Time for a Vacation
Five years ago, in the dungeons of the Imperial Manse.
___
The Scarlet Empress walked into a deep, multi-level chamber of mostly unworked stone, carrying a tray with food. The Legion of Silence, each one a eunuch with his tongue removed, stood watch over the prisoner, silent as always, each armed with a war axe or recurve bow. The stone walkways crisscrossed the chamber's central pit, leading to guarded stairways to the next level. She glanced down the pit, to where the prisoner, held down under stone weights that would always be too heavy for him to fully lift and with chains attached to weights that dangled off of the stone platform attached to each of his limbs. The platform itself was suspended by four thick chains over a pit so deep, no light from the lava at the bottom could be seen most of the time. She smiled when she saw that the prisoner was in the midst of practicing martial arts still, even after all these years and despite the weights, and continued downward.
At the lowest level, a single wooden platform lowered the Empress to the prisoner, who, hearing the platform being lowered, stopped his kata and returned to a resting position. She sat down in front of him so that he could see her underneath the stone 'helmet' he wore strapped to his head. The prisoner laughed, not bothering to hide his disdain or to gloss over the issues of their past.
Hello, mother.
The Empress nodded, not expecting anything different.
Hello, my son.
They lapsed into an awkward silence as the Empress fed the prisoner. As the meal finished, the Empress slid a pair of chopsticks into her son's hands. Underneath the helmet, his eyes widened as he palmed them, though the Empress quietly spoke before he could do so.
Your time as prisoner has come to an end. I only ask that you wait until they bring you your evening meal, and that you free the remaining Anathema trapped down here.
Realizing that she spoke quietly enough that even the closet Legionnaires could not hear, he did not reply, by voice or by motion. As the Empress reached the elevator back up, the turned and grinned, and again spoke for her son's ears only.
Even the Heart Eater.
She smiled even as Twin Dragons' Wrath sighed, and left the chamber.
___
A short time later, the Empress walked into a series of hallways guarded by the Legion of Silence. Despite being in the dungeons, they were almost lavish, with painted red columns and support beams, and the stone walls covered and often painted over. She reached the center of the area, where a lone man sat trapped in what appeared to be a glass box. A few air holes were on top, and a spigot was attached to the side so that the prisoner could be fed. The door to the box was locked tight, and the lock was covered with runes. Across from the box was an alcove, upon sat an Orichalcum Wrackstaff and a high quality courtier's outfit, the Moonsilver and Orichcalcum threads which strengthened it unnoticeable under the poor light.
The man inside the box was short, with unruly brown hair that almost, but not quite, gave him a beard. He grinned as the Empress approached, baring his slightly enlarged canine teeth. The man also had a monkey's tail that was now swishing around.
Before he could speak, the Empress leveled a glare at the Monkey King which, in the past, had caused whole armies to crumble. Sun Wukong just smiled wider, though, thankfully, he remained quiet. Sun grew thoughtful when he saw the Empress glance around to make sure none of the Legion of Silence were within earshot.
Sun, Sun, Sun... Monkey King, Great Sage Equal to All Heaven... you are a lucky man today.
Sun laughed, though at a much lower volume than he would use under normal circumstances.
Why? Have you come to gloat some more... to give me something better than gruel and water to eat? Oh... I know. You're finally going to end this, and see what kind of trouble my next incarnation will get up to, right?
The Empress' smile grew during the tirade, and Sun, seeing that something odd was definitely going on, grew quiet yet again.
You're half right, my King. This does end today. And when the time comes, I would like you to do a number of things for me.
Sun, a slight frown on his face as he worked through the implications, settled down. He sat in a meditative pose, his legs crossed, while being held up in the air by his tail.
I'll admit, I'm curious. I mean, I know you owe me for my efforts at, um... repairing House relations... a number of years ago, not to mention all the combat training I put your troops through for years...
He trailed off, frown turning into a smile both for reliving some fun memories and for watching the Empress scowl. She responded angrily, and had to visibly control herself as she did so.
Repairing House relations? Just because you got V'Neef and Mnemon into bed with you before they realized what you were...
The Empress took a deep breath, then, continued more calmly.
Considering that they nearly killed themselves, and you, I'd not consider that in any way 'repairing House relations.' You nearly started a civil war.
Sun grinned back, and the Empress sighed.
Back to the point at hand... when your evening meal comes, I suspect you'll be able to break free. When you do so, please free the rest of the Anathema underneath the Imperial Manse.
At Sun's expression, she paused. Almost dejectedly, he spoke up.
Even the Heart Eater?
The Empress nodded, and Sun, not really thinking, lowered himself until he was actually sitting on the ground. His tail began twitching nervously.
Once you are free, you are to seek out an acquaintance of yours - Sublime Danger. She shall point you in a direction that should help explain why this is all necessary.
Sun perked up.
Oh, I was planning on finding her anyways.
The Empress nodded and smiled, then snapped a precisely aimed kick at Sun. Her foot cracked both the lock and the glass door ever so slightly, and shot a jet of fire into the box. Sun instinctively hopped up above the flame. He splayed out and braced himself in the upper back corner of the box and glared at the Empress, then, a moment later, flicked his tail - the tip now on fire - up to where he could get to it to put out the flame. His roar of disapproval was heard throughout all of the dungeons of the Imperial Manse.
The Empress just smiled and began walking away. As she reached the edge of the hallway, Sun noticed a black haired woman wearing a literal cloak of shadows meet the Empress and join her as they walked off.
___
Hours later, Twin Dragons' Wrath watched as a single Legionnaire was lowered with his evening meal. He remained quiet during the meal, and as the Legionnaire began to leave, made his move. Dragon jammed the chopsticks into the lock of the chain weighing down his left arm, hard. The Legionnaire turned at the noise, but with one hand free, the tables had turned. Dragon leaned forward even as the Legionnaire drew and slashed with his axe. The axe bounced off of the stone weight on Dragon's back as he reached back and broke the lock on his left foot. A second weight dropped into the fires below.
The Legionnaire reeled back even as the gongs of the alarms began ringing. He then slashed downward. Dragon surged forward, catching the Legionnaire's hand, then slammed his stone helmet into the Legionnaire's face. With a single shove, he tossed the Legionnaire off the platform and reached down to break the remaining locks.
The wooden platform, already being raised due to the alarm, was nearly twenty feet above as the last lock was broken. Dragon ran and leaped, catching the ropes at the bottom of the platform even as a hail of arrows was launched downwards. He hung there, patiently, and ignored the creaking of the wood and ropes as the platform struggled with both his and the stone weights, and an increasing number of arrows being shot into it.
The platform reached the top, even as a Legionnaire got the bright idea to cut the ropes and let it drop. Dragon swung himself off to the side, and, unfortunately, away from the walkway, as the platform dropped. Then, with a burst of Essence, launched himself upwards towards the walkway and a very surprised Legionnaire. As that Legionnaire was launched off of the walkway, Dragon turned to the man's compatriots. Essence flared as Dragon settled into Tiger Form, and the battle began in earnest.
___
At the same time as Dragon was getting his evening meal, Sun received his own. The Legionnaire poured water down the spigot, which Sun lapped up (quite literally, as he'd found the being a canine somewhat helped with not wasting any water). Sun shifted back to human form as the Legionnaire turned to grab the gruel, and then he plucked out a single hair. Moving quickly to the crack in the glass that the Legionnaire had not noticed, he blew on the hair, sending it through the glass. The Legionnaire did not notice the soft golden glow, though when he turned around, he did notice that, somehow, Sun was standing right there, outside the box. The Legionnaire reached for his axe, but Sun's punch sent him flying.
Knowing there wouldn't be much time, Sun grabbed the Heaven-Spanning Staff, and with a flourish, struck the lock and glass box in the exact same place the Empress had done so earlier. He turned as gongs started clanging, and grinned as a number of Legionnaires entered both sides of the hallway.
Inside the glass box, Sun - the real Sun - grabbed the end of the Heaven-Spanning Staff. It instantly elongated, one end slamming into the far wall and the other into the ground in the box. Sun hopped on the staff, and crouched low as the Staff then expanded in diameter, easily breaking both the box and the lock. In a single fluid motion, the Staff returned to its normal size and Sun dove into the hallway.
Off to the side, a Legionnaire got a lucky strike in, and the clone was cut in half. Two pieces of hair fell to the ground. Sun growled, then pulled out two handfuls of hair. Essence surged as he released the hair, and, each glowing golden for a moment, each became a copy of Sun himself. The two groups of Suns charged the Legion of Silence.
Sun whistled to himself as he put on his Silken Armor. A single Legionnaire broke through the swarms of Monkey Kings as Sun reached for his hat. He ducked an axe swing, then flipped in the air, hooking the strap of his hat around the Legionnaire's chin. Even as the rest of the Legionnaires began clearing the clones, the Monkey King landed, and then bent over, pulling the Legionnaire onto his back.
The two squads of Legionnaires came to a stop as they realized they couldn't attack the Monkey King through their own man (at least, not easily), which gave Sun an opening. Bent over, one hand held his hat (and the choking Legionnaire along with it) and the other the Heaven-Spanning Staff. Grinning, he pointed the staff at the knee of one of the standing Legionnaires. Once again, the Staff extended, and the Legionnaire's leg broke.
The Legionnaires began attacking. In one hand, he used the Heaven-Spanning Staff to attack the first group, primarily aiming at their legs, and, with a combination of balance and sheer strength, used his captive Legionnaire to keep the squad at his rear at bay. Sun laughed when he managed to make his now nearly-dead captive kick one of his comrades in the face, and jabbed one of the Legionnaires to the front in the man's stomach, easily sending the man flying.
Sensing that the Legionnaires were going to just try to weigh him down with sheer numbers, Sun leaped. His captive took the brunt of it as he slammed into the ceiling. Sun hooked a foot back and braced himself on the ceiling for just long enough to send his captive hurtling into the first group of Legionnaires.
He then leaped forward, hat in one hand, Heaven-Spanning Staff in the other. Another group of Legionnaires entered the far end of the hallway, and one barely managed to parry the Heaven-Spanning Staff - from fifty feet away - being jabbed at his face. The Staff slammed into the wall, and, when it returned to normal size, Sun was carried with it. The Legionnaire had been turning to attack Sun, only to have Sun slam both feet into the man's face. The force of the strike momentarily scattered the rest of the squad, which gave Sun enough time to flip onto the Staff, and finally put his hat on.
Balancing on the Heaven-Spanning Staff, Sun roared, again, at the soldiers, even as they reformed their ranks, and a Caste mark appeared on his forehead. A full silver circle glowed fiercely, and, for the first time in many years, the Legion of Silence knew fear.
___
Back at the pit, Dragon tore into the army facing him. He seemed to flow around each attack, sometimes just tossing the unfortunate Legionnaire out of the way or off the platform, sometimes brutally countering with claw strikes, powerful kicks, or even just blasts of golden Essence.
Dragon advanced towards the first stairwell, keeping low and taking advantage of the stone weights on his back and head. He used the weights to block strikes and, occasionally, to break his opponents. As he reached the first stairwell, a number of Legionnaires blocked the doorway with large shields. Dragon retreated as they extended spears through the few openings. Even as he did so, two Legionnaires attacked from behind, and managed to hook their axes on either side of the stone helmet.
Dragon grinned as the Legionnaires tried to drag him down. He flipped backwards over their heads, using their own axes to cut the leather straps hold the sorcerous stone on. The helmet fell off, revealing unkempt brown hair and piercing gold eyes. He landed behind the Legionnaires, one hand on each of their axes, and then twisted, killing both men with their own weapons.
Realizing he couldn't afford to be slowed down, Dragon ripped at the leather straps holding the weight on his back. It dropped, and Dragon moved, now even faster. Since the stairwell was blocked, he scooped up the stone helmet and threw it with all his might towards the next level's walkway.
The walkway broke under the hit, and great stone blocks fell, along with nearly twenty of the Legion of Silence. Dragon ran, and leapt from block to block, as well as the occasional Legionnaire, until he reached the next level. Dodging another hail of arrows, he ducked into the next stairwell.
___
The Legionnaires charged Sun, only to be driven back as he braced his feet on the wall between two pillars and wrenched the Staff free from the stone. He easily kept the Legionnaires at bay for a few moments, until he noticed that the doors to the Manse itself were being closed. With a surge of motion, he moved towards the doorway.
Using the Staff, and often his enemies, he ricocheted towards the closing door, parrying axes and hitting Legionnaires, each strike propelling him that much closer. Finally, never having hit the ground until just then, Sun dived through the heavy rune-encrusted stone door even as it closed. The two Legionnaires on either side turned, and Sun, without breaking momentum from the roll, struck one in his knee, reversed the strike to break the other Legionnaire's rib cage, and then, with a quick flick of his wrist, he flipped the end of the Staff into the first Legionnaire's face.
Glancing around, realizing there was no one around to see him, Sun stood up, straightened his clothing, and wrapped his tail around his waist. He shrunk the Heaven-Spanning Staff to the size of a quill, and then hid it in the folds of his outfit. With a jaunty stride, Sun started heading towards the exit.
___
Dragon spun past an axe strike, anima flaring golden, and the Legionnaire making the strike, and caught the Legionnaire on the back of his neck with a clawed strike. Holding onto the man, Dragon twisted and drove the Legionnaire through the stone wall of the stairway. Dragon then hopped over a slashing attack from a Legionnaire below, only to break the Legionnaire's arm with a stomp as he landed.
From above, another Legionnaire stepped down, and Dragon caught the man's leg, gouging at pressure points above the man's knee (and through his armor) with his fingers. Even as the Legionnaire buckled, Dragon slammed a punch into the man's abdomen, caving in the man's armor, then tossed the Legionnaire onto his friends below, clearing the way for Dragon to advance.
He stepped up, and even as two Legionnaires tried to block his way with shields, struck again. Dragon slammed a kick into the first shield-bearer's shin, breaking it and causing the makeshift shield wall to falter. Using the opening, Dragon ran up the wall, and kicked the falling Legionnaire in the head with enough force that he ended up headbutting the other shield-bearer.
Dragon then reached the final walkway, and saw the remaining contingent glaring his way. Behind their shields, a line of axe wielding Legionnaires in front of archers, Dragon smiled.
A surge of Essence brought forth two dragons above his head, each spinning around the other, forming a draconic yin-yang symbol. The Legionnaires held ranks, barely, but, frozen in fear, did not attack. This would prove to be a terrible mistake, as Dragon collected all of that released Essence into his hands, and then directed the resulting blast at the arrayed soldiers. The explosion cleared the way, and tossed a large number of Legionnaires off to the side. Most, but not all, were able to grab onto something, and only a few fell all the way down the pit.
Dragon then ran out the now cleared pathway (and broken door) into the Manse proper.
___
Sun turned a corner, and then as the person he stumbled into tried to claw his eyes out, hopped back and extended the Heaven-Spanning Staff at the chest of his attacker.
Dragon, having bumped into a person also moving at high speed, managed to catch the end of the Staff before it caved in his rib cage. Sun, realizing he wasn't being attacked, hid the Staff once again, and stared, disbelieving, at his 'assailant.'
Well, I'll be damned. Glad to see you got off on a work-release program, too, Dragon.
Twin Dragons' Wrath grinned back.
You could say that. Apparently, if you'd be willing to help me, my mother wants us to free everyone down here.
Sun nodded.
She told me something similar. Odd games these Dynasts play, though this time I ain't gonna argue... though that also specifically included the Heart Eater.
Dragon shook his head ruefully.
She told me that, too... and for the sake of causing trouble, I can't argue... though that's the only person down here I'd actually be loath to free.
A hopeful tone crept into his voice as Sun responded.
Well, we could kill it, I suppose. Then, once Luna finds someone she likes, the Heart Eater will technically be free.
Dragon laughed at that.
There's only one problem with that.
Sun shook his head.
Yeah. We'd actually have to kill it. Never mind.
With that, the two Exalted quickly made their plans and got to work breaking out the remaining Solars and Lunars trapped under the Imperial Manse. A short time later, Sun climbed the tallest spire of the Manse, and looked out over the city. Just barely, well outside the city walls, he made out nine people escaping to the countryside.
Sun whistled loudly, and waited, enjoying the view, even with the overcast, cloudy sky. He smiled as one cloud, only large enough for him to set comfortably on, dropped out of cover above, and swooped down. Sun lightly leaped onto it as it passed, and headed East, ready once again to get into trouble and have lots of fun at both the Realm's and Yu-Shan's expense.