Many thanks to all the readers and to Striga for helping with the corrections ^_^ I hope you'll enjoy!
EDIT: A wild Li Dian and Yue Jin appears!
The army moved towards their base camp. Cold winds were blowing from the north and the clouds thickened over Luo Yang. Within the illustrious speeches of Yuan Shao, the chosen leader of the alliance forces, Hanleng wandered alone amongst the other soldiers. Familiar faces from the battles with the Yellow Turban bandits and unfamiliar people stared at him. He wasn't really aware of anything. His steps went on in never ending circles. He was thinking. Thoughts run deep from the core of his pounding heart. He ignored the entire ruckus around him, muttering strange sentences with no meaning. Xiahou Yuan followed him for a while and listened in on his rambling. Cao Cao was thinking, staring at Yuan Shao speaking to his men. They bowed before him, but he felt not humbled to be in his presence. “The nobility...”, he muttered, “His name is his strength... I must break free of this, and prove myself to the world.” “That settles it!”, someone said with eager and brought Cao Cao’s attention to wake. “You are the one I must serve. Now I’m sure of it.” A strange man with curly, dark hair and a strange gaze had come to Cao Cao’s side. He smiled and stroke through his fuzzy hair, smiling with confidence that Cao Cao himself has only seen from his trusty friend Hanleng. Behind him stood another young man. Brown, short, spikey hair and with a forehead protector, this man turned his gaze elsewhere as if he was ashamed to look upon the lord. “Why me, though?”, he wondered and placed his fingers gently upon his forehead, “Surely there are others more worthy...” Cao Cao was confused by those two. Both were dressed in fine armor for frontline soldiers. The weird smiling one had a long, blue scarf, the other a similar colored bandana underneath the forehead protector. “Who are these men?”, he asked Dun, who was bringing them over. “You said you wanted strength. I got us some help.”, he answered smiling and pointed over his shoulder to the two soldiers, “These two looked like they’d be useful. The time is right... The rest is up to you.” Cao Cao was unsure if this would be the time. His eyes looked over to the two brave men and he wondered if he had the strength to guide them well. Was he truly ready? “What are your names?”, he asked firmly. The two warriors bowed proudly and with awe before him. “Pardon me, my lord. I am Yue Jin.”, the one with the brown hair answered. “I am Li Dian.”, the other one replied with smiling, “Contrary of what you may have heard about me, I can prove to be quite useful.” “Xiahou Dun?”, Cao Cao asked with a rather disbelieving growl. His cousin laughed slightly: “I can attest to his skills. He’s a bit odd but I think he’ll keep things interesting.” Cao Cao sighed and crossed his arms, once more gazing towards these young men. “Hmmm... You may be right.” Yuan joined the illustrious group as he spotted his two cousins. “Cousin!”, he yelled. “Yuan? What is it?”, Cao Cao wondered, “And what about Hanleng?” “That's kinda hard to say.”, Yuan told him disturbed, “But I think the old man has lost it finally...” The three looked at Hanleng who nearly ran against a tent, totally out of his mind. He was grinning strangely and his gaze was focused on the sky. The smile was nothing like happiness. It was maddening and somewhat disturbing. Both Li Dian and Yue Jin were rather confused about that man. “What is with him?”, Cao Cao wondered. Yuan stroke his beard down and sighed not knowing the answer. “I don't know... He's been strange before, but this is even unusually for him... He's rambling all day long, wandering around camp without listening to anyone or anything. It's like he's not really here at all. Man, that old guy’s creeping me out. He didn't even react when I poked him with an arrow on the shoulder.” “That is really odd...”, Cao Cao thought and looked at Hanleng. The once wise one stumbled across the base camp. Soldiers looked at him questioning as he smiled and rambled: “Look and see! A bird with frozen wings! My, my... Like a stone it will fall... Like glass it will shatter... Poor little bird... Poor little firefly...” Cao Cao was curious and went over to his loyal friend. He walked by his side and observed him in his actions. “Sunken to the sea... Wall and fortress buried by snow falling from the sky. Yes, yes... Falling like a landslide... And snow we might eat... Red melting chisels... Yes, yes...” Suddenly he broke to his knees, holding his head tight between the claws of his gloves. “Argh!”, he stuttered, “Not the fire! Not the sun! Close! So close!” As Cao Cao went down to get a better look at his comrade, Hanleng jumped up again. He was standing straight up and stared into the sky. His eyes seemed tired and it was like he was sleepwalking. “Oh, just where did I put the knife? Did the winter rabbit steal it again?” He continued his aimless walk. It was kinda confusing for Cao Cao. He worried about Hanleng's health and sanity. “This man...”, Li Dian asked, “Is he one of your soldiers, my lord?” Xiahou Dun nodded at him. “Yeah... Kinda...”, he explained, ”The old man is a friend of Cao Cao... I don’t trust him yet... He’s too shifty...if you ask me. And now he might be insane as well.” Li Dian listened and looked after Hanleng. He nodded and decided to go over to him. “Li Dian?”, Yue Jin wondered. “I wonder...”, he muttered as he was passing Cao Cao’s side and engaged on the old wise one. He pulled a knife from his belt and presented it to him. At first it confused and worried the others, but Li Dian wasn’t pointing the knife at all. He held it with the edge down and spoke to the old man. “Is this the knife you seek?” The old man turned his gaze to the sharp blade and smiled softly. “Is it wise to hand a man like me such a pretty, sharpened thing?”, he asked back. Li Dian thought how to answer. “Is it then wiser to ask for it?” The question was again answered with a question. “Who is wiser, then? The fool who asks or the fool who stays silent?” Li Dian continued to answer him with another question. This conversation was going for a short time. “Is there an answer or did the winter rabbit stole it, too?” “Wouldn’t that make asking pointless?” “Would I know it without asking?” “Perhaps one day?” “Perhaps today?” The old man laughed at this, as if it was a game of wits. His laughter, however, was saddening somehow. “Hehehe... You are odd... You play and play with words to say... You act with kindness, but mindless not... Sanity is drifting from me, but not you, child...” He walked closer to him and pushed the knife back into Li Dian’s hands. “Keep it close...”, he spoke in a warning tone, “Never dare to arm the devil...” Then the old one walked away, with his gaze back at the sky. “Walking...passing...searching...seeking...”, he counted each step. He vanished within the thick business of the camp. Cao Cao worried even more.
Preparations were finished. The time for battle had arrived. “Did you find him?”, Cao Cao asked Xiahou Yuan and his cousin Dun. Both shook their heads and sighed. “Not a trace. It's like he had disappeared into thin air.”, Yuan said, “I wonder where he went...” “Forget about him.”, Dun stated focused and led his horse to the gates, “Let's concentrate on Dong Zhuo and his forces. This old madman can take care of himself.” Cao Cao agreed and followed Dun. Yuan and the two new soldiers went right after them. The five entered the field right after Yuan Shao's strike forces. The allied units scattered across the snowy mountain range around the Hulao Gate, the main passage towards Luo Yang. Screams and shouts engulfed the area. Soldiers fell to the blades and spears of their enemies. Fear, courage and desperation mixed into this bittersweet song of war. During the pressing attacks of their forces, the three generals encountered a base positioned in the middle of a crossing. Every road seemed to gather at this point. The warriors of Wu were holding this position. Their red bandanas made them stand out of the ranks of all the others. And one was even different from them. The soldiers in the front line fought alongside a very tall man with dark skin and black hair. Cao Cao was surprised as he saw the scarred face of this man, who looked exactly like Hanleng. His eyes were glowing red, reminding Cao Cao of the color of blood. He was wearing red dyed pirate clothing above a heavy chainmail and a single silver plate across his forehead. “Come on!!”, he shouted with a harsh, deep growling voice that sounded even similar to Hanleng, “I’ll take you all on at once, you weaklings!!” He laughed and swung a giant axe over his head. This weapon’s height was that of his height and made of strange red steel. It seemed to be glowing as if it was just pulled out of the fire. This man hurled the axe around himself with one arm only. The other hand was clutched into a fist covered in steel gauntlets. The axe-blade clashed on the ground like an anvil. The soldiers of Dong Zhuo's army were too frightened to approach this hunk of a man. “Nobody gets past here!! Not while I'm on the watch!!” “Yeah! Let's show 'em, Huo Yan!!” Sun Ce, who met the three generals during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, entered the field and aided the mysterious warrior named Huo Yan. “Ha! That's the spirit, Ce!! A tiger like his father!”, the man laughed and flexed his shoulders, “Time for some trashing!!” Cao Cao and his cousins looked at them fighting. The enemy ranks were just torn apart by their assault. They all were quite confused and at awe. “So that's this Huo Yan – guy.”, Yuan wondered, “He really looks a lot like the old man.” “Yeah, but he got more spunk and fury than him.”, Dun thought and readied his blade. His cousin grabbed the bow and Cao Cao took his own sword to his side. “It’s strange how he is such an opposing picture to this Hanleng.”, Li Dian nodded and readied his strange halberd. It was a spear-like weapon with a wheel close to the top, made completely of iron and decorated with metal fangs around. Yue Jin nodded and armed himself with hook swords, blades made from steel that were curved on the tip to form a hook. “Indeed...”, he sighed. “Let us proceed.”, Cao Cao said. The five followed along the passage and left the defense to that Wu warrior, Huo Yan. Not far along the path another bigger battle was fought. Some of the generals seemed to have problems getting by one soldier. As the five got closer, Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan recognized the warrior in that familiar looking armor. It was the one named Tao that traveled together with the Firestorm. He was wielding an impressive long spear, managing to block of any men who dared trying to engage. Several dead bodies of Dong Zhuo's forces as well as the allied forces already covered the circle in which he was waiting for the next fool to challenge him. “Damn it! Where the hell did Dong Zhuo got such a warriors loyalty!?”, one of the officers complained nervous, “He's blocking the assault all on his own!” “Isn't that Tao?”, Dun wondered and seemed impressed by him. “Yes... So he's fighting for Dong Zhuo, too...” The officers called in the archers, but Dun entered the battleground before they arrived on the front. “Let me handle this.”, he said, “This man deserves to be cut down. Not shot.” He smiled and pointed his Podao at his opponent. “Fight with all you've got.” Tao nodded at him, but stayed silent. He readied his spear, spinning it over his head and placed it with the spike down to the ground. His stance was odd, so Dun thought. Tao stretched one leg to the tip of his spear, held the weapon on the back side of his hand and gave balance to it with the palm of the other. His other leg was bent to the point as if he was about to jump to the side. At first Xiahou Dun wasn't sure what to make of this. It looked rather clumsy with this heavy armor. But that was about to change. Tao pushed himself forward. He was rushing at Dun and struck the spear’s tip at him. Xiahou Dun blocked it quickly, but was amazed how smoothly this fighter moved as his attacks came at him like a thunder storm. Every strike was faster than the one before. Each blow gained on power. It got harder to fend off the attacker. “Amazing.”, Yue Jin gazed at awe. The other spectators couldn’t even bare to interrupt the intensity with a single breath. Dun spotted an opening in the movements and struck at him, managing to force Tao off. The warrior balanced his spear over the arms and shoulders. Again the tip ended near the ground while the other end remained in Tao's grip. One palm was facing Dun, like a defense position. The general smiled quite thrilled by the talent. Cao Cao was amazed by it. “Hanleng sure knows talented people...”, he muttered while watching his cousin fight. “Heh, you're faster than I thought.”, Dun admitted, “This might be interesting after all.” “Hm...” Tao shook his head. He seemed little impressed and uninterested in talking. “Not much for talk, eh? Well, suit yourself.”, Dun answered and smirked at him. The warrior raised his freed hand and provoked Dun to attack him this time. And he responded to it. Again both warriors engaged each other. Steel met steel and like rolling thunder their battle resounded between the frozen stones. Neither of them was about to give in. Tao had speed and balance. Xiahou Dun strength and more experience. Officers and soldiers just watched their fierce dance. Dun finally got a chance and broke through the defense of Tao. He slashed for the belly. The young warrior realized his failure and dodged. The blade scratched over the armor, but to his luck didn't breach it. Tao slithered back on the ground and laid his hand upon the cut on his armor. Dun tried to charge at him, but suddenly a sickle torn through the ground. Chains rung in the air as the small scythe went back to its owner. It was Umi Mari interfering with the battle. “Enough, Tao.”, she said displeased. Something was getting to her right now. The officers looked at her and soldiers who recognized the Firestorm froze in fear. “We're ordered to return to the gate. Now!” She whistled, the echo crossed the hill side and two horses responded to the call. Tao pointed at Xiahou Dun. He stared surprised as the warrior slapped his hand on the chest and seemed to make clear that he will return. He grabbed the saddle and pulled himself onto the horse's back, making his way back to the gate. Umi Mari smirked and looked to Dun, who was in the company of Cao Cao, Yuan, Li Dian and Yue Jin now. “Looks like you made an impression. Don't you dare disappoint Tao! And give a message to the old man!! If he thinks that he can play with the lives of others like that, he should think again!! My blade will slit his throat one day!! Remember that!!” She jumped on her horse and left for the gate as well. Suddenly snow joined in the fight. It grew cold. Very cold. Freezing. “Aw... I feel sorry for the old man... She's one you don't want to have as enemy.”, Yuan muttered and rubbed his nose. Cao Cao looked up into the clouds. Dun shook his head and raised his shoulders. “Well... But she's right...”, he sighed and returned to his horse. The officers and soldiers pushed on, followed by group of five. “That old man really is playing with lives... Who knows what he's up to? Or if he's serious with everything he says... How do we know that we can trust him at all?” Cao Cao remained silent, but he too felt the doubts clouding his heart. “I wouldn’t worry, my lord.”, Li Dian tried to lighten up the mood, “I have a good feeling about him. And I never was wrong with my forecast so far.” It settled the nervousness of his three lords, but not all the insecurity was gone.
I hope you enjoy the Story
