A line of spears stood upright, feathered lanterns at each column's right. Wings of torn steel blanketed fearful men, helms pattered with cold rain made their skin goose. The young prayed, the old calmed to the inevitability. Outskirts of Amevigt, stood the hoard, within their sights was he, the Headless Horseman, the Undead Stallion, the Lacquered Demon of the west. A mountain of terror, shredding the land, left dead, their wasted bodies swam in pools of their comrades. Life was gone. Chains held their souls from ascending, pulled from the dirt they awoke. The hoard stood with broken spears in hand, death reversed, dilapidated bodies held by the will of another, their minds chained to the corporeal plain.
"My hoard, let us wreak havoc, for we must clear this world of suffering," Salt-Water, Ea'Sol Vaimiti addressed his army. "Lead the charge my stallion." Through the tethered storm roared a headless behemoth dragging chained soldiers of rotting flesh. Riding the western wind was Sheraga Abner of the Death's Shadow squad, leader of district seventeen.
"Di, what is that?" Abner asked upon his cloud.
"It looks to be a hoard, an undead hoard."
"Zombies, I thought that was myth."
"What would you like to do?" Di asked.
Sheraga Abner was an easterner by blood, his original name being Zhulong. He quickly changed it after a certain incident in the east separated him from his crew. Leading him to take on the moniker Light Candle Sheraga. He needed a family name to get around, especially in the west where such things were taken as most important to have; and so chose Abner, a name not associated with any families.
"I could purify them, but this seems like a job for a dragon. Seriously, how aggravating." His throat glowed, golden scales released themselves, swarming around his person. Dressed in ancient garments sent him flying down like a meteor. A blazing torch that turned all leashed souls into pure light. Their eroding flesh cleansed, seeping into the land as nutrients.
"Zhulong!" Salt-Water exclaimed.
"Vaimiti, should have figured it was you."
"I thought—"
"I was dead. Well you are not too wrong, the name Zhulong is no more, rather, I go by Sheraga Abner now. Light, follow me, lead my command and vaporize all evil that stands in my way." The heavens agreed, striking Abner with divine light, turning his body into that of a golden dragon, centuries long, eyes so deep time was unsure of their age. His breath melted space, his claws marked new canyons into the terrain. His body lapped the sky. What was the beginning to what the end was, was non-discoverable.
"You are one of the few I had wished to not encounter," Salt-Water said absent minded.
"Worry not child, I am not here to judge or punish, rather to see the fool who wishes to claim my life."
"I meant no insult to the great dragon. We were just passing through."
"I can see that, but it is foolish. What you are planning could lead to the end of Amevigt."
"I'm well aware."
Dangerous, very dangerous. Should I kill him now… But whoever sits behind him will surely come after me. Could I handle such a person? I am unsure if I could. "Very well, take your army around my parts, don't just bulldoze through everything." Abner returned to his human figure. Graced with light he walked back onto his cloud still in the sky. "Di, let us leave, Vaimiti wishes to play god. Let him, he will die a horrendous death in return."
"Understood," Di replied.
Salt-Water didn't bother to give them a second glance, he simply changed course to avoid what little conflict he could.
Lu Bu rubbed his chin in thought. The coming rain was beginning to build up. Turning the clouds with his hands gave little wiggle. An army, that must be what is happening. A war I was sure about, but who could they be waging it on, and why?
"Why…?" Lu Bu mumbled.
"Why?" Gao Shun asked in response.
"I understand what is going on, but not why, at least not by whom I think is starting all of this. Things just aren't adding up the more that I think about it."
"Who could be doing this then?" Gao Shun asked.
"Salt-Water, it's him," Selin interjected. "Caprice, my captain said the monster had blue chains surrounding its body, that could only be because of Salt-Water."
"No, I know that. I understand that one of the aggressors surely is Salt-Water. Rather, who is backing him up, and why is he doing this? That is what is puzzling, he possesses all the power he could want, money isn't a desire. If he wanted more land, he could simply buy it slowly over time. Power, money, fame, none of it could motivate the man. It only makes sense if he's under someone else, but why would they order him to do such things? Plans for war make no sense. What are they after? Salt-Water couldn't care less about owning the nation, if he wished, he could have done it years ago. So then who is ordering him to do this? Why? Ah! It just isn't clicking."
"You're overthinking things, Lu Bu," a golden light said.
"Who?" Lu Bu stood ready for battle. Molding the air to his whims, soaking his hands in the mah.
"Fear not boy, I am here to address your concerns. I wish not to do battle with the knight, but you do. I am here to relay information to ease your stress. Ea'Sol Vaimiti, Salt-Water is preparing an army as you have suspected. He leads a charge after subjugating the south entirely, he is under the tutelage of the Xykens. The current head possesses knowledge of something I am unaware of. It may only be obtained after conquering all of Amevigt. Heed my knowledge greatly, this is not a single headed serpent." The light faded.
"An oracle?" Selin exclaimed.
"No, a spirit…" Gao Shun interjected.
"Fools, that was the legendary golden dragon Zhulong. And he just backed out of the fight…" Lu Bu said, clutching his fists tightly till they bled. "This is getting a little scary," he whispered. "Well not to worry, as long as that fool Orion doesn't bend the knee, we should have enough power to push against an entire nation." Though I doubt Orion would even bother, he's a coward after all. More likely he would have joined up with Salt-Water. If that were the case then we are in more trouble than I would like. "Gao Shun, how well did we do against Orion last we met?"
"My Lord, do you not recall, he beat us so bad you went into isolation training."
"Ah…I remember now." I hate to say it, but we may be screwed. My confidence is waning with every new line on the page. If only I could sigh in my mind. Oh what am I thinking— "I can split the heavens!"
"Lord Lu Bu! Incredible, to remember such an ability in a time like this! The gods must be on our side!"
"Fool! We don't need the gods, we are enough!"
"Oohh! Truly profound my Lord. Wisdom I could never think up."
"Why are they like this?" Selin asked rhetorically.
Ea'Sol sat upon a throne of thorns, scratching his reddened eyes made his lids bleed. Picking dried skin opened cracks that trickled blood down his wrists. His heart rate rose, the smell of his insides intoxicating him. Dinas entered the naked hall, dressed to impress, his cloaks too busy for the eye, shoulder pads obscuring his peripherals.
"All have gathered, my king," Dinas said, bowing so low he could smell the dirt.
"My generals?"
"They are ready for your command."
"Bring them…" Dinas nodded, waving his hand, seven coffins of ornate design, too spectacular for the souls that resided in each. The Headless Horseman, the Undead Stallion, although in a smaller frame still held the same disturbing aura of death. Spikes jutted from his neck, abyssal flames were his eyes, tight black skin that squeaked like poor plastic as he moved.
From the coffin to the right of the stallion entered the reaper of the west winds, the dark torrent. His flesh fused together, thorned collar piercing his flesh as barbs slithered along his body. A nasal cavity was the only hole open for his screams, stabbing his face with a spike made it all the worse; he could not move on.
Two coffins conjoined together opened up to the leaders of districts three and four; both were under Shen Dime Company's CEO, Ea'Sol Vaimiti's control. Captain of Roho Ko, Rai, was stitched to the right, plates of sheet metal stapled through his skull. Captain of Zobo Go, Leifei, was stitched to the left, plates of sheet metal replaced half their face. Both their bodies folded onto one another. Each arm and leg splicing with the other, their extra ribs acting as spare teeth for their stomach. As their entrails sloshed and slipped, some flopping out of their dress; a pearl dusted train followed, but it quickly got muddy.
Longwang broke from his makeshift vessel, wires and antenna spilling out of his head. Goblin flesh was patched all over him, with his traditional garments reworked to accompany his added mass. His poorly taken care of facial hair was no more, it became a luscious beard full of wisdom. His eyes spelled doom, for his pupils were cloudier than the night sky.
In the sixth coffin strode out a young man masked by a platinum helm. Six horse shoes resembled his eyes, as his black cloak shimmered in the night. His busy figure made it look as though he was phasing in and out of reality. Nine arrows slowly grew from his back, gold in color, they smelled of a dying whale.
"Yes, this will do. With the hoard, we will finally achieve true prosperity," Ea'Sol said, his grin splitting his face. Flakes of skin falling, shattering into small drops of blood. Opening his mouth created a wheeze not unlike a laugh, a dry cackle, a sorry chuckle. "Yes, this will do indeed." Ea'Sol couldn't hold back his laughter any longer. Although it looked as though he were in pain. He truly couldn't have been more joyful. His misery was soon to conclude. Ea'Sol laughed hard enough for all his days, enough for all of humanity, he laughed and laughed. His skin no longer smooth, sitting in a throne of his own blood, left him destitute to his own appearance. A red demon.