What is a warrior's path?

[800isenough]

Who: Everyone!
What: Take a step back through time to fanfic Ancient China!
Where: A hodgepodge of battlefields from the Three Kingdoms era
Warnings: Corpses, blood, will edit if needed!

[The first thing he's aware off is the cold. An unpleasant yet achingly familiar bite that nips at the joints and pinches the skin. Eyes snap open to stare at white and black, and as he pulls himself off the ground his hands move automatically to brush the snow off his armour. Even in the dark though, there's no question what that looming gate in the distance was. A sharp gasp, and he's scrambling onto his feet, kicking fresh snow up behind him. Small puffs of breath escape from his mouth, but not even this chill can distract him from a quiet mounting horror when his gaze moves from the gate to the broken remnants of ships in the distance, and then further away there's the orange-red glow of flickering flames.

And even this area he's awoken in is all too familiar. Crumbling and burning houses and ruins, with rubble and charred walls. And from here he sees the bridge, and oh heavens he knows that bridge. That iron tang scent seems almost sharpened both by the cold and as the realization hits him hard. This...but this can't be Changban, it can't be Hulao Gate, it can't be Chibi, that can't be Xiapi Castle--

He didn't even realise he'd moved a step forward when his foot nudges against something on the ground, a mound covered by the snow. What does it say about him, he wonders, that he can recognize what it is from the size and shape? Carefully he pulls his foot away and steps over the corpse, taking care to maintain his calm even as he sees more and more of those snow-covered mounds scattered across the ground. And he sees the crimson stains on the snow, and it's all fresh. And there are so many.

Quickly he starts to look around for the others. If this is his world, if this is his heart, then they're all in great danger. If a child's heart can prove to be nightmare? Then gods, please protect them from his.]

Comments

[800isenough]

Prompt A, Night-time: Let's gather round the campfire and sing our campfire song try not to die from hypothermia.

[This might be Changban or some small part of it, but this snow and cold has to come from someplace further north. Either way though, the night time is proving chilly and they're definitely going to need shelter and a fire.

So that's what Liao focuses on first. It's not hard for him to find a structure that'll offer at least a roof over the heads, and thankfully the building still has its four walls, but that's all the comforts they're going to get, because although the basic structure of it is still standing, everything else inside is trashed.

Still, he clears up enough space to accommodate all of them. Grabbing a few pieces of wood here and there, and soon enough he's got a fire going. So yay for warmth? He's definitely open for discussions on his heart though, even if the tight-lipped expression he's wearing might say otherwise.]

Prompt B, Day-time, Changban Village/Bridge + broken ships

[The next day he's already out looking for puzzles. There's not much food and water around here, so they need to be quick. He checks the bridge, explores the village, and follows the path all the way to the harbour. There, he stands and stares solemnly at the ships, before he'll start to check if any of them can be explored.]

Prompt C, Day-time, Xiapi Castle

[And of course, he'll be drawn to Xiapi Castle. He'll explore as much of it as he can, but he'll be careful, of course, because if there's one thing he's learned about this cat and rabbit game is that they hit low and they hit hard, and Xiapi Castle was where his sense of self was utterly crushed.]

[miseris_socios]

[It's cold. It's so cold, but Ken knows how to keep moving in the cold, knows how to keep himself alive. His clothing isn't suitable for this, but maybe...]

[As they go on, Ken keeps stopping, crouching at the bodies, brushing off the snow and - no. Too big, too hard to get through, too much of a pain to dig out this or the other from the snow. It looks like they've been here long enough for things to get soaked, though maybe he'll find something soon that he can use.]

[Fires are good for drying stuff out, after all.]

[hopedout]

[ You know how freezing it is out here? It's cold to the point where Hinata's rubbing at his arms. Thanks to the fact that, welp, he's in a short sleeved shirt and pants. Why this. Why him.

He's going to die at this rate. It's probably rude to the corpses but he better be able to grab some clothes off of them otherwise he's going to have a Bad Time and die.

Possibly more than once. ]

A GRAVE SITE.

[worldkeys]

[ Amidst all the snow and ice, a single grave site can be seen, where a large mound of snow and dirt has obviously been disturbed to bury someone (or multiple people) recently. A large broadsword lies in front of the grave... along with, curiously, a strange creature.

It appears to be a cat, although not the same annoying one they usually see. This cat is much fuzzier and distinctly wildlife; it looks built to survive the cold around here. It seems to be sitting in front of the grave, just waiting for anyone to approach... ]