The Forest (Meng Yi Xiang)

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Ye.

The lone rider moved through the bushes of the regions of the north. He was still on his way to meet up with Liu Bei, but maybe along the way he might visit some regions that to the most part belonged to his enemy, possibly search what he could in the hopes of gaining some information on his sworn nemesis. Cao Cao would pay eventually, but not now. Now was the time to secretly plan, move right under Cao's nose undetected and unknown, silently moving about and gathering what he could for the final attack, preparations being made.

There was a rustle up ahead. Hmm. That wasn't a bird for sure. There were no series of feathers fluttering at all, nor was there even a distant caw or screech that usually emanated from a bird's throat. What could it have been? The areas were too cold and up north for any tropical mammals, which he had heard of lived in foreign countries, to reside in. After all, they rarely existed in China. Oh well, nothing of much importance. But he would keep his senses sharp; he was still in enemy land as far as he knew.

The forest was quiet afterwards. At least for a short while.

[Meng Yi Xiang]

Meng Ji Xiang was there fighting the group of bandits. They were around eight people in the group of enemy and they all have swords in there hand and were ready for the battle. She was standing there with her weapon divided in half to be like two swords. She twirls both of her weapon waiting for them to make the first moves. There leader was behind the eight men. "Tell us your name and the reason you are here or get your guts spilled on this dirt." She had both weapon ready and did not speak which was not the best idea but she could just not.

The bandit let four of them men attack first leaving the four other get ready just in case that she was a better fighter that she seems. The four bandits were around her and started to swing at her. She blocked all of the enemy blades. The enemy swing once more at her were she dodges the blades by dropping on her knees fast making them stab the one that was in front of the other. She then jumped in the middle over the three blades which placed more pain on her enemy then slashed each one of there heads in one movement watching the heads fall down on the floor then the body with each a sword in there stomach.

The four other bandits then ran away from fear of the enemy and the commander was not happy. "You cowards, come back here and kill her" The leader looked at the girl and then noticed that she was stronger then his whole group alone. "You know your power would be good in my command. We shall kill all of those people that tries to destroy are goals of being the richest in the land."

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The clash of swords and the sound of pain and death. It was of course oh most usual to a man such as Ma Chao, living as a one destined to be a warrior for as long as he could remember. War was nothing unusual to him, yet even now the sensation of battle drew him closer to the source. And anyway, to be logical, this cold and abandoned forest wasn¡¯t supposed to be inhabited with battle. If it was, there was most likely one explanation. Mountain bandits flourished well in the northern areas of He Bei. This might be an example.

If there were bandits, there were always one or more victims. A man with a proper sense of justice wouldn¡¯t stand around listening and doing nothing as the bandits terrorized their targets. He would save another life, if he could. Digging the heels of his boots hard into the sides of his white stallion, he forced the obedient steed to swiftly charge toward the sound of the battle ahead. And what he met was not quite what he had expected in the first place. A woman, standing alone before a man, most likely a bandit by the looks of it, but she herself was in no noble state either. And she was... holding two blood-drenched swords... What?

Swiftly riding up to the two, Ma Chao grabbed the rear of the man¡¯s collar before lifting him high into the air, dislodging any weapons that he might have held with a continued elbowing from his own arm. The woman would be no threat, as long as he assumed she was the victim, not the bandit.

"Terrorizing a woman, am I not correct? My lady, are you alright?"

[Meng Yi Xiang]

Meng Ji Xiang looked at the man that was holding her opponent in the air. She was not ready to let the man walk away even if she would kill the man that was in front of her if she needs to and take revenge that she deserve. She looked at the man that had beautiful armor on like if he was working for the emperor if the emperor was still alive that is. She smiled at the man and gave him the signal to keep the man over his head with her hand's.

She started to run toward the tree that was around ten feet from the two men and does a back flip over the two man and swings her weapon that she just joint together and then landed on her feet next to Ma Chao. All of the sudden, the head of the bandits falls down and the blood was flying from the neck wear the head used to be. The blood was raining more then a real shower of rain that people would be used to.

Meng Yi Xiang smiled, and looked at Ma Chao. She bowed to Ma Chao to say thank you for the help even do she most likely not needed . She then hocked her weapon to her back and kiss Ma Chao on his blood covered cheek to say thank you. She then went to the fire that the bandit had on and throws dirt on it to turn it off before it makes a fire to burn down the forest.

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Ma Chao raised an eyebrow as the girl silently signaled to him to keep the bandit in the air before she rushed toward a nearby tree, running up. And when Ma Chao realized what exactly she was doing, it was too late. The blade sliced through the air, the head flew away toward who knows where, and before he knew it, Ma Chao had been nearly soaked in a bloodbath. His shining, well-polished armor was now drenched in crimson, the proud tiger-shaped helmet now colored in red and dripping from fresh blood. Ugh.

"Good thing the hood-like helmet kept my entire face from soaking," he commented as he wiped some blood off of his nose and mouth after the girl had kissed him. Yes, a girl, not a woman, now that he saw her. About... 5 or 6 years younger than him, maybe? That would mean that she was still in her teens; what was she doing here?

Dismounting from his horse and following the girl, Ma Chao took his helmet off with both hands and laid it down on the ground next to his horse before stepping up to her. His white hair was now revealed, rather spiky at many parts and of course clean from blood. He had preferred to dye his once pitch black hair pure white, for personal choice of color.

"May I ask what a girl like you might be doing here?"

[Meng Yi Xiang]

Meng Yi Xiang looked at the man once more and then looked at the ground not being able to speak to tell the answer of the question the man seems to be mad at her for not answering. She tried to signalized to the man that she cannot speak a word. She then went close to the tree and wonders how she could show the signalize it. She then went to a head that was on the ground and opened his mouth and closed it again trying to tell him she could not talk cause he never learned.

She then went toward the horse and pat it slowly. She liked animals and it was obvious. She then ran in the forest and came back with some food for the horse and place it one the ground. It was totally natural from the wood and then place a apple that was from one of the trees next to the food to make like a desert for the beautiful horse. She then hugged the horse and went back to the tree she seem to be often next to it and climbs it slowly to see if someone was coming to hurt her like she was used to kill the enemy.

She then saw there was a good number of units that were coming toward them. There was a guard leading the rest of the group. There were wearing blue armor. She then jumped down the three and poked on Ma Chao shoulder not knowing if he was with them or against them. She went to him and poked the armor of Ma Chao then points toward the sky trying to say blue armor.

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Ma Chao simply frowned as he placed himself gently on the rocky ground, looking up at the girl with more of a curious look as she refused to respond to his questions. And then she began to use a decapitated head as a sign to tell him something... Was she deaf? It might be possible, as many deaf people were still able to see, and were known to have other senses that were sharp enough to continue to keep them alert even without the ability to hear or to speak. Hmm. He couldn't ask for confirmation either.

But why had she used the soldier's mouth to signal to him? It must mean that she was unable to speak. Was she born this way? Or had she received from injury at a young age before she was taught how to speak? Was she abandoned in the forest due to her inability to communicate like others? Whatever had happened, such a young girl living in a forest alone was one of the greatest acts of injustice that the world showed. It was unacceptable, truly.

"Would you like to--"

Ma Chao was about to ask if she wanted to come live among other people when he stopped. Of course she couldn't reply. How would he signal back to her as a kind gesture? He thought as he watched the girl feed his horse and pat it. The steed would like a gentle hand; after all, Ma Chao had no time nor the luxury to pet and groom his own stallion.

It was then that he noticed the army approaching. More of a squad, thankfully. Hmm. Dressed in blue. Of course, it was the army of Cao Cao, coming to meet their doom at the hands of none other than their sworn enemy. All who served the villain were villains themselves. They would pay.

"Who goes there?" the opposing commander first asked.

"I am Ma Chao of Xi Liang! Have you come to meet your death?"

"You fool! Do you think you stand a chance against us?"

With that, the commander sent the squad before him, each swordsman striving to strike the enemy while Ma Chao pulled out his spear and sent it piercing through the stomach of the nearest soldier, while he used the momentum to catapult over and land with his feet on top of two other heads, both of which went flying as Ma Chao regained his spear. Landing in the midst of the enemy, he gave a smirk, the closest he could get to a grin.

[Meng Yi Xiang]

She looked at the people and see that there was over twenty people of the group still living with there commander that was talking to the man that was with her before. The officer was looking at Ma Chao and they are fighting with him and not looking behind them being a idiot. She jumped from tree to tree without looking at the people on the ground. She got of the tree and sneak slowly behind the officer. She was behind the officer that still did not have the idea that she was there. She took her sword divided in two a light the throat of the enemy the blood was flying in the air and the enemy was covered in blood without knowing that there leading officer was slain by the girl.

She had a big smiled on her face and looked at Ma Chao. She just killed a officer in five second and she was still a teen she could not be able to be known to much. She then ran toward found enemy with both her sword that were separated and dived on her knees sliding at the enemy. The blade cut through the first two people right in half. The body fell forward and the rest off her body fell backwards. The two other men looked at girl and were confuse on how she could fight so well. The rest were going toward Ma Chao.

The two warrior were going on each side of her. The first warrior swung his spear at her and she rolled out of the spear then the second warrior then stabbed downwards trying to stab her on the head. She then grabbed the blade that was going downwards toward her head and takes it and throws the person at the other man that had his pear still toward her. The one that was thrown landed with the spear through his body and blood that was coming out of his head. She took the spear of the dead enemy and throws it through the head of both of them spitting there head in half and the spear got stuck on the tree behind them.

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"Thanks," Ma Chao shouted over at the girl unconsciously, once more forgetting the fact that she could not reply. No matter, he would still show his way of expressing to her his gratitude. Though, of course, he was sure he could take the enemy down much fast than that. Ducking down to avoid a wide horizontal swing passing over his head, he thrust his spear forward with one hand, driving it into a soldier's stomach before quickly pulling it out again, the momentum carrying the butt end straight into one of those who were attempting to flank Ma Chao.

Rising from his position, Ma Chao sent his right foot kicking into another enemy's sensitive parts as he used the attack to push down and further into the crowd, his spear swinging in a mad frenzy as it slashed this way and that, cutting through flesh and bone. A shower of crimson blood, nothing too special. The battle ended as soon as it had started. With their commander dead and with almost half of the squad instantly slaughtered by a single man, the remnant of the group of twenty, about a dozen or so left, immediately made a dash through the forest and away into the mist beyond.

Letting out a deep breath, Ma Chao stood back up straight, dusting himself. He was drenched in blood again, and he seriously needed to re-polish his armor sometime soon, unless he wanted to stay that way. Looking toward the girl with a considerate look, he shot her an expression that attempted to show a sign of worry and a question if she was alright.