HOME | DD

Description
The boom of a rifle was heard and everyone took cover. Everyone but Xing Tian, who had reached for the point of impact, which was now a crack in his helmet. While it was now just a blob of energy, his ‘head’ was the only thing animating his armor. If his helmet were to be destroyed, he would go with it. Luckily, he had not forgotten about the Horseman, and ordered Fujin to create strong wings around all of them should Strife try something like this, long before Guan Yu emerged. And even then, the Horseman almost succeeded. The shot may not have hit the helmet directly, but it was enough to weaken Xing Tian, who now ordered his Oni and other beasts to attack Guan Yu. He then turned to the Riders of the Storm and ordered them to follow as he left the soon-to-be graveyard.
In the Jade Realm, the Emperor invoked powerful magic to prevent anyone from unleashing their full power. Now that he was out of the Realm, Guan Yu could utilize the full power of a Pagan God. First, he spun his weapon at impossible speeds, launching wave after wave of green flames at the monsters. One tried to attack from behind, but Guan Yu detected the attempt, and spun full circle, cutting the demon clean in half. Now, the beasts tried to rally and rush him, but he gave the universal ‘ok’ symbol and breathed through it. The result was long stream of green fire that incinerated everyone in the group before they had time to react. Then, another, much bigger Oni, landed behind Guan Yu, wearing only a cloth to hide his privates, roared and charged, completely forgetting who he was fighting. Guan Yu rolled to the side, and began a swing of his weapon like a baseball bat, and a dragon made of green energy appeared alongside his weapon. With a mighty swing, the dragon charged at the stomach of the Oni, its maw wide open. Another second, and the dragon ripped through, the Oni’s heart in its jaws. As the beast toppled, Strife fired off a few rounds to finish the stragglers.
“Alright, bad news; the bad guys are gone. Good news; we know where they’re going, and my friend can lead us there.” Strife declared as he left his hiding spot.
“So, this friend of yours, what kind of demon is he?” Guan Yu asked.
“She is a Kitsune. And unlike you, she’s capable of forgiving and forgetting. And also unlike you, there are… benefits… to being nice to her. Also unlike you, she doesn’t smile by frowning more.”
Guan Yu frowned more as if to prove Strife’s point. But then he spoke once more.
“What do you mean by ‘Benefits’? No…”
Strife’s helmet couldn’t hope to contain his mischievous smile. But then he replied, as if reading Guan Yu’s thoughts.
“Before you ask, she gave in willingly. And yes, the other Horsemen disapprove as well. And no, I found her annoying when she acted like a child, then rather appealing when I told her to act her age.”
“I thought the Four Riders were above such things.”
“We don’t have to eat, drink, or sleep to live. I’m the only one that does. Why, you may ask? Because what’s the point of saving Creation time and time again if we’re not going to enjoy it? I’m the only one that divulges in ‘Earthly pursuits’, but I only divulge in the best. Anything less than the freshest, finest food, and I’ll refuse to eat. Anything less than the richest, most exotic drink, and I’ll throw it to the ground. Anything less than the softest, most comfortable bed, and I’ll do guard duty or continue on my journey. And-”
“-And anything less than the sweetest, most innocent virgins, and you won’t give another glance?”
Strife burst out with laughter that seemed to be mocking, and almost fell down at Guan Yu’s interruption. He then gave a reply after a few deep breaths.
“Akari is none of those things!! No, I just have very specific tastes. Akari just so happened to satisfy most of them.”
“Oh? And what would you do if you found a woman that satisfied all of your tastes, you spoiled brat!”
Strife spun around faster than Guan Yu thought was possible, and before anyone could blink, he was pinned against a tree with Mercy pointed straight in his face.
“Alright, Saint of War. Because your horse is the thinking one in the partnership, I’ll play Captain Obvious. No matter what evil, good, or both I commit while I wear this helmet, I commit in the name of the Balance. And when the Balance is stable, life goes on. That means, that as long as I wear this, I fight for the survival all who don’t get in my way or who don’t threatened the Balance. That means, before you judge, before you assume, know that there are four reasons as to why you have lived up to now. And I’m one of them. Be grateful. So do not give me that kind of attitude again. Am I clear?”
“I’ve heard enough.”
“Splendid!”
Strife immediately released his grip and began to whistle as if nothing happened. After a few minutes, some rustling in the trees was heard. Guan Yu immediately snapped to attention, and readied himself in case it was another attack. Instead, someone jabbed their fingers into the back of his ribs and yelled “BOO!”
Guan Yu jumped and raised his fist to attack, only to see in front of him was a slender young woman, in her late twenties, and very beautiful. She wore simple bright red kimono robes dotted with silver flowers and wore wooden sandals. She had long, silver, smooth hair tied into a braid. She seemed, in every sense, human. The sole exception being that her eyes were a bright orange, and in the shape of a cat, no less. This was Akari, the kitsune.
“Well how do you do, Mr. Guan Yu?” She asked in a high-pitched voice that could only belong to a mischievous person.
“I’m just fine, thanks.”
The girl gave the man a hug with a slight giggle as she nuzzled her head against his magnificent beard.
“Guan Yu, there have been many bad people! I hope you’re here beat up the big old meanies!”
“I am indeed.”
The girl giggled yet again, stroking Guan Yu’s beard.
“Yaay! Those big bullies are gonna get what’s coming to them!”
“Guan Yu isn’t alone, you know.” Strife added, more than a bit perturbed at Akari’s behavior.
“Oh. Hello Strife. I wasn’t aware you were here.”
In an instant, Akari’s behavior, actions, even the way she presented herself, shifted from daughter to mother, child to adult.
“Who do you think gave the whistle?”
“I assumed Guan Yu finally came to his senses and came here to fight the Oni. I’m happy to see you, by the way.” Her voice ways no longer a high-pitched squeal, but sultry, enticing, and gentle.
“Regardless, we need to find the Jade Palace. Sun Wukong, to be specific.” Strife said, not acknowledging Akari’s second remark.
“Oh. But of course. Guan Yu, since Red Hare isn’t here, I’ll have to do.” Akari said as she began to ditch her human form, her clothes merging with her body in a brilliant flash of white. Soon, she transformed into a massive wolf the size of a tank with huge eight tails, and a smaller ninth one growing. The fur was as bright orange as her eyes, which were now silver.
“Uummm. I’m sure Mischief has room for two.” Guan Yu pointed out, looking vaguely sick. He trusted no one to carry him except his steed, or horses he knew were just as good.
“Relax, she doesn’t bite. Hard.” Strife warned as he mounted Mischief and sped off.
“If it makes you feel better, I could carry you in my mouth like a fox pup.” Akari suggested with a devious smile that, in her current form, would make most run in terror. But Guan Yu sighed and hopped aboard her back in a single leap. She took off before he even could secure himself, determined to catch up with Strife. She didn’t have to run long, as he started waiting when he realized he had no clue as to where he was going. For a few hours, Akari ran past fields, forests, even swamps, until they finally saw a mountain that was small for mountain standards, and scattered all around it were the remains of the Jade Palace.
“Well, this should be a cake-walk.” Strife joked as he looked at the massive amount of debris.
“How did it fall so far?” Guan Yu asked.
“Well, keep in mind, the Divine Mountain Range, where the Pagan Gods live, time and space doesn’t work the same way as down here. Up there, the Range looks like a city, but in reality, it encompasses the whole world. And if we’re-” Akari started.
“Don’t say ‘if we’re lucky’ whenever you say that, something bad happens.” Strife reminded.
Apparently, Akari wasn’t the only one. As soon as Strife finished, a massive storm appeared and began to rain lightning down on the group, and heavy winds pushed back to the whole area they came from. The Storm Riders were hard at work making sure no one came near. But the trio marched past the heavy winds and the booms of thunder the shook the earth. Then they saw the enemy camp, and climbed up a hill with a sharp ledge and several bushes to hide and to survey the enemy. Xing Tian was giving orders and directions to officers, who returned them to their soldiers. The army was even more massive than it was in the Jade Realm. Xing Tian must have anticipated the Denial Move, and had most of his forces stay at the bottom. There was also a wider variety of soldiers, some of them were on giant rooster mounts. There were even a few animated stone pots, with hands, feet, and face included.
As Xing Tian began to leave, Strife turned to the other two.
“Akari, how long has it been since you fought?”
As if to reply, four silver tails appeared from under her robes, and an orange flame appeared above the palm of her hand, with a single eyebrow raised.
“Just don’t bust out all of your tails. You’ll need the extra power if he has some surprise for us. Guan Yu, you and Akari will destroy this army. I’ll head through the ruins, find Sun Wukong, kill Xing Tian, and anyone allied with him. Hit first, hit fast, hit hard, and come out alive.”
“No, Xing Tian will die by my hand.” Guan Yu protested.
“This is not a democracy. I’m in charge. I’ve given you the plan, stick to it.”
“You are in charge? Says who?”
“Me. If you don’t like it, feel free to grumble and complain as you obey me anyway.”
Guan Yu opened his mouth to retort, but Strife whipped out Mercy and pointed it in his face.
“Do you know nothing of negotiation?” Guan Yu said, finally choosing his words.
“Don’t take it too personally. Strife threatens everyone with violence. Well, everyone except his bigger brother. He knows better.”
“Shut up Akari.” Strife ordered.
“Aww, did I hit a nerve? Did I hurt the feelings of Death’s little bitch?”
Strife now held Redemption in Akari’s face, almost daring her to breathe another word. A dare she accepted.
“Are you gonna shoot me? Alert the entire army to our position? That’d be rather… inconvenient, wouldn’t you say?”
Akari stared down one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, not even holding her breath. But eventually, Strife grumbled and relented, putting both of his pistols away. He crawled to nearby ledge and looked over, surveying where the best landing point would be. He didn’t finish though, as Akari kicked him in the ass, pushing him over the ledge. When he landed, he looked up to see a smirking Akari, whom he raised a middle finger to. She crawled back to the hiding, where Guan Yu had a puzzled look.
“Why did you do that?”
“Strife naturally annoys everyone with every other sentence. If you hung around him half as long as I have, you’d know that. So a chance to annoy Strife, the Professional Smartass? And get away with it? How could I pass it up? Now come on, we’ve got some trouble to make.”