First Night

"The Gate is nothing more than an open portal. There is nothing in its construction that was meant to keep outsiders out of the Realm. That sorry duty has always been in the hands of the Kingdom's Army, in the hands of the White Tiger Guard!"

The sergeant's voice rang out, and every one of the soldiers - barring the three lieutenants, roared their support for the words. Sergeant Nan Liming smiled at the trio as he saw how they watched the proceedings, as Sergeant Liu drove the rest of the men - the new men, into a frenzy.

"They will do nicely, sirs. You needn't worry about that. Most of them have been through during the day, and they know the way down to the Bridge at least," he told the lieutenants himself, aside from the main group, "It's proper name is the Greenstone Bridge. It connects the White Tiger Trade Town to the Gate proper, and through it, to the Realm. It's much like the Red Phoenix Trade Town in the South, if you have seen that."

He saw the nod that one of the three gave him then, but the other two were merely paying attention. So he went on:

"Well, the Greenstone Bridge fell to the creatures of the Wildlands - that's what we call the Mountains outside, and the last time it happened was about fifty-six years ago. And we have been working hard to reclaim it. It hasn't been easy though.

"So far, we have made good progress. We have managed to clear the Gate, and two thirds of the Bridge has been reclaimed as well. The Gray Robes have also secured a few points of the same with their incantations. We have only about a third of the span to go!"

Wumu Qian did not appear too impressed by his words, and seemed to be looking towards the rest of the soldiers, cheering as Sergeant Liu gave them more words of encouragement. Then he turned back to the other two lieutenants. "Two thirds of the Bridge in close to fifty years? That's hardly impressive. Are the enemy really that strong? What have we gotten ourselves into?" he asked them then.

Sergeant Nan sighed, as he nodded. "Well, it was more like the last twenty. The first thirty saw most of the White Tiger Army roaming over the lands beyond our little Garrison Town here, to the East. The Shadows were spread across a good part of the land, and we barely got them contained about eighteen years ago."

Wuying, who had heard the tales before, could not resist answering too. "That's because the Shadows ranged across the West, and the Guard was busy dealing with what was in the Kingdom, along with the Gate itself. Of course, it is worse that they make it sound. We won't know just how bad it is until we get down there, and face the enemy ourselves," he said quietly, "Best that we be alert, and warn the men to do the same."

Junhe chuckled, while Qian nodded back. "That sounds reasonable. And it makes sense now, why the Captain had insisted that I take his spear. He must want us to succeed, so as to encourage more of the men. We shall have to put up quite a show, if we are not to let him down," the latter added.

Wuying smiled when he heard that, and turned back to the older Sergeant Nan. Their little conversation had told the man that they were more cautious than confident, and it seemed to go down well with the veteran. Perhaps that is why he was there, to make sure that they were not too overconfident, and so cause more problems. But the veteran waited a moment before he went on:

"Now, when we leave through the Tiger's Mouth, we shall head down to the Bridge. The central point of that is the site of the Greenstone that gives it its name. We shall gather there and set up camp. Well, what passes for a camp. The Gray Robes has sent one of their initiates with us, so please take care of him! He'll be responsible for healing our injured, and for re-wakening the Guardian Stones. So make sure that he is protected at all times."

"Guardian Stones?"

The older man nodded at Junhe's frown. "They are Stones that are set into the Bridge itself. They look the same to the casual observer but they are smoother and they bear the image of a tiger if viewed under the right conditions. The Gray Robes chant a mantra over them to activate them so that they will glow. The enemy creatures are weakened if they get too close, and so avoid the same if they can. That is how we have been keeping the Gate free of those pests."

The Southerner smiled at that. "Ah! I see. I'm glad that is the case here. Frankly, I haven't seen their equivalent in the South, so it is new to me. I should pay more attention the next time that I get home."

"Perhaps you should. In the North, we do not have such complications. The Turtle Shrine preserves the Great Lake, which feeds all of the Rivers. It has no need of soldiers and guards. Of course, it does not bring in trade or wealth either. Only fish and clear water. On which all of our crops and forest depend."

Wuying smiled, and wished he had more time to question Wumu Qian about that. But the sergeants had given the signal, and the soldiers were beginning to move outside the Gate, and down onto the Greenstone Bridge. The time for questions, it seemed, was over.

The Greenstone for which the Bridge was named stood in the center of the wide span, and seemed to glow with a pale incandescence as the men approached. Perhaps it was just the light of the moon, but Wuying could hear the men uttering words of awe. It was easy to see how it gained its reputation, adding to the legend of the place.

"The men will set up a rough camp here, gentlemen, in front of the Stone. And while they do that, perhaps we can trouble you for a word?"

The two sergeants had moved up to the trio of lieutenants as they stood in the center of the span, gawking at the glowing stone. So much so that none of them had noticed their approach. Bowing their agreement, the three of them moved to the side, to listen to what the veterans had to say.

"Now, my duty was to guide you three to this point, and to tell you about the dangers that you are likely to face. How you choose to meet the enemy, however, will remain your choice. I can only advise you as to what has been tried before. That was what I had been ordered," the older of the veterans began.

"Including the disposition of the troops?" asked Qian at once.

Sergeant Nan smiled and gestured at Sergeant Liu. "That too will be up to you, while the task of leading them - and the positioning of the same about the Grey Robe will be up to my colleague here. I am to remain at the Greenstone with five reserves. Just in case something happens to the other twenty, and some support is needed," he said calmly. That was enough to tell Wuying that he had already gone through this with Lieutenant Ah Man, and likely the Captain as well. The support should be for the Grey Robes, as far as he could see. Those auxiliaries were not part of the Army proper and they needed to be taken care of.

"I would also remind the lieutenants that the purpose of the mission is to reclaim the Bridge, and make it ... more difficult for the Shadows to return to it. That is why we need the Grey Robe here with us."

Junhe chuckled at the rather blatant reminder. "Ah! We are to protect him while he chants the sutra over the Guard Stones, one by one? That should be sufficient to deter the enemy, wouldn't it? Does he have to do it for all the active Stones? Or just the ones that we clear?"

"That is a good question. As far as we can tell, the Guard Stones stay ... active, as soon as he has cleared them. It would take much effort on the part of the Shadows to overcome that. But the moment that he begins chanting, the spell will attract the enemy, and they will know that we are here. If they are not already aware by then. They will throw themselves at the troop, to try to disrupt the chant. The purpose of the Guard is to hold them off until the chant is done."

"And how long will that take? From the initiation of the chant to the end of the same, I mean. How long will we need to keep fighting off the enemy, until it is complete?"

The sergeant turned to Wuying with a smile. He had clearly anticipated that question. "It will depend on the chanter. Most that I have experienced takes somewhere between five to ten minutes. It varies, of course, with the experience of the chanter. Young Duxi, the Grey Robe who will be joining us tonight, is likely to take longer, since he has only joined us this last two missions," he revealed. Then he sighed.

"The chanters usually face away from the battle, and keep their eyes closed to avoid ... being shocked by the violence that is done. Which means that we shall need to take good care of the same while we are fighting. He is a precious resource, as you must realize already. There are only four Grey Robes, and only three of them have volunteered for this duty."

"You will usually do that by putting up a wall of shields, I believe. Two men high, and four men wide? You have barely enough men for that, if you hold back a few for support as archers," Wumu Qian pointed out then, as he nodded back at the troop who were reinspecting their gear.

"That is correct. We usually have the archers to back them up. They will try to shoot down the enemy Shadows when they get closer. It has only a marginal effect though, since they are less vulnerable to such tactics. But the archers have killed some of the Changed Beasts in the past."

"Tell is more about the enemy. Any vulnerabilities?"

Sergeant Liu coughed then, taking over as he sent a nod Junhe's way. "They appear to be Changed Dogs for the most part. Hereabouts, anyway. These are tougher, hardier and more vicious than any dog that I've seen, to tell the truth. And they can shrug off almost any injury that doesn't kill them straightaway. Only a direct hit to the heart kills the things," he said with a shudder.

"The heart, as in the heart of a dog? Or where a dog's heart should be? That's not too difficult! I can hit it easily with this!" Junhe declared, lifting his bow as he said it.

But Qian shook his head at the older man. "That's only if they remain still, or in one spot so that you can get a shot off. And it will be difficult to target something so specific while you are cowering behind a shield. Even as good with a spear as I am, it will be a true challenge to land a hit if we are in a formation."

"There is an additional danger. The wounds that you receive from these creatures also appear to be poisoned. Or tainted, at least. You'll need to get them treated within the day, or the flesh will start to rot. Something like gangrene."

Qian sniffed. "Within the day? That is plenty of time!"

"True. But it also hurts like hellfire." Sergeant Liu rolled up his sleeve then to show off a trio of lines that ran down his forearm. "It's like being burned with acid. It will be hard of the new men to hold with that hurting them."

Wuying supposed that the man was correct about that. Most of the men were new to the whole soldiering business, and he doubted that they would be able to contain the panic if it strikes. That meant that they would have to keep them well out of the fighting if they could.

"Then we'll keep them back, behind the shields and keep them protecting the Grey Robe. The only ones who are trained to fight, like us, shall move forward outside the ring, and engage the dogs. And the archers will provide cover, for the formation as well as for us."

"You want us to expose ourselves?" Junhe looked shocked. "That's a little suicidal, isn't it? Even if you did get a phenomenally high grade for your sword work."

Wuying shook his head back at the younger man. "No, not like that. I was thinking of moving forward, stepping to the front as it were, for the first stage. I'll deal with what I can, and try to hold out for the time needed. If I get badly hit, I'll back up to the line of shields. The more that I can take down, the fewer there will be left to harry the line. And if I take a hit ... Well, if I can take the pain, it will show the others that it's tolerable, no?"

"A good enough plan. Simple, but to the point. We'll go together. One to each end of the shield barrier. Between us, we should be able to give these Dogs some trouble," Qian agreed, "And we should be able to cover each other's backs. That should make us harder targets. And it will be good for morale too."

Sergeant Liu looked a little shocked at the suggestion. "I'm not sure that it's such a good idea. The pain ... It was ... "

"As bad as a barbed hunting arrow? And having to cut it out on your own?" asked Qian as he pulled up his own sleeve, to show the crooked scar on his right arm, "Is it as bad as that?"

The veteran's eyes went wide. "Close enough, I suppose," he answered, after swallowing twice. It seemed clear that he had not expected the officers to be bearing such wounds.

"Then it is an acceptable risk. We'll go with Brother Qian's plan first. And refine it later if we need to. Let's form up the men and tell them."

"Tell them? You mean, tell them what they are supposed to be doing?" Junhe asked.

But something made Wuying shake his head at that. "No. We tell them everything. What we are going to do, and what they are expected to do. They are men, just like we are. And they have sworn the same oaths. They deserve to know what they are facing. It's only fair."

Both the nobles looked surprised at that. As did the sergeants. But no one disagreed. Wuying was grateful for that. He had finally come to do what he had sworn that he would do. It was a little more dangerous than what he had imagined, but he would hold to his oaths! Somehow, he had the feeling that this was only the beginning of his trials, and not the end!

*

The men seemed to accept the explanation and their orders with more aplomb than any of the trio had expected. Even Sergeant Nan was surprised when he saw how readily they had accepted their roles. Perhaps it was the fact that Wumu Qian and Yue Wuying were leading them from the front. Or Junhe's moaning that he shouldn't have brought his bow and was so relegated to lead the archer troop. That seemed enough to make everyone more conscious of the fact that their officers were sharing the dangers that they faced.

Even the Gray Robe, young Duxi, who looked like a normal pimple-faced sixteen year old, looked impressed by the plan. "I have not been through any of these assaults together with a officer, but I have never heard of one where they led from the front! Especially under these circumstances! Are you sure about this?" he had asked Qian, who was just a year older.

Who had merely shrugged, and showed off his scar again. "I have probably faced worse, in the Northern Wilds. There are many dangerous beasts there," he said simply. And that seemed enough to silence everyone.

So they had formed up the troop and ran through their positions again, before they started forward. The moons had just started to creep into the sky, so Wuying knew that they still had a long night ahead. But no one would be able to rest, given what was to come. It was as Junhe had said: some things it was better to get over with quickly!

Their advance wasn't challenged, which was good. In fact, Wuying did not notice any of the Shadow Dogs about until after the troop had formed up and encircled the Gray Robe. But the first came slavering in at about the same time that Duxi began his chant, seated in the center of their formation. And Wuying had to move forward to engage it!

But Wumu Qian, it seemed, was a lot faster. His spear caught the creature in its throat as it pounced, but it thrashed about, struggling to get free and tearing the wound wider, as the shorter man tried to pin it against the stones underfoot. Wuying moved in and quickly ran it through its heart then, and it suddenly dropped to the floor of the Bridge, rapidly disintegrating until it was naught more than blackened pebbles.

"So, we literally have to hit it in the heart to kill it. Good to know," gasped Qian with a smile as he looked up again, and waved the spear at the mass of creatures that was creeping closer. They were still a little far away, and slow to attack. Perhaps the fact that they had made such short of work of their compatriot had shocked them.

Then, as Wuying had feared, they all rushed the pair at once! And he was too busy fending them off to even curse! He had not expected them all to rush forward at once, and he had no way of targeting them individually, much less seek out their hearts! Instead, he was frantically whipping his sword at the pack, cutting and slashing at the dogs, knocking them back when he had the chance to do so!

He soon regained his balance, and took the chance to strike at one or two of them where he thought was their hearts. Judging from the way that they fell apart after he hit them, it appeared that he was right! But there were still too many for him do that to every one of them, and he was fending off three for every one that he killed!

Then, just as he started to feel a little overwhelmed, the stream of enemies started to lessen. And he began to pick them off a little more easily. He suddenly had the leisure to turn, to see how Qian was doing, when there was a shout at his back, and the air in front of him was suddenly filled with a golden light!

He blinked. And by the time that he had his vision cleared, he was surrounded by the rest of the soldiers, all cheering wildly at him!

Junhe was there too, and clapping him on the shoulders! "That was closer than I would have liked! But the plan worked! We killed all the Dogs that came at us. And we didn't lose a single man! Not one!" he laughed, "We have won!"

"Only a battle. Not the war," Qian replied then, as he stepped over to where Wuying was. His uniform was torn in places, and the spear in his hands was slick with a greenish ichor. "We should go on to the next site, while we have the morale this high. We should keep going, since the enemy does not know how to react to us. If we delay, they may come up with a counter."

Junhe turned to stare at the stern-faced man. "Here! You are making them sound like an army! They are just dogs, you know? Dumb dogs!"

"Are they? Are you willing to take that chance?" asked Qian then, waving his hand at the sergeant who was stepping away from the celebrating soldiers, towards them, "Besides, why waste their high spirits?"

"Well, let's get the men straightened up first, and maybe switch in the five who had to sit out this encounter," Wuying said, before he waved a hand at the Northerner's left sleeve. His bloody left sleeve.

"And you should get that treated too. Not as bad as your experience with a barbed arrow, eh? Just as you had imagined?"

Qian winced at that. And shook his head as he did so. "About the same. The acid stings a little. But I suppose that I can take it. What about you? You took a hit or two yourself."

Wuying looked down then, and saw that it was true. Both the sleeves of his uniform had been torn by the creatures' claws. His forearms bore scratches too. But unlike the dark red lines that ran down Qian's arm, his were more normal-looking. And they looked did not hurt any more than normal scratches.

"This is ... unexpected. Did I gain some protection from these things that I did not know about?" he asked aloud, as he showed off his wounds to the others with him, "I am fairly certain I did not know of anything like this!"

Sergeant Liu gasped as he saw the same, and he pointed at Wuying in shock. "You are one of the Long-lived! I had not known! There was certainly no sign of it! So is Lieutenant Ah Man, but he has grey eyes at least. Yours are black!"

"The Long-lived?"

But Wuying ignored Qian's question, and frowned at the sergeant immediately. "What? But that's impossible! I have never showed any of the signs!"

"Yet, it is clear from the way that the Shadows affect you! Or do not affect you! This is what happens when the Captain or Lieutenant Ah Man leads the troop! Your wounds don't bother you like ours do. At least, no more than scratches would!"

Wuying nodded slowly at the Sergeant's description, and had to agree that this was the case for him. But how? He certainly did not show any of the traits at all! How could he be one of the Dragon-blooded?

"Well, whatever it is, it is an advantage that we should make full use of," Qian declared when he fell silent at last, "I guess you are the best choice for taking the front again, and I'll be supporting you from the second line! Let's go now! Let's clear another stage!"

"And I'll pick off what I can with my arrows," laughed Junhe as he lifted his bow again, "You do realise that we are breaking in a new record, don't you? No one has cleared more than one stage in a night! Not even esteemed Lieutenant Yen Ah Man! I've checked!"

"Well, he's one man and we are three," Wuying laughed back, suddenly caught up in the mood of the whole thing. It was still early, and they might just be able to do it after all!

""Does that mean we'll need to clear three to match his record? Done! We'll do the next one, and one more to make three!" Wumu Qian cried out, "We'll match what those before us have done! And on our first night too!"

* * *