“We have to hurry. The seal will not last long.” Each word was labored, and Wu Ying sensed Yin Xue’s chi levels dropping as he manipulated the seal.
Even as they ran, their opponents continued to harass them. Archers at the top of the wall opened fire, no longer worried about hitting their own as commanded by their unit leaders.
The team managed to make it another twenty yards before they slowed again. The pressure from the massed soldiers who had nowhere to go, even under the threat of the spinning chains, meant that Yin Xue had to direct the chains to strike multiple times. Under cover of their wooden shields, soldiers were thrown from side to side before their shields broke, leaving their owners to take the strike on their body. Yet each moment, the jade seal slowed, forcing the group to deal with attackers who crowded around the edges and behind them.
Wu Ying let himself fall back once more, doing his best to keep them back and going so far as to withdraw a second sword to help him block the attacks. He was entirely grateful for the undershirt armor that Elder Lee had made him purchase. If not, he would have already taken at least a couple of serious injuries as he scrambled to shield Bao Cong and the others. As it was, his legs and arms were bleeding freely, from strikes that he had managed to edge away from vitals but not block entirely.
A roar brought Wu Ying’s attention to the side as a giant sword swung at him. He crossed his blades in quick order, angling them so that the attack would slide down and hit the guards. Mo Hei’s swing smashed into the crossed blades, throwing Wu Ying backward as the momentum of the attack refused to end. He was flung backward, taking a glancing blow from Yin Xue’s jade seal chains. A glancing blow from a raised sword dug into the edge of Wu Ying’s armor, making him gasp in further pain. Luckily, the soldiers also cushioned his flight, and together, they were sent sprawling and rolling.
Wu Ying stood, shaking his head, ribs aching from where his guard had dug into his chest. The mail might have saved him from cuts, but it did nothing for impact. As he idly cut downward with one sword to deal with another soldier struggling to get up, Wu Ying was shocked to see that his lead weapon had a deep chip in it. Mo Hei’s single attack had damaged the sword. Even as Wu Ying marveled, he realized that the jade seal had stopped spinning, its chains retracted.
Another shout as Mo Hei rushed forward, sweeping his weapon down in an overhead cut. Having learned his lesson, Wu Ying ducked to the side and sent a quick stab at his opponent’s wrist, at the gap where bracer and gauntlets met. Unfortunately, aiming at a target so small on a moving target was difficult at best.
Impossible in a situation like this.
His blade glanced off Mo Hei’s armor, doing no damage before Wu Ying was forced to dance aside and cut with his other weapon at a threatening soldier. Forced to both guard his back and fight the armored cultivator, Wu Ying had no time to help his friends, even as he noted how Mo Hei’s team had joined the fight as well, engaging Li Yao and Bao Cong.
Already, Bao Cong was injured again, falling back and waving his hands before him. As Bao Cong’s opponent surged forward, he was caught in the sudden spray of tiny metal dust that Bao Cong had dispersed with his chi, blinding his opponent and making them jerk back in surprise. It bought Bao Cong a second to staunch the bleeding in his shoulder.
Wu Ying needed to disengage from his opponent, but he couldn’t do so. The larger, stronger cultivator might not be as skilled, but he was certainly stronger and faster than Wu Ying. The extra reach of Mo Hei’s long weapon meant Wu Ying could only attack his arms at best, his fingers at other times. Unfortunately, knowing those were likely targets, his opponent had armored his hands and fingers well, leaving Wu Ying’s attacks to skitter off in a screech of metal and a shower of sparks.
Rumbling arose from beneath Wu Ying’s feet. He didn’t know where it was coming from, but he didn’t have time to look—until a shout drew his attention. After he had jumped over the latest attack, rolling to come up near a soldier and sinking his blade into the man’s groin, Wu Ying looked up. He blinked, spotting a familiar face.
It was Tou Hei. Riding an ox and leading a small herd behind him. Wu Ying’s eyes widened in surprise. Just before the lead ox struck the entangled group of fighters, Tou Hei jumped off, pulling his staff from his storage ring and swinging it down. Wu Ying’s opponent staggered, his helmet dented under the force of the blow before his entire body was caught and thrown as an ox struck him with its shoulder.
All around, the herd slammed into the guards and cultivators. Li Yao jumped up, lightly running across the back of an ox, and struck with her spear at her opponent who had done much the same. It was a marvel of agility and control, as neither party stopped fighting even amidst the rushing animals. As the oxen parted further, Wu Ying ducked and used the bodies of the soldiers as shelter. Even in their fury-driven rush, the herd had no desire to rush through the packed group and instead struck at the edges, at those loitering in the gap between alleyway and wall.
That meant that Wu Ying and the others had a bit of breathing space. Enough so, Wu Ying launched a weakened Dragon’s Breath attack at Bao Cong’s opponent, who had managed to stagger back into the fight. Between the distraction of his own fight, the oxen, and the over-the-top battle between Li Yao and her opponent, he never saw Wu Ying’s attack that crippled his foot. Immediately, Bao Cong stepped back, disengaging. Wu Ying, seeing that Tou Hei had the rest of the fight in hand, grabbed Bao Cong’s arm and dragged him toward the stairs, which were now finally within grasp.
Already, Yin Xue had taken to the stairs, fighting his way up. Unfortunately, he was being hampered by the arrows of the archers above. Thankfully, even the extortions of their unit leader did not make them fire callously, for the group was too packed together to make for easy targets.
“Hurry up,” Wu Ying ordered Yin Xue.
Only silence greeted his exhortation. Yin Xue was already fighting, beating aside spears and stabbing at the guards above him. Every few seconds, he ascended another step, ignoring the occasional missed attack or too close arrow.
Wu Ying glanced at Bao Cong, who offered him a nod. He’d already set aside his dao, pulling his bow from storage and fitting an arrow to the string. Propped up against the wall, Bao Cong picked off the guards that continued to harass Tou Hei and Li Yao.
Wu Ying sprinted up the stairs to join Yin Xue. Just before he reached Yin Xue, he twisted and jumped toward the wall, his feet pushing against the stone edges, and climbed upward with the momentum he had gained. One hand, still clutching a sword, reached upward, fingers just brushing the top of the parapet. Enough to haul him into the sky. As Wu Ying jumped, ascending the wall, he twisted around, swords flicking out on either side.
The Dragon fishes in the Lake.
His first strike took a throat, the second a shoulder. The archers, who had been trying to target his friends, staggered away. But Wu Ying was not done. Upon landing, he twisted on one hand, launching himself at the final archer. A hasty block with his bow broke the weapon but sent Wu Ying’s sword aside. As Wu Ying landed on his feet, he twisted and executed Falling rocks in a Rainstorm as he borrowed the momentum of his attacks. The kick sent the archer off the wall, out into the open to crash down amidst his friends and enemies.
“Li Yao! Tou Hei!” Wu Ying screamed, alerting his friends.
They turned briefly and retreated, trying to reach the stairs. Bao Cong limped up the cleared staircase as Yin Xue reached the top, facing the opposite direction Wu Ying faced. He no longer had time to watch for his friends, for Wu Ying had to deal with the soldiers on the wall. Still, Tou Hei and Li Yao were close enough to ascend the staircase, blocking off their enemies below.