Quest:Dark Master(Part 2)

[Cao Cao]

Zhi Fang woke up in a dark, cold room. Zhi got up and looked around the room, realizing that he was in a cell. Zhi then remebered that a hunter came, took him by surprise, and choked him out. Zhi assumed that he was brought to Iron Crown, most likely to be executed."How could I have been so careless?"Zhi thought to himself. He was doing so good hiding in the forests, he thought he would never be caught. It seems like Zhi's ego got the best of him and for that he would soon pay the ultimate price. Realizing that he was done for, Zhi gave up all hope and sat back down in a dark coner of the prison cell. He might as get used to being in the darkness since he would never see the light of day ever again.

(Sorry, was in a rush.)

[link]

Even the least of the men certainly sent the shivers down one's neck, even that of the men as fearless and aggressive as Wei Yan. Maybe it was all just a myth that solely supported this common belief that not a single soul of Iron Crown was truly alive, truly breathing, and truly functioning as a human being. Not daring to cast a single glance straight into the two staring eyes of the soldiers of the vile citadel, the two dark pupils hidden behind the mask darted to and fro in a frantic search of any sign of safety or reassurance.

Only in vain.

Death itself creeped along the walls in this hall. Yet everyone else seemed so used to it, not casual, but not tense either. That is, assuming that the others could feel casualness or intensity in their nervous systems. And that is, if they even had proper nervous systems. But did it really matter? Wei Yan wasn't here to make an acquaintance with the multitude that formed the inside of Xia Pi's depths. No. In fact, he was here, on a mission, to grasp his position of trust and power with Iron Crown.

If that was possible at all.

Two long blades crossed inches before his nose as an armored hand extended to his right, palm open and silently asking for the obvious. Reluctantly, and most hesitantly, Wei Yan reached for his back and pulled the long, double-bladed voulge out of its place in the leather strap and handed it quietly to the guard. The blades withdrew from their place, and another hand shifted the door into its sockets, the huge wooden gates withdrawing into themselves as the next hall made its appearance before the hunter's eyes.

"Approach."

Wei Yan stepped forth and into the dark mass chamber as the doors shut behind him once more.

[Cao Cao]

"Let me out of here!!!"Zhi yelled as loud as he could. The thought of him dying was finally starting to not sound too good to him. Zhi ran up to the cell's bars and began to shake them around, making even more noise."Come and face me like a man, instead of putting me in a cell!!!"Zhi began to bang on the bars even louder, trying to bring a guard so he could take his anger out on the guard.

And finally the guard came..."Finally, now let me tell you..."Zhi began but was interupted with a sharp, buring pain on his chest. He was quickly pushed backwords and the guard came in a began to beat the crap out of Zhi. It looked like the guard branded Zhi with some sort of hot metal. Unable to fight back, all Zhi could do was to just lay there and take it.

[link]

The cold, dark silence was broken by a distant series of yells. The voice was familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. Eh, who would know? The cries of pain were shared in similar tone by many men. Agony had certainly engulfed the victim of the circumstance, whatever the scene had been to be laid out in the unknown depths of the evil's headquarters. Wei Yan simply dismissed it with an easy flick of his mental will, and continued his walk forward, unwilling to keep his... allies... waiting.

A figure up ahead, standing tall and firm, and fully armored, gloomed ominously from the darkness before his eyes. What lay beyond, Wei Yan could not tell; a simple wall? Or possibly another continuous link from this endless series of hallways and corridors, halls and chambers? But it seemed that he would never find out, for the purpose of his journey here was met on the spot, where he stood facing the shadowed man. Was it possible that he was who Wei Yan thought he was?

Was it Lu Xiang?

No. He doubted it. The great man of old wasn't just a myth, that was for sure. But for him to spare his own time to venture out in order to form an uneasy alliance, that was certainly unlike what Wei Yan had heard as the Eagle's qualities. No, it just wouldn't do for such a proud and powerful figure to hold audience with a foreign mercenary.

His assumptions proved true, as a rather monotonous, unsatisfactory voice emanated from the shadows once more, the same which had called the hunter forth to approach.

"Your deed?"

"I... capture... prey..."

"Is that so?"

A glance cast toward his servants; the latter nodded in reply as confirmation to the stranger's words, as the shadow once more turned to face Wei Yan.

"Very well."

[Cao Cao]

The man continued to beat on Zhi until Zhi started to spit up blood. The guard smiled a very evil smile and continued to beat on the helpless prisoner.Zhi's vision became blurry and he quickly collapsed into darkness. The guard kicked him a couple more times for good measure and after he finished, he spat on Zhi and walked away. He turned back and re-locked the prison door.

(Didn't have much to write about so I just wrote this so you could post ^_^)

[link]

"What do wish in return for this... simple task?"

Wei Yan found his lips instinctively curling outwards, bearing his rotten, yellow teeth for all to see in the darkness of the scene. With some thought, he would have known better; but degrading his own work, his personal art of killing, was something certainly deserving of punishment. Of course, he did his best as he struggled to keep his fists clenched by his sides and not flying forward to meet a rather predictable maiming. He was unarmed; the shadowed figure was fully clothed and fully prepared to fight with his variety of arsenal.

As if sensing Wei Yan's burning anger at his own words, the figure seemed to twitch ever so slightly in the darkness, but clearly enough for Wei Yan's raging eyes to see and recognize. But the awkward moment subsided soon enough, as the shadow spoke once more, continuing the subject as if nothing had happened at all over the past few seconds.

"Of course. What all men want. No need to ask at all."

And with a flick of his hand, he called forth a chest of gold, carried in the two hands of a servant emerging from the darkness beyond. The promised one thousand pieces of gold. Wei Yan showed no obvious interest in it, as he had no need for gold. He was content with his way of life, his current form of living. The shadow tilted his head in apparent curiosity at such ignorance on the part of the mortal being.

"How interesting. What do you want, then?"

"Immortality... in... Iron Crown..."

"Ah."

[Cao Cao]

(Zhi Fang is still knocked out, so just post again...)

[link]

"Now that would be a more... sophisticated task."

A rather evil laugh followed, emanating out loud from the shadows as the figure began to tremble and shake from his own chuckling. And it was then that Wei Yan realized that he had been sitting on his throne of sorts, not standing up straight and tall. What the hell? He thought as the titan rose from his seat, raising his two large hands to break out in a solo applause for the words of the bold hunter.

"Ah... how foolish. Nobody, my dear sir, nobody in the entire world asks of immortality, if they have even the smallest of minds. And now you shall regret the consequences of your own words."

Footsteps.

A unison march of one, two, three steps of clanking metal, steel armor bashing against one another as the living walls tightened in. There never had been a chamber of darkness; the walls, the ceiling, everything collapsed or rose in the form of a fully-armored, fully-equipped man of war, each a horrid figure of his own as Wei Yan finally found light from all four sides. Only the path beyond the titan lay in shadow, as the giant himself withdrew into the depths, cackling maniacally to himself.

"Fuck..."

[Cao Cao]

Zhi woke up in a daze, trying to get up, but Zhi kept falling straight back down. Zhi just layed their for a little bit until he got enough strength back to stand. Once he got on his feet, he went over to the wall so he could use it to stay up. That was one hell of a beating he recieved from that guard, Zhi would be feeling it for weeks. Zhi then heard something, a laugh, a laugh so evil that it sent chills down Zhi Fang's spine. There could only be one person who could do that to him, and that was Lu Xiang, leader of Iron Crown.

He was a giant of a man, both height and weight wise. He was very strongly built with a large sword to boot. Just looking at the man would make you want to give up all hope of fighting him. He was a very dangerous man, and Zhi was at the mercy of that evil man. Zhi then heard the sound of metal hitting metal, there must be a fight, but who is involved? Zhi stood there, trying to listen in on the fighting better so he can find out who is fighting.

[link]

Make a run for it.

That was all that he heard in his mind for the split second that he was provided for a chance of decision. After that, everything turned into chaos, as five dozen blades shot forth, crisscrossing and forming a maze of death as they quickly attempted to encircle and trap the hunter in. The hunter had become the prey, and this time the prey was in more of a struggle than one would ever imagine when being in the situation of the hunted. His body bent forward and backward, in an attempt to avoid the blades as best he could, but all he really accomplished was delay his fate as he stumbled back towards the so-called entrance.

"I thought you wanted immortality, sir. And now you wish to turn on your own words? How pathetic; I was right to know that all mortals are but meaningless creatures. Now you shall feel the wrath of my legions for the insolent arrogance that you have dared to shown from the moment that you set foot in my sacred citadel."

A shriek. A very short, loud, and ear-piercing shriek. It was enough to summon every man of evil throughout the palace; from the kitchens, the corridors, and even from... the prison cells.

[Cao Cao]

"What in the hell was that?"Zhi said to himself as he heard the scream that was so loud that it sounded like the person screaming was right next to him. Zhi had to get out of here, before he was the one screaming. Zhi quickly began to yell again, trying to get the guard to come and attack him again, but this time Zhi would be ready for him. Zhi continued to yell for a guard, praying that one would come soon.

(Sorry for the short post, was in a rush.)

[link]

The double voulge, its tanned tone, lying lifeless on the ground behind him, and the form being caught in his eye, was enough to blow some inspiration within him as Wei Yan propelled himself backwards and before his trusted weapon. Swiftly reaching down and picking the long polearm up from the rather damp ground, he flung himself with the momentum towards the nearest living thing that he could find, as the maze of blades began to withdraw from its place and back into the clenched fists of their masters.

Wei Yan was, quite frankly, disappointed at the fact that these so-called immortals were so weak in combat. Did they really have everlasting life after all? Or was it just all a myth, supporting by self-conceited beliefs and proclamations on the evil men's part? He wouldn't know, but one thing was certain: that his first target fell like a chopped down scarecrow as the lifeless figure tumbled backwards in two halves, upper and lower dancing at different speeds before the body itself was consumed by its own blood, vanishing in a dark explosion of who-knows-what.

The warrior paid no attention to this last part, as he quickly chained into a second kill, his curved blade slicing into the throat of his new foe, while the rear end of the polearm found its way through the screaming and gaping mouth of yet another muscular beast. Using this situation to his hopeful advantage, Wei Yan used his voulge, stuck on both ends in flesh and blood, to swing himself upwards, before the two corpses self-destructed in a similar fashion to the first. Weapon in hand, he landed in the midst of a group of four beasts, the rest struggling to crowd into the tight space.

Two pairs of titans ruled over him, while half a dozen swords and spears flung themselves at his torso and legs.

[Cao Cao]

Finally Zhi's calls were answered. A guard walked towards the prison cell, the same guard from last time. The guard slowly opened the door and, thinking Zhi was still weak from the beating the guard gave him, charged at Zhi. Though Zhi recovered faster than the guard had anticipated and easily dodged his wild charge by stepping to the side. The guard ran head first into the wall, dazing him. Taking advantage of the situation, Zhi brought his elbow down on the back of the man's neck, dropping him to the floor. Zhi did a quick kick to the face of the guard and he dropped on top of him and he grabbed the guards head and twisted it until he heard a loud snap of bone...neck bone.

Zhi got up, spat on the guard and took his key's. He walked out of the cell and looked around for any other guards, there were none. Zhi noticed a weapon rack off to the distance, and there he saw his own weapon, his longsword. Zhi walked over to it and grabbed his sword and swung it around a couple of times. Wondering where to go next, Zhi just decided to run towards where he heard the screams come from, hoping he would find an exit and take quick leave of this horrible place.

[link]

His blade brought about a couple more gigantic corpses before the barbaric warrior of the west decided to use the smoke of the dead explosions as cover to pass by to somewhere safe. It wasn't a bad idea, but it wasn't really the best of options either. The dark, actually violet-toned smog entered his eye sockets, nostrils, and most of all mouth, and it certainly wasn't refreshing, as the clouds of death made sure to choke all they could on Wei Yan's face.

Coughing rather violently, Wei Yan staggered under the blindly swinging blades, heavyset and slow to suit the wielders' statures, but full-powered to state in comparison. Making his way out of the smoke, Wei Yan could just barely make out the form of a human-like figure racing toward them at a rapid speed; longsword in hand, it really wasn't a comfortable sight. Sure, at first glance, he had been momentarily rejoiced at the sight of possible, actually human, backup. But who was it?

Zhi Fang.

Which way to turn? Impossible to decide. Iron Crown or Zhi Fang? The murderers or the vengeful? Either way might be suicide. But he came upon a confirmation not to take risks to turn and face the devils alone. He would relate better to the latter anyway, and Fang himself wouldn't be too safe against these men; after all, he was a prisoner let loose in the havoc.

"Assist me..."

He took a step back toward Zhi Fang as the soldiers closed in.

[Cao Cao]

Zhi looked down at the figure to see the hunter who captured him laying there on the floor. It looks like he ws double crossed and they were trying to kill him. It also looks like they were no doing such a good job at it. As pleasing as it might have been to kill the hunter who captured him, he needed him to get out of this place. Zhi nodded at the hunter and charged at the group of guards.

Zhi met one guard head on, the guard did a lunge straight at Zhi and Zhi did a side-step to the left and he then followed up with an upward slash, cutting into the guard. As soon as the guard fell though there was another guard right in Zhi's face with his sword. It took all Zhi had to just get his blade up in time to block the sword slash aiming for his throat. Zhi held his ground with the guard as he tried to overpower Zhi.