Flame Of Wu

~Battle Of Chi Bi~

The air was heavy with silence as the armies of Wu and Shu trekked down to the river side and everyone separated into their positions. Lu Mei felt worried when she saw Ling Tong leaving them and sighed. 'Please be okay after this...' She thought silently as some sort of prayer. She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Gan Ning looking where Ling Tong was headed, "He'll be fine, I...I need you to stick with me and don't leave my side, ok?" She nodded, too silent to bother mustering a word. Zhuge Liang, the main strategist of Shu, bid them well as he headed for the altar. Gan Ning motioned to his troops and they circled around them, forming a guard. "I'll be fine, you shouldn't need to do this." Lu Mei spoke. Gan Ning stood silent, not responding to her. Xue growled in warning as a mass of people ran off one of the boats towards them. 

Lu Mei steadied herself then used her spear to launch herself over the circled troops. Dashing towards the enemy, she aimed her spear and slashed several out of the way. "It's the bastard child of Lu Bu!! Get her!!" A captain yelled as Lu Mei circled back and kept striking, not losing her footing. Gan Ning ran and killed several as he passed by. Xue launched himself at the men and caught them by surprise, biting into their limbs and snarling before they were also cut down by either general. The captain and Lu Mei then clashed sword to spear and circled. "Cao Cao shall promote me if I bring back your head!!" He said as he charged at her. She leapt back and blocked his swings. 'Cao Cao knows I'm still alive... must have been Xiahou Dun...' Gritting her teeth bitterly, she jumped forward, swinging her spear swiftly to aim her blade, and hit him in the chest. Hot blood landed on her face as the captain fell back. 

Standing over him, she lingered and apologized silently before charging towards the other troop members. One by one, she fought and defeated them swiftly; though she began to tire out quickly. Shaking, she fell with exhaustion to the ground, taking deep breaths as Xue attacked and warded off the soldier closest to her as she regained her energy. One soldier knocked him to the ground and charged at Lu Mei but was struck down by Gan Ning's sword. Lu Mei then stood back up and killed the rest of the soldiers near her, still feeling remorseful over their deaths. Gan Ning's troops gaped and cried out in fear, staring at something behind them as they ran away towards the altar. In front of them, one of their soldiers was struck down by a familiar figure riding on a brown-black horse, carrying the one spear that had once belonged to a friend.

"Zhang...Liao..." She mustered softly in recognition. He looked at her from afar and sorrow filled his eyes. "You...You know him?!" Gan Ning exclaimed and stood in front of her, already in battle position. "He was the one person besides my mother who had raised me and taught me to fight..." Lu Mei stepped around Gan Ning and regained her posture, pointing her father's blade towards Zhang Liao.

"You should head back! I will not tolerate another step forward!!" She demanded. "Mei...You are the one who shouldn't be here... I will give you one chance right now, leave the battlefield and don't come back..." Zhang Liao spoke coldly, trying not to show the sadness his eyes gave away. "I can't do that...I promised my allegiance to Wu and I will not break it now." She got herself into battle position and held her spear by her side. 

"You're just like your father, stubborn until the bittersweet end. Only in death shall you truly live in peace. Make this easy for me Mei." Zhang Liao ran forwards, aiming his spear straight at her chest. Gan Ning blocked his attack and struck as he circled around, but it didn't make contact, being blocked by Zhang Liao's spear. Fighting together, side by side, they were finally starting to drive back Zhang Liao before a voice could be heard rising in alarm. "The boats!!! They're on fire!!" A soldier of Wei cried out and dove into the river from a flaming boat. Zhang Liao scowled at the news, quickly mounting his horse and riding away deeper into Wei's boats. "We will finish this later!!" 

Finding her opportunity to strike down the commander Lu Mei fought her way through the chained boats, eager to finish this battle. Gan Ning and Xue tagged along since there was no use to further protect the altar; their attack having been successful. She slashed left and right, disposing of the enemies before her. Several minutes later she arrived and set foot on a very big boat. 'The Commander must be here, the one who took my family away from me!' She charged forward, ready to face Cao Cao until a small object struck her back, causing her to loose her footing and stumble before turning around to see her next enemy. "What the-" She looked up to see a beautiful woman dressed in deep hues of violet looking vainly down at her.

"No peasant shall take another step towards my beloved." She scorned, twirling her flute and pressing it to her lips. A shrill note played from there and knocked Lu Mei back by a burst of magic. "I am Zhen Ji, surrender to me or face consequences!" She demanded. Another note played but this time Lu Mei was ready, she held her ground and used the back side of the spear to quickly strike Zhen Ji's flute. It fell out of her hands and into a crevice on the boat, where it stayed lodged. 

"Ah, seems like you've won. I guess I'll surrender." She held her hands up gingerly but eyed something behind her. Seeing this as a warning Lu Mei drove her spear against the ground and flipped backwards behind the figure; she then kicked it, causing the man to stumble and regain his footing while giving her time to steady herself after landing. "You savage scoundrel! How dare you go against me like that. Wait a minute...I know you... and it's about time the child of Lu Bu learns a lesson!" The man hissed and swiped at her. She dodged a blade as it came near her but failed to notice the second one and was cut on her side, bringing out a cry of pain from her.

As she fell, a foot connected to her chest and she sprawled back before the man. "You are very pretty for a daughter of a bastard, I'll give you a deal: Become my concubine and I'll spare you, or I can end you right here." Lu Mei felt fury spread within her at the word 'concubine'; she was never going to let herself become someone like that- not now or ever. "Seems like you're over in your head too much. I. DO. NOT. SURRENDER!!!" She spat as a blast of heat erupted from her hand and hit the man. "What is this?! A sorceress!!!" The man cried out as the pair ran off and then a cheer rang the air, "Cao Cao has been defeated, we have won!!!" 

She recognized the voice of Lu Xun, another strategist in the army of Wu as they and Shu cheered. 'So that man wasn't Cao Cao...Who was he?' She pondered silently before she felt someone grab her up and carry her while cheering. "That's what those idiotic dolts get!!" Gan Ning cheered as he held her in his arms. She laughed and held on to him as she cheered along with everyone else. "HA! I KNEW YOU TWO LIKED EACH OTHER!" They turned around to see Sun Shang Xiang grinning while her brother was next to her, chuckling. "Ah! It wasn't like that! We were celebrating!" She mustered out as Gan Ning let her down bashfully. 

"Moving on, I noticed you were fighting Cao Pi and Zhen Ji. You held them off very well." Sun Quan noted as she realized that it was Cao Cao's son and daughter in law she was fighting.

'What? I thought she was next to me. She does seem a little off though...' Gan Ning pondered as Lu Mei gazed down at the ground and shuffled her feet anxiously. Sun Quan gave a proud nod to her then kept walking to the rest of the army to congratulate and praise them.

"Lu Mei...Is something wrong?" Gan Ning asked after the siblings left, his eyes focusing on her. Lu Mei looked up at him with worry in her eyes, her lips tightening to a frown, "When I was fighting the two...Cao Pi had tried to enlist me as his concubine." "HE DID WHA-" She clasped her hands over his mouth quickly to cut off his outrage, whispering in a hushed tone. "I only want you to know. I feel a little afraid to be honest." 

Gan Ning gazed down at her for a moment before he then grabbed her arm, pulling her into a hug; "From now on, you're staying with me. Understand?" He asked sternly, she noticed jealousy lingering in this eyes. 'He really does care for me...I won't let him down!' She nodded and laid her head on his chest, enjoying the peace before she could hear his mildly panicked voice crying out again.

"Ah! You're bleeding! We need to get you back home, quick!" He picked her up with one scoop and headed home with her in his arms.