130 Days of Madness - Alliance
As she stood beside Dàilán, Chénli was not sure what to expect once her sworn sister raised the bāwū to her lips. Lately, she had not been sure what to expect at all from Dàilán at all. The concerns about her role that she had previously raised were only the beginning of her worries - her friend and charge had changed so much over the past two months she was almost unrecognisable - altering the older sister/teacher to younger sister/wealthy heiress dynamic they had once worked within to something she barely recognised.
As a respected mid level Enforcer for one of the largest Righteous Sects, Chénli was unused to feeling unsure; but even that had been taken from her now. All she had left was her role as the Head Guard to the new Sect Leader - something which seemed to have little future at this point. She suspected that it was only her years of close companionship which caused her sworn sister to continue treating her as if nothing had changed. Certainly, she suddenly felt the least qualified of all Dàilán's new advisors and found herself scrambling to catch up with a friend who previously had always been the one being protected and taught by her.
The music from the oddly glowing bāwū that the Sage had given to Dàilán flowed outward from where the two of them were standing in the forest. Chénli casually rested her hand on the pommel of her weapon as she looked around for any sign of movement or reaction.
In the corner of her thoughts not occupied with watching for an attack, she noted there was a strange resonance to the sound of the bāwū that she did not remember noticing before - it was almost as if she could hear a voice singing words between the notes…
'...They ask Daughter who is in her heart,
They ask Daughter who is on her mind.
"No one is on Daughter's heart,
No one is on Daughter's mind…"'
Chénli shook her head. It almost sounded as if she could hear an èrhú and bianzhongs being played along with her mistress' bāwū. Her eyes narrowed as she shook her head, spotting a flash of movement in the trees as the slow, heavy beat of a tánggǔ began to underlie the melody with a thunder that matched her own heartbeat.
A twinge of discomfort came as the beat slowly began to increase in tempo made Chénli quickly circulate her Essence to resist the strange sound - it was as if it was trying to pick up her own blood and carry her along with it as the melodic voice of a woman singing came clearer…
'...Last night I saw the draft posters.
The Khan is calling many troops.
The army list is in twelve scrolls,
On every scroll there is Father's name…'
Another flash of movement out of the corner of her eye caught Chénli's attention - a glimpse of greenish color that seemed almost more imagined than real. Chénli turned on her heels carefully, scanning the trees around them for whatever was setting the leaves around them to rustle and shake, but she could not see anything - or sense it even when she pushed her rudimentary Essence echoing technique to its utmost. Instead the echoes of the Essence pulses she sent out came back to her quickly - as if they had hit a barrier all around them close by.
She whirled, opening her mouth to warn Dàilán that they were confined somehow, but the next burst of music swept over her, stealing her words out of her mouth. Another flash of green appeared in her peripheral vision and her head turned to follow it, even as the singer's voice came clearer still…
'...Father has no grown-up son,
Mù-lán has no elder brother.
I want to buy a saddle and horse,
And serve in the army in Father's place..."'
Chénli found herself pulling her sword slowly out of its scabbard as her body straightened in response to the music, the plea and pride in the words that echoed around the clearing, her heart beating faster as the tánggǔ's tempo picked up.
The flash of movement suddenly resolved itself as a glimmering, ghostly green mist-like apparition of a young woman stepping out of the trees in front of them. Their expression was set and resolved as they tied up long hair in an old fashioned top knot hairstyle, leaving the remainder to flow down their back.
Chénli blinked, realising that she could see through the person in front of her - she could still see the bushes and trees behind the ghost. Chénli found herself stepping back as the apparition started to walk forward towards her. The apparition's mouth was opening and closing as it sang…
'...In the East Market she buys a spirited horse,
In the West Market she buys a saddle,
In the South Market she buys a bridle,
In the North Market she buys a long whip…'
The misty green apparition of the young woman flickered and firmed up, becoming more opaque as she walked out of the trees, pulling a green misty rope behind her. A moment later an apparition of a saddled and bridled horse came out of the bushes behind her at the end of the rope. Chénli stumbled back as the apparition's shoulder crashed into hers, staggering in confusion as she realised the ghost was solid, "What…"
'...At dawn she takes leave of Father and Mother,
In the evening she camps on the Yellow River's bank.
She does not hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,
She only hears the Yellow River's flowing water cry tsien tsien…'
The apparition disappeared into the trees behind them, pulling the ghostly horse behind her as the music vibrated through Chénli's bones, the tánggǔ rumbling like rushing water underneath the notes of the bāwū.
"What is going on?" Chénli asked in confusion as she turned to Dàilán, "did you see that…?"
Dàilán did not respond to her question and Chénli's eyes widened in alarm as she saw that her sworn-sister's eyes were closed as her hair floated out slightly behind her in an unseen breeze. Dàilán's whole body glowed faintly green as the bāwū flared brightly at her lips, sending out streams of gleaming green Essence that swirled all around both of them. Faintly, beyond the overwhelming sound of the music all around them, Chénli could hear the sounds of something or someone else grunting and snarling in distress or displeasure.
The tempo of the tánggǔ drums picked up into a steady beat, like the pounding of a horse's hooves. Chénli swore she could faintly hear the marching songs of an army on the move even as an entire line of ghostly green figures, armoured like ancient civilian soldiers, appeared from the trees all around her and marched through her and Dàilán and into the trees behind them. The noises of discontent and anger from the forest around the two women increased, before being drowned out almost completely as the instruments and singing swelled emphatically…
'... At dawn she takes leave of the Yellow River.
In the evening she arrives at Black Mountain.
She does not hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,
She only hears Mount Yen's nomad horses cry tsiu tsiu…'
These specters were not as solid as the first, but Chénli felt a sharp shove each time a soldier brushed by the pair of women standing in the forest. Their accoutrements are plain and severe, battered and worn with many signs of fighting in each scratch and notch, patch and crack. Strangely, Chénli noticed none of the ghosts have any sign of even the most basic defense Formations lacquered into their armour or weapons and the snarling masks of their officers are lifeless wood, with no sense of Essence animating their blankly savage grimaces.
There was a roar of anger from behind them and suddenly the sounds of fighting cut through the music. Chénli found herself pulling her sword without conscious thought and spinning to crash solidly back to back with her mistress with the weapon up in a guarding position as she flared her Essence defensively.
Dàilán's slender body did not shift behind her from the impact; instead the sound of the bāwū rang out in a warcry that heralded a crash of the tánggǔ into the driving beat of war drums even as the mist like soldiers gained an alarming solidity, pulling weapons aloft and breaking into a driving charge with harsh cries of "Kill!" that Chénli felt in her chest more than she heard with her ears.
In one corner of her vision Chénli spotted a mounted figure dressed as an ancient field general charging with the army, its sword pointed forward over the horse's head, mounted bodyguards charging at its side. As the female voice, carried outward by the flute at Dàilán's lips sang harshly, the mounted general turned its head in passing to gaze at Chénli for a shùnqǐng and Chénli's breath caught - recognising the face of the young woman that had led a horse past her a moment before.
The almost completely solid figure, looking almost like a normal person, with different dull colored mists - instead of the previous misty green - filling in her features and armour dipped her head briefly in respect as she rushed past, then turned her gaze forward...
'...She goes ten thousand miles on the business of war,
She crosses passes and mountains like flying.
Northern gusts carry the rattle of army pots,
Chilly light shines on iron armor…'
As the music thundered forward, pulling the ghostly army and its female general in its wake, Chénli's blood sang in time with the frenetic music and she fought the urge to join the charge with every fiber of her body, holding her position defending her friend's back.
There was roar, as if the army of ghosts physically clashed with something and a sharp cracking sound from all around. Chénli suddenly saw creatures of every sort around them seemingly falling back in a panic as they battled to hold off the tide of the ghosts summoned by Dàilán's music as the forest around them was suddenly filled with the cacophony of battle.
"So, Hold! Hold, Young Cultivator!" A familiar voice rumbles out and Chénli recognises the voice of the Yāoguǐ from before. It sounds pained and the large bear-like creature stumbles out of the trees, desperately working to hold off the strikes of the mounted female general that follows it out as it cuts down on the Yāoguǐ from the warhorse with her sword even as the animal lashes out with its hooves.
Chénli is somewhat alarmed to see the sword and hooves of the ghost striking sparks against the Yāoguǐ's desperate defense, but the Yāoguǐ's own attacks pass through the general and her mount as if the two of them are no more substantial than smoke or the mist they appear to be made of.
"So - this one yields! We Yield - I will return your people to you," bellowed the Yāoguǐ in frustration as he continues to dodge and block frantically, "call them - call her off, Young Cultivator!"
Chénli feels her friend shift slightly from behind her and the tempo of the drums slow along with the other unseen instruments following the notes of the bāwū as the music turns melancholy and the singer's voice fills with longing…
'...Generals die in a hundred battles,
Stout soldiers return after ten years.
On her return she sees the Son of Heaven,
The Son of Heaven sits in the Splendid Hall…"
The mounted general paused and withdrew a step, watching the Yāoguǐ warily with her weapon still in her hands as the bear puffed and panted - and then pulled a horn from somewhere, blowing it to produce a lowing sound reminiscent of a wolf's cry.
There is an answering chorus of various other animal cries from various points around them, most sounding pained or subdued as Chénli hears the sounds of numerous people or something else moving away through the trees and other plants.
"So - bring the prisoners, fool!" the bear person commanded, receiving a bark from an unseen figure that sounded like an assent as the music continued to flow out softly from her sworn sister's instrument. Chénli lowered her sword as her heartbeat slowed and calmed, slinging the weapon back behind her in its sheath and pivoted to stand beside her friend as the mounted figure sheathed its weapon and dismounted to walk in front of the young Heiress.
The armoured general knelt and removed her helmet to reveal the face of the young woman Chénli had seen at the start of the song as the singer's voice continued to sing out softly, the sounds of the other instruments vanishing one by one to leave only the voice and the notes of the bāwū shimmering around them…
'...He gives out promotions in twelve ranks
And prizes of a hundred thousand and more.
The Khan asks her what she desires.
"Mù-lán has no use for a minister's post.
I wish to ride a swift mount
To take me back to my home."'
Beside Chénli, Dàilán bowed to the specter of the female general as she still played the bāwū, although the music grew softer as the voice vanished - like the sounds of the other instruments had. The mist-like specter - who appeared much more insubstantial now - returned the bow and rose, turning, walking to and mounting her horse and trotting towards the trees. As Dàilán lowered the bāwū the last of the notes drifted off into silence and the apparition vanished into the trees with them.
---
"So. It has many been many years since I have heard that song," the Yāoguǐ rumbled quietly after sitting slumped against a tree, breathing heavily for about the time it took an incense stick to burn, "I must admit that I have never heard it played quite like that before, however." He huffs, "I underestimated you, young Cultivator. The Expert may have given you that flute - but you have learnt how to use it in your own way. And it is not, how I would expect one like yourself, to use it." He patted his stomach meditively, "perhaps the old days return in truth, Young Cultivator."
Dàilán held her face still as she considered, "I came to negotiate," she opened eventually, "but you left me little choice."
The Yāoguǐ huffed, "So. I gave my terms already. Since you are here, it seemed you rejected them. That made you fair prey." He gave a deep laugh, "unfortunately - I underestimated you. Now I am bound by my words." He gave a smile that was mostly teeth, causing Chénli to stiffen warily, "and who knows if I could stop you in time from summoning something worse if I tried to fight you, young Cultivator."
Dàilán tilted her head thoughtfully, "I have no wish to make another enemy - I would prefer an ally," the young Heiress picked her words carefully, "if we could have moved on tomorrow, we would have done so - this is not a question of pride or arrogance. We simply cannot do as you ask. We must stay in the Sanctuary at least a week - my Healer is most insistent - and I refuse to sacrifice my people."
"So, you reveal a weakness, which is not a weakness," the Yāoguǐ rumbled, "The Fortress will not permit me to force you to leave and you already are strong enough to stand with me on equal terms, Young Cultivator."
"I would not presume," replied Dàilán, "a few fortunate encounters cannot make up for your knowledge and experience. Rather, I would point out two things," the young Heiress paused briefly and the bear waved a paw in assent, "the Expert is expecting us to arrive in his lands soon. I expect that he would investigate and deal with anything that would cause us not to arrive - though it might be too late for us, it would be unfortunate to be the cause of that delay - based on my own observations, I say this."
The Yāoguǐ made a grumbling, groaning sound, "So. And the other point, Young Cultivator?"
"The journey has proved challenging," admitted Dàilán, "and you mentioned having some knowledge of this area. It occurs to me, that if you assisted my group to arrive safely at our destination - the Expert might be favourably disposed towards you instead. He did claim all of this area as his domain when he directed us on this trip - if you have an earlier claim as mówáng, then perhaps you would be better served by escorting us to discuss the current situation with him in person."
The Yāoguǐ's ears flicked forward, "So," he rumbled thoughtfully, "an angle I had not considered - that holds some truth. Surprising from a human, Young Cultivator." He snapped his jaw closed with a heavy clop sound that echoed in the trees, "if he is who I think he is - he has the right to claim control." He grunted and the sound seemed somehow ironic, "my own claim is a thousand years past and even then - one like that would have held a higher station…"
Dàilán frowned, "I do not know what he is - I almost suspect him to be a Shanshen, the villagers call him a Mountain Spirit - but, he is too powerful for that…"
The Yāoguǐ's eyes opened wide, "So... mere Mountain Spirit? No… the old stories have been lost, I think. No ShanShen could have created Fortresses like this - there is another at the far border of my territory where the Húlijīng commands and it is even more powerful. The scent on that weapon and those robes is of something else entirely. But if there is a mountain involved… there is a possibility… it would explain much." He looked apologetic for a moment, which looked odd on a zhàng high bear, "if… he has not chosen to share his origins with you - I would prefer to keep my own speculations to myself," the Yāoguǐ made a rumbling nose and rubbed his snout thoughtfully, "would you allow my people to come and go freely into the Fortress? We could use the services of a healer - we have many goods you might find useful to trade - Young Cultivator."
"Well, as the Sanctuary only punishes people for fighting rather than barring access, I have no way to prevent your people from coming in," replied Dàilán in a hard tone, "but I am not responsible for what happens if anyone from your side does something the Sanctuary decides to take issue with - I believe that would include forcing anyone from my group to do anything against their will - especially the women."
She nodded in satisfaction as the bear Yāoguǐ gestured agreement, "it would be a good thing if we can trade and get used to each other - I will ensure my people behave with decorum - especially as you mentioned there are territories claimed by other mówáng along our path. I trust your Emissary will assist in any negotiations that may be required with other mówáng?"
There was some rustling and other noises of heavy movement in the trees and two smaller Yāoguǐ - one a wolf, the other appearing like some type of large cat - appeared, dragging Dàilán's Father and the BloodWitch behind them.
The two adults appeared battered and bruised, but otherwise unharmed - although judging by their furious expressions, their Cultivations had been bound somehow - and both of them were gagged and tied up with thick vines.
"So. Your people - unharmed - although as you can see we made sure they could not harm anyone," the Yāoguǐ rumbled, "your group may stay within the fortress as long as necessary," the large bear man declared, groaning as it rolled to its feet, "I will take you up on your offer - though I will have to send an emissary in my stead."
He paused for a moment, looking down at the pair of young women, ignoring the furious glares of the bound adults at their feet, "you may end up with a number of emissaries from each territory by the time you reach the mountain," the Yāoguǐ suggested in good humor, turning to leave, "I will return to my people and let them know that they are welcomed to trade, look for healing or just visit from tomorrow as long as they behave appropriately - with the warning that the Fortress will likely not react kindly to anyone attempting to be clever." He bowed slightly to Dàilán, "Young Cultivator."
Dàilán returned the bow and the Yāoguǐ turned and disappeared into the trees remarkably quickly for someone of his size.
Releasing a breath she had not realised she had been holding, Chénli moved quickly over to the two adults and started cutting their bonds as Dàilán went to one knee and removed their gags.
"Can you travel? We need to get back inside the Sanctuary," questioned the young Heiress.
"Yes," agreed both adults as they were freed; although with her Cultivation bound the BloodWitch collapsed under the weight of her weapon and Dàilán had to grab it off the small woman's back.
"What happened?" asked Dàilán's Father as the two adults slowly limped into the forest, with the two young teens guarding them from front and behind, "why did you make a deal with that creature?"
Dàilán hesitated, "perhaps it should wait until we get back?"
Chénli chuckled, "it is going to be a long trip back to the clearing at this pace - we have time. You may as well explain."
"En," agreed the young Heiress, "well, it started like this…"
