Zhang Liao Wenyuan (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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rukhgate2013-01-15 11:21 am
800isenough) wrote in rukhgate2013-01-15 11:21 am
Entry tags:
001
[Rukhs. Dungeon Gates. Magicians.
Magic.
He could barely wrap his head around these terms, to acknowledge their existence as real and fact. Not just some slight of hand or a cheap charlatan's trick. No, there were flying carpets, magic spells that could lift a man of his feet and send him flying in one direction if he resisted, a strange crystal that pushed back when he carefully placed his hands on the smooth surface, and the alien architecture and foreign words that he had to accept as his reality now.
They called him an Indigo Mage, a Strength Mage. He glanced down at his hand; a warrior's hand, covered in calluses and skin hardened and toughened through war and training. Flexing his fingers, he frowned, closing them to form a fist and straining to find his Qi; the energy that brought forth strength from within. But where there was once something, now there was nothing. It was like reaching for a tool, no, it was like trying to move an arm or a leg, only to find...nothing. It was as if his access to his Qi was blocked.
He leaned his head back on the wall he was resting on outside his assigned room 107, closing his eyes in an attempt to block out the sounds and sights around him. He might appear relaxed, but his other hand gripped his twin axes tightly, an indication of the distress and inner turmoil he was feeling. He was still trying to come to terms with all that had happened back home, still searching for answers to the questions that burned within him, a quiet, intense flame that consumed his every being, and now that he was here, in Magnoshuttatt, his problems only multiplied. Quietly, he muttered to himself.]
Can the way of the warrior lead me home, when I'm no longer the warrior I once was?
[Maybe you overheard him? Without his Qi, his senses had been dulled and it was more difficult to notice people, especially with his eyes closed like that. Or perhaps you're wondering why he's just standing outside his room like that, still wearing the Chinese armour he arrived in. At any rate, he looked like he needed someone to talk to.]
Magic.
He could barely wrap his head around these terms, to acknowledge their existence as real and fact. Not just some slight of hand or a cheap charlatan's trick. No, there were flying carpets, magic spells that could lift a man of his feet and send him flying in one direction if he resisted, a strange crystal that pushed back when he carefully placed his hands on the smooth surface, and the alien architecture and foreign words that he had to accept as his reality now.
They called him an Indigo Mage, a Strength Mage. He glanced down at his hand; a warrior's hand, covered in calluses and skin hardened and toughened through war and training. Flexing his fingers, he frowned, closing them to form a fist and straining to find his Qi; the energy that brought forth strength from within. But where there was once something, now there was nothing. It was like reaching for a tool, no, it was like trying to move an arm or a leg, only to find...nothing. It was as if his access to his Qi was blocked.
He leaned his head back on the wall he was resting on outside his assigned room 107, closing his eyes in an attempt to block out the sounds and sights around him. He might appear relaxed, but his other hand gripped his twin axes tightly, an indication of the distress and inner turmoil he was feeling. He was still trying to come to terms with all that had happened back home, still searching for answers to the questions that burned within him, a quiet, intense flame that consumed his every being, and now that he was here, in Magnoshuttatt, his problems only multiplied. Quietly, he muttered to himself.]
Can the way of the warrior lead me home, when I'm no longer the warrior I once was?
[Maybe you overheard him? Without his Qi, his senses had been dulled and it was more difficult to notice people, especially with his eyes closed like that. Or perhaps you're wondering why he's just standing outside his room like that, still wearing the Chinese armour he arrived in. At any rate, he looked like he needed someone to talk to.]
no subject
[Her answer displeases him, yet it is at the moment the most logical course. Still, what was he to do? How was he to attain this..."Magoi"? Through meditation? Prayer ceremonies? Sacrifices to the spirits? More questions that needed answers. Still, it is good to know that there are others who are in his position.]
So, you are saying that we should employ the tricks of the enemy and use them against the forces that hold us here?
no subject
Aye, that's the ticket. I don't like it myself, but what other way is there to take on a force as unpredictable as magic?
no subject
Usually I would ride out and locate the alter that is causing all this sorcery to destroy it, but I have come to realise that many things that I know off are not the same here.
[It seems that he'll have to accept her suggestion after all. The thought of practising magic darkened his brow; it was hardly honourable to rely on smoke and mirrors to defeat the enemy, but the rules of the game have changed. He does not even know where to find the enemy commander, much less their strengths and weaknesses. They would not use swords and spears either, no...they had already demonstrated their capability to render a man immobile by lifting him off the earth. It would be folly to charge them with what little he knew now.]
Very well. For the sake of returning home, I, Zhang Liao, shall commit myself to mastering as much magic as I can!
1/2
Where are you from that reversing a spell is as simple as destroying an alter?
[ The tone of her question is sincere and carries with it none of the sarcasm typical of the firstborn of Clan DunBroch. ]
no subject
That's the spirit! Let's show them that no one can carve our life paths but us. [ And this time would be different from her last attempt to change her fate, especially since her mother's fate depended on her getting out of this uninvited bind. ]
By the way, I am Merida, firstborn of Clan DunBroch. It's nice to meet you.
no subject
[When Merida claps her hands, Zhang Liao's eyes widens a little. Her childish manner takes him by surprise; most children were tense and wary when around his presence. If they couldn't avoid him then they would keep their eyes to the ground, mumble their respects, before trying to slink away. It is good to not be known and feared by the young. He finds himself smiling a little, despite the situation.
You have good spirit and you have courage and determination. It is a pity that you were born a girl and not a boy.
[Fate and destiny...his smile slipped back into his usual stern frown but not because she offended him. It is merely because he too has been plagued with thoughts of his own fate. To walk the path of the warrior is the destiny he chooses for himself, but when that destiny results in death and destruction for others, is the price truly worth it?
He's brooding again, and slipping out of the conversation. Not desiring to be rude he quickly snaps himself out of it and returns to her introduction. As he abruptly realises though that she is no mere peasant girl, but a firstborn of some noble house, he quickly switches his demeanour to something a bit more respectful, saluting her immediately.]
Well met, Lady Merida DunBroch. Forgive me for my earlier insolence, I had not known that you were of noble blood.
no subject
[ Merida gave Zhang Liao a blank stare as she attempted to recover any possible mention of this Han empire from the depths of her memory; her mother certainly would have discussed the country in one of her geography or history lessons if it was as important as he claimed it to be. Then again, the endeavor was doomed to be a wild goose chase from the beginning; for her mind was almost always elsewhere during her mother's lessons. ]
I think my mother might have mentioned it once or twice. Is it very far from Britain?
[ Who would have thought that her occasional negligence of her education would have come back to haunt her in this way? Perhaps - perhaps her mother may have had a point when she told her that she must be knowledgeable about her kingdom after all. ]
Oh, tell me about it. I just want my freedom, but the entire kingdom expects me to settle down with some bampot instead. Only my father and my brothers seem to be on my side most of the time.
[ The sudden change in Zhang Liao's disposition toward her, however, prompts Merida to exchange her stream of complaints for a sheepish smile. ]
It's nothing. Noble blood's not all it's cracked up to be anyway.
no subject
[Perhaps she is from some really far-off backwater land, where education is still in its fledgling state. Besides, it was common for most women to be uneducated in affairs outside of the home; Lady Cai Wenji is the only exception he knows off. Zhang Liao himself had never been inclined to scholar pursuits; the way of the warrior is, and will always be, the path for him.
When Merida starts talking about freedom though...Zhang Liao averts his eyes. He has yet to have any children of his own, he hasn't even been matched yet; advising the youth of matters like these isn't anywhere in his repertoire. To top it all off, she's practically a stranger. He feels much second-hand embarrassment for her mother if Merida starts complaining about such private issues to complete strangers. And she was a higher class than him too.
Still, it would be ill-advised for her to continue on with this type of thinking. Too many strong-willed women have lead dynasties to their ruin and he does not want Merida to be one of them. Carefully, he speaks:]
I do not mean to offend, my Lady, nor do I want to overstep my boundaries, but I'm afraid that is the duty of women to marry. As the firstborn of your family, it is important that you marry a man of good family and status, to enhance the ties between the lords and to bring honour to your family name.
1/2
Well, now you do. It would do you some good to remember my island, too, or at least the north of it. [ because everyone needs to know that Scotland is the only portion of Great Britain that matters; ignore anything a certain English madwoman at the Academy may tell you!! ] That's where the Kingdom of DunBroch is, anyway, and I think it could give your empire a run for its money.
no subject
I don't see why they can't find some other way to strengthen their bonds.
no subject
[Privately, he feels that wherever this Kingdom DunBroch is, it must be a really, REALLY small kingdom. Not worth knowing, or at least not worthy of diplomatic relations with the huge Han Empire save for that of vassalage.]
There are...other ways.
[He knows of a few. Even soldiers knew about their lord's politicking ways. Zhang Liao's got his opinions, but a soldier's lot is not to think, but to do.]
But generally, marriage is the best option. By tying two families together, one can tie their fates together and therefore gain strong allies against adversity.
no subject
That's a lad. Now let's hear about these other ways before we jump to any rash conclusions, shall we?
[
Merida since when did you become the type to actually think things through first and make decisions later]no subject
An exchange of gifts could serve as a temporary measure. Awarding land to one's loyal allies could prove my lady's sincerity and dedication to keeping an alliance strong, as well as providing reinforcement if and when needed.
[But he will always lead back to this point:]
However, marriage is the best way of maintaining good bonds between allies. It is common for princes and princesses of different kingdoms to marry one another and so preserve the royal line, as well as to improve the ties between the families.