-Kanyou, Capital of Qin, Chancellor Ryo-

Ousen Mitagi was a patient man. He listened to Ryo's proposal without a word. He sat, stroked his beard, and even offered Ryo a drink. Chancellor Ryo's plan was bold, ambitious, well-thought out, had no flaws or setbacks, and left no room for error. It would benefit all parties involved.

"I must say, Chancellor, you never cease to amaze," Ousen said. "Your proposal is perfect. I can think of no flaws to the plan. You have all of Qin in the palm of your hand. Were it anyone else, I would say it is too good to be true. But you are a well-thought out man. This plans for every conceivable error but is just risky enough to be dangerous. Now I know you have not directly stated it, but I can plainly see where the culmination of your plan lays: with you on the throne and the princess safely tucked away where she can retire safe and sound."

"Yes," Ryo smiled confidently. "Her bloodline is valuable and so far as investments go... she is proving to be amongst my greatest. She will excel in whatever capacity I choose."

"Indeed she will, no doubt. However, I must decline your offer."

Ryo's smile quickly dimmed into a frown, "Pardon?"

"I must decline your offer."

"I heard you. What I want to know is why."

"Because, my dear Chancellor," Ousen cleared his throat. "I only fight the battles I am completely confident I will win. I leave no room for error. I am a winner, Chancellor. You are a loser." Seeing Ryo growing heated from the brash insult, Ousen continued, "The plan is perfect. Flawless. You do have all of Qin in the palm of your hand. With a single move, you can take it all."

"Then how can I lose?" Ryo demanded.

"Because you have lost sight of your ambition," Ousen declared. "I remember the young man whom Chancellor Abhdan brought into court. I remember the burning desire in your eyes, the longing, the focus, the intensity! I remember how you beat all odds to go from the humblest of beginnings to the most powerful Chancellor of Qin. Ryo held all the powers of the king and used him as a puppet! Sure, you were good friends, you cared for him, and he allowed you that power, but you still overcame the entire world! You still put the top of the mountain within your reach! And now... You have forgotten all of that."

"I have forgotten nothing!"

"Oh? Remind me, Chancellor. Who was it that replaced a buffoon in the making for a talented girl? In a few years, the throne would have been yours! You could have it by now if you had just kept Zelda in Zhao and bid your time with Prince Kyou!"

"The order of the king-"

"Was pure sentiment," Ousen cut him off and put up a finger. "You could have torn that order and burned it. If you truly wanted to balance sentiment with ambition, you would have rescued the girl and given her to be daughter to a noble. You could have married her off to a wealthy man who would take care of her or adopt her yourself. But you didn't. You took a girl with talent and put her on the very throne you want. Now she is apparently bringing back myths, legends, and extinct people. She is rising from the dead, gaining the allegiance of ancient fireflies, and creating forests with a wave of her hand. And that was only a year in. In her second year she is fighting rebellious Sheikah with the power to become a giant snake thicker than the hallway out there and defeats him by shooting pure light from a bow like a Goddess. She gains the allegiance of Ouki Mitagi. Each day she learns more... And in all of this, you do absolutely nothing. Realms, you even help teach the girl!"

"As I said, she is an investment! What use is an investment without the profit!?"

"That is why I say you have lost sight of your ambition," Ousen replied. "The fact is this, Chancellor: you already have all of Qin in the palm of your hand. I have said it time and time again and you have agreed. Yet instead of reaching out and just taking it and getting rid of her, you choose to come up with elaborate plans. Instead of winning, you choose to play around. Instead of sitting on the throne, you choose to stay where you comfortably are as Chancellor. You are not a winner, Chancellor, you are a player! You are here to play. You are NOT here to win, and I ONLY accept winners! You are no longer that young man I saw with the burning passion and ambition, Ryo. That young man reached the top of the mountain he envisioned and stopped to retire. That young man grew older..."

Ousen stood and patted himself down. Ryo sat before him, shocked into silence. Ousen's words troubled him deep to his core.

Ousen continued, "It may be, Chancellor, that you have finally achieved everything you have ever wanted. You wanted the palace, and here you are. You wanted Qin, and you have it all but officially. The people think of you when they pray to the Triple Goddesses with thanks. You feed them, keep them warm at night, fill their pockets with rupee. You are the backbone to our military and the water to our crops. You have come far and up to this moment you have been a winner. Some years back, were you to come here and request my aid in becoming Chancellor, I would have supported you. Back then, that was what you truly wanted, and you would have been a winner. But as you are now... with all the setbacks you have and continue to pile on yourself for something as useless as sentiment and dual-edged investment, I wonder if you truly want the throne. I wonder if you have lost sight of where you started and where you want to go or if you have already reached it."

Ousen motioned to the door, "Now, get out. Take your excuses with you."

-Moubu-

Moubu laughed joyously. From astride his horse, he waved his great mace back and forth. Everywhere around his feet were Zhao. Everywhere he swung became skulls bashed, armor cracked, and corpses to trample underfoot. Behind him were his elite horsemen, and behind them were many Qin soldiers riding the wave of his strength.

Suddenly, Moubu's breath caught in his throat. He looked across the ranks of Zhao and saw him. Harken Dragmire sat astride a horse with a great sword in his hand. Moubu grinned.

"It's him! Harken! Fight me!" Moubu yelled.

At first, Harken did not see him, and that was no surprise. Moubu was far and there was a great deal of conflict and yelling between. Yet all the same, Moubu had his target and went for it relentlessly. He pushed through Zhao ranks, leaving bodies in his wake, until he had no doubt Harken could not miss him.

"Harken! Fight me!" Moubu yelled once more. "If you are the greatest the Dragmire had to offer, then let me show you the strength of Qin! Let us see if my strength can prevail over your vile demon blood!"

The men between them cleared away, mostly out of fear, leaving Moubu a clear path to Harken. Moubu was amongst the strongest in all of Qin and Harken Dragmire was a legend in his own right after defeating four generals equal in prestige to Ouki Mitagi. The conflict around them briefly halted as the soldiers left the two in an open circle. Anyone who came too close would only be caught, killed, and get in the way. The Qin and Zhao stopped fighting each other long enough to be more concerned with their respective generals. The fighting continued further on in the distance, but this small patch of ground became an oasis.

"So you are the great Harken Dragmire," Moubu said. "Equal only to Ouki Mitagi. I have to say... I expected better."

"What were you expecting?" Harken questioned.

"A monster of a man encased in black armor, astride a great horse, with hair as fire and the eyes of demons. What I get is a vagabond on a loaned pony bearing the features of a drunkard."

Harken did not reply to the insult. He instead lifted his blade. Moubu lifted his mace in response and pushed his horse into a galloping charge. But to his surprise, Harken's blade extended itself. In addition, Harken didn't aim for him. He aimed for the horse.

The horse fell as its legs were cut out from under it, making Moubu also fall to the ground. He roared in pain before dislodging himself, stood, and prepared to fight on foot. Yet he only got to gape and clench his teeth in fury.

Harken had turned his horse around and ordered flight.

"YOU WILL NOT RUN FROM ME!" Moubu roared.

With Harken's back to Moubu and among Zhao ranks, the Zhao picked up everything they had and fled from the Qin. The Qin were momentarily stunned, but they charged and attacked as Zhao fled. Moubu threw his mace, but all he got was a flinch from Harken as it crushed the skull of the man next to him.

"Get me a horse!" Moubu yelled. "He will not flee from me!"

-Ouki-

Ouki half-expected Harken would continue to order a retreat, and so he wasn't surprised in the least to see the remaining Zhao flee north. They left some of their own comrades behind to buy time as the final ranks of their number ran for their lives.

Ouki was disappointed.

"I expected better from him," Ouki muttered. "For a man so powerful, he has become a coward. Not once, not twice, but thrice he has fled from me, even though he came all this way just to fight."

"My lord?" The Englishman wondered. "Why do you look so sad?"

"I am sad. I'm disappointed. He almost isn't worth killing anymore," Ouki sighed. "No matter. Order to give chase. If the Zhao wish to flee back across the border, that's their best choice."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"My lord, they are not fleeing to the border. They flee straight north."

Ouki blinked in surprise, stared at his second a moment, and realized the man was right. "What? Why would... why would they flee north?"

To the north was the mountains bordering Qin. Before the mountains was a canyon, and the Zhao fled into it. Qin gave chase until Ouki put up his hand to order a halt.

"Stop! Something is wrong," Ouki said.

Ouki stared at the canyon. He knew every inch of Qin ground like the back of his hand. He had fought on every ground at one time or another. The canyon before them would allow traps and environmental advantages for whoever claimed it. Zhao being there first would give them an advantage if they had speed to capitalize on it. Both armies were down to their final remnant. By Ouki's estimate, he now had twice, if not three times, the numbers than Zhao had, but if Zhao could use the canyon well, the numerical advantage would be for nothing.

Something also felt very wrong. Ouki had a feeling from the beginning of this war that something was off. There was more here than what met the eye. Ouki looked in every direction, suddenly feeling watched, but there was nothing he could discern. The army of Zhao used every advantage it could to fight every step of the way. Harken showed no mercy when he had the advantage and fled from fights he did not. Despite his cowardice, he was acting his own way as a general in response to Ouki.

So what was this unusual feeling in the back of his neck? Why did Harken flee north as opposed to north-east? Surely he wasn't so incompetent as to get lost!? Surely Harken had advisors with maps! He knew what he was doing, whether it be foolishness and mistakes or not. Any general worth anything made decisions and lived and died on those decisions. So why here? Why flee into the canyon? Was it to reduce the numerical advantage to a narrow passage where Harken could personally take charge and turn the tide of battle?

No, then Harken would have continued to do that in the forest where he remained unseen. In one battle, he had destroyed twenty-thousand himself; what was to keep him from continuing? What was-

"My lord! Moubu is still giving chase!" His officers reported.

Ouki's eyes widened, "WHAT?!"

Ouki quickly rode to where he could get a better sight and watched as Moubu, relentless with all of the mental capacity of a shark on a blood high, chased Harken and the Zhao on their heels into the canyon.

"Gotta give the man credit. He is known as the Dog of Qin for a reason," Ouki muttered. He flashed his eyes across the canyon and discerned it. Faint movement showed the Zhao had prepared boulders to fall on the following Qin. He also discerned where the Zhao would flee from Moubu, "He will also keep them from buying time to establish proper defenses and keep them constantly on the move! Qin! Follow me! We will entrap the Zhao and finish them off!"

"You know where they are going?" The Englishman wondered.

"I do. Come, and let's finish this. While Moubu gives chase, we will take a shortcut."

-Moubu-

"Sir! This is clearly a trap!" An officer yelled.

Moubu ignored him and forced his horse into the fastest gallop it could muster. He yelled profanities and threats at the Zhao, barely out of reach of his mace, as they rode their own horses and fled from him. Damnit, he thought. Harken was still in sight, and so long as he was in sight, he would not be fled from! No one runs from Moubu!

"Sir!" The officer continued to yell.

"Give it up," Another soldier replied. "Moubu knows it's a trap."

"Then why!? We are entrapped by walls on two sides!"

"Because no matter the plot, no matter the ambush, there is nothing that can stop the advance of the Moubu army!"

The officer gulped but couldn't help acknowledging it. All around him, the Qin were driven into a manic ferocity by Moubu. Moubu's mentality, single-minded focus, and offensive strength seemed to pour into them, so they rode or ran as fast as they could. In fact, it was beyond! They pushed themselves past their limits while fueled by the ferocity and charisma of Moubu. Moubu wasn't just a single strong man with a mace, he had an army behind his back that would not fear, that would not hesitate, and would fight with everything they had and more without thinking about it. All of Qin had Zhao in their sights, and Moubu was riding at the head of that energy.

As they guessed, there was traps. Boulders fell, arrows flew, teams with spears appeared from side passages, and rushed barricades were trampled down. The traps were few and pathetic. Zhao barely had time to prepare themselves in the canyon as Moubu gave chase to their back forces, but the toll would still be made on Moubu's relentless resolve. By the time the traps had done their work, Moubu's force was reduced to two thousand.

What made the Zhao and Qin marvel, however, was Moubu's single-minded strength. He did not even blink as boulders fell around him, as arrows flew back at him, as he trampled man and wood underfoot. His eyes were singularly on Harken Dragmire. Like a man possessed, he pushed his horse further and further, inch by inch. He abandoned his slower men entirely just to reach out for Harken and, to everyone's amazement, he came within reach.

"Get him!" The Qin yelled.

Harken turned to see Moubu upon him, and the Zhao riders threw themselves at Moubu to stop him were shattered by his mace. Harken Dragmire turned to swipe at him with his sword, but Moubu was faster this time. His mace connected full on in the face.

Harken Dragmire fell from his horse, and Moubu stopped. Qin stopped. Zhao fled.

Moubu looked down at the body of Harken Dragmire, head smashed by his mace. He dropped from his horse.

"You... you did it," The Qin murmured.

Moubu put a hand on Harken's hair and released it to find redness on his hands. It was red paint. "No, this is wrong. It's a fake. A very impressive look-alike... Just how long did they take planning this? How far ahead did they plan to come prepared with a fake...?" Moubu looked up to see more Zhao on the canyon walls with their bows pointed down. The fake Harken had pulled Moubu into a dead-end. Movement to the south confirmed his suspicions. He and his men were now surrounded. "On guard, men. The Zhao are here."

-Ouki-

Ouki found the canyon to be a graveyard as his army sped through. Moubu may have a single-mindedness that bordered the stupid, but damned if he didn't leave destruction in his wake. With a talent for offensive, charisma, strength, resolve, and morale, perhaps pure smarts and strategy would simply bog him down. The man did prove to have a small perception of strategy in his first battle, but it was used to compliment his strength, not to stand on its own.

As they sped through, Ouki's mind raced. The feeling something was off continued to hit him, and it grew stronger by the moment. He acted accordingly to this feeling, but it had never gone away. He smelled a scheme: a deep plot hidden and woven with such subtly that only men with the talent of Ryo and himself could get the smallest scent of it. Yet no matter how hard he thought, he could not discern what the problem ultimately was.

He did not have long to think on it, as within this canyon of traps, his own trap established itself. Just as as he expected, Zhao had cornered Moubu to a dead-end. Ouki's army lined up from side to side to cut off the Zhao from an escape themselves.

Within the battlefield, Ouki could see a small clash to the side. Moubu and his men had set themselves up at a crevice to hold back the Zhao forces, but it wouldn't last long. It spoke poorly of Moubu's odds that only a fraction of the Zhao could bother to fight him. The rest of the Zhao lined up in preparation for battle with Ouki. Among them, Ouki could clearly see Harken and his remaining generals. They weren't even paying attention to Moubu.

Moubu was down to his final thousand, and they were all exhausted. He himself no longer had the strength to break through the Zhao ranks now that Ouki had come. Yet there was still hope. Moubu's charisma and leadership kept them from despair and held their desperation. They fought with every bit of strength they had left.

Ouki nudged his horse forward to get within earshot of Harken.

"I'm here, Harken, just as you wanted," Ouki taunted. "Now if you would be so kind as to give my men a brief reprieve, I would appreciate it. He is young and stupid but, once, so were we. This is between us. If I win, I swear on my honor your men may return home safely. We will attend to your wounded and escort you to the border. If you win, well... I guess you can just continue what you have been doing until someone else stops you."

"But I get my duel, at last?" Harken asked.

"You do."

Harken waved to his men and, to Moubu's great relief, the Zhao stepped back past immediate stabbing distance.

Both the Qin and Zhao armies slowly marched towards one another until they were perhaps only a hundred meters apart. Harken and Ouki were on their horses with their attention solely on each other.

"This has been a long time coming, eh, Harken?" Ouki said. "It's taken a lot of effort to finally reach this stage. How long have I kept you waiting? Five days? I assure you, that is nothing. You have kept me waiting to finish you off for a decade. Shall we finish this?"

Harken retrieved his sword from his back, "My sentiments exactly."

"Englishman," Ouki said. "Do the thing."

"Yes, my lord!" The Englishman saluted.

Immediately, the Englishman ordered for the Qin flag to be raised and a group of horsemen to follow him. He and his horsemen rode against the Zhao. Zhao fired arrows, but the Englishman suddenly changed direction and the arrows fell short. When the Englishman rode closer, Zhao fired more arrows, and again he changed direction to completely avoid them. Then he and his men suddenly swerved again and directly hit a portion of the Zhao line.

With the Zhao and Qin lines so small, the impact of the Englishman's charge was immediate. The hit Zhao called for aid. To their surprise, the Englishman was a monster in his own right. He was unknown in the world. Like a star hidden by the sun, when finally seen, you find it is a sun of its own far off.

The Englishman was a skilled swordsman, quick and trained. He did not aim to kill immediately, but to whittle down. He cut spears, hands, and hilts, before cutting off heads or arms. His sword was a constant flurry of motion. He directed the horsemen battalion towards the left-most flank where the archers were and left a deep swath of death in his wake.

"Hope you don't mind him," Ouki smirked.

"Not at all," Harken replied. "The Zhao mean nothing to me."

Ouki did not respond. He felt anything he had to say to that would be on deaf ears. It left him further disappointed in the man and expressing it would have no point.

The Zhao moved in response to the Englishman's charge, and so did the Qin. Ouki had left orders with his officers to carry out, so the Qin charged first. Zhao shot arrows at the Qin infantry, and they, as the Englishman did, changed direction. It was a scramble for so many men to change direction as one, and a few were still hit at the fringes, but the infantry succeeded. Zhao replied by charging forward into the side of the infantry battalion. Since they ran sideways, Zhao penetrated their exposed sides deep. However, Ouki had predicted this counter-move and pre-planned this. A second horsemen battalion rushed around their infantry and infiltrated the Zhao counter-move with a counter of their own. Effectively, it cut off the Zhao battalion and gave Qin access to reach in deep and go for the remaining Zhao generals.

At this point, all plans went out to the wind. The Qin charged. The Zhao charged.

-Moubu-

The Zhao turned all their attention on Ouki's men, thus leaving Moubu's group to rest. His remaining men collapsed where they stood, effectively hostages behind Zhao lines, and watched the battle. Next to Moubu, an officer watched in amazement, but also in fear.

"What is it?" Moubu wondered.

"This is unlike him," The officer said. "Normally, General Ouki will toy with them, defeat them with war... but this... He is in a hurry. It's almost like he is spooked.

Moubu frowned. If Ouki was spooked, that did not bode well. "Men, gather your strength. We may need it."

-Ouki-

As the battle between Qin and Zhao raged around them, with the Zhao quickly being slaughtered, there was an oasis around Ouki and Harken. No one dared to get too close.

"Have you been well?" Ouki smiled warmly. "I must say it was quite a surprise to my ears. You, who I was certain was dead, suddenly appeared at the head of a hundred-thousand men. How did you survive and since when did you become the leader type?"

"It does not matter," Harken Dragmire gravely responded. "The method does not matter. The only thing important is my revenge. Ouki, by killing you here, I will appease my masters and shake off the chains of Qin."

Ouki chuckled, "It is good to see you haven't changed. I was starting to worry. I too declare I shall kill you and be free from the chains of the past."

Ready for battle, Ouki brandished his spear and Harken gripped his sword.