Chiang Battlehand - Heroes

Prologue
The sun was beginning to set on the horizon as an unusual figure walked over a large expanse of woodland, resembling a tall humanoid with feline features and carrying a rather simple wooden staff with him - moving across the area as the setting sun begin to bathe the land in an orange light as shadows began to creep in from the distance.

The figure continued walking only to stop suddenly, moving back as he kneels down - his keen senses having spotted a tiny figure laying on the ground motionless, the Felid having narrowly avoided stepping on it.

The figure carefully picked the figure up in one hand and prodded it lightly with a claw, noticing the figure was not Felid he leaned forward and sniffed lightly at the tiny figure, noticing its fragile wings were torn.

"..who did this, little one?" the figure asks, his voice deep yet gentle - almost a whisper, those green eyes observing the tiny form which slowly stirred.

"..m..mother.. s..she's. w...went.. m..mad.. F..Faungli.. h..he.. t..told her.. t..to.. k..kill me.." the tiny voice replies, shivering.

The figure's eyes narrow as he stands up again, cradling the small figure in his hands as he carefully walks towards the nearby village "..I know of this evil, little one.. do not be afraid.. I will stop it..".

Chapter 1
The sun had already set by the time the figure arrived in the village, the guards took one step forward as if to stop him only to leap back two steps when they saw who it was - a voice yelling out across the village:

"make way! make way! Chiang Battlehand has return!".

The village becomes a hive of excitement as children escape the confines of their homes and run after the entering figure - angry mothers in hot pursuit, some with brooms which they waved threateningly at their disobedient young.

The merchants in turn began wheeling their carts over towards the arriving hero, already bickering amongst themselves as they practically shoved their wares on the ground by his feet - begging him to buy something.

Yet Chiang Battlehand was determined, simply walking past the crowds and keeping the tiny figure in his hands safe as he headed into a nearby Inn - placing the small figure on the counter as the maid looked down, her eyes growing wide as she exclaims.

"oh my! oh -! OUT! OUT!" she yells, chasing the flood of villages who had pursued Chiang into the Inn.

(ooc: anyone may edit below if they wish - Felidia is a world that has accepted outside races for a long time so if a character has the ability to appear on a world other than Earth they'd be welcome here)

A rugged youth sits in a corner of the inn. His eyes are dark and intense, and he wears a mechanical band on his right wrist. A metal tag hangs around his neck; engraved on it are the words ''"Project Revelation: Subject Thirteen." ''He glances up at Chiang, and keeps his eyes on him out of curiosity.

Chiang leans over to the tiny figure on the counter and speaks softly "..don't be afraid, you are safe here - I know this place well.. Sheva will protect you as if you were her own..".

Sure enough within seconds the maid returns, having slammed the door shut behind the crowd of frenzied Felids - placing a large table in the way to ensure they would not simply break the door down again in her absence.

"..what happened?" she enquires, leaning down and gently manipulating one of the figure's wings - those observing may find it fascinating that such powerful beings show such care, every movement as delicate as a surgeon.

"..she was attacked - I know not why.. however she spoke of Faungli.." Chiang replied.

The maid growls slightly as she picks the small figure up and moves into a back room, "..shameless wretch, if I was ten-times his size I'd like to show him a thing or two about respect.." she mutters.

"..it was not Faungli who did this, I am afraid.. it was her mother.. though Faungli has no doubt poisoned her mind.." Chiang continued.

After a few minutes the maid returns, closing the backdoor behind herself "..there.. she'll be safe there.. her own mother did this? we must inform the Felid Order at once.."

"...sounds like this Faungli character is bad news..." the youth in the corner thinks to himself. "...there's always some big trouble going on, wherever I go..."

Chiang shakes his head a little "..the Felid Order does not provide aid for the outside races when it comes to matters such as this.. the girl was wounded outside Felidia.. by one of her own.. the Felid Order would not interfere..".

The maid frowns a little "..surely if they knew Faungli was involved..".

"The Felid Order would rather think of Faungli as dead.. who would blame them either considering he was once one of their own? such shame is not easy to bare.. especially for those who uphold the Sacred Laws.." Chiang interupts.

As this conversation occurs the youth in the corner suddenly finds himself approached by a skinny Felid with an unkempt appearance and a torn right ear, the Felid has a distinct smell of drink and unwashed fur as his single predatory eye observes the youth, the other little more than glass and clearly not functional.

"you're sitting in my corner, outsider.." the Felid states, words garbled due to intoxication.

"...my apologies." the youth growls, obviously irritated with the drunken Felid yet not wanting to cause a scene. He stands up and begins to move.

The drunken Felid sits down awkwardly, still slurring his words "..you flat-snouts are all the same, dirty no-good skinwalkers - that's what you are..".

Chiang's ears flick slightly and suddenly the entire area goes deadly silent as he gets up slowly, "..is that the drunken sounds of old Glass-Eye I hear? pity - I thought you'd of learned your lesson the last time about my objection to the term "skinwalker" and "flat-snout".." - he turns around, looking towards the corner where the youth and the drunken Felid are.

The youth stands back, watching the unfolding scene with interest.

The drunken Felid frowns as he spits at Chiang a little "..figures you'd be the one to side with outsiders, you always were soft..".

Chiang shakes his head a little and moves over to the drunken Glass-Eye, stopping a few feet from the table, "..there is nothing soft about respecting the lives of others, Glass-Eye.. now move your flea-infested self to another seat and give the man back his seat..".

"no! he vacated it willingly!" the drunken Felid snarled.

"..as did you with your insults, now move.." Chiang replied, oddly calm.

"both of you stop this! you're acting like savage beasts!" the maid snaps, moving over to the youth and motioning him to one side "..I'm sure the boy will be just as happy over here, by the fire.." - she turns to the drunken Felid "..as for you, Glass-Eye.. I will not tolerate your bullying here.. this is a place of rest, for all beings.."

"Don't mind him..." the youth mutters. "People don't usually like me anyway..."

(Oh GOD, I can't believe I forgot this story! All this time, I thought I was the last one to edit! If you're still there and you see this, I'm SO sorry! I'm practically kicking myself over this!)  (So sayeth the Arbiter)  10:25, November 16, 2011 (UTC)

Chiang turns away, as he does so he lightly taps a nearby chair with his staff - the chair suddenly flies with great force over to Glass-Eye, knocking the drunken Felid over with a flurry of fur and curses.

"..as you wish, Sheva.." Chiang says, walking over to the youth "..this is not a matter of like or dislike, stranger - merely a Felid tradition of tolerance which should be respected..".

"oh for the love of -! that's it! OUT! OUT!" Sheva roars, flying over the counter and grabbing Glass-Eye as she literally drags the drunken fool out by the scruff of his neck.

"..what!? why am I being punished!? that flea-bag was the one who attacked me! justice!" Glass-Eye protests.

"..maybe so.. however.. you're the one who has tested my patience one too many times!" Sheva growls as the two disappear outside.

"I see." the youth says to Chiang, watching the rest of the scene unfold. After a moment of silence, the youth speaks:

"My name is Thirteen." he said.

Chiang pulls up a seat next to Thirteen, on the other side of the table - "..Thirteen? very well.. I am Chiang Battlehand.. the flea-infested felon you encountered was named Glass-Eye.. he is twice as unpleasant when sober as he is when drunk.. not that you will find him sober these days.. what brings you to Felidia?".

"Its a long and perhaps unbelieveable story, but I suppose that you could just say I happened to wander here." Thirteen responded.

Chiang grins, "ah! so you wish to exchange tales, do you? oh the stories I could tell you! ha!" - suddenly his grin fades as he hears a noise from the back room, quick as lightning the Felid flew towards the backdoor and broke it down.

Just as this occured Sheva returned, upon seeing Chiang break down the backdoor she too rushed over - in a mix of fear and anger: "Chiang! what are you -?!".

Thirteen stands as well upon seeing Chiang in a panic, and hurries over. "...what is it?" he asks.

A tiny creature suddenly flies towards Thirteen, resembling at first a dragonfly but as she gets closer it is apparent she more like a fairy - no more than an inch in size she flees as several arms Felids go flying in several directions as Chiang bursts out, another Felid clinging to his back in a desperate effort to avoid his claws.

Sheva quickly grabs a nearby table and lifts it with surprising ease, flying towards the attackers with a growl as the scene bursts into chaos:

"..the Nix must die by orders of Faungli!" one of the attacking Felids declares loudly.

Thirteen had already charged forth into the fray, aiming a powerful kick at the nearest attacker.

The Felid replied by hissing and slashing with a dagger, however the kick is enough to deal with the attacker - the gang of Felids seeming to be little more than hired-thugs as they were easily dealt with: Chiang and Sheva having already taken out the others.

The tiny figure falls down on a table and holds her torn wings, obviously in pain as she looks around fearfully.

Thirteen's metal wristband glows green as he holds out his palm. A green circle appears on the floor, glowing with the same light as the wristband, before the shape flashes and disappears; within the same second, above where the circle was, a ball of wind smashes into the few remaining attackers, throwing them in several directions.

Chiang motions, "enough! let them leave!" - sure enough the attacking Felids soon flee the area, as they do so several guards enter the Inn and begin to make their way over.

"what is going on?!" the guards yell out, drawing their swords.

"assasins.. they left through the back.." Sheva explained, the guards quickly moving to where the attacking Felids had fled, pursuing them on foot.

"quickly! the streets are crowded - if we hurry we can track them down before their scent draws thin!" one of the guards exclaims.

Meanwhile Chiang seems more concerned with the tiny figure as he moves towards the table, clearly part of his reason for letting the attackers go - kneeling down he carefully picked the tiny figure up in one hand.

"...is this the one they were after?" Thirteen asked, referring to the fairy-like creature that was in Chaing's hand.

"..yes.. I don't understand why Faungli wants her dead.. yet it must not be allowed to occur.." Chiang replies.

"...Faungli? Who is that?" Thirteen asks.

Chiang doesn't answer, flattening his ears as he carries the tiny figure outside "..who? ..the correct term is what.. and for that I can not give you an answer.." he replies - motioning Thirteen to follow as the crowds outside once again begin to swarm: as if waiting for Chiang to arrive.

Sheva on the other hand opts to stay in the Inn "..you be careful Chiang, Felidia has few enough heroes as it is without losing another.." she calls out.

Thirteen follows Chiang to the doors and the crowds, glancing around with his intense, golden eyes.

Chapter 2
Chiang waits until he and Thirteen are outside the city gates and way from the crowds before he speaks again, keeping the tiny figure shielded in his hands as he walks - surprisingly gentle for a man who easily fought off several attackers not too long ago.

"..do you really wish to know of Faungli?" he asks, looking ahead yet addressing Thirtreen.

"I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't curious. Yes, I would like to know." Thirteen responds.

"Faungli was once a Felid of high-rank.. a knight of the Felid Order.. yet something about him was wrong from the start.. he was always drawn towards foul magic.. a trait many dismissed as a morbid hobby.. then there was his lust for Ginga Redkit.. even a knight was forbidden from marriage to a princess.. so Faungli decided the time had come to make himself more than a knight.." Chiang says, pausing for a moment as the tiny figure suddenly stirs.

"I see..." Thirteen says in thought.

"..I.. I'm sorry.. this.. is all.. my fault.." the tiny figure says.

"..no, you are not to blame - what is your name?" Chiang replies.

"..S-Sunflower.. daughter of L-lady.. Wallflower.." the tiny figure says.

"..so.. she was the one who made an attempt on your life?" Chiang enquires.

"..Faungli.. he.. changed her.." Sunflower says.

"..no doubt he did.." Chiang says with a small growl, looking forward again as his gaze becomes momentarily more feral.

"He... changed her? How so?" Thirteen asks.

"Faungli is a creature of chaos, Thirteen.. yet he is a conqueror at heart.. he can bend the minds of others.. or simply tear them with his claws.. you'd be surprised how effective such methods are against even the strongest of Felids.. what chance would a being such as this have?" Chiang replies, showing Thirteen the tiny form of Sunflower.

"A creature of chaos..." Thirteen repeats, once more in thought. "Well then... if we must fight him, let me help you."

Chiang grins, "..I would not of taken you this far had I not intended on having you as a travelling companion now, would I?" he says, his eyes sparkling with surprising intelligence - however his grin fades yet again as a portal suddenly opens in front of them.

Chiang suddenly feels himself being pulled into the portal as it acts like a blackhole, sucking the group towards it with frightening ease - however before he can be sucked in Chiang slams his staff into the ground and holds on: "..grab on.." he yells.

Thirteen takes hold of the staff with his left hand. With his other hand, he forms a circle of energy similar to the one he used in the bar; The circle then is projected onto the ground between him and the portal, and begins to glow; a thick wall of earth rises up, briefly shielding them from the suction of the portal. Another circle appears on the wall- this one was smaller, and had a six-point star within it's circumference. The wall and much of the surrounding earth begins to change, turning grey and shiny, until it becomes a giant shield of metal.

(see Thaumaturgy if you are confused about the circle-thing, Mr. Odd)  (So sayeth the Arbiter)  07:25, November 18, 2011 (UTC)

Chiang looks down and sees the earth around the staff begin to crack and rumble, his eyes growing wide "..oh scat.. uhm.. I don't know how to tell you this but.. I think I just made a fatal mistake.." he says, sure enough the ground soon shatters around the staff and sends the group flying: luckily Thirteen's construct stops the portal as it closes after a few moments.

"..grr.. idiot.. I completely forgot the most basic of rules when dealing with the Staff of Felidia.. NEVER strike solid ground.." Chiang growls, once he rights himself.

"I dunno... that tactic might prove to be useful at some point." Thirteen said, picking himself up off of the ground.

Chiang suddenly looks concerned as he notices Sunflower had escaped his grasp, once again laying on the ground - he reached over to pick her up when suddenly another portal opened and a horrific yet tiny figure emerged and fires a bolt of green energy into Chiang's face that causes him to leap back in pain as he rubs at his eyes.

"suffer and die, Chiang Battlehand! for the glory of Faungli!" the figure shrieks, grabbing Sunflower and pulling her into the portal, long skeletal hands keeping the struggling girl from escaping as the woman's wild blue hair flew around madly, looking like a miniature banshee with her ferocity - her wings also like those of a dragon-fly yet noticably darkened and stinking of foul pestilence.

Thirteen however, leapt at the tiny, demonic figure, attempting to reach into the portal and grab either her or Sunflower.

As Thirteen does this he suddenly feels himself tugged straight into the portal, Chiang leaps forward just in time to be transported alongside Thirteen into the portal - the pair spiralling down a dark tunnel until at last they land on barren ground that is black sand that blows violently in a gale-force wind, the skies a hellish red.

Chiang gasps slightly as he covers his muzzle: "..Thirteen! be careful! the air here is toxic - we have to hurry..".

As all this occurs the crazed creature can be seen flying away into the distance, shrieking obscenities - Thirteen however can soon feel Sunflower in his grasp, having managed to grab her during the whole ordeal.

Thirteen holds Sunflower securely and looks around frantically. "...toxic?" he asks.

Chiang growls as he moves along "..prolonged exposure to the Rogue Wilderness infects the blood - one has to keep moving.. it slows the process.. still.. we need to find a way out of here quickly..".

"Right, then..." Thirteen mutters, following Chiang.

After a few moments of walking across the barren landscape Chiang suddenly comes to a stop as a deformed figure suddenly emerges in front of the group - resembling a Felid in appearance yet having small misshapen horns growing from his forehead as well as a single withered wing sprouting out of his back, his fur is tattered with large patches having fallen off completely to reveal scaly red skin beneath: one of his eyes were like a normal Felid with the other looked more like that of a lizard.

Chiang growls as he bares his fangs and goes into a battle-ready stance, the deformed figure's cloak swaying in the wind as he grins at Chiang:

"..so.. you do remember me, Chiang..".

"..you stink of chaos filth, Faungli.. why have you brought us here?" Chiang replies, curling his muzzle.

"...you are Faungli?" Thirteen asks, barely concealing the dangerous tone in his voice.