzy.. he could feel something or someone holding him up as his eyes flickered. The whole experience had caused him to pass out, either through exhaustion, shock or loss of blood Cao Pi sunk into a pool of his own unconsciousness.

Tagged: Xu Huang

[Xu Huang]

     Huang turned when he heard the man call out to follow him as he made his way into a home. Confused, Huang followed, unwilling to question what the man had in mind since he did live here. Maybe there was something going on that Xu Huang did not know. Huang did a small nod towards the family as he went and found a brown robe. It wasn't much but it would provide some cover for Cao Pi so he handed it to him and began to follow him down this new hole in the house. Before he went down he ran out and grabbed a torch off a wall so they would have light. Huang took a deep breath before he went down with Cao Pi.

     He was not used to conditions like this. He didn't like being in such a close space, and it seemed to make him uncomfortable. Luckily Cao Pi didn't look back to see his face, as he was beginning to sweat and Huang looked around him all the time as they made their way out of the city. He calmed down once he started to see light ahead of him, and he hurried up his pace alongside Cao Pi as they finally got out of the city. "We made it Young Master, now we just-" Huang was interrupted when Cao Pi passed out. Acting quickly, Xu Huang tore off some cloth from the robe and tied it around one of Pi's bigger wounds before he put the young man over his shoulder as he made his way to his horse. He put Cao Pi in front of him as he began to ride off. Once Pi was able to ride himself he would stop and get another horse. With haste, Huang led the pair to Ye.

[Cao Pi]

Cao Pi was out for some hours. The horse wasn't the most comfortable, especially not arched over it like a rag doll. No doubt this is how seasickness felt, bobbing up and down constantly only a few feet away from a set of hooves. He was awake, but he wished he wasn't. "Uhhh..." he hurt.. all over.. but at least the blood seemed to have clot. He closed his eyes, the whole motion of the experience not helping an empty stomach which had tasted nothing but blood for the past few hours.

Fortunately for the wounded man they arrived at the river crossing about half an hour later, about fifty miles out from Chenliu. The horse heeled, as the both of them dismounted. Cao Pi attempted to straighten up his crooked back. "..what a pleasant experience.." sarcastic as ever, as he stroked the horse thanking him for the ride despite the comfortability factor. The Yellow River was wide, and ran almost the entire length of China. The water was a deep green, with birds lining the bank enjoying the sunshine and the buffet lunch. 

Several wooden boathouses which lined the river, most of them were independent businessmen who made a living off ferrying passengers to and fro making several journeys a day. He covered himself upm ensuring none of the blood or his wounds were visible. He let the warrior deal with negotiatons and stayed well back, trying to ensure nobody recognized him. It was probably best given that he was a wanted man in Xuchang at present.

Before he knew it, the both of them were on board a ferry with the horse. As far as awkward silences went, this was up there. Nobody really spoke a word. Cao Pi dangled his legs off the back of the boat, watching the coast fade away. 

Tagged: Xu Huang