Heroes/Qing Mao

Lore
"Worthless! Worthless and a coward!"

Mao rose over the table where the young man sat slouched. He looked up at the girl, adjusted his glasses, and slouched even more.

"I know the order of the Qing Dynasty. Our father is a great emperor, and you, sister, are his best warlord." The young man sighed shortly. "But this time you chose the wrong country to invade."

"What do you know, you pathetic little bastard, about military affairs?" Mao was shaking with anger. "The Land of a Thousand Dawns must fall!"

"But... the dead gods will punish us! Their cult..." the young man's voice broke. A sharp slap in the face rang out in the office, making his cheek burn with pain.

"Their gods are long gone! I am not afraid of some fanatics and I despise your fear of them. So... Long, you are coming with us!"

Two months later, the army of the Qing Dynasty crossed the border of the Land of a Thousand Dawns. The campaign went well, and a month later, having captured a couple of dozen towns and settlements in bloody battles, the troops of the warlord Mao solemnly entered the capital.

The crowd dispersed dejectedly in front of the invading cavalcade, moving towards the main building - the Pagoda of the Living Dead. After a minute or two, Mao dismounted and kicked open the main gate of the temple. Behind her, without ceremony, the generals and officers entered. Ordinary fighters remained to hold the line outside. All except the stocky porters and the two who led the reluctant Prince Long after the commanders. The Pagoda was plundered for several hours: the porters barely managed to bag up ancient artifacts, jewelry, and precious stones.

"Sister, you can't do that. The living adepts guard the rest of the dead gods, they will punish us for our intrusion." Prince Long, tormented by his sister's mockery, kept repeating the same thing. "As long as we don't run into the statue of the Dead Master. If only..."

But two soldiers, as if not listening, politely but persistently, led him on. Soon, the squad reached a dead end. The invaders turned around and walked down the corridor to the left - another dead end. Further hours-long attempts to find a way out also failed. Finally, the labyrinths led the military into a closed hall with a magnificently executed statue in the center. Dead Master! In an instant, through the efforts of the warlord, the statue turned into a pitiful ruin, because of this, someone dressed in black appeared.

"It's easy to insult the dead... Aren't the treasure heavy? I'm afraid you won't get out with them. And without them, you as well." he croaked.

"Kill the old man!" shouted Mao, turned around, and went to the exit from the hall. But there was nowhere to go - there was a blank wall in place of the door. Mao shouted sharply: "Don't shoot!"

"Smart." The old man grinned toothlessly as the officers lowered their weapons. "But the dead gods have already spoken. They won't let you out, no matter how hard you try. Even the legendary Qing gunpowder cannot break through this wall. Although, there are options."

"Well, speak while you can!" snapped Mao.

"The door will open if you hand over the thing you don't need, but only if I choose it myself. Don't worry, you think it is really superfluous."

"Don't choke on it. You can choose any of the junk we brought with us." The girl ordered to throw the duffel bags at the stranger's feet. "So where is the exit?"

The old man took nothing. The heavy wall moved aside, revealing a passage to the outside, where worried soldiers tried unsuccessfully to break through to the commanders for almost a day. It was decided not to report the small deal in the temple. The army of the Qing Dynasty conquered the Land of a Thousand Dawns, so the goal was achieved.

But instead of reaping the laurels of the victor, Qing Mao raced in a chariot for the second day. She needed the best doctors of her empire because she was afraid of what her father would say. Prince Long, the heir to the great Qing Dynasty, was dying.

Mao knew that he was not injured or poisoned. Two days ago he was as healthy as a bull. "Damn you, Long! What will I tell the emperor?" Mao repeated, looking at her brother's pale face. "You’re only bothering me. As unnecessary and useless as always!"

Realizing what she had just said, the girl understood the meaning of the contract made in the Pagoda of the Living Dead - the old man who was there took her brother. "To hell with him, not a big loss," muttered Mao, annoyed by the vile deception. "But my father is going to kill me!"

Horses, guards, and servants changed, day followed night. Mao often sat in her brother's chariot. Hoped that he would survive. For some reason, she remembered her childhood, when little Long almost died defending the older sister from the attack of a mad vorgar. And then there was the time when they scared the cook to steal sweets. And those were good times! Once Long gave her a bamboo flute with the name "Mao" scrawled on it as a birthday present. And also... She realized that the thoughts of her brother had ceased to incite hatred. "Dead or alive, you won't take him, bloody gods! Give me my brother back!" whispered the girl.

The closer the house got, the worse Long felt, and the more painful Mao became. The caravan stopped for the night in a small inn. Throughout the evening, the princess was haunted by a sense of impending disaster. Or was it a concern for Long? Concern? Maybe even love? "Dead gods, I will not give you my brother!" The girl took her weapon and hurried down to the dying man's room. As she opened the door, she saw someone in a dark robe bending over him. Mao only had a moment to think things over. And she jumped to the bed, drove a dagger into Long's chest.

"Stupid." A familiar voice said. "You sacrificed your brother yourself, you broke our agreement. You conquered the Land of a Thousand Dawns and destroyed the great Pagoda."

"But you didn't know that you were just a pawn in a big game. Your father, like your grandfather and great-grandfather, has terrorized and destroyed our country for centuries. And now you and your brother have grown up. We knew you would attack us too. The living adepts of the dead gods did not want to become like you and kill innocent people. We waited for you to come and give us your life yourself." he whispered.

"What?" Mao stood over her brother's corpse, dumbfounded looking at the old man.

"However, I will still fulfill your request and bring your brother back to life, but I will do it in my own way. This will be your punishment, headstrong princess. A punishment to be atoned for."

The girl's hand suddenly began to lose its materiality, filling with the light coming from her brother's body.

"You will always be together, inseparable, and both will suffer. It's up to you how long this pain will last. And whether the future for the Qing Dynasty will hold!" with these words the stranger disappeared into the darkness.

The emperor was furious when he heard what had happened, he ordered to find the old man. But Mao drew the right conclusion and made a difficult decision. She renounced titles, disbanded the army, and joined the ranks of the Guardians, preaching not war, but peace.

"Forgive me, brother! You were the most worthy of us. I'll admit my guilt and try to fix it!"

The answer was a bright flash in the former princess's changed hand.

Цин Мао