A Roofless Rodent Presentation
Staring Messaline and LittleSiss (as Li'hi'sisu)
Script by Racing Rodent
Illuminations by Messaline
Into The Dragons' Lair
A story of Messaline of Jin
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The ship was large compared to the other junks in the fleet with three masts carrying broad latticed sails. Yet it felt awfully cramped after being on land and unlike the land it moved. Li’hi was not sure how she felt about that. It was not remotely the same of the familiar rolling gait of a horse on the steppe but at least she had avoided the seasickness that afflicted so many, landsmen and new recruits alike.
“Ha that one feeds the fish Miss, you see, same time every morning, can’t keep his breakfast down,” A laughing sailor paused from coiling rope to point and turned to share the joke with the attractive young woman who seemed rather more approachable that her fearsome Mistress.
“Why do you spend so long coiling rope?” Asked Li’hi already somewhat bored of the boorish attentions, Messaline was plotting something with Captain Po who acted as admiral of the convoy as well as commanding his own ship.
“Well the rope needs to be coiled see and it is easier than some of the other jobs that need doing so long as I am doing it none of the officers give me another job but it does not pay to finish too fast, I never finish too fast if you know what I mean,” He added with what he thought was enticing suggestiveness but just struck Li’hi as rather desperate leering.
“I say is that a real mermaid?” Li’hi called and pointed the man went almost over the side in his haste to crane his neck and see the fabled beauty. Li’hi skipped away while he was distracted, she knocked politely before drawing the curtain that shielded the entrance to the Captain’s map room.
“Oh come in Li’hi,” Said Messaline grandly, “The good Captain here was warning me that there will be a lot of Song activity in Palembang, our secret mission for the Emperor might be fraught with danger.”
“Oh terrible, we must be careful to avoid them, do we know in which quarters of the city they hang out?” Li’hi’sisu asked in wide eyed dutiful innocence.
“On the east bank of the river mostly,” Said Captain Po his demeanour which would normally be gruff converted to eager earnestness in his desire to please the daughter of his Sovereign. He helpfully got out a more detailed map and even made note of which taverns the captains of the Song ships hung out at and which were more favoured by their crews.
“Very useful, well I shan’t wish to keep you from your business, Li’hi and I have matters to discuss,” Messaline said pointedly and the Captain took the hint, bowed deeply and scurried through the curtain and out on to the deck.
“Messaline,” Whispered Li’hi careful to check there really were no ears just the other side of the thin partition, “Was is wise to have Twilight Whispers and the other Ninja’s depart back at the port, we might need them in Song?”
“It may not have been wise but it was just,” Messaline responded, “They had served me long and well but their losses mount, hopefully I can accomplish this mission without need for the more intimate kinds of violence,” She grimaced, there was no doubting that armies would march one way or another once it was learned where she intended to end up.
Still Li’hi nodded, she agreed with her heart that it was best that the female order of ninjas be allowed to seek out and establish some hidden sanctuary and training base. It was her head that sounded the note of caution.
“How long till we arrive in Palembang?” She asked.
“Oh many weeks but do not worry, these ships all sail faster than the fastest horse and as fast as any ship my father might send out after me,” Said Messaline and then heard glad cries from up ahead, “Oh flying fish, let us go see these creatures for ourselves,” She broke into a run with almost girlish delight.
It was several days later before there was serious trouble. “Your Imperial Highness you must come quickly,” One of the soldiers attached to the crew called out in urgent alarm hurriedly buckling into his armour.
“What is the cause of all this Captain Po?” Asked Messaline striding forth onto the quarterdeck.
“Princess Messaline, we are ambushed by pirates, you can see they have their fleets arrayed to catch our convoy in a pincer movement,” Po pointed out the flock of sails either side of the channel between two islands towards which the Jin ships were headed.
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“They seem a long way away, can you not simply take another channel and sail around them?” Asked the Princess curiously.
“No, the wind prevents us turning around and in these narrow waters…the fleet is too large,” Po shrugged, “We are committed to a battle, you must stay below for your own safety.”
“Nonsense,” Responded Messaline, “I and Li’hi are you best warriors and by far the best equipped summon our armour we shall lead you in the fighting should it come hand to hand,” Said Messaline confidently.
“Oh it will come hand to hand Your Imperial Highness,” Warned Po grimly but sent for their equipment and weapons to be brought to them all the same.
The sea battle seemed awfully slow at first. The ships slowly edged towards one another, both side dropping sail to sacrifice speed in the hopes of making the other lot move first and yield an advantage.
Still things speeded up dramatically as the first ships began to slam together and men leaped across the gaps with weapons in their hands. Not every man made it and many a would be warrior disappeared into the ocean, armour or no few could swim and most of these swiftly drowned.
“The Dread Pirate Java Ti,” Called out an hysterical sailor as a blue sail with a red eight pointed star was raised up the masts of several of the attacking ships.
Neither Messaline nor Li’hi were much concerned with this concentrating instead on using their bows to winnow the ranks of pirates crowding the decks closing with their own. Yet with the inevitability of the turning of the moon two of the pirate ships ran up either side of Po’s and grappling hooks were cast forth to bind them fast.
Li’hi and Messaline gave each other a look, set down their bows and drew their swords and sprang aboard one of the pirate ships landing in the midst of the startled would be boarders who instead found themselves boarded. A flurry of kicks, blows and sword strokes cleared a space around them and then the two women warriors truly went on to the attack. By the time Po and urgent honour guard caught up with them the surviving pirates were scrambling for safety on to an allied vessel tied up just beyond.
“Captain Po, concentrate your men and sweep clear the other pirate vessel, these carrion feeders are no match for Li’hi and myself we shall take care of them,” With that Messaline went bounding aboard the third pirate vessel leaving Po to turn on and rout the crew of the other. Li’hi followed close behind the Princess but she was not sure she needed to. Three pirates rose up before her and went back down again just as quickly two missing their heads one just a pair of legs as his torso disappeared into the ocean. Messaline was if anything having even less trouble with adversaries who mostly relied on numbers and bluster and were not remotely trained to her level.
Indeed so terrible were the women that pirates were flinging themselves into the sea regardless of the odds of their staying afloat long enough to find something they could cling to in order to escape the certain death that the Princess and her companion in arms represented.
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Then from the pirates came a great hollering and raucous cheering, it was hard to make out the words in their uncouth foreign tongue but “Jai Ti, Jai,” Became clear easily enough.
Emerging from the stern structure of a larger gilded pirate dhow came a masked man clad in armour of human bones reinforced with iron bands. “I am Jai Ti, commonly known to sailors of your nation as Java Ti,” He roared, “For once I hear of a warrior nearly my match in battle and I would know his name?”
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“Her name is Messaline of Jin and I will have your head you pirate dog,” Said Princess but for a long while nothing happened as the great pirate ship was slowly edged into position with the vessel she and Li’hi had stricken of its crew. Then with a bound Jai Ti was before her as his foremost cutthroats attempted to seize and grapple Li’hi.
Li’hi smashed the first cutthroat in the face. Ducked the lunge of the next and slammed a group of them down by shoulder charging one into the others but the main battle it soon became clear was between Messaline and Java Ti. He smashed at Messaline with a mace while she was distracted fending off the sword in his other hand and she went arcing head over heels into the sea.
For a single horrible moment Li’hi thought her lover was doomed and then Messaline’s feet struck water. Hard. So hard it set for a brief span as hard as stone. She leapt up and kicked down again. For a few moments she looked like nothing more than a petulant child leaping up and down in the throes of some tantrum and then she was away sprinting the wave tops as if they were so many stairs. The Princess grabbed a rope and running in a long arc used it to swing herself up and around on board an Imperial ship had been besieged but a moment before.
Li’hi seeing the pirates around her distracted, chopped at the pins and ropes holding a mast upright and leapt atop it, riding its motion to join her lover on board the Imperial junk, there she and Messaline set to swiftly reversing the previous course of the action aboard that vessel.
“After them you fools, would you lose the battle?” Roared Jai Ti, went leaping from deck to deck until he could once again confront Messaline while his slower minions scurried along behind. In the meantime a fresh mob of pirates descended on Li’hi and she lost herself in the dance of swords and fists as she sent many of them to meet their ancestors.
“You fight well for a barbarian,” Messaline complimented the Pirate Chief, “Almost as well as a Chinese.”
“I was fortunate, once when a typhoon had me ship wrecked I was lucky enough to pluck a Master of your Martial Arts out of the water. Mistaking me for a humble fisherman we spent the months stranded on a small island with him teaching me all he knew. When he had done so I killed him and signalled one of my ships to come rescue me and have ruled these seas ever since as the undisputed pirate king.”
“You boast much,” Said Messaline, “Let us test your boasts,” She launched a flurry of kicks and sword thrusts that would have broken or spitted most men. Indeed they drove Jai Ti back to a mast and then up it as the two warriors ascended the collapsing sail with its multiple rigid yards.
Then Messaline was forced to leap clear for safety landing upon the deck of yet another ship, she turned once again to face Java Ti as he descended like a thunderbolt. Each struck the other in a cascade of blows so hard that sparks and shards of armour went flying off but neither could gain an advantage.
Li’hi tried to cut her way through the press of pirates to come to Messaline’s aid but always the two were one leap, one step and sometimes one ship’s deck ahead of her as the fight between the furious pair whirled around the entangled fleets.
The fight seemed destined to go on for ever between the evenly matched pair until at last they stood upon the deck of a pirate ship that was almost entirely a roaring inferno. Suddenly the deck gave way beneath Messaline. She kicked hard to avoid going down into the flames but the distraction was enough. A blow from the hilt of his sword sent Messaline into unconsciousness and he held her with his blade pressed against her throat, then leaping to safety aboard another Jai Ti called all, “Surrender you dogs lest I kill your precious Messaline of Jin.”
For Li’hi who up until that moment had been having a fairly good battle against lesser opponents there was no choice and she laid down her sword, dispirited the Chinese sailors did likewise.
“I am Jai Ti and you are all my prisoners!” Cried out the Pirate Chieftain in a bellow of triumph.
To Be Continued
