The Three Frogs training camp was a lot more busy than Maria had expected. When she'd first arrived, she'd imagined some rickety little barracks, an overground field for exercises, and if she was very lucky a separate dormitory for the trainers. What she'd gotten was a surprisingly functional, relatively well-supplied collection of facilities. Three or four training fields, the grass well-manicured, the flagstones properly maintained. A sizable barracks, separate from the city's own guard. A cantina. An armoury, even, stocked with serviceable (if not necessarily impressive) equipment. It had been a nice surprise, if she was honest. Also the
only nice surprise she'd gotten since getting here.
To be fair, the other big surprise hadn't actually been unpleasant in itself. Letha – the only other Optimatoi not currently confined to the Healers for long-term observation and recovery – had pulled her aside as they arrived to the camp.
"The flags," she'd muttered, visibly excited. "The- the legion marks, I-"
"Don't know it," Maria had muttered.
"Yes, I know, they're new. I- I think…" Letha turned and looked up at the flags above the camp again. And squeaked. "They are! Oh my Gods, Maria- Maria, we have to- my hair, I have to fix my hair, we look a state-"
"Letha," said Oyster, his voice curling with slight amusement, "as much as I'm sure your hair care routine is in itself a wonderful example of excellence expressing itself
even in the most mundane of actions, would you mind perhaps finishing your sentence? The one where, you know, you tell us what the Legion marks mean?"
"They're the 302
nd!"
Maria's brow furrowed. "…So?"
"That's Rina Callista's legion!"
That finally got through, although they'd had to explain why it mattered to Oyster. He'd been confused until they'd told him she reached the 13
th Heavenstage. Then he'd gotten it.
It had been thoroughly exciting, at first. To even be near such a luminary was an experience. Of course, then they found out said luminary's new legion were hogging most of the training camp's equipment. That had doused their enthusiasm quite a bit. To make matters worse, the three of them had almost immediately been handed their new recruits and told to get to work, despite the fact they were down four instructors. Any attempt to remedy this ridiculous imbalance had been met with, at best, a sympathetic smile and an incompetent effort to free up some resources. More often, they'd been told to shove off.
So here they were, four days later, huddled in the cantina well after midnight, finally eating lunch. Papers were covering the table like a small bureaucratic snowstorm, and the food (fried rice and cold barbecue) was backed into a corner, visibly fighting for what little territory it had managed to hold onto.
"Who has the – the -whatsits?" asked Letha. Oyster shot her an unimpressed glance. She reddened. "The – you know, the thing with the list of requirements to pass them on to active duty?"
"Here," muttered Maria, pulling it from one of the lower strata of forms. "Fucking pointless, though."
"Well, I don't know about that," began Letha, but Maria steamrolled over her.
"Going to fight Cannibals. Need to know the Hoplite Formation, spear-fighting forms, and how to do what they're told. Three things. Don't need…" she gave the form a contemptuous glance, "a full page to write that."
"Are you saying that because the wastage annoys you or because you're jealous of their handwriting?" asked Oyster, face utterly blank and tone of voice so bland he
had to be teasing her.
"I'm saying it because it's true!"
"Of course."
"What's left?" asked Letha, not quite crushing the laughter in her voice. Oyster glanced down at his pile.
"Individual initial reports on the recruits-"
"All shit," said Maria.
"Training regimen sheets – nothing too strenuous, just signatures to say we did them – suggested diet plans for the kitchens to maximise qi growth, some general bureaucratic 'we're here too!' forms, and… ah."
His voice trailed off. Letha and Maria shared a confused glance.
"Oyster?"
He looked up.
"A, ah… an after-action report on the… unorthodox problems we ran into on the way here," he said quietly. "For you."
Maria took the sheet from him, and all three sat in the uncomfortable midnight silence. They hadn't discussed what had happened. Not really. On the way, they'd been too busy trying to just get the others to Three Frogs before one of them keeled over, and then there'd been the initial debrief, declaring the mask, healers descending on them like-well-meaning white-clad locusts – one distraction after another.
Honestly, that had suited them. It wasn't a pleasant experience. Ignoring it had been an unspoken agreement.
She scrubbed at her forehead and glared down at the form.
"Why just me?"
The other two shared a glance, and she cursed herself. Her voice had taken on that uncomfortable broken-glass sound again. It always did that when she was tired or angry.
"Calm down," she said. "'M not going to go Red on you. Just annoyed, is all. Why?"
"I would think," said Letha, after a moment, "that since you weren't… captured… for as long as we were, they may have further questions for you."
Her voice was very carefully even. Maria winced.
"Right." She tried not to remember her own capture, but it flickered through her memory regardless. The Pit. The Other Maria.
Me.
Hush.
Letha and Oyster were studiously not looking at her, or each other. They all must have gone back there for a moment. Maria growled.
"That's it?"
"Yes," said Oyster, quietly.
She grunted, took some of the barbecue onto her plate, and rose.
"Then I'll start on this now, get it done, come back after. You two get started on… that." She gestured at the hungry paperwork army devouring the table and fled, enjoying the irritated groans that followed her.
She found herself a quiet spot a few tables over, read through the form, and tried not to get angry. Some of the questions in this thing… Gods. She'd told them what happened. Did they really need it again in so much… detail? It was just-
That's not the problem.
The Red Place had become a lot more talkative, since Kuei. She still wasn't sure how she felt about that. On the one hand, things were less – combative, now. On the other…
Stalling.
Fucking- yes. Fine.
You don't want to tell them about me.
I said fine!
It was right. Somehow that made it worse. She really didn't want to tell them about it. Honestly, it wasn't something she could really explain; her unit knew she could lose her temper, but none of them had any idea there was a voice in her head and a sprawling landscape in her mind that took over if she wasn't careful. Ajax had known, but he mustn't have said anything. She wouldn't have had the career she did if he had.
But that's not the real reason either, is it?
Can't you let me-
Not if you're going to lie to yourself.
She snarled silently.
…I don't trust this place.
It was true. She didn't. Three Frogs seemed like a fine city, all told; boring, admittedly, but no more boring than you'd expect. So what if the local garrison had seemed sloppy? Even amongst the Optimatoi, backwater outposts did not often attract the highest calibre of staff. And yet, despite that, something about the place-
No. Something about the
people felt… wrong. That little bit too obsequious, too sly, too… undisciplined. The mortals seemed distant, halfway between cynical and frightened. The cultivators whispered sometimes, watched her with guarded eyes.
It was an old instinct that brought these feelings to her. One that had guided her safely across the great battlefield and the mountains, back to her clan. Not very Devil-like, but…
Effective.
Exactly.
Can't trust the locals. Can't mention me in the report, then. After all, who might read it?
So lie? To my clan?
No need to lie. Just leave out a few details. You fought well, but lost your temper. That's all.
Not a bad thought. And as for the rest…
Well. Investigating couldn't be that hard, could it?
***
"Who is it Phaidron?"
"Err, Sir it´s the courier with your new reports from the gate." Strange.
As I make my way out of the chamber, Phaidron and Appendix follow me back into my Office.
"Why so soon. Did anyone get some devil bees under them to be more productive all of a sudden or did the rare trader decide to cheat the guards?"
"No, Sir, The front of the vellum allows me decipher them as mission reports from Clan Members coming here to staff the garrison."
"Oh." Well, then let´s have a look. Wow, the Vellum has ears, almost as if no one wants to actually write these reports, heh. No surprise there. They thankfully stop complaining once someone stumbles upon a mortal smuggling ring every once in a while.
"Say, Phaidron, while I read. Is there anything noteworthy about the new garrison members to say?" Ah thankfully Alex is already done with preparing the tea. Makes reading this dry stuff so much more enjoyable.
"Thanks, Alex." And there it is, glorious tea, as cold and black as the heart of the heavens.
"No problem." Shortly thereafter Alex and Phaidron Take their won seats at desks to my sides and begin shuffling with their own work, while we talk.
"Well Sir, all of them were noted by the guard at the time to look very disheveled. They seem to have seen combat and barely survived. Our new members, particularly Lady Maria made a point to state how much she hated fighting that, as she put it "That masked bastard", if that helps."
"Not really, but how are they doing?"
"Oh, the healer recounted the broken bones, bites, burns from acidic spittle and the odd bruises each of them sustained. They recounted each in alphabetical order even!" What?
"Were they not shocked at the sudden influx of patients or at least surprised at something?"
"Oh no, Captain. They joked with each other about finally curing more than alcohol corpses and earning their pay."
*Snort* "Oh I can believe that. Barely anything happens here. We haven´t seen a scorpion hole in months, months. Normally we would have more trouble making sure our troops don´t stumble into their holes than finding one."
With a gesture Phaidron continues filling me in and I begin to read through…the report.
"Alex, how many hours does an average Optimatoi need to have practiced writing to be ready for her level of service?"
"Oh, The rules necessitate at least 20 years of training in writing all kind of different reports to make sure our people are ready for all situations." She explains with a raised finger.
"And in times of crises like these-" I begin. "-it can be shortened for meritous service, yes dear."
"That would explain her chicken scratch at least." With a gesture I allow Phaidron to continue.
"Sir, Lady Maria is a young cultivator oft he 8th Heavenstage, carrying a strange mask with her, declared at the gate mind you, but still. Also she is in the companionship of a cultivator of the mushroom people called Oyster and this trio is rounded out by the honorable Letha Economos. If I may, Lady Economos will no doubt enhance our efforts in this lazy town."
"Ah, truly an eclectic bunch. Did Lady Maria state why she carries the mask? Did it get flagged by any arrays."
"I can inform you with pleasure Sir that, in spite oft he bloody clothes of these new guards, the mask was clean, almost newly made, and did not flag any arrays at the gate!"
"Good, Good." With that said I return to the report laying on my desk. Why does the mask seem so important? Could she be a blood cannibal trying to get in contact with another Cannibal in town?
"Alex, wasn´t there some other way Blood cannibals cultivated? Not in the Sect I mean." After a moment of thinking, Alex seems to have gotten an idea.
"Oh, yes. There was this big Blood Mask many li north where an Old Monster left instruction for anyone to find and to learn about cannibalism."
"It means, hypothetically, that an independent Cannibal could have ridden down here to get a meal before the war truly starts?"
"Well, I suppose that could be the case, but masks are produced by our own legions too you know?!"
"True." Man, who is that´s messing with this town?
Let´s see here. Greetings, yada, yada. Trekked from the Dawn Fortress to teach the new blood…
"By the way, do you mind if I prepare some pouches to make cleaning these arrays of victims in the field easier, Fleety?"
"Sure, go ahead." There is something I am missing I just know it.
"Fleety, you can´t obsess-!"
"Aha" I found it! The combat part! There is something missing.
"-What? /Sir?"
"Well, uhm. Her combat report is strange." Ouch that look.
"You see by the report she wrote in, she would have had to win a fight against a blood cannibal with a full body of qi without any major qi techniques herself and a legionare down. That´s while strange not abnormal for legionares. The really strange part is her dozing off momentarily due to qi exhaustion inbetween."
"Oh you mean they could have been subverted by the mask in some way and they didn´t notice?" I wish it was that easy Alexandria, I really do.
"That´s only one of many possibilities, but in any case we will only get the answers we seek about that report by interrogating the one who wrote it." Seeming to take possible treasonous elements in our midst in stride Phaidron salutes.
"Captain Fleetfit, Sir. Does that mean you would like her to report in for further questioning?"
"Yes, please let Lady Maria know that she is to report in with me at once."
"As you command, Captain!" With that said, Phaidron leaves to locate our newest walking question in this strange town.
"Now to you Fleety. Do you think I forgot?" Ehh, what is she talking about?
"I am talking about the pouches of course. You know, the ones to use against the blood arrays we noticed while we are here?!"
"Oh ehm, Would you believe me I forgot in the excitement?" Please work!
"Sadly, yes and I can even understand why. Whoever infiltrated this town seems to have access everywhere we can´t go to." Thank the Imperator women in the Optimatoi can think beyond their own desires!
"Wait…go to… won´t any reveal of this hidden parasite not necessitate quick action?" That seems to have made her think, because she is pouting and looking confused.
"Well, I suppose, but if it´s in the city we can surely contest any push by these cannibals, right?"
"Yeah, if it is in the city. We have looked all over this town and found nothing. For all we know the cannibal set up an array to fuel his or her ascension a few dunes over the walls."
"Haha, that would be ridicilous Fleety! Three Frog City would need to have been guarded by lazy procrastinators under an underarchieving Commander for decades…. Oh."
"Indeed. Would you like to get Appendix so we can exchange messanges without special equipment long range?"
"Yes, please. I really hope you are wrong, Dear."
"Me too, me too." Well at least the meeting with Lady Maria should illuminate this bloody mess, right?
***
"Well, Legionnaire," said the gate guard, his face set in an obsequious smirk, "my Captain has never had a problem with how I do my duties."
Maria shot him a disbelieving glance. His gut, swollen and pendulous, rolled out below the bottom of his armour and hung in front of his fat thighs like an overpacked sausage skin. This? This was a Golden Devil?
She crossed her arms, set her teeth, and glared at him.
"Your captain's dense, then. Or he can't see Mount Tai. Your shift change was half an hour ago, and you just amble up now?"
"Three Frogs is safe."
"No fucking thanks to you. Or your friend, scampering off twenty minutes early."
"Barbz has been part of this city's garrison for years. She knows this place better than-"
She saw the words line up on his tongue, but a glance at her face – one grey eye burning coldly into him, one empty socket yawning at the world – changed his mind.
"-those less acquainted with our culture," he finished. "You can tell Captain Zhan, of course."
Zhan. Maria fought down a snarl. The gate captain had been the one to let them in, when she and the others had first arrived. She hadn't thought much of him then. Seeing how he ran his unit had not improved matters.
"No?" gate guard's smirk had bloomed into a full-fledged, shit-eating grin. The kind that made her knuckles itch. "Maybe go higher? Try the commander, maybe. Gaiarados, his name is. Lovely man."
His tongue. I will rip out his tongue. I will paint his name on the walls with it. His blood will be my ink.
No.
"You noticed what year it is?" she asked. Her tone had bite to it, but she wasn't actively bellowing, so she'd call that a win for self control. "You know war's starting up any day now? Some Cannibal's gonna come and *eat* you, bitchtits."
"How
dare-"
He took a step forward. Her spearpoint was pressed against his adam's apple before he took another.
"I dare because you are a shit legionnaire. I dare because you are fucking up,
royally, and if I don't fix it your captain won't. I
dare-"
"Legionnaire! Drop your weapon!"
The voice had 'drill centurion' written all over it in huge burning letters. She was in parade rest before she even realised what she was doing, the spear clattering to the ground. Belatedly, she turned. The man behind her was, at first glance, unremarkable, clad in the same legionnaire's armour she was. His eyes, though. Sharp. Calculating.
Also he'd drawn his spear. That was a factor too. Still, she'd be damned if one spear got in the way of finding out what the hell was wrong with this town.
"Help you with something?"
"You are assaulting an officer of the garrison," he replied, iron-cold.
"the 'officer of the garrison' just showed up half hour late for his shift," said Maria, evenly. "In war time. Or is that just how you do things here?" Something flickered in those sharp eyes. His face stayed frozen, though, and the spear didn't move.
"Your authority does not allow for unprovoked assault."
She was tired of this, suddenly. Tired of this whole town. Every local was either weirdly disinterested in blatant flaws, or just… sloppy. Sloppy in a bone-deep, gut-wrenching kind of way. Her temper was starting to rise.
"My
authority is second to my responsibility as Optimatoi, Legionnaire," she snapped. "That responsibility does not allow security breaches to go without comment. Now unless you've got a captain's badge or centurion pins somewhere underneath that armour, either put your spear away or start the fucking duel."
Good girl.
The Red Place's approval filled her with shame. Fuck it though, she'd started this and she was going to see it through.
The stranger's eyes narrowed. If he went for the thrust, she could get under it, go for her own spear, bring up the haft for a defence. That should buy her some breathing room…
He put his spear away, and shot the gate guard a sharp glare. "Back to your post, Hao. Now." The guard fled, gut wobbling as he went.
"Maria of the 263
rd Legion?" asked the stranger. He'd produced a sheet of paper. She eyed it as she picked up her own spear.
"I am."
He held out the paper.
"Commander Angelus of the Divination platoon wishes to speak with you."
---
She felt her temper building as they walked through the streets. She'd never liked Diviners. There wasn't a good reason for it, at least not one she could explain. Good intelligence was the core of successful strategy, after all. There were Legionnaires and clan members around today who would have died if Divination hadn't uncovered enemy actions before they happened. And yet, for all that, the dreamy-eyed bastards set her teeth on edge worse than anything short of Cannibals.
They'd headquartered in a small, grotty little building in one of the richer districts. She had to duck her head a little to get in the door. The stranger- Phaidron – had stopped outside and ordered her to wait.
That had been fifteen minutes ago. Then, she'd just been pissed off. Now, she was bordering on homicidal.
This is some local trying to cover his ass, she thought. The bitterness and scorn was almost palpable.
Has mistresses all over town. Thinks he can hoodwink the stupid turtleblood sandpounder, keep her from spoiling his good thing. Well, fuck that.
Patience thoroughly spoiled, she kicked the door open and stalked in.
"Legionnaire," bellowed Phaidron, "your orders-"
"That's alright," said the man at the desk. He eyed her, fingers steepled in front of his mouth. "We're finished anyway. Maria, wasn't it?"
"Well, you wrote it down on the summons,
sir," she growled. Actually seeing him just confirmed her suspicions. Tall, slim, aristocratic – built more like a dancer than a fighter. The blood of bronze must have run pretty strongly in him too, given his dusky skin and sharp features. Dressed in easily the most ridiculous blue silk pants she'd ever seen. Gods. Noble family. Had to be. Probably hadn't gotten in a real fight since the Dawn Fortress finished his training. That sword at his hip was probably ornamental.
He gave her a thin smile, and gestured for her to sit.
"Food? Drink?"
"Why am I here?"
The commander raised an eyebrow. "Direct."
"Frontline fighter. Don't do subtlety. Why am I here?"
"Have you ever actually
been to the front lines?"
…Oh, she could feel herself getting angrier, now. It was like acid in her veins.
"I served on the Scorpion road," she growled through gritted teeth.
"Ah. Well." He spread his hands, still smiling, and leaned back in his chair. "Your after-action report made for interesting reading. The additional one was particularly good. Thank you for being so prompt."
Enemy, growled the Red Place. Her shoulders tensed like coiled springs.
"I have a few more questions on it, if you don't mind. For the records. You understand."
She didn't say anything. Just eyed him.
"This… Kuei. You said he was a cannibal?"
She shook her head.
"True Mask, he said. Not a cannibal. Different path."
"Ah. Of course." He rustled through his papers. "And he incapacitated the rest of your unit besides Adonia Illias. Tell me, are you often afflicted with Qi exhaustion?"
"No."
"Or fighting outside of a unit?"
"No more than anyone else."
Enemy.
"But you managed to defeat this Kuei, after he had run you to ground."
ENEMY.
"What are you hiding?" she growled. The commander's face stilled. "Dragging me in here. Guards out there barely fit to hold a spear, let alone hold the city against cannibals, and
you drag me in here?!"
"The Cannibals," said Angelus, voice silken and calm, "are not predicted to attack Three Frogs."
"
So?!"
"So is there something you'd like to tell me?"
It came so brutally out of left field she took a moment to even understand.
"What?"
Angelus rose from his chair.
"You arrive with a mask. A very, very strange mask. Your unit is severely wounded. Your story for why these two things have occurred has gaps in it, specifically one where your only witness is suffering from Qi exhaustion,
during which your supposed attacker is killed. And now, under questioning, your first thought is cannibals. In Three Frogs. So let me ask again, Legionnaire. Is there anything you would like to tell me?"
For a moment, her fury was so strong, so hot and blinding, that it burnt white in her head and utterly silenced her. Then it turned
red, and she fell into darkness.
---
Alexandria was perfectly calm. This was important. Zeno had worked out the array was outside the city. That was fine. Completely, absolutely fine. In no way, shape or form did it irk her that he'd seen it before she did. Not at all. Did not even slightly fill her with murderous rage. It was of course completely coincidental that she'd spent all day trying to work out where precisely it was with an expression of barely restrained fury etched on her face. Her aides had given up talking to her that morning when she had flung a tea cup at one of them for refilling it too loudly.
Her work was interrupted by a muffled thud. Violence. Nearby. She'd turned and dropped into a fighting stance before she saw her own office wasn't the one being attacked. It was coming from…
Next door.
Zeno.
She darted out into the hall to see Phaidron skid to a halt in front of her.
"The suspect," he gasped. "She's just attacked Commander Angelus."
"Fuck." She glanced over his shoulder, saw a flurry of blurred motion. "Come on."
She pushed past him and saw-
Well. One hell of a fight.
The suspect was a mad, spiralling streak of white skin and golden hair, her spear arcing through the air like a comet, over and over. Utterly without grace, but primal, ferocious, and underscored by bestial, snuffling roars and snarls. Zeno, by contrast, was gliding through his combat steps with breath-taking speed and poise; he could have been tutoring students at a dance academy, if it weren't for the sword in his hand. The office itself was a state; his desk lay in two halves and haloed by splinters against the far wall. Most of his other furniture had been similarly demolished.
They'd been fighting for twenty seconds tops, how had-
Zeno leapt over a spear thrust that buried itself in the wall. The suspect bellowed like an angry bull, tore the blade lengthways through the stonework, and heaved chunks of it at him. His blade swept through them and scattered them away from his body.
…Yeah, that'd do it.
Her first instinct was to assist her boyfriend. Three on one should stop this homicidal lunatic, surely. But something stopped her. It took her a moment to figure out what.
The attacks. They were brutal, yes. Direct. Violent. But not a one of them was a killing blow. Whoever this woman was, she was fighting to cripple. That… warranted further study.
Well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained…
"Let me try something," she said. Phaidron nodded. She had to imagine he regretted it when she dropped her spear and flung himself into the fray, though. Alright. This would either work, or it wouldn't. The two of them seemed so wrapped up in killing each other that they hadn't noticed her yet. She had to get between them. It couldn't be misinterpreted as an attack, either. She jumped, twisted in mid air, and spread out her arms.
There was a moment where she gazed into the face of the suspect, and their eyes met. Cold grey and an empty socket, shocked, furious. She stared back with calm acceptance.
Behind her, the air shifted. Zeno's sword-strike, twitched aside to glide through the very tips of her hair.
The woman's spear, inching towards her face. Closer. Closer.
Don't move.
And then stopping. The grey eye… changing, somehow, indefinably.
She landed between them. Silence fell.
"So!" said Alexandria, bright and very annoyed. "Got that out of your systems?"
---
The Red Place was a confused haze in the back of her head. Maria stared. This- lunatic- either had a death wish or the kind of reckless genius that normally started wars.
"…The
fuck did you think you were doing?"
"Stopping you from being stupid," she replied, tartly.
"Quite right," said the Commander, eyes still locked on Maria. "Drop your weapon, Legionnaire-"
"
BOTH of you." One hand flicked out and slapped Angelus across the back of the head.
"AH! What the- why did you-"
"She was fighting to wound. I have to imagine you recognised that, unless you have spontaneously become an idiot in the last few minutes."
"I- well-"
"Traitors who think they're caught would most likely proceed directly to the attempted murder part, yes?"
"They-"
"And one odd report does not count as definitive evidence, does it?"
He avoided her gaze. That was… interesting. The woman turned back to Maria.
"Now. Since the catastrophe appears to have been averted, maybe we might try the rest of this conversation?"
…Enemy?
I don't… think so.
"…Traitor. You said traitor." She looked at the two – three, that legionnaire was still here – of them. "What the fuck's going on?"
The commander looked at his smashed desk, then the wreckage of his office, then back at her.
"You first."
She coloured. He had a point.
"…I- I'm a… berserker," she said eventually. "Battle fury. You know? Happens sometimes. I don't like talking about it. When I- Kuei, he made me fight it. When I didn't, he couldn't control it any more."
Angelus' face was inscrutable. "Interesting. True Mask, you said?"
She nodded.
"Hmmm."
"That's me. What about you? What do you mean, traitors?"
There was another, longer, pause. The woman turned away from her and looked at Angelus. They seemed, somehow, to communicate silently, through expressions. Then she turned back.
"There is something wrong with this city," she said. Maria nodded. "More than one would expect. When we arrived, we began investigating. There is evidence of treachery."
Enemy, growled the Red Place.
Secret enemies. Worst kind.
Yeah.
No wonder she'd been feeling so on-edge.
"Whoever they are, they're using cannibal techniques. Human blood symbols to confuse and control civilians. Worse, we believe they have an array outside the city, in the desert somewhere."
Maria stared.
"…You thought I was one of them," she said, as it finally clicked. "Threatening the guardsman. Sabotage attempt."
"And you," said the Commander, heavily, "thought I was… what, incompetent? Corrupt? Trying to blackmail you."
She nodded. Winced. Fuck. She'd been- idiotic. He had a similarly embarrassed look on his face. She had to fix this.
"Alright." She flicked her spear back onto her back. "How can I help?"
***
"Where is it?! I thought you knew oh so much about searching?"
"I don´t know" Where could it be? Paperwork from the guards lead us all around City.
"Hey, Fleetfeet. Why are you searching about spies anyway?"
"I don´t know." It all just doesn´t add up. The guard reports make everything seem alright, but I was already wrong with Maria. A mistake now would be…dangerous.
"Can you say anything else?" Well yes anger in flesh I could if I had anything to add.
"It doesn´t make any sense. According to the guard reports everything should be in order, but the paperwork and actions taken by individuals don´t quite follow the same pattern as they should. Do you follow my idea?
"Hmph, no, but if these guards are so important for the City and their actions don´t match then they are clearly the source of our problems."
"You want to look trough their personal lockers in the barracks to check for contraband?" Is it really that easy Maria?
"I wanted question these idiots more directly, but we can always do that later." Of course, how could I expect anything else.
"This way to the barracks then Maria."
"Yeah, they should be more helpful with you around." I am sure they will be Maria, I am sure.
Thankfully it doesn´t take us too long before we arrive at the barracks. The twilight before dusk is a perfect time for a surprise inspection.
"A-Are you sure you wish to look at their belongings now, Sir?" Truly, subtelty is lost on the average Guard. Even my grandmother could perceive such thinly veiled distain for Maria.
"I don´t see how Lady Marias presence should lower the integrity of my inspection in any way soldier. Now open the lockers and have a chat with my esteemed colleague while I do my due diligence."
"Y-Yes, Sir." At least he still remembers to salute. Man retraining that to them was annoying. It took them weeks before I had to stop inventing new ways to clean the latrines. There are surprisingly little ways to clean something so soaked in excrements.
"Maria, you too won´t have any problems right?" Ah that grin. Yes, she clearly enjoys being on the other end for once.
"Of course not, MY CAPTAIN. He will tell me everything I need, I am sure."
With that said I leave the two of them to search-
"Ah, Sir. Apologies if I may-." Ah Proactive involvement. I should encourage him before that flames gutters out.
"Yes, Legionare?"
"-Word on the grapevine has it the three lockers in the back are regularly dirty." Ah I see. Smart man.
"I will keep that in mind. Until later."
"Yes sir!" And with that I truly make my way, with a goal in mind, to the three lockers in the back oft the barracks.
Ah, his description truly did not disappoint. Clothes are just stuffed in in the first and I can even see a chestbind with frills in the third one. These clothes look like they haven´t been washed in months. With that in mind I open the first locker and I thankfully step back.
"How did he even fit that many clothes and paper in his locker. It´s as if they didn´t have private lodgings."
Ah what is that. Right next to the calligraphy set on the topmost shelf are some flyers. This is strange.
"Now why does a guard have at least 50 different array flyers inked with blood neatly stuffed in his otherwise disgusting locker?"
Imperator must have surely blessed Maria, because I just had to arrive with a small stack of flyers, and a sample of their hair, in hand to get the rest of the information about our three renegade guards.
"Truly Captain, all three?" Whispered the young boy with a shocked face.
"Unless all three have taken to buying blood arrays from the clan arrays as collector items with the salary they clearly don´t possess for it, then yes."
"Ha finally! The boy was almost useless. It should be clear that three guards that always leave their shifts early are to be looked at more closely, hmph. Now let´s go. You have a plan, right?
"Sure, but for that to work our erstwhile helper will need to assume his protection duty in my office."
"Really? / Me?"
"Yes, you boy. The papers don´t guard themselves now get going Maria and I have to farsee our problems and the evening is still young."
"You mean that dance you talked about some time ago?" Her confusion is understandable most legionares only help each other with qi constructs in direct battle. "Well yes, but I will explain the rest in the courtyard of my office. There should be enough place."
"Ugh, fine. If it helps." That´s the spirit! With a grin on my face and her willing cooperation we start walking towards a goal, finally.
Thankfully our headless searching through the day made sure that Maria and I knew this settlement like no other here and we made good time back to my office. Before we knew it Maria and I stand in the courtyard.
"Where is your other half anyway. Couldn´t she do it?" Good question.
"True she could, but sadly she needs to do the regular duties so we can focus on the immediately important stuff."
"Fair enough. Now is this everything?" With that said she mirrors my movements of the farsight dance almost perfectly. Only practice could improve it over time.
"Yeah. You´re damn good for someone that I showed the moves like a few moments ago."
Sadly I don´t get much more than a "Thanks." And a back turned my way for the compliment. Eh, can´t win them all.
"Now, let´s begin. Ready?" With a nod we begin our dance with the light of dusk at out back, making every shadow longer, improving the accuracy of the dance.
"Ready." Now the guard noted the three of them to be leaving towards the desert as a group that way. They can´t be more than a days march away at best. On the other Hand they need, whatever they wish to hide, away from regular patrols.
"O-On the Ground, there they are!"
"Yes, Lady Maria. Zhan, Hao and Barbz, hiding behind a cliff face away from the walls is smarter than I thought them capable."
"Then how can we get to them? They are already working something."
"This dance and our cultivation allows should allow us to jump there through shadows."
"Good. How, alone?"
"Well, good question. I will send a message and then we jump. Oh, right you don´t know. Do you see my qi flowing alongside my legs?" Thanks to Alexandrias Robes my qi flow can be viewed more easily and my qi obeys me more. That gift of hers is already paying off.
"Yes. It´s obvious. A danced circle stomps a viewing pool in the ground." That´s one way to put it. At least the idea behind the robes clearly work, though I am not sure if her explanation could be understood by many.
"Y-yes. That´s the gist of it." Thankfully sending a message doesn´t take more than opening a path of communication with Appendix and the sheathing of my sabre. Good, with that message Alexandria and Marias companions should arrive in time to make any enemy movements useless.
With our spears drawn we jump. The sheer amount of qi we get into the formation thanks to Maria makes us jump faster than the desert wind can follow.
____________________________-
Without much fanfare afterwards we are, where so many dream to reach one day, airborne. As we rushed through the air with speed I can barely believe myself. Marias Boost in tandem with the dance allowed us to leave the walls of Three Frog City behind in barely a few breaths. Long before we can perceive the traitors with our qi sense Maria and I see the huge array throwing a shadow over the nearby dunes while bathed in twilight.
We don´t bother communicating a plan for the battle ahead. Our purpose is clear and the winds tearing at our bronzen flesh, which would tear lesser cultivators apart, does not allow for long conversations anyway.
The heavens may not care about the uncountable mortals ground underfoot the cannibals merciless want, but we do. And the Golden Devil Clan is more merciful and more fair than any outsider may hope to know. Therefore, like all fair and righteous beings, we descend unto the traitors in one harmonious Hoplite Formation to vanquish their evil.
We descent first on the fat one. His mass and lacking awareness allows our formation to thrown him unto the woman in their trio. The qi in the formation, beginning to swirl, stutters. As soon as we make contact with the ground we follow up our throw, spear pointed at the enemy. The third one tries to throw the woman out of the way, but to no avail. He is speared alongside the woman on Marias spear.
"W-what the fuck!" What are you doing man?" Maria allows them no time to rebuke before answering.
"We are taking care of trash like you, Cannibal scum!" Their faces. Why is thereso much honest confusion?
"B-but, ow, we haven´t done anything Captain. We swear." Man how could a cultivator have such a nasal voice and wobble like stuffed pudding when trying to Stand up? At least the qi for the ritual gathered here is beginning to disperse.
The arrogant-looking one among them starts this time. "W-Well, Captain. We, uh, we are taking out the trash for the Commander Gaiarados."
"By ritually sacrificing mortals through a ritual using sympathetic connections on blood array flyers?"
"No, no you got it all wrong!" Wow that woman has a shrill voice. I reflexively cycle my qi in case it is some kind of demonic tunist technique I dont know about, but it seems to be her natural voice. My condolences.
"I am sure you can work off the debt for working unknowingly for the enemy." Maybe my best smile and a way out without death should encourage them.
"What have we gotten wrong soldier
spill!" Ah, a spear at one of their throat seems to have finally jumpstarted their memories.
"Yes, Ma´am / Yes, Ma´am / Yes, Ma´am!" Ah, the Carrot and the stick. When does it not work?
After a short cough the arrogant begins. "We gave out the flyers as thanks to the Citizens, so they may view the Commanders ascension to Foundation Establishment from afar. The Cleaning part of their flyer is of course a most magnanimous bonus from the Commander out of gratitude.
That story. Wow. So much bullshit told in such a honest manner. Just, wow.
"Captain Angelus, do you have a solution against. ugh. Mental conta-" Wow, so formal. Hmm it surprisingly suits her. Well, mostly because no one expects that of her.
"Do you mean mental contamination?" After a short nod from her and an affirmation for our three idiots that I need to see their ankles to verify my theory we continue.
"Jup you three have it, just hold still." And before they can grumble the blood array is rendered useless on their ankles. They, of course, stumble on their behinds after such a interruption to their qi. Wow the girl in town had more mental fortitude than these sacks of ´shrooms.
"I-I thank you Lord Captain we are so-" I really don´t want to deal with this. How can I break it to them, though?
"Stuff it and tell the Captain what the enemies response will be!" Point for her I almost forgot the possible enemy retaliation after such a sweeping victory.
"Now now, let them at least get some air. We might need them able to stand and fight after all."
"Hmph, if they breath as much air as your dance produces the town guards brains couldn´t withstand the pressure." Ouch. The truth hurts. Wait, did she just subtly make a dig at my training efforts for the guards?
"Well, the Commander will arrive soon to-to make his ascension, honorable Captain." The Fatty sure knows how to lay it on thick.
"Shit." Preach it sister.
"I wish I could think of a better conclusion, but yeah. This is bad."
"Well we still have the mines a few dunes over, which could at make him consider twice against engaging us in a fight."
"True. These mines could be used to pin the enemies movement in and make using the ritual site for the enemy harder, arrogant one."
"B-But my name is Zhan. And why do you treat us so- so disrespectful. We are of the Clan, no?"
"And I will bother remembering your name once you are no longer an unmemorable uselessly arrogant pawn, arrogant pawn. "Man how many cultivators without proper training exist here, ugh?
"To answer the other question. Yes, by blood, but certainly not by deed. You should have gone out of the town to report suspicious behaviour once you noticed it. It´s on the second page of the damn book you recieved!"
"How did you-? "A glare thankfully shuts thems up.
"Maria, could you tend to their wounds while I prepare the mines along the site for our enemy? "
"Sure. Won´t be perfect, though "Oh, that look of horror on their faces makes the annoyance of handling explosives worth it!
"Don´t worry. It´s good enough for them. "At that we share a knowing grin at the expense of these idiots.
***
The fat one sniffled, still trying to avoid Maria's gaze. That worked for her. It was better than the infuriating smugness he'd given her this morning.
The sunset was starting to fade out now, as twilight gave way to night. They didn't have long. According to Barbz, the Commander was due back any moment now.
"You remember the plan?" Maria growled. They nodded. "So tell me it."
"Wait for Gaiarados to show his face," Zhan said, reciting from memory. "As soon as he does, up out of the sand and into Hoplite. Keep hitting him until he's dead."
"Good." She leaned forward, and glared at them each in turn. "You. Each of you. Have done bad. BAD. Things. You understand? This. This is your only chance to fix it." They didn't look at her. Eyes tracked across the sand, the sky, each other. Anywhere but at Maria. Bad sign. She growled quietly, tried again. "You are Optimatoi. The enemy played you. Turned you on your own. What are you going to do about it?" That… seemed to register, but they didn't have time for her to be sure. "Get into the sand."
She stalked away. Zeno was gone – already underground, she had to assume, unless he had a better trick to hide himself. Not impossible. Maybe one of his dances could do that. Weird, but then again what wasn't, these days?
She knelt at the edge of the array and started to dig. It didn't take long to bury herself. Zeno had given her a reed to clamp between her teeth and breathe through. It was dark, beneath the surface. Quiet. Peaceful, almost, but for the quiet, almost-silent hum of the array by her head. They'd broken a few lines in it earlier – no need to give Gaiarados a chance to actually ascend- but they couldn't destroy it completely. He'd have known. Instead, they were using it as bait.
She made herself relax. No point worrying now. They just had to wait. So, she lay there.
It was later- much later- when at last, she felt him. Gaiarados wasn't even trying for subtle, now; this was his big moment, after all. To her senses, he was an awful weight on the world; the corrupted, roiling qi of half-digested flesh and gnashing teeth. Far away, still, but getting closer. Closer. Closer. The Red Place was a snarling mess inside her skull, desperate to close and lash out in fury. She held it in check.
Not yet. Soon, but not yet.
Closer. Closer. His unveiled qi was almost palpable, like stomach acid and screams.
Not yet.
Closer. Closer.
Just a little longer…
A foot touched down on the sand.
Now.
Maria exploded upwards, snarling as she went. Gaiarados flinched back. He was in the centre of the array, his hands clutching a treasure of some kind; a fat, red dragon fly with a woman's face. He must have flown in. The other four came up as she did, and they slammed together into tight formation.
She roared as she cycled her qi in tandem with the others, and the Hoplite was born. The huge, shadowy figure turned its massive head to glare down at the Cannibal.
"DIE," it said, in all their voices, and lunged.
To begin with, the fight went well enough; their spear lashed out, guided by the Red Place's ferocity, and the shield blocked Gaiarados's desperate return blows guided by Zeno's foresight. The other three poured their qi into the Hoplite with single minded dedication. And it was working. He wasn't much in a fight, it seemed; sneaky, clever, but first and foremost a spy and saboteur, not a combatant.
They were going to win.
And then he ruined it.
Gaiarados had tried to flee earlier, after they'd knocked the treasure out of his hands, but one of the mines had gone off and knocked him away. He'd been keeping away from the Array's edges since. That should have been an advantage, but it must have given him an idea. The Cannibal had barely dodged their last spear-thrust. He was still limping from a glancing blow to his knee by the shield. He'd darted backwards, luring them into the centre of the Array…
And then dropped flat.
"Fuck yourselves, barbarians."
The Array-
Exploded.
Crimson light poured up out of the ground. She shut her eye instinctively. It still blazed bright enough to blind her for a few moments. And the
noise. A roar. A howl that echoed over the desert sands for miles. For a moment there was nothing in her head but a high-pitched whine. She fought her way back to sight, sound and awareness, and rose in a fighting stance.
She was out of formation. The explosion had shattered the Hoplite. Worse, she couldn't see Zeno. Barbz was dead, twenty feet ahead of her, chest and belly a gory mess of dark red and black scorch marks.
And something was eating Hao.
It gleamed with the shimmering half-light of a qi construct.
Battle Aura, she thought muzzily. Had to be. But it was bigger than any Aura she'd ever seen before; red, translucent teeth bit down into the fat guard's flesh, longer than her forearms. A mouth, easily twice as high as she was, opened to swallow every inch of him. The eyes were as big as her shield.
It reared up.
Lashed out.
Took Barbz' corpse in its jaws.
Withdrew, back into the billowing smoke. She heard nothing but the slurping, grizzly sounds of a predator devouring prey.
Shit. This. This was not the plan. She brought her spear up to point towards where the thing had gone, and backed slowly away. Zeno. She had to find him. Gods only knew where Zhan was – in that thing's belly, probably. The commander was the only one likely to still be alive. She fumbled backwards, praying she'd be able to find him.
After a long moment, the sounds of eating stopped.
"Fuck you both," growled Gaiarados. A blast of wind carried away the smoke. Zeno was next to her; if she'd carried on, they'd have collided. Zhan's armour was empty, tooth-marked and gore streaked. And the creature was revealed.
She was right. It was a battle aura. A sea snake – huge, hungry, and blazing with scarlet light as it coiled around Gaiarados. His malicious eyes were fixed on them both, and one hand was rooted in the sand, pulling the last of the power of the array into him.
"I," said the Cannibal, "could have become something amazing. Powerful in a way you can't even understand, let alone appreciate. And then you came along." The aura swallowed. Maria watched with sick fascination as the last of Barbz slid down its gullet, and broke apart into bright, bloody qi. The sea snake grew a little. "You owe me a meal, Devils," snarled Gaiarados. "Time to deliver."
And then they were fighting again.
This one went a lot more poorly. They couldn't hoplite – every time they'd get close, the Aura-snake would dive at them in a frenzy of vicious biting until they split, just to force it to leave one of them for a moment. Worse, Gaiarados was quick to close himself. The energy of the Array and the cultivation of the guards had filled him with unholy strength; every time he got near, he'd lash out with a butcher's knife and his claw-like fingernails. They had no respite.
This, Maria realised, as she flung herself beneath a particularly brutal swing,
is how I'm going to die. Barely twenty years back among my own, and I go out like this.
Well. Best make it memorable. She thrust her hands into the sand, turned her dive into a cartwheel until she could turn. The Aura-Snake had Zeno pinned down under a particularly brutal assault, his sword flashing elegantly in the moonlight as he defended himself. His guard was cracking.
She'd have one shot.
Maria brought her spear up, shifted grip, and threw. It sang as it flew through the air, cutting the wind into a high whine.
Aaaaaaaaaah.
Thud.
It slammed home a moment before Gaiarados's fist caught her temple and sent her sprawling. The Aura-Snake was knocked aside, barely for a full second before it recovered, lashing back at Zeno again.
The Cannibal stood over her.
"Burn in every hell there is," he growled.
His butcher's knife came up-
-down-
Shattered as a speartip struck the flat of its blade, showering the sand with metal fragments.
"You first," said Phaidron. Letha laughed. The two hit him like a whirlwind of carefully controlled violence, driving Gaiarados back from Maria. Alexandria settled by her side.
"Are you alright?"
Maria shook her head to clear it. "Yes." She tasted warm copper on her tongue, but fuck it, there wasn't time for weakness. "Where's Oyster?"
A flash of familiar green light and the keening of throwing knives answered her question. The Mushroom Man had flung himself into the air, the Extant Decay Barrage sending sickly rotting qi into the Aura Snake's body in a thousand places. It wouldn't kill it, but it'd burn a lot of power fixing the damage.
"He's impressive," said Alexandria, wryly. "You make interesting friends."
"Hoplite," said Maria. "Hoplite
now-"
But the others, it seemed, were way ahead of her. Oyster's assault had freed up Zeno enough to slip through the distance between them like a fish through water, landing gracefully at Alexandria's side. Phaidron and Letha (who fought like one mind in two bodies) launched one last withering barrage, then surged back into position.
Six clansmen, four of them fresh. That'd even the odds. Their qi cycled, flowed,
twisted-
Launched. The Hoplite blossomed over them, more solid this time. Gaiarados roared in fury. The Aura Snake bellowed in unison. Both qi-constructs surged forward-
Struck-
The Hoplite's spear meeting snake's tooth-
Light-
And it was over.
Maria felt the Formation dissipate again. This time, by choice. Gaiarados lay collapsed in the sand not far from them, his head thirty feet away.
For a moment, no-one spoke. Then, slowly, she turned her head to look at Zeno.
"You," she said, "can explain this to the Legate."
"
Me?"
"Yes.
Commander."
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Words: 9293(ca. 9k)
This was interesting to write for
@BadAtScreenNames and I. Also we are eager to see your responses to our try at the intrigue genre in Xianxia Turtle-World Edition.
BadAtScreenNames: "Really enjoyed writing this one. Juugo set up the core conceit, so I got to play with his seed's themes a bit. Also, writing Zeno is fun, so this may have to happen again!"
@Mochinator ,
@Alectai please threadmark it.
