92

    Life paused in Shang-Yang as the deafening horn sounded. As it ends, the silence continues for a while before the people continue their life. Complaining that their ears might have gone deaf. This is Shang-Yang, a trade city personally ruled by a Celestial Dragon. The people have their faith in their lord and exciting things do happen from time to time due to the personality of their lord. That is until the sky immediately blackened by thunderous clouds forming a vortex in the sky. Only then do the people start closing shops, abandoning their stalls, and entering some of the more sturdy buildings.

    Then an uneasy silence comes. The thunder stops. Then a bright flash. Brighter than the sun. Those inside the building have their vision turned white that pierces even their closed eyelids. Only then the thunderous sound follows and the rumbling of the earth itself from the sheer force of the sound. Echoing through Cathay and can be heard even to the Grand Bastion to the north and to the Mountains of Heaven to the south.

    The city stands. Only due to the magical barrier made by Shang-Yang Alchemists and Astromancer and even then, Zhao Ming himself needed to help power the barrier else whatever that lightning brings will land directly in the middle of the city. Then the drums of war resound in the west gate. A mustering call and that an enemy is approaching. Lightning upon lightning strikes on the west, its thunderous sounds deafens the thousands soldiers marching to the west gate.

    Zhao Ming strides on the wall as he walks to the fortified tower on top of the west gate. Yin and Yang Dragon-Blooded Shugengan Lord on his left and right. Then followed by a cabal of Alchemist and Astromancer, then the army commanders. Armored gunners and crossbowmen made way to their lord and aides, closing back their formation as they passed. He saw on his right, that with every lightning strike, one golden beastmen appeared on the place it strikes. But these ones are different. Taller and larger than the herd Valeria led, with proper armors and weapons, and iridescent feathers adorn their necks and the side of their heads.

    As he reaches the fortified tower, one particularly powerful lightning strikes. In its place is a gigantic bull beastmen, a head taller than the two Terracotta Sentinels beside the outer gate that come to life as he appears. Enchanted silver is his armor, glowing with elven runes. He carries a stone greatsword as tall as himself and a divine sun rests on his horn. Its radiance almost blinding added from the reflection of his silver armor.

    Another powerful lightning strike. Another being carrying divine power appears. A gigantic wolf with silver fur. Cold air as if winter follows it but fire burns on its fangs and claws. Only now Zhao Ming saw the gravity of the situation. One being carrying a divine artifact he can handle. But another one? Even he is not that confident. Then he looks up. Only then does he see the one that leads this herd. The one that he and the city’s barrier barely managed to deny arriving within the city.

    The only thing Zhao Ming can think of when he sees her is gold. Like his father. Her face is identical to Valeria, though four sets of horns adorn her head. The clothes she wears are made to entice, barely covering her sex. A being that can elicit worship when seen. But Zhao Ming knows that this thing is a Greater Daemon. Not a god. Not yet. Now he starts to understand why he felt Valeria irresistible when he notices her presence and uses scrying to see her. The daemon looks to his city, seemingly uninterested about him and his army below her.

    His mind began to race. There’s no way he can win against her. Not with the addition of the gigantic bull and the silver wolf. His siblings won’t reach here in time if he calls for help. What’s important now is how to avoid conflict or rather delay it as long as possible and save his people. He knows that a Greater Daemon usually belongs to one of the Hundun Shishen (Four Chaos Gods). Yet the Greater Daemon in front of him has the allure of Se Nie (Slaanesh) daemon, the magic of Jian Qi (Tzeentch), but also possesses a terrifying presence of Kong Nue (Khorne). He cannot accurately grasp this daemon’s essence and therefore resort to the only people he can compare to. Which in conclusion in all his thought, is that the daemon what happens if both of his parent’s personalities mix. Which is not a good thing because he can imagine what would happen if his mother had his father’s temper.

    Then the daemon looks down

    —

    Valeria’s herd is fine. No battle yet. Valeria is hiding somewhere deep within this city’s palace and I sense her presence moving around, so she’s not captured. Why would she sound the horn? I looked down as I ascertained Valeria’s safety. The Cathay army below me numbered a few thousands, I think four thousand at most. I can take them all. But it is best to not be aggressive, after all, I am here to make alliances.

    “I see you have ogres now.” I start again

    “Most are from our guide from the Moot. Few decide to join after we defeat them on our journey here.” She explains

    “You get no orks?”

    “No, I don’t like them and they don’t even have the parts. How did they even reproduce?”

    “Through spores then.” Seems like the orks here are after retcon, so no ork women and no ork babies.

    “What?” Valeria asks in confusion

    “Like mushrooms. It’s weird, I don’t know the details either. Anything else on your journey here?”

    “We pass through Chaos Dwarves land. We can pass through without any problem but only because we have ogres guiding us.”

    “Oh?” This piqued my interest. “What do you think about them?”

    “They are looking at me and the other lesser daemons weirdly, like Zhao Ming did. But different and more hostile.”

    That is not good. Seems like the chaos dwarves have their eyes on us now. Whether that is good or not is unknown. But knowing Hashut, the minor Chaos God of Greed and Tyranny, it is probably not. For now though, there’s a diplomatic crisis to resolve.

    “So, tell me about your meeting with Zhao Ming.”