"So to make sure I understand this correctly, we're going to travel with the Risen King to the other five empires. He's going to listen to the response of the wielder of their respectable weapons that are equal to the Ninja Sword." began Lord Zào, he was with Zhen near the bow of the best Spartan Ship as it sailed on the seas.
"Yup," confirmed Zhen as she looked out towards the horizon.
"Then he's going to use the armies who sided with him and invade the Ninja Empire." continued Lord Zào.
"That's the plan," stated Zhen.
"Then what? Does he become emperor or do you?" asked Lord Zào. He turned to look at Zhen since he was watching the deck work. Her hair was short just above her shoulders but she put turquoise dye striping around her head. Her blonde hair sailed through the breeze and the stripes blended with the blonde almost making her head invisible.
"I assume his plans on who rules haven't changed," replied Zhen, she turned and looked up to the bridge.
"Captain, we're about an hour out." stated the navigator.
"Very well, Poseidon, make preparations," ordered Tony, he was studying a map.
"Aye, aye, captain," acknowledged Poseidon then he left the bridge.
"What can you tell me about the Viking Empire?" asked Zhōng. He, King Alexios, and Lord Tyron were looking at the same map as Tony. He wore a traditional Ninja uniform with his cloak that was mended and burned. On top of the cloak over his right shoulder, was his Valtryek sword vertical down his back. He had the Ninja Sword on his left hip and his knife just in front of it and on the other side, he had throwing knives and his medical kit. His hair was cut short on top and faded on the sides, it was tradition in the Ninja Empire to have an appointed general's hair shaved to this style. His Blue eyes shined like diamonds as the color matched his dark blue tattoo visibly above his right forehead.
"The Vikings aren't the best at being strategic, but they make it up with their strength. They're like brutes and they don't fear death as a single one on average can take down eight of my men." described King Alexios.
"I've been told their ranks are based on strength," said Lord Tyron, he walked away from the map to look out to the land mass fastly approaching.
"You're correct, my lord, and Chief Stoick is the strongest amongst them. When he's dying, the Viking Empire will host a tournament to see who is the next strongest. Then Chief Stoick will declare him his heir and die." explained King Alexios.
"Sounds terrifying and comforting knowing that your heir will be strong enough to protect this empire." stated Tony.
"It takes more than strength to wield, rule, and protect an empire." stated Zhōng. He walked away from the map and looked out to see the mountains. The Viking Empire was below the Spartan Empire and was shaped like a claw. The forward arm was covered in mountains where crops were grown and herds ate. At the three-prong claw, the mountains became steep cliffs, creating a natural defensive border. The only way to enter the Viking Capital was to sail through an armada of Viking ships.
"Be careful, the Viking Axe informed me of something." said the Ninja Sword telepathically to Zhōng.
"Do you know what my test is?" asked Zhōng aloud.
"Expect for the worst," replied the Ninja Sword.
Tony joined Zhōng as they could see buildings becoming more detailed. "There are only three empires that publicly buy and sell slaves: the Spartan Empire, the Egyptian Empire," he began.
"And the Viking Empire," finished Zhōng.
"We might not have enough time to find her," said Tony, he could see his friend's guilt and was worried it would distract him.
"I know, but we must try." stated Zhōng.
The Spartan ship made port and the gangway plank slammed violently onboard. King Alexios, Wēi, Zhen, Lord Tyron, Lord Zào, Xing, Hannah, Cortana, Kotori, Silica, Pina, Jack, John, Tony, Zhōng, and eight Spartan soldiers left the pier and entered the capital. They looked around as they walked and saw the Vikings glaring at them with hatred and anger.
"They hate your kind, your majesty," chuckled Lord Zào.
"I'm not the only one they're looking at," replied King Alexios.
Zhōng looked out of the corner of his eyes, his hood was up as he was in the back watching for sudden movement. He could see the Vikings had anger and hatred for all of them no matter what. His eyes danced hoping to see her as he felt her presence was close. An was put on his shoulder and he turned to look and see Tony looking at him.
"Now a newly appointed general shouldn't be in the back, hiding underneath a cowl." scowled Tony. He too felt the presence and knew Zhōng was looking for her.
"I know," sighed Zhōng, he removed his cowl and revealed his tattoo as well as his eyes. "She's here, there's no mistaking it."
"Let's focus on one thing at a time," reminded Tony. He guided his friend up forward just behind the lords as they followed the former royals who were behind King Alexios.
Fifteen Viking guards soon marched up to the group. Their feet stomped hard on the soft dirt and hard stones as they carried heavy battle axes with one hand. They made the Spartan soldiers tremble as they clutched their shields tighter. Not only were the Vikings strong, but they were also tall as they stood above them. "King Alexios, we are here to escort you to our chief on his command." bellowed their leader.
"Very well then, let's not keep him waiting." acknowledged King Alexios, unfazed and he began to lead them through the Vikings.
As they passed through, the Vikings spotted Zhōng and stopped him. "You're not invited," growled the leader. He soon stepped back as the blue eyes of Zhōng's pierced into his own. Though they weren't violent or showed pain, they revealed his experience of battles he faced and what happened to his opponents.
"With due respect, he's the reason why we're here." stated King Alexios.
"Our chief wishes to speak with him alone and later." stuttered the leader as he couldn't look away from Zhōng. He could see the eyes begin to swirl and thought he heard screams of the opponents. This was someone who could easily defeat all of them and more before being stopped.
Zhōng blinked a couple of times then grinned reassuringly, he saw the Viking sigh with relief but was still pale from what he saw. "Very well, I'll respect the chief's wishes. Xing, Hannah, come with me." he said and then walked away. Xing and Hannah looked at each other confused then hurried to catch up with their brother.
"We're coming too," stated John as he and Jack turned to follow them. A hand grabbed each of their shoulders and they turned to see Tony.
"If Zhōng wanted us, he would have called." said Tony. They turned to see Zhōng, after his sister caught up with him, turned to look at them. He nodded as a single to them before pulling his cowl over his head and walking away with his sisters.
"Does he know where to go?" asked Jack.
"When he and I traveled to a new town or city, we always looked for a place where we could get information." began Tony.
"And where's that at?" asked John.
"A bar, drunk people tend to spill information that might be classified." replied Tony.
The group soon reached the great hall, it was massive and the highest building above the cliffs beside the chief's home. The wooden doors groaned open, inside in the center of the hall was a massive fire pit and on the other side was a throne. They soon approached the throne as the one sitting in it stood up and intercepted them.
"King Alexios, welcome to my empire. I must say, I expected you with your reputation to be taller and stronger." stated the Viking as he towered above them like the other Vikings.
"Greetings Chief Stoick, chief of the Viking Empire and wielder of the Viking Axe, thank you for letting us lay foot in your empire and territories." stated King Alexios, unfazed.
"Well, if you didn't have the former royalties on board your ship, I would've given the order to sink it once it was on its own." chuckled Chief Stoick. He then turned and looked at Wēi and Zhen, they were shorter than King Alexios as they gazed at him in awe. "Your majesties, I welcome you to our empire." he greeted with a bow.
"Thank you, Chief Stoick, your empire looks lovely to a certain view." said Wēi, she was trying to be polite while also trying not to tremble.
"Ha, should have come in the winter months, the amount of snow we get will make the Iarnă Mountains look passable even on difficult times." gloated Chief Stoick.
"That sounds hard to believe," stated Zhen.
"No, it's true sometimes, another reason why they built this capital here is because of the weather. When the seas storm, it's impossible to enter but easy to leave. The wind blows out and away but the waves come in and if you're not careful, your ship could run aground." explained Tony as he whispered over Zhen's shoulder.
"But can the incoming waves knock you off course if you try to leave?" asked Jack.
"Only if they have a rounded bow, it's the same reason why coming in is impossible because the fantail is rounded or flat on some ships. The rudder also coming in could give to one direction and you'll lose control of the ship as it spins till crashing on shore." responded Tony.
"You seem like you know how to sail a ship, Ninja," stated Chief Stoick, he noticed Tony explaining to them.
"Captain Tony, Chief Stoick, though I am Ninja and grew up in the Ninja Empire, I am the leader of the Spartan Black Market and captain of my own ship." introduced Tony as he bowed.
"You let this scum command one of your ships?" questioned Chief Stoick to King Alexios.
"Well, you have scum sailing on yours," pointed out King Alexios. Chief Stoick said nothing and started marching back to the throne. "We came here to hear your response to the call that General Zhōng, wielder of the Ninja Swords, activated."
"Yes, yes," began Chief Stoick as he turned back around to face him. "I'll speak with the Fallen Prince later."
"It's the Risen King, Chief Stoick," corrected Zhen as her eyes glared at the chief.
"For now, allow my guards to escort you to your rooms to stay in for the night." offered Chief Stoick, ignoring the warning from Zhen.
Tony coughed and King Alexios looked at him, he could see that he wanted to ask about something that was out of his place. "Chief Stoick, are there any taverns or bars that the crew of my ship could drink at for the night?" he asked.
Chief Stoick pondered for a moment then said, "I'll send someone to escort them to one if they choose to drink."
"Thank you, Chief Stoick," thanked King Alexios and he led the group away.
Tony stopped and paused, he looked over his shoulder to see Chief Stoick talking to someone in the shadows. It was as tall as he with a cloak and cowl covering all of its body. It turned its head to look at Tony and his face went pale from what he thought he saw.
"Come on! Beat him!" cheered a Viking as others encouraged ten of their comrades. They were in an arm wrestling match against Zhōng as their drinks arrived. Zhōng took his drink and chugged it all while the ten Vikings tried to force his arm to move and down.
"Don't let him taunt you!" shouted another Viking.
"This the best you boys got?" asked Zhōng after he finished his drink.
"We're just getting started," grunted one of the ten Vikings.
"So am I. Bartender, another beer please," stated Zhōng.
Xing and Hannah watched their brother by the bar, they were shocked he was still drinking and holding his own against the strong Vikings. "How many will that be for him?" asked Hannah, cautiously.
"I think one hundred, either the Vikings are drunker than he or he fully recovered his strength." replied Xing. It's been a couple of months since Zhōng returned with the Ninja Sword, as they prepared to leave to come to the Viking Empire, he worked with Tony to sharpen his skills and strength he lost from the past year.
Zhōng's drink soon arrived and he chugged it quickly, seeing his urgency, the ten Vikings gave it their all to move his arm. Zhōng soon slammed his drink on the table and pushed his arm harder. One by one, the ten Vikings let go as the stress of their arms was too much till it was just one hand as it was pinned by Zhōng's.
The crowd booed at their performance till Zhōng stood up and they went silent. "I'll be honest, you guys were the best competition I had in a while." he stated.
"Well you truly are stronger than what your size shows." stated one of the ten Vikings. He stood up and shook Zhōng's hand as the crowd clapped with approval.
"How about you go against our second in command? He might come here later tonight." suggested a Viking and the others roared in agreement.
"That sssoundsss like fffun." slurred Zhōng, the amount of beers and food he had was now starting to get at him. He began to stumble and leaned on the bar right by his sisters.
"I think you're done for tonight," suggested Hannah.
"Nah! I'm gooood," slurred Zhōng, his head visibly swaying.
"I agree with her," stated Xing as she and Hannah took each side of Zhōng. "Bartender, where's that inn again?"
"Farewell, Risen King!" stated the Vikings as the three Ninjas left the tavern.
"I'll ssssee you guyssss tomorrow," slurred Zhōng, he started laughing as he tripped over himself.
"We are not going with you tomorrow," stated Hannah as they struggled to keep their balance.
"Have you heard about ssssea shanties, Hannah?" slurred Zhōng as they walked away from the tavern. He was shouting and clearly very drunk if his violent walking balance wasn't obvious enough. "There's one that Tony loves that I hate, the reason is he was hinting at someone close to me."
"Don't worry, you're not a sailor even though you are completely drunk." assured Xing as Zhōng threw his weight on her.
"What do ya mean? I'm not completely drunk, let's go back since the night is still young." shouted Zhōng. Xing and Hannah looked at Zhōng's watch on his right wrist, though it was a special watch it kept time very accurate. The hands, while they looked weird, were almost straight up indicating almost midnight. The girls snickered and Zhōng laughed aloud not knowing why they were laughing.
"Risen King," stated a Viking guard as he and four others approached them.
"That's me," chuckled Zhōng.
"Chief Stoick would want to see you now." declared the Viking guard.
Zhōng's laugh soon calmed down and he tried to reach something behind his back. Noticing her brother struggling, Xing reached behind him and discovered three vials and pulled them out. She separated them so Zhōng could choose and grasp better as he reached the far left one. He opened it and chugged its contents before gasping and smacking his lips. He stood on his own, relieving Xing and Hannah to brace him and he walked away from all of them. The Viking guards were about to approach him before he bent down and puked whatever was in his stomach.
"Sorry about that," gasped Zhōng before he clicked his tongue and turned to face them. "How many drinks did I have?" he asked his sisters.
"I think a hundred," replied Xing, she realized what he drank since he could stand on his own and wasn't slurring his words.
"I might believe that," said Zhōng. He looked down at his watch and noticed the time as well. He nodded his head before looking at the empty vile he had just drank. "Remind me to tell Tony the limit till puke is less than a hundred."
"Risen King, our chief is waiting." interrupted the Viking guard, he was getting impatient.
"Now I'm pretty sure Chief Stoick knows courtesies better than me. He should know that meeting a guest at night is impolite." stated Zhōng as he approached his sisters.
"You are coming with us to see Chief Stoick or else we'll put you in prison." declared the Viking guard, he and his four companions dropped and pointed their axes at the three Ninjas.
Zhōng sighed and then looked at his sisters, he smiled with confidence at them and they knew what it meant. "I guess we'll go with option three, escaping," he said.
Suddenly, smoke came out as he opened his cloak. The Viking guards stepped back thinking it was harmful. They coughed as they covered their mouths with their arms as they tried to peer through the thick smoke. When it faded away, they spotted the three Ninjas running into an alleyway. "After them!" cried a Viking as they sprinted to catch up. As they rounded corners, they only saw the feet of those they pursued.
"We got them now," stated another Viking as they rounded the next corner, but they didn't notice the group took to the roofs.
"That was close," stated Hannah as Zhōng and Xing pulled her up.
"You really should work on your parkour." stated Zhōng, he watched his sisters catch their breaths. Xing barely made it up behind him when he led them through the allies and to the roof. If it weren't for his quick reaction, Hannah would have slipped and fallen on top of their chasers.
"Do you think we lost them?" asked Xing, gasping for air. It's been a while since she ran as hard and moved as quickly as she did. The two sisters stared at Zhōng who peered over the edge to see if they were noticed.
Zhōng scanned the alley for signs of disturbance but saw silence after their chase. He leaned back away from the edge and chuckled. "We lost those ten, but we didn't lose our predator." he stated before standing up. He turned around and saw someone in a cloak along with twenty other Vikings as they were on the same roof as them. Xing and Hannah sprang to their feet and drew their weapons, it sparked the same movement from the Vikings as they pointed theirs at them.
"You're under arrest, General Zhōng," growled the stranger as it drew two battle axes.
Zhōng motioned with his hands to his sisters to stand down, they looked nervous about what could happen. "Relax, if I wanted to, I can destroy them with the Ninja Sword. You wouldn't stand a chance, I'm not who you remember and I'm sure you changed too." he said. The last part was to their leader as Zhōng could see two green eyes glowing with hatred for him.
"It can't be her," muttered Tony as he paced back and forth on one side of the living room. He, the Spartan King, the former royals, the lords, and his friends were living in a house not far from the great hall. There were three rooms upstairs with two beds in each one as they surrounded the open space of the living room.
"Tony, can you give us a hand?" asked Jack as he and John were moving a bed downstairs.
"She was supposed to go to a small backwater town." muttered Tony, ignoring Jack's plea as he paced even faster.
"Tony," stated Lord Tyron as the others began to notice his strange movements.
"Unless those slave traders believed her beauty would fetch a massive price, then how did she come into the chief's services? It isn't like the Spartan Empire where they offered tribute," muttered Tony, still ignoring the world around him.
"Poisoner!" bellowed King Alexios.
"Yes, your majesty, what's happening?" asked Tony in a panic. His face turned to look at the others as they lounged and stared at him.
"Can you help us?" asked John, he and Jack still had the bed from upstairs. They were halfway down when it got stuck.
"Yeah, sure," replied Tony and quickly rushed to them before being stopped by Lord Tyron.
"Lord Zào, could you offer your incredible strength to help those two?" asked Lord Tyron as he stared at Tony.
"You don't have to butter me up," groaned Lord Zào. He stood up since he was lounging by Zhen and went to help with the bed.
"Now Tony, what has your mind so busy that you're distracted and your face pale?" interrogated Lord Tyron.
"It's nothing to be concerned with, just a ghost from mine and Zhōng's past." stated Tony, he gave a weak smile but was still shaking.
"What kind of ghost?" pressed Wēi.
"Nothing serious to worry about, it won't go after you." stated Tony, trying to weasel his way out of the topic.
"Was that who you saw back in the great hall?" questioned Zhen.
Tony hesitated and the rest saw his face turned even whiter, Zhen had exposed his thoughts. "Indeed, I saw someone that was an old friend of Zhōng." he finally answered.
"Is it Pablo?" asked Jack after he, John, and Lord Zào finally set down the bed.
"Who?" asked Lord Zào.
"No, I never met him, Zhōng also barely talked about him. This is someone I and Zhōng met after the Eight-Year War. It was one of the first missions he and I did together." explained Tony.
"It's her, isn't it?" asked Zhen. The others looked at her confused while she stared at Tony waiting for his answer.
"Yes, and her name is Alice." declared Tony.
Zhōng marveled at the study room in the chief's home. It was tall and draped in loot taken from ships raided in the past. There were few things made in the Viking Empire such as the massive chairs and table that Zhōng would struggle to sit at or lean on. He turned towards the door where the stranger from earlier guarded while glaring at him. "So is this where they took you?" he asked, the stranger didn't reply and he slowly approached her.
"I hope he treated you well," wished Zhōng, he was getting closer as the stranger glared even harder. "Alice, listen," he began.
The door suddenly barged open and Chief Stoick entered the room. "My chief," greeted the stranger with a low masculine voice and her right arm patting her left shoulder.
"Good work, Alexia," stated Chief Stoick.
"Chief Stoick, what an honor it is to meet you. Although, I request to inform you that meeting this late at night isn't necessary." said Zhōng, following the stranger's actions.
"So you're Zhōng, known by many titles and names; the Dual Bladed Ninja, the Shadow, the Fallen Prince, and Truman. But now you have a new title: General Zhōng, the Risen King, son of Emperor Huo, wielder of the Ninja Swords, and lord of the Old Ninja Empire fiefdoms." stated Chief Stoick as he analyzed the Risen King.
"I see news travels quickly here, or did you have someone spying on the men that came on the Spartan ship." said Zhōng as he looked up at the Viking chief.
"Where I get my information from isn't your business." snorted Chief Stoick, he marched and sat down behind his desk. He motioned his hand to Zhōng to sit on one of the giant chairs.
"You're still towering over me, besides, I would have difficulty getting on and off." refused Zhōng. Chief Stoick snorted once in amusement as he leaned further back into his chair. "I trust you know why I come here," he stated.
"Yes I do, but there's problems to deal with." stated Chief Stoick.
"Like you having Ninjas onboard your ships?" asked Zhōng. Chief Stoick raised an eyebrow curious as to how Zhōng knew. "I have sources you wish you had," he warned.
"That's one but another is that the Ninja Empire has invaded our lands without much resistance. The last one is what will you do to pay us for our contributions." stated Chief Stoick.
"If I were a king, I would have given all your lands you lost. However, I am a mere general and have to get my empress's permission. That's Former Princess Zhen if you must know." said Zhōng, he felt guilty but he no longer had that kind of power.
"And that's another obstacle that needs to be hurdled. However, there's a solution that I've found." began Chief Stoick, sparking Zhōng's and Alice's interest. "When I agreed to allow Ninja soldiers on my ship, I also had to agree that if the call was activated to arrest you." he finished as he leaned forward and braced himself on his desk.
"And if I escape, you promised to fight with him when the war begins." guessed Zhōng, fearing for the worst.
"That's correct, I have a chance to spare my people's lives in a foreign war by giving you to Emperor Zhēngfú. I get all my lands back if I have you alive and half if we kill you." explained Chief Stoick.
"You can't do this if you swear to fight with Emperor Zhēngfú, then you face the wrath of the Vow Keeper." warned Zhōng.
"I'm not afraid of this ghost," declared Chief Stoick.
Zhōng turned to look at Alice, her cowl still covering her head as she turned to look at him. "How much of this did you know?" he asked.
"Barely anything," growled Alice.
"Alexia, take him back to his sisters. He won't be seeing them soon after tonight," ordered Chief Stoick. Alice grabbed Zhōng, surprising him with her strength, and dragged him away.