Ma-Wen Wei

The cold unsettlement swept through the city of Martina Rex, its bitter taste lingering on the taste buds of the common man. As per their prior agreements, the Resurget and The Order had commanded that little to no soldiers would remain in the towering capital, either side fearful their adjacent homelands will be destroyed by a rushing tide of belligerence. Alas, all that remained were the unstable night patrols, and the ornate palace guards, all too busy with town watch, insurgency threats, and preserving the corrupted courts stability, to take notice of small time criminals evading the hammer of the law. One such group of thieves was the pair of easterners, vile little men known as Dong Xi-Kang, a small malevolent, shrewd merchant who would sell down the river his own family so that his own hedonism could continue; the other was the brutal, towering Ma Wen-Wei, who, rugged as a bear and twice and strong, was the cruel merchants well-paid bodyguard, allowing his dirty tricks of treachery to continue, all peasantry fearful of the warriors mighty blade.

But one fateful day, the pair would be found beating a collection from locals in a tavern near the docks, when Molivar Zandilyn, having heard of their exploits, decided to investigate further into the matter. After first step into the dank watering hole, the lingering stench consumed the commanders senses in a thick mixture of stale beer, dripping bodily sweat, and dried, rotten blood, all unable to pinpoint from where they came. He brought a small cloth to his nose as waded through the regulars, who seemed not to notice either to stench, or the fine warrior in golden robes shuffling between them. There in the corner, after bumping into various tables, Zandilyn could see in the corner of the room, a small man with an impish demeanour, watching over a malicious beating to a peasant given by a lumbering warrior who took great pleasure in his business.

Molivar’s brows knitted together at the centre, as his frown became more apparent; a tight grip formed around his now brandished spear, the blade prowling on the floor, like a tiger hides from it’s prey. As one final punch connected to the victim’s ribs, cracking of bone echoed off the walls, and the laughs of the vicious pair could be heard from the darkest corners of the room, Zandilyn commanded them to stop.

“You two, explain! What has this poor man done to receive such a savage beating from one as mighty and tall as this brute here?”

The Resurget commander strained his neck skyward, looking into the wide eyes of Ma Wen Wei, who could only smirk at his much smaller foe. The much smaller Dong Xi-Kang, the leader of the group however, was the one to justify his deeds.

“While your business is not part of these.. proceedings.. I will dismiss you and your pretentious blade away with an explanation. This foul commoner would not pay tax he owes the courts, and law of the land states that certain... methods... are to be applied against those who feel it necessary to go against his majesty’s whim. Do you dare defy the word of our lord, solider?”

His chuckle was dastardly and cruel, hiding among his own sadistic tyranny, while the taciturn Ma Wen-Wei could only impose his strength through a calculating crack of his knuckles. Zandilyn was not impressed. He could see the fear in the victims bruised eyes, the innocence that stood against such cruel methods of application. Tiberius would not order this. The commander’s eyes narrowed on the impish villain, but his line of sight was blocked by a towering wall of iron; Ma Wen-Wei drew his colossal blade from underneath their table, and brandished it not as any normal man would - with 2 hands - no, his grip was a loose one handed cradle of the large hilt, which could barely support the thickness and weight of the weapon. The edge was razor sharp, and the back was flat, rural designs however adding to the chaos it inspires. It was a blade of demons, wielded by a demon, who could only think of the torrents of blood that have swam across its surface.

Zandilyn looked on cautiously. This tall, beast of a man was not to be taken lightly; he could feel his fingers coil tighter around the emerald shaft of his spear. He smirked. “If a fight is what you wish, my demonic friend, then I have no objections…” His final word was cut short by a sweeping slice upwards, the blade dragging along the floor to fly straight up the central column of our hero’s body. It would slice him clean in two, were it not for the swift side-step he took to his right. A certain sense of confinement was present in the room, as the locals now turned their heads in motion for what seemed to be the first time in a long, long while.

But the battle was already raging between the 2 warriors, each from different schools of fighting, from different backgrounds, and indeed, from different moral values. From the large sweep upwards he was left unbalanced, and could not strike back quick enough to fall his foe. By this time Ma Wen-Wei staggered backwards a step, and drew his blade across in a sweeping horizontal slash, crossing towards the Resurget commander’s open neck. His knee fell to the dusty floor, and his visage soon buried itself underneath the comfort of his arm; the plume of his helm was thinly sliced at the tips, the red hair falling to the ground in a bundle, as Ma Wen-Wei’s blade embedded itself in a large wooden pillar beside him. A rumble erupted in the tavern, as if a titan shook the very foundations of the Earth; all fell unstable, but the blade remained still. Now’s my chance…

Dong Xi-Kang, by now, had taken a seat, cheering merrily as his bodyguard destroyed the scenery and kept Molivar on his feet. The crowd also cheered, not for a particular warrior, but for the carnage they are witnessing. Such a blood hungry group were the residents of this capital..

Out from his bowed position, Zandilyn struck upwards with his spear. The undefended and unprepared Ma Wen-Wei could do nothing against the shining spearhead flying towards his face, all except close his eyes and hope for the best.. But after several moments had passed, and a deathly silence fell over the crowd, all the brutal warrior could open to see was the tip of a very refined weapon, just an inch away from piercing his eyes. He was stunned. He let go of the hilt of his weapon, and stepped back in shock, but, not giving him a second chance, Zandilyn swung the jewel tipped butt of the spear around, belting the unprotected man across the head with full force. The result was destructive; Ma Wen-Wei crashed through several tables before his body could stop skidding and tumbling. The towering hero could only smirk, the crowd could only gasp; but Dong Xi-Kang could only feel fear firing through his spine. Cowering before the angered Resurget general, he asked, no, begged for his life. “I-I-I’m sorry! Please, spare my life! Oh God!”

Zandilyn spat in disgust at the creature before him. “Heh, pathetic, weak, greedy, hedonistic, arrogant, abrupt, brusque… all of these are your army to command. But taking your life will not satisfy the pain and troubles you have caused many people in this area. You will pay.. Now, remove yourself of your garments.”

Tentative and unsure, Xi-Kang mumbled gibberish that was clearly a denial, but in a firmer tone of voice, and smashing away a chair nearby in anger, Zandilyn roared it down to the quivering criminal. Quickly removing himself of all clothing, the shrewd villain was now shivering, naked among a bar full of drunkards who could not hide their amusement at the size of his.. equipment. Molivar smirked himself, and swiftly delivered his boot to the man’s crotch, crushing his manhood as he had destroyed his self-esteem.

“Heh, good. Now, you see all of these men here? All of them? Bow down and apologize to each one for the crimes you have committed, washing their sandals with nothing but your sharp tongue if they so desire it. NOW!”

The crowd cheered in triumph, and Zandilyn watched with a hearty smile as the mob proceeded to humiliate further Xi-Kang. Realising this may go on some while, the Resurget commander went to the area of destruction, where Ma Wen-Wei had just recovered, though still lying in a puddle of stale beer, and a rough bed of splintered wood. He gave him a hand up from the floor, taking some strength to lift, then gave a somewhat apologetic smile to him, shaking firm the hand he gripped. “You are a strong warrior my friend. What is your name? The likes of you should not be following tricksters and thieves, but rather serving in the army, earning a wage, and letting that blade of yours meet our enemies.”

In hearty response, the mighty titan of the tavern clambered from the floor, engulfed the hand that helped him with his own, and let out a laugh from the bottom of his twisted, yet humorous soul. “Great commander, my name is Ma Wen-Wei, and I have no excuse other than greed to be taken to the likes of Dong Xi-Kang. But now seeing that the army recruits just as fine warriors as yerself, a warrior worth hundreds, I feel almost desperate to join yer army. Dare I ask to be a member of your forces oh mighty General?”

His tone was strong, empowering, sarcastic, yet not without its charm. Zandilyn gripped firmer their shared handshake, and with a nod of the head, needed no words to show that he was accepted. He now left the tavern to return to his master regarding the news, while Ma Wen-Wei would soon follow, after giving the naked Xi-Kang a swift kick in the ribs, and claiming back his prized weapon. New friends and new rivalries were made today, and it was plain to see, the enemies of Molivar Zandilyn would face another strong threat to their existence.