The battle raged on. General Lian Wen watched from the safety of the city walls as his men marched forward, meeting the troops of the Ozawa Clans in combat. Swords clanged and soldiers danced as Death sang. Men on both sides fell, and yet Lian barely batted an eye at the loss.
Instead, he spoke, his gaze never wandering. "This is the last of their reinforcements? You're sure?"
Beside him, his advisor shifted. "Yes, sir. The scouts haven't reported any new activity along their ranks since the last batch of reinforcements. The city should be secure after this."
General Lian nodded, as if just listening to someone order tea. From the left flank, a handful of Ozawa's men were beginning to retreat, which seemed to cause a ripple effect when more bodies followed after. Lian stroked his pointed beard as he watched, nodding again. "Good, good."
The advisor nodded along with him, pretending to look at whatever the General was watching. "But, if I may, sir..." He trailed off, locking his gaze on General Lian again.
"Go on," the General waved his hand.
"It seems the Emperor is sending reinforcements to Jinsu."
At this, General Lian paused, giving his advisor his full attention now. "Jinsu?"
However, the advisor was saved from attempting to explain the Emperor's intentions as the distant echo of a gong sounded, followed by another, closer, gong. The chain of gongs seemed to echo through the whole area, and the General visibly tensed.
On the battlefield, all men seemed to freeze as every pair of eyes turned to the sky, either with knowledge of what to come or in confusion. From on top of the wall, it could easily seem as if time itself had just stopped, if not for the giant mass flying towards the battle. It was still quite a distance away, but the line of fire spouting from its mouth was difficult to miss.
No one moved. No one breathed. Not until the beast had closed the distance, and the first of the fires had set.
Screams broke out, louder than any battle General Lian had ever heard. These were not the cries of battle. No, these were the screams of slaughter.
"General? What... What should we do?"
Finally, General Lian looked to his advisor. The small man's eyes were as wide as the emerald on the general's ring, and his voice wavered. Raising his voice, Lian looked to his troops, who all stood quietly with their eyes on the sky, although he addressed only the man next to him.
"Send word to the Emperor! The Great Dragon is awake."
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Honoured (NaNoWriMo18)
ActionThe Great Dragon awakens... Li Jun had never been in control of her life. Between attempting to find a suitor that would accept her past, and looking after her ill father, Jun had never had a taste of true freedom. When the Ozawa Clans attack, it i...
