Taiwan grew on the horizon ahead of us.
The whole history of Taiwan from Terra-Luna was basically nonexistent here. Mao was literally an unknown figure here, probably had never become Powered... or maybe he’d become a Cultivator and was simply unknown. Regardless, the Communist movement had failed in China simply because of the existence of so many Shroudzones. The country was basically host to multiple places of great slaughter and massacre, and the conduct of the Japanese coming in certainly hadn’t helped the situation.
Regardless, the Japanese had fled in a panic when the undead of Nanjing and the other cities started rising, leaving the Chinese to deal with their own dead, and the inept government to completely collapse.
They had been rescued by the rise of the Powered, particularly the martial artists.
Now, Powered weren’t made out of kung fu experts with any more regularity than anyone else, but in terms of paths these people wanted to follow, Dragon Warriors and Dragon Hand Adepts were basically choices One and Two, and everything else was very distant behind them. Chinese apathy and cynicism towards the gods didn’t raise a lot of Divine Casters, for instance, and spellcasters didn’t have the same tradition here they did in the West.
Ergo, everyone who could wanted to become a Chi-master, fly around on swords, punch through walls, have flaming fists and ocean palms and Golden Armor and blade winds and the whole kibosh. They’d also been very active in getting better, and rapidly upset the balance of power between all sorts of factions and powers. Then unknown people with Power started grabbing for secular as well as personal strength, and the major players, already reeling from dealing with the undead, rapidly lost their influence.
So, Chinese history had taken a very, very new turn here. Where Cultivators had come from to here I had no idea... or maybe I did, thinking about a certain not-psychopomp planning something here. How long it had been waiting and planning certainly wasn’t small...
I felt something’s attention sweep across us, and abruptly come back. Someone with Eagle Eyes had spotted us from kliks away across the sea, probably from a high building or tower over on the horizon there.
Master Fred flicked his fingers to indicate he’d felt it, too. We wouldn’t be standing offshore to assess the situation here, we’d just have to go right on in. They probably had people mobilizing to intercept us already... which was very reassuring, on the face of it.
If they were Cultivators, that meant they were delivering themselves to us, but I didn’t think that was the situation. I’d checked up on them with a Commune with Nature to verify the Qi situation, at the very least...
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The local forces had drawn themselves up on the water and in the sky. The ones up in the sky were standing on broad-bladed pseudo-swords, like surfers on very inappropriate boards, a combination of chi Formations and internal power keeping them aloft. The rest were standing on the water, their chi stilling the waves about them and sparing them from bobbing up and down as they fanned out to intercept us.
Without batting an eye, we drove right into the middle of their formation instead of trying to avoid it at all. Given the speed we slowed down from, we definitely could have avoided them, but showing some goodwill wasn’t out of line here.
These Dragon-users were in fairly bright colors, but avoided the frippery robes, loose sleeves, and flowing dresses that Cultivators seemed to love, dressing sensibly in tighter uniforms that couldn’t be grabbed easily, armor, and not in designer wear meant to show off their assets. Even short hair seemed to have settled in among most of them, although the older men affected neat mustaches and beards.
There were seventeen different Schools represented among the twenty-four of them, judging by their badges, so this was truly a united effort. The four in the air would be Faux Sevens, the ones on the water Fives or Sixes. Truly an elite effort sent to intercept us outside Kaohsiung City.
“HOLD WHERE YOU ARE, INTRUDER!” a brawny orc in gold armor and a green cloak bellowed out for us to hear. He had a big glaive in his hand, shining tusks, and an arrogant look in his red eyes. “SURRENDER YOURSELF IMMEDIATELY, OR FACE DEATH!”
Hmmm, speaking Cantonese, instead of Mandarin or English... or Human.
I tapped Master Fred on the shoulder, and he extended his feet down to the waves as Sleipner rolled to a stop directly in the middle of their arc. They didn’t even need to move to have us half-encircled.
There was a pulse, and the South China Sea for a hundred meters around the motorcycle went absolutely mirror-smooth.
There was one Wavebound among their number, and he almost fell into the drink when Master Fred’s influence blew past him. He grimaced as he hopped off the standing wave he was on as it was wiped away, landing on top of the unbroken water that was much easier for them all to stand on, like we were all standing on an ice rink.
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“I am The Traveler, the Monarch of the Jet and Silver, come from Heavenbound Hall.” The blowing wind went suddenly very still when I replied softly, but they all heard me, and at +44, their souls were trembling at the touch of my Voice. Their eyes went really wide as they realized they were dealing with something beyond their power level. “With me is Grandmaster Fred, Heavenbound Warlock of the Hall.”
I was not speaking Cantonese, of course, I was speaking Human. But I had Tongues, so the orcs could understand me fine.
“We have come from Heavenbound Hall to bring valuable news to the noble defenders of Taiwan. Which of them do I have the pleasure of addressing?” I inquired calmly.
The big bearded orc was flushing now as a whole bunch of diplomatic and spiritual pressure descended on him. My Voice was raising his hackles with just how much power it held... and it rang with a sincerity and Truth that others could only attempt to imitate vaguely.
A human in white and black robes slid forwards on his sword; older, his hair going white, and average of build, looking more like a scholarly gentleman than a martial artist, especially next to the brawny orc. “I am Master Gong Yuang of the Eastern Imperial Dragon, Lady Traveler. You honor us with your presence. You have come a very long way to reach here!” he replied respectfully.
“Travel has become somewhat difficult of late, Master Gong,” I replied cordially. “I believe it would be more convenient to continue our conversation in more comfortable surroundings?” I snapped my fingers, and two dozen Disks materialized around me. “If you would like to step aboard, you can escort me safely into the city, where I might speak with your elders.”
They all flinched when they saw the number of Disks coming up. Spellcasters didn’t have the cachet here that they did in the West, but that didn’t mean these people were ignorant. Just snapping up two dozen of these things indicated a far, far greater Caster Level than they’d ever seen from a spellcaster.
They all looked at one another, wondering what to do. Then Master Gong descended smoothly on a sloping glide, settling down on one of the Disks next to us, his Flying Sword shrinking down to the size of a dagger and sheathing itself at his side. “Thank you for the courtesy, Lady Traveler,” he said cautiously, and when I did not correct his title, he breathed a sigh of inner thanks. He was, however, using a very honorific form.
“Burning your chi is foolishness when you do not have to, and we can make better time, Elder,” I returned politely, not glancing about. The Dragon-wielders all flushed somewhat, and hurried forwards to hop aboard one of the Disks.
The Flying Swordsmen hesitated, but when everyone else piled on and left the three Disks nearest us for them, they could only shrug and descend as well.
There was no further talk of surrender, however.
---
Sleipner moved smoothly into motion, and the air did not buffet us as the smooth area of the sea shrank rapidly, but maintained a twenty-yard circle about us as we rolled smoothly forward.
“You will have to forgive me, but our information about China in general and Taiwan in particular seems quite out of date, and I am not familiar with any of you or your Schools.” Which was not totally true, as the School badges were being urgently pulled up and presented to me in Markspace. “If you could introduce yourselves and your Schools to me, I would be obliged.”
Well, there was nothing for that except for all these men and women to do so, Disks moving to present them, bowing and me returning the bow, while Master Fred and his scars took their eyes and they didn’t question him.
White Crane, Red Fox, Blazing Fist, Ancient Magnetic Pole, Heaven Opener, Black Tiger, Eastern Imperial Dragon, Northern Turtle, Endless Ocean, Seven Demon Kicks, Dragon Slaying Palm, Auspicious Moon, Ghost Leopard, Guardian Lion, Heavenly Eagle, Frozen Dream, and Forest Serpent were all represented here, and it was plain these weren’t the only Schools and forces allied on the island.
The four Faux Sevens were all Masters of their Schools, with Go Man, the brawny orc, coming from Ancient Magnetic Pole; the woman, Fang Anna, was an Archer from Auspicious Moon, and the narrow-eyed Adept in black, Chin Chiun, was from Ghost Leopard.
Unlike back in America, the styles had not consolidated and combined, as the influence of Good was minimal here, and the Schools were about competition and advantage, not cooperation and advancement. They were probably very proud of themselves, but a Warrior of the Seven Dragons from back home could probably clean all their clocks... but I wasn’t going to say that, as they certainly could get very good at their own styles, unfocused as they were.
They were all delighted when I popped a container of chocolate-covered strawberries out of my Masspack and spread them around for them to eat. They naturally hadn’t received anything resembling fruit deliveries in years, if not decades, and the strawberries went over quite well.
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Sleipner didn’t take it too fast, as we weren’t in a hurry, so the eight or so kliks to the harbor entry of Kaohsiung City gave us enough time to get introductions in, and them to signal ahead that a visitor from the Heavenbound Hall in America was here.
“Forgive me for asking, Lady Traveler,” Master Go Man began cautiously as we headed into the harbor crowded with Chinese junks and more than a few naval vessels, although they were of old design, as getting metal to build them was likely difficult. “We noticed that you came from the south, from the direction of the Philippines, and many Cultivators have been seen flying to the south and east in recent years. We were naturally suspicious of someone coming from that direction.”
“Understandable. The islands were crawling with them. They were killing all the Powered that they could, and anyone who put up a fight. I would say that the Philippines have probably lost at least two-thirds of their population at the hands of the Cultivators, Master Go.”
His eyes only flickered a moment, as they were not his people, so he did not care much for them... but what the Cultivators could gain from the slaughter of so many people was indeed a concern of them. “Have they grown stronger? Are they setting up another of their kingdoms?” he asked quickly.
“They are dead, Master Go. So, no.”
They all stared at me, as if I was joking. My eyes didn’t waver, and I’d said it so casually, it was clearly not an issue to me.
“They are... dead?” the big orc repeated carefully. Master Gong was pointing out the direction to Master Fred, who was making a show of driving over the waters to a dock nearby. Our parade of so many Dragon-wielders skimming over the waves so easily was naturally drawing a lot of attention.
“Yes. I killed them all.”
They sucked in their breaths at my statement. The Philippines was not a small amount of area. How had I managed to find them, let alone cover so much ground? Was that even possible?