Fantasy Red String [Closed]

[Lucyfer]

“Admiral Dou.”

‘That is not my name.’ The dark-haired man always wanted to say that, but never did. It was his name in this life. ‘My name is Caesar.’ One of his many names. Gaius Octavius. Gaius Julius Caesar. Augustus.

Here, he was only Dou Tian, admiral of the navy. Not an emperor as he ought to be, but he was making his plans for it. They began here.

Tian looked up the papers upon his desk, eyes rising to meet those of one of the dock guards. He was curious about the arrival, but folded his hands gently upon the table and waited for the answer to come spilling out of his lips. “Pirates have been spotted, coming this way. Heathens.” The nose wrinkled, “The monotheists.” Which ones didn’t matter. They were an affront, not respecting their ancestors or the many divine in heaven. It was no wonder they forgot their place in the world.

Tian gave a nod and rose slowly from his papers, “Inform the others. Spread the word. We will prepare. How far are they?”

“Within twenty minutes.”

Tian was not expecting that. His eyes widened slightly, but he quickly grasped at his poker face. ‘If Agrippa were here….’ But Agrippa was not here. He was stuck instead with a fool who retreated when confronted with a naval conflict, and he knew him too well. Here in China, they did seem to understand one thing he hadn’t known in Rome: a life is tied to another by a thread. Tian had seen glints of it, and he had seen where his own led. It was not to his Lyvia, nor even to his Agrippa.

It was to a man he’d despise through all his lives, the man who tried to take it all from him and failed, miserably. Marc Antony. Why his string was bound up with that man, he’d not know, but he supposed the one positive was that he could torture him through all these lives and make sure he lived in a hell.

The problem was, Antony had no idea. Tian tried to drop hints, mention Rome or old memories, but to no avail. He knew nothing. “Prepare. Immediately. Go, now.” He ordered, and once the other guard had bowed and ran out, Tian let out a frustrated sigh and moved to find his armor to prepare himself. He dressed quickly, pulled his black hair back into a ponytail, and then hurried out to see the shadow from the invading ships. “Damn it,” the curse was not in the native tongue.

It was in Latin.

He ran for his own ship, shouting for archers and fire as he did so.

~***~

Khalid al-Nawfal enjoyed the night’s breeze as it caressed his skin, blowing back his shaggy brown hair as they came upon the town, lit with lanterns. ‘Here. It’s here.’ What ‘it’ was, Khalid had no idea, only that all of his life he’d been searching for it. He’d dreamt of another life, countless times, but the city before him did not look like his dreams.

It was not made of marble. It was not made of sand, either. He remembered a heated sun and pyramids, but he also remembered marble and fountain. Egypt and Rome, and he had searched both to find a clue to his dreams, but to no victory. The amber-eyed man only knew he should follow what seemed like a gentle tug, and it led him here.

There would certainly be much gold to plunder here, and his men were cheering for that as more lights came up in the city, no doubt aware of their presence now. There would be a fight. Guangzhou was a port city and had to protect plenty of foreign merchants – they would be prepared to defend against pirates.

Or rather, they would think they were prepared.

He kept his boats purposefully dark. “Archers, notch your arrows – and fire.” He commanded, and he heard them all, the signal given to the others without a hint of fire. He wanted the arrows to fall and strike, causing chaos as it would be impossible to discern them in the darkness. The moon was new - light was limited, except all around them in the city. They were sitting ducks.

He heard the twang and the arrows flew, cutting through the night air and no doubt hitting others. He could hear some of the cries from here, but it did not make him smile. He saw archers from there taking up lit arrows, and they flew towards them, but not in great number. Not organized. Other boats were preparing to leave the docks. ‘Can’t allow that.’ Khalid had no interest in fighting on the boats, he wanted to go through the town itself.

“Aim at the sailor, at the boats! Nothing is leaving their docks!” He commanded, and again that signal was given.

The arrows wouldn’t strike so many innocents this time, but all went to penetrate the sailors as they tried to get their ships out of the docks.

Khalid smirked to himself as he watched the bodies fall, their shadows lit by their torches, making it obvious where his men ought to aim in order to strike them down. As they got closer to the port, his men started to jump from the ships and onto those in the port to cut down men.

Khalid was only happy that none were able to get on the seat as his own boat slid into the dock, other ships of his waiting further out for the return, and to keep watch of the situation.

 

[beautyofthebeast]

Chen Feiyan was taking the last basket from her father's boat when she saw ships approaching over the horizon. It was too late for any fishing vessels or merchant ships to be coming into port, and besides, they hadn't gotten word of any that would be late or had been missing earlier.

She brought the cage in and rested it on the cart, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that something was very off. It wasn't even that something was wrong, though she knew that it was, but it felt like something was different. There was no time to ponder the situation, however, as men began to rush the port from the city, and the citizens began to run back into the city.

Clearly, she wasn't the only one that had gotten the sense that something was wrong, and as she tried to force her way back into the city, she saw archers in position firing arrows out at the ships. It was only a split second before she heard the screams of people around her, the unmistakable thwack of arrows as they found their mark in her fellow citizens and sent them smashing to the ground.

She dropped the handle of the cart and abandoned it where it was, able to get through the crowd easier. Pushing people aside, she made it back to her house and locked the door behind her, gasping for air.

"They are coming!" She forced out in response to a question from her mother.

~**~

Shang Chao was acting as a guard for the ports when the ships approached, and as the arrows began to rain down, he was faced with a complete situation of panic. Citizens and fellow guards alike were dropping like the flies that surrounded rotted meat, and the assault didn't seem like it was going to stop any time soon.

Instead of running towards the city, as everybody was trying to do, he turned and headed towards the ship that he was assigned to, knowing that Admiral Dou would want his entire crew assembled, and quickly.

It was an honor to be on the ship with Admiral Dou, but also a serious struggle. Despite his best efforts, Dou always seemed to find something to criticize him about, and the worst jobs to give him. Nothing he did seemed to please the admiral, no matter how hard he tried. The others weren't given the same level of scrutiny, and he couldn't determine what he was doing wrong.

Men around him; fellow soldiers, were getting completely decimated. The panic made it worse; training could only go so far and prepare you so much. An actual attack like this was already rattling them. Whoever was attacking them was clearly prepared, and clearly motivated, and their own soldiers were all but falling apart and dying in droves.

 

[Lucyfer]

“You’re not a fighter, Octavius.”

The words always came back to haunt him, and he felt it even then. He could think. He could outthink anyone, but that didn’t help him when his men were fleeing around him and none could get the boat launched. He made a note to execute several of them later as he realized the boat was a lost cause, ships docking or coming close enough to get men to the shore.

“Leave that to Agrippa. You just have to show up.”

Maecenas always knew how to advise, but Maecenas wasn’t there, and when Admiral Tien grabbed his sword, he found that one man hadn’t left the ship – though he was late. “Late again, Chao.” He commented, lips curling in a slight sneer. It didn’t matter, did it? No, he was the only one not running, and right now, he’d have to accept that. “We’re not getting these ships moving, we need to mobilize the forces to fight on land.” Which was unfortunate, but they could fight.

Most were archers, though.

An arrow flew between them. He didn’t so much as flinch. “Actually, let’s just burn their ships.” Finding and gathering soldiers was going to be too frustrating. There were ships close enough, and it would be easier for two people to work together in the shadow of the darkness to destroy the ships and make sure they couldn’t get back with anything. They’d get to their soldiers later and organize them once some of the chaos abated. Sabotage and guerilla tactics seemed better for now.

~***~

The soldiers hadn’t lined up well. They were all fleeing now, an unorganized mess, and Khalid was pleased with the scene. He’d definitely caught them by surprise. “Move, move! Ransack the town, we want silks and slaves!” He reminded. Slaves of oriental descent seemed to fetch a high price in the markets, and silk was beloved by all those with money, they didn’t really care how it was acquired. Jade, too, but silk was easier to grab in port towns, usually. Certain spices, too.

He stepped off of his ship and noted a pair amidst the chaos on a boat. One was attired as someone of good blood, another of a common guard, and Khalid paused for a moment, feeling a pull, almost as if he should run up to them. Warn them. ‘Why?’ He didn’t know. He felt a stir of loyalty to both, as if they belonged to his memory.

And for some reason, his vision overlayed curly strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes over the one of good blood, and Centurion armor over the guard. But why?

Someone shot an arrow their way and he whirled around. “No!” Shouted, “They’re worth a king’s ransom!” He decided then and there. He would figure this out, even though he doubted they’d be able to understand each other. He didn’t speak Cantonese, which was an advantage for the moment.

He then turned back and moved into the town to help oversee the chaos, all the while trying to figure what had drawn him here. Could it just be those two?

 

[beautyofthebeast]

"I was here before many of the men." Chao retorted, shaking his head. "And I have not run like all of them." This was not a time to argue semantics; there would be time to bicker later when they weren't under threat of attack. He was right, though; he hadn't been late, and he certainly wasn't running in fear like every single person on the ship besides them had.

As the arrow flew between them, he stepped to the side just enough so that it didn't catch him, though his face didn't change. War was something that he was used to, and if arrows scared him, then he wouldn't be a very good soldier at all. At the suggestion of burning the ships he nodded, beginning to gather equipment form the ship that they would be able to use to light the ships.

The archers on the ground would be decimated as soon as the invaders hit land and indeed, they were already falling to the invading forces. Working together would be the only option, and it would be a challenge to not set each other on fire. One of the men that seemed to be in charge of the invaders yelled something in their direction, and his forehead creased, almost recognizing the man but having no idea what he was saying. Men from the invaders began to surround the two of them, however, trying to capture and incapacitate rather than kill, and Chao drew his weapon, fighting off the attackers.

~~~
Feiyan could hear the men in the town, and the cries of the civilians. Shops and homes were being broken into and raided, people were being captured as slaves, and she could only pray that her home was untouched and family unscathed.

Hesitantly, after making sure that her mother was in the cellar and shut away, she peeked out the window. There was something keeping her from hiding away, something telling her that she shouldn't lock herself down in the cellar. She did back away from the window, however, closing the curtains and extinguishing the lamps.

 

[Lucyfer]

There was no one to confirm Chao’s story, no one to deny it, either. It didn’t matter, but his defense of it did earn an eye roll from the Admiral. ‘I suppose if he agrees that burning the ships is a good idea, it’s a good idea.’ Tien then realized that he was trusting Antony’s decision about warfare, and Antony had lost.

To him.

‘To Agrippa.’

Whatever. Admiral Dou moved to leave the ship so he could go to the sparsely guarded ships of the invaders, only to find himself quickly surrounded by others, along Chao. He was glad he’d taken his sword then, and he drew it immediately, rounding on one of the attackers as the recklessly rushed forward. They received a boot to their chest for their berserking charge, and as they staggered back, Dou stepped forward and thrust his blade through their neck and then shoved them aside, turning to the next.

And the next.

Apparently, they’d been singled out. It was all he could figure for how they were swarmed so suddenly. It was hard to keep up with the barbaric and reckless tactics, and at some point Dou found himself disarmed. He made the foolish choice to try and lunge for his sword, an action he knew to be foolish the moment he went after it. Instinct was stronger than logic. He turned his back on his opponent, but the blade didn’t pierce through his back or his armor.

His accursed ponytail was instead caught and he was yanked back, a blade put to his neck. The other spoke in a language he didn’t know, the words meaning nothing, though he didn’t at all like the tone. He slammed his foot down on his foes, then kicked up, freeing himself, only to end up with multiple swords at him, and none seeming to wish him dead.

Someone finally spoke in broken Cantonese. “Stop. Surrender and live.”

~***~

The screams and the chaos were music to Khalid’s ears. After all, that meant they were winning. It wasn’t the screams of his men, it was the screams of those in Guangzhou. He had no idea the repercussions this would bring, nor did he care. He surveyed a few that his men had found, women and children, and encouraged them to take most back. They couldn’t take all. Children were useful, and women.

Most men weren’t, though boys were. They could be trained up. Those two men he singled out earlier may prove a costly mistake, but it was one he was willing to make if it helped him to make sense of his dreams.

His eyes flickered as he saw a curtain flutter, and then lights dim.

It wasn’t really necessary to investigate, and yet, he felt that pull again, and so he went to the door. He didn’t waste his time trying to unlock it. He simply took a look at it, noting where the lock was, and then sent a kick right under it, heel driving forward. The door swung open, and he stepped forward with the continued momentum, moving inside swiftly and glancing around for movement. “I know someone is in here!” And likely couldn’t understand him. His voice held a lilt to it, melodious, as his eyes sought for another. Or many.

He thought he saw a disturbance near a lamp - smoke rising up, disturbed, and he moved swiftly forward to reach out and catch whatever, or whoever, moved. If he was wrong, hopefully he'd only look like a fool to himself and no one else around.

 

[beautyofthebeast]

Chao fought as if his life depended on it, and to him, his life did depend on it. He did not want to be captured, knowing what fate befell men like him that were captured. Surrendering was not honorable, nor was it ideal, and he had never surrendered; he would rather die by his own hand rather than bring upon himself and his family the shame of surrendering.

He fought hard, as did the man next to him. Around the admiral before, a thought had often crossed his mind , "You, who owe everything to a name" but he had to admit that tonight, his partner fought well.

They were wining the fight until he found himself at the center of a circle of swords, held by men that didn't look afraid as the others had been. One apparently spoke enough Cantonese to get his message across, one understood rather clearly.

"How do we trust you?" He snapped in response, doubting the men would understand. Turning his head just enough, he looked at the Admiral to see his move. He would not surrender until his Admiral did, and even then, he wasn't sure that he would surrender.

~~**~~
Feiyan put a hand over her mouth as the door was kicked in, heart stopping and barely breathing. She slunk back into the shadows as far as she could go, but she knew the lamp was still smoking and it was clear that people had been there until very recently, and likely were still there.

Someone shouted something in a language she didn't understand, but the voice sounded oddly familiar, though she could not place it. Her chest felt tight, but not out of fear-it was like something was pulling her, as if by a strong, though she fought it.

The soldier in her house seemed to be content, or at least she thought he was, until a hand wrapped around her upper arm and jerked her into the light provided in the doorway by the moon. Her face paled as she looked up at the man, though the string in her chest kept pulling her,and there was something about the man that she couldn't place.

"Please, it is just me in the house! There is nothing of worth here except for some food; you can have it!" She protested, trying to see the man's face

 

[Lucyfer]

Surrender was, unfortunately, not the last thing on Dou’s mind. ‘You can’t overcome if you die.’ And his mind shot back to an incident Caesar had told him about, with pirates. He, too, had been captured. He had smiled, showed them his poetry, gotten along with them all while letting them know that once he was free, he would crucify every single one of them.

His family paid the ransom.

Caesar hunted them down, and crucified every single one of them.

Pride was foolish to hold on to if it meant death. Sure, he may be reincarnated again, but he could not count on it, nor could be he certain he’d remember. Antony did not.

And Chao shouted a good question. How could they trust them? ‘They could have killed us before now. Long before now.’ They had not been fighting to kill, and Dou stepped back to be more in line with Chao, back-to-back. It was a more defensible position if it came to it, for both of them.

“Why would we wait? Why offer? We can kill you now and not waste time.” The one who spoke Cantonese answered.

The same logic that Dou deduced, but he didn’t speak to him first, though his eyes never left him. He addressed Chao in a whisper, “We can do nothing if we are dead. If it only buys us a few minutes more, it may bring us to a more opportune moment.” He did not like the prospect of going along with this. He liked it worse if he was going alone. Better to keep Chao along.

~***~

Khalid had grasped someone, and in the light he was able to see clearly it was a woman. Pretty, young. No doubt she’d turn a profit on the market, and she seemed submissive enough, not fighting or struggling at all once held. Such thoughts all came second, though.

His first thought was that she was familiar. That he knew her. He could not place it, except in the same way he felt the need to order the two men captured. She seemed as if she belonged in those marvelous marble cities, and not here, no matter how beautiful this city may have been, how rich, how prosperous, how cultured – this was as much her home as it was his.

He didn’t understand a word she said, but it didn’t matter. She was the only one he cared for at that moment, and he stepped back, offering a slight tug to indicate she should come along. He would lead her out. He doubted she’d understand if he tried to tell her, and yet he still spoke, “You are coming with me.” He would get her back to the boat, and perhaps figure out a way to talk with her.

Or use one of his translators, and try to learn about her. Figure out if he could make sense of how she connected with the men, and why he associated her with his dreams and the feeling of that thing which was missing.

If she struggled, he would only pull harder to drag her out, and back towards the dock.

 

[beautyofthebeast]

Chao wasn't fond of the odds, but he also was not fond of the idea of death. He was watching the men carefully, and while he was surprised when Dou went back to back with him, he didn't allow the surprise to show on his face. It was a defensive position, but a strong one that would allow them to watch each other's backs when fighting.

Pride came before a fall, however, and while he had a strong sense of honor, he would be certain to fall if he did not allow himself to accept the help of others.

As Dou spoke, he realized the words of the Admiral were correct, and the logic was sound. He nodded just once, and very slightly, staring at the men pointing the swords at them. "We will go with you." He said clearly, though in his tone he made it clear that while they were going with them, they would not be coming as submissive slaves.

~***~
Feiyan's breathing sped up as she looked upon her captor, though she wasn't entirely certain that it was out of fear. Despite the fact that she couldn't understand him, and she was certain that she had never seen him in her current city, his face was one that she had seen in her dreams before, one that was strangely familiar but that she couldn't name given years to try.

She had seen the way the other men had been dragging women from their houses, and the brutality they had inflicted upon them, but he was just holding her to make it clear that she wouldn't escape, not in a way to inflict pain.

"Let me go!" She protested, struggling a little bit, but not enough to merit being dragged out. Her mother was still in the cellar, and she was worried that resisting would lead to the discovery of her mother. She herself was young, and could handle what these men wanted of her; her mother was elderly and should not be subjected to abuses