Janus 2 - Blood and Buff
Blood and Bluff
Bumprickle Town, Hong Xuan Kingdom, Year 218
Bumprickle Town, Hong Xuan Kingdom, Year 218
"Hey, Janus!" I looked over at the trio of burly, dusky-skinned men, grinning at me from the entrance to the manor compound. "We're headed to the Farting Goat for drinks. You coming?"
"Nah, Xing," I said, shaking my head. "I lost a dice game to Ugly Chen for his extra shift. I'm stuck on watch."
Xing and two of the Three Chungs laughed at my misfortune, Xing scratching at the scraggly beard he'd been working on for the last two months. "You dumb egg," he grinned. "Everybody knows Ugly Chen cheats at dice! Why do you think we never play him?"
I froze, staring at him as an angry frown set in. "He what?"
Chung He waved a hand at me, patting Chung Yu on the shoulder. "Have fun on watch, you big dummy. Hey, maybe I'll find that matron you're always making eyes at and see if she's interested in a bit of carousing, eh?"
I waved angrily at them, earning another round of laughter as they set off, resisting the urge to smile as Xing started to belt out an unholy wail of a drinking song, excited at finally getting an opportunity to indulge in a few vices. He'd earned it by now; they all had. Working for Master Wei Shi Han was hard and gruelling, with pay to match. The man's exacting standards and wandering-eyed daughters made for a stressful environment that washed out most of the new blood or, for the ones stupid enough to get taken in by Ling or Li, beaten out.
I was just barely outside the category of 'new blood' myself. At three and a half months, I'd been in the Master's service just long enough to go from "intruding nuisance" to "lowly underling," which gave me the lofty privilege of guarding the manor's inner courtyard instead of standing out in the sweltering outer lands all day.
I reached up, adjusting the leather strap across my chest and the sword hanging on my back.
I'd missed this, funnily enough. I hadn't thought about it until I'd gotten away from the Legions, but...these were my people. The brashness, the crassness, the dice and cards, the profligate adulterers and thieves. I didn't have to think about how to interact with any of it, and it put me at ease.
I finished my walk around the manor within a few minutes, thumping on the barracks door as I walked past. There was an indistinct yell from inside and I gave one in return, before walking off towards the kitchens. I had a handful of moments to get something in my stomach before I needed to get to the other side of the manor, and-
"Janus," a woman's voice purred.
I glanced at the bread counter as I stepped inside, where Ling was very intently kneading dough, covered in flour up to her elbow and all across her torso.
"Young Mistress," I tilt my head to her respectfully.
"Not yet," she pouts, working the dough with individual fingers in a slow pattern. "You keep refusing me."
"I don't think I know what you're talking about," I say, looking past her to the terrified and shivering scullery maids behind her, trapped between the woman and the cooking spit. Dinner would be late because of her antics, but they knew better than to try and point that out to the ever-mercurial Wei Ling. One of them caught my eye, almost pleading for me to do something. "Is there any food?" I asked.
"Yes...yes, sir," she says, nodding frantically. Her hair is pulled back into a tight bun, leaving her wide-eyed and frantic. "On the table in the corner."
"Don't gesture," Ling snapped. "Serve him, or I'll have you whipped, girl."
"Yes, mistress, my apologies, mistress," the maid says, bowing repeatedly as she does her best to get past Ling without touching her. I didn't need the help but...it was a good excuse to get her out of the situation. Wouldn't even cost me anything coming up with one.
"Tata, Janus," Ling sang. "I do hope you'll...come around."
"Mm," I said, wondering how long I could get away with refusing her before she did something...drastic. She was entirely mortal, but she was impulsive and not one to take being denied what she wants. The rest of the muscle liked me so I'd probably have warning before she convinced anybody to do anything, but...well. It wouldn't exactly be a fun way for this to go.
"Sorry you have to deal with her," I said, as we rounded the corner to the pantry and the long staging table for dinner.
"Sir," she said quietly, chiding me.
"No, just…" I shrug. "A bit much, right? You alright though?"
"Sir," she says, glancing at me out the corner of her eye. "It...it's not appropriate for a maid and someone in your position to engage-"
"Oh, relax," I said, reaching out and patting her hair gently. She flushed. "I'm gonna eat, then get back to it. See you when I see you."
She nods, reaching up to adjust her bun, then disappears back around the corner. I fix myself a sandwich as she leaves, tearing open a half-loaf of bread and slathering it with a generous handful of eggs, roasted meat, and some unknown fermented meat sauce then put the whole thing in my face as quickly as possible. I risk a glance around the corner, finding Ling still...making bread for whatever reason, and take the chance to swig a jug of water before returning to my rounds.
I settled back into a route as I walked through the rear grounds of the manor, looking out over the crossed stone pathways and cultured desert shrubs that served as the house's garden. I ran my hand over my bald head, enjoying the cool rush in its wake.
The manor was sizable, and kind of a stupid display of wealth, I thought. It brought back a lot of bad memories of Singing Beast Town, and the Romanallis' family compound with its overly ornate gate and decorative trees just beyond that. Of course, I'd learned there was a bit more to it than reminding everyone around "I am very wealthy, do what I want and I may give you some."
That was a pretty big part of it, though.
But from what I picked up serving Master Wei - a wholly legitimate businessman who offered local miners, shopkeeps, and travellers their choice of premium vice at premium prices - was that you weren't untouchable just because you had money. Like that Ludus game people kept jerking off over in the Legions, just because you were a big dog didn't mean there weren't other big dogs. Or even that enough small dogs couldn't come eat your supper.
The wealth served as your first weapon, a constant reminder that you're the top dog for a reason and that you could turn around at any point to crush them with your wallet. Basically, you needed to show them the knife or they wouldn't be afraid of getting cut.
I'd also learned that the flow of coins wasn't quite as nice as I'd thought. It was mostly from Ling and Li complaining about how the Master had become increasingly stingy but, when you hear his complaints of the Moye clan squeezing him out of the brothels and the cost of protection going up, you start to understand. It's not "bottomless wealth", just a very deep well. It was...a little disappointing, honestly, for my long term survival prospects. I didn't want to bail out the Legions and set myself up as master of some city just to spend every day counting coins and worrying if we were spending too much on...flour or something equally stupid.
I tried to take the lesson as it stood, though. I hadn't expected to fall into the Master's service like this, much less learn something that might be useful to me, so I'd take what I could get.
Really, I had just been finishing my fifth round of drinks in the least seedy dive in town - quick life lesson, seedy dives usually have the best prices and the least people willing to bother you - when I spotted two groups of angry patrons built like brick shithouses with about 4 working brains between them. My favourite kind of people, in other words.
I was going to just finish my drink and watch the show go down, when one of the groups started acting up: making noise, spilling drinks, harassing the barmaids. Second life lesson about seedy dives? People in them like not being bothered, and disturbing the peace is a good way to get a fist up your colon.
Long story short, I threw two of them out of a window and probably broke some ribs (at a guess, based on how my damn shoulder lit up like a bad rash from the deal). The other group figured I was the right sort and wanted to take me on as new muscle, since I'd just busted up some of their rival Moye goons, but I told them I wasn't too interested so we just got smashed in a different bar and had a good time.
One month and four ambushes from the damn Moye later, I caved and I'd been working/living out Master Wei's manor ever since. Not that I had any real problems with that. Like I said, these were my people and I was more than enjoying being around them again. I just wasn't sure how long I'd really be staying.
==============================
I took a bite of my food as I looked around at the wild display of bright colours, bare flesh, and energetic dancing. It was pretty good - the food, that is. Some kind of regional delicacy called a patty, it was a flaky crust stuffed with spiced meat. It was tasty, a nice mix of textures, with just enough heat to make me feel awake. The carnival...I had mixed feelings about.
Not that I was against seeing a bunch of healthy half-naked women wearing fabric feathers and handcrafted costumes with about the total material of a sock. I tried to avoid being overly uh...frisky because of how often it gets in the way of jobs. I'd seen more than a handful of guys go down because they started thinking with the wrong bits, while some girl with enough cunning and few enough scruples - or just as often, a teenage boy in a decent wig - made off with everything they could carry.
Sometimes, that included their life.
So, understandably I'd built up a certain degree of caution and defensiveness around women, and I erected - bad choice of words - higher walls when they were even remotely attractive. Unfortunately, I'd spent the last few years in the Legions and...surprisingly...hadn't hated it. I'd even say it was pretty nice, and I'd come to appreciate my squad a lot more than I'd expected to. 'Of course, it's their damn fault I have to hide out in the ass end of the Hong Xuan,' I thought, squeezing my patty and sending a surge of meat spilling out the top. Great.
The events leading to my present situation aside, they were mostly good people. But, as a scouting squad who spend extended periods in the middle of nowhere investigating rumours and leads, you end up with a certain level of physical comfort around each other just out of necessity. You don't get to be too choosy about bathing conditions or bathroom facilities in the middle of nowhere. I also had three attractive women in my squad.
You'd be right in assuming my defenses in that area had gotten worn down a bit.
No but really, my issue with the carnival had nothing to do with the bodies or festivities on display and a lot more to do with the crowd and noise. This was the kind of place that was always full of marks, and the kind of place I'd spent more than a few turns in myself, guarding some bighead who was too self-absorbed to sit it out but too important to go unnoticed.
Unfortunately, I was now one of those bigheads. Working for Master Wei Shi Han, or really being a member of the Wei Azure Dragons, meant I was a local bigshot and beat-on-sight status with the Moye Black Fins. I wasn't concerned about that exactly, since I'd beaten enough of them that I could mostly scare them off with a mean look and some rolled sleeves, but I'd basically been exiled for the last few days.
As best as I could tell, I and no one else had been given a couple days off from doing anything and a decent room in one of the Master's properties here in town. I didn't know what to make of it. I hadn't done anything to upset him, as far as I knew. Did he...find out I was a Devil?
I frowned, rubbing my bald head again. Not unexpected exactly, but it would be ahead of schedule. I'd be doubly upset if I was still shaving my head for no real reason. Still, until he summoned me back, there was nothing for me to do but wait. So wait I did.
The good news being I wasn't waiting much longer.
I stepped out of the bath, towelling myself dry with a deep appreciation. After enough field showers, you learn to never take a proper wash for granted again. Funny, given I didn't take any baths more than every few weeks, growing up. The price at the baths was just too damn high.
I looked up at the detailed openings at the top of the wall, where lazy starlight trailed in and broke up the gloom of the bedroom. I could still hear the last of the carnival festivities drifting in from the distance, as the last dance continued on well past midnight. Apparently, it had been known to last until sunrise in good years though the increased tensions between the Dragons and the Black Fins made that...unlikely.
I turned towards the bed, pulling the towel off my head- and froze at the sight of bodies atop the sheet.
See, the problem with being given a nice room free of charge is the brothel owner starts to get it in their head that you're some kind of bigshot to impress with the finest of wines, the sweetest of grapes, and the most beautiful of women. I'd turned away half a dozen the first day before they tried sending men, at which point I had to politely clarify I just wasn't interested in company.
So, this probably wasn't that. But if it wasn't, then-
"He's out, sister," Li said, her voice soft and growly.
"Ooh, very out," Ling replied, the two of them pushing themselves up on my bed.
-it was probably the Master's daughters. Ugh. Ugh.
I'd at least found out their game. It didn't have anything to do with me per se, but as attractive young women who got basically anything and everything they wanted, they'd taken to competing with each other over acquiring things: jewelry, clothes, horses, men. I was just the latest in a long string of trophies they were contesting each other over, and my general refusal meant they'd stayed interested in me longer than was normal for them.
"Is that for me?" Li asked, draping herself on the bed- I shifted my gaze, appreciating they couldn't tell where I was looking in the darkened room.
"You didn't have to get double cheeked up just for our sake," Ling giggled.
"Why are you two here?" I asked bluntly.
"Two women in a brothel bed with a naked man?" Ling said, and I could hear the pout in her voice. "Isn't it obvious?"
"Why Janus," Li gasped. "Aren't you happy to see us?"
"As ever, Young Mistress," I replied, keeping my tone level. "But I'd like to avoid any misunderstandings about the situation. They still haven't found Gong Du, have they?"
They laughed, pushing themselves off the bed and reaching for clothes they'd discarded beside it. "You're such a devil for doing that to poor little Gong," Li teased her sister.
"Well, he deserved it," Ling replied. "He made me wait, and then had the gall to disappoint me. And I even brought his wife to cheer him on."
"Oh sister, you're so naive," Li tutted. "Men prefer to be away from their wives."
Fucking evil witches.
The two of them traded spurs back and forth, growing more pointed until they'd gotten dressed and suddenly remembered I was there. Yes, this was my room first, thanks. "Janus," Ling said. "Father has called for you. There were intruders at the manor, and they managed to incapacitate-"
I was already moving, throwing the towel down and dragging my clothes on. Why the hell did they leave that for last?
"-a number of guards. Father is really quite cross about the whole thing."
I pulled my robes on, tying it with a quick half-knot at the waist then started fiddling with my shoes.
"Idiots, the lot of them. I'm sure there'd have been no issues if you were there, hm?" Li asked, tittering.
They drifted towards the door as I grabbed my sword belt, trailing behind them. Li paused on the other side of the threshold, smirking at me beside her sister in the dim light of the hall. "Oh, Janus," she said. "Leaving in such a state of disarray with the daughters of the house?"
"Whatever will they say about us?" Ling giggled.
The two of them joined hands and drifted down the hallway at an amused trot, while I watched them go with a mix of annoyance and impressed disbelief. Leave right away and risk Master Wei's ire with rumours, or delay to be safe and risk looking negligent. I hadn't expected this trick, at least.
==============================
I'd decided to just go ahead and meet Master Wei Shi Han without delaying, taking the chance on arguing the...relative innocence of his daughters instead of hiding out to make it look like I'd done nothing. Since I actually hadn't done anything, it felt reasonable.
Of course, Master Wei was already upset for other unrelated reasons. Wasn't that fantastic?
"Executor Janus," he says, arms hidden as he held his oversized robe sleeves together. He was turned at an angle at the far end of the main hall, gazing out at the back garden between the pillars that made up the left wall. "It seems my little territory has become a place of interest to the Golden Devils."
My heart jumped into my throat, blood freezing-
"Two of them were caught attempting to sneak in over the back wall." He turned to look at me, as my heart rate went from still to thundering, calm slowly returning. "I find it odd, since I have taken such care to do nothing that would draw the attention of our nearest and most dangerous neighbor. Would you like to explain?"
"I don't think I can, Master Wei," I said, injecting extra confusion in my tone. It was an important thing to note: actual emotion was less real than intentional emotion. People don't buy it if you're genuine. If you want to convince someone you're feeling something, even if you actually are, lean into it.
"Really?" he said, turning to face me. He looked...older than usual, which was saying something. The Master wasn't exactly an old man; rather, he was a man who got gut-checked by life so many times youth had abandoned him at an early age. You could see it in his features. Yeah, his hairline was a little pushed up, his hair was a little grayed, and his face a little weary at times - but his eyes, his expressions, the way he moved and held himself. Probably not even twice my age.
In a lot of ways, I could see how I'd have ended up as him.
"You see, there's been an interesting rumour among the servants," he said, removing one hand from his sleeves to gesture at the open pillars, snapping his fingers. "Of dulled shaving razors, and strangely metallic hair. As if someone had taken to giving statues shaggy haircuts."
The three Chungs ambled into view, a short girl between them, looking around nervously. She was vaguely familiar, with her round face, wide eyes, snub nose, and severe bun of thick hair in contrast to her pale skin- ah.
She gave me an apologetic look, then quickly looked down, dropping to kneel towards Master Wei with her forehead pressed to the ground. She was almost trembling. "Master Wei, you summoned me?"
"Yes," he said, folding his arms in his sleeves again with slow care. "Matron Liang tells me you were the one who found the items in the garden?"
"Yes, Master Wei," she said, somehow bowing without moving off the ground. "I- Matron Liang had scolded me for not properly sweeping the dirt around the Four-Virtue Cactus Flowers before, so after sweeping the walkways and wiping the walls, I had come back to check beneath the-"
"I do not care," Master Wei said. "Do not presume to answer questions I have not asked."
She shook, pressing her forehead to the ground in apology.
He nodded and I sighed explosively, closing my eyes as I rubbed my bald head. Fuck, I really could have stopped shaving already. I missed my hair. "Yeah, okay, you got me," I said. "It's mine. I was trying not to get found out as a Devil."
The Chungs made sounds of disbelief, and Master Wei simply looked at me without emotion. "Obviously. If you had saved me the time and effort in forcing your admission of this farce, you would have had my thanks. Now, you are close to my enmity." He spread his arms slightly without separating his sleeves, a questioning motion. "Why are you Devils haranguing me?"
"Sorry," I said, holding my hand up. "Master Wei, I might be one of them, but I'm not...one of them." He frowned at me, and I added to explain. "I washed out. I got conscripted, and took the first chance I saw to bail out."
"And why would I believe that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
I raised my hand, then stopped, glancing at the three Chungs as I remembered my sword belt around my chest. "Master Wei, would it be alright if I remove my shirt? I'll place my sword on the ground first."
He looked at me, then gestured towards the pillars again. He snapped three times, and a figure stepped out from behind the furthest pillar, tall and muscular in blue robes down to his swarthy ankles. A cultivator, I realized, even as his twin stepped from behind another pillar, identical but for the gray robes. I'd never gotten that great at sensing other people's cultivation base, but they were close enough to mine that I could sense the gap: Second Heavenstage.
Looks like he'd called in insurance before doing this. Made sense, I wouldn't piss off a potentially hostile cultivator without a bigger cultivator nearby to pull me out of the fire. I imagined it cost him a pretty penny, rogue cultivators didn't come cheap.
"Go on," he said.
I nodded, pulling off my sword belt slowly and lowering it to the ground, before turning around to drop my tunic halfway down my back.
"What devilry is this?" one of the cultivators gasped.
"It's the Golden Penance Array," I explained, feeling the burning sensation of the seal activating and knowing my back was lighting up like a knotwork pattern of light. "I was a penal conscript, and this is how they kept me in line. Threatening their interests or failing to obey their orders doesn't go well for me. Just telling you about it is making it act up."
"I can feel the qi leaking out of it from here," a cultivator rumbled. "I see the Devils live up to their name. Such a monstrous thing should not exist. Can you even cultivate?"
"It takes all I have right now to stay at the first Heavenstage," I said.
"Master Wei," the first cultivator said. "It seems to be as he says, but I am no Array Master. If you desire, my eldest brother could be summoned to consult on this as he has spent-"
"Enough," Master Wei interrupted. "Executor Janus, dress yourself."
I pulled the tunic up, turning around with a grateful bow.
He watched me, then closed his eyes, waving a hand towards the pillars. The Chungs took that as their dismissal, reaching down to lift the quivering scullery maid from the ground and haul her away, her head still bowed and looking pointedly away from me.
"Do you know why you are an 'Executor', Janus?" Master Wei asked, his tone philosophical. I shook my head, guessing he was in the mood to elaborate. "The tale is antediluvian but the Azure Dragon wasn't always some…" He huffed. "Lowly gang of street thugs and poorly managed criminal enterprise. In a time before my grandfather's grandfather was a gleam in his own grandfather's eye, the Azure Dragon Clan was strong. We ruled, and the damn Moye-"
He cut himself off, visibly clenching his jaw shut. "I am inheritor to a long legacy, Executor. A legacy long since sealed to us, as the Azure Dragon's will finds us unworthy of opening its vault. So I must say, I find it conspicuous in the extreme that - shortly after I decide to trade this inaccessible wealth for real power - that the Golden Devils would choose to darken my doorstep." He waved a hand, dismissively. "Speak with them. Find what you can. I trust your familiarity with them will grant you some advantage, in this."
I had my doubts about that. "Master Wei, I-"
He gave me a fierce look, hand dropping to his side. Damn.
I bowed. "I will not fail you."
==============================
Strictly speaking, as a fresh member of the Azure Dragons, I wasn't allowed to know where the prison in the compound was. There were really only like...three places it could be? I hadn't been actively thinking about it (in fact, I'd been trying to avoid thinking about it) but based on how often the senior members were out of sight, the layout of buildings with known underground sections like the kitchen or bathrooms, and how the plants were laid out meant I had it restricted to below three buildings.
Aelia had taught me that trick. The merits of being in a scouting squad was that having eyes and a brain was all you needed to succeed. She'd been looking at Remus when she'd said that.
Once we stepped underground, it was immediately obvious we'd gone into the earth.
...you know, aside from having to go down some stairs.
The air was immediately cooler and more moist, the ground less harshly abused by the desert sun. We took a number of turns, probably more for the sake of being confusing than because we needed to cross a giant prison - I knew how big the manor was - but eventually came to a halt.
"Pris'ners," Ugly Chen said, pulling the rough sack off my head. "We got questions for ya. If'n we're lucky, y'all can be outta here soon."
I blinked the sudden torchlight out of my eyes, gazing into the adjacent cells, letting out a slow breath as I took in the inhabitants.
"Why the hell would we answer your questions, you shitty excuse for a jailor?" Junius yelled, arms locked behind his back in thick steel bands around his forearms, a fat chain running up to a mount in the ceiling. His back was turned to the front of the cell, the blank stone wall of his cell the only thing to look at. "How about this, for every answer, I get to punch you and your shit-ass master in the mouth! Sound good?!"
"Such a brute," Hua complained, in a similar manner of binding in the other cell.
"And you're defending him?" Junius growled, tossing his head towards her cell. "That's it, price just went up! Two punches, 'cause you gotta take hers too!"
"This what we been dealing with," Chen muttered to me. "Horseshit to even keep 'em alive, but...s'a probl'm any way you take it."
I nodded, stepping forward and banging my fist on the bars to Junius' cell. "Long time no see."
"What? Who the-" he craned his neck around, looking back at me. "Fuuuuhahahaha! Oh shit, you dirty goat-loving bastard. You're still alive." He spat over his shoulder, managing to hit my sword belt. "Little welcome back gift."
"Nice," I said, looking down at the belt with disgust. "And I don't have anything for you."
"You can leave your head," he said, angrily. "Can't believe it. I always hoped those bastards gutted you, and choked on your intestines."
"They tried, but Jieyue-"
"Don't you say her name," Hua interrupted me. "Don't."
Her back was turned to me, but implied threat behind it littered the air with the beginnings of Intent. I tilted my head towards her. "Alright. For you, Hua." I exhaled. "Look, we don't have to get along-"
"I'm gonna rip off your head and shit down your neck," Junius growled.
I frowned, grip tightening reflexively on the bars. "-but I just want to know what you're here for. I think we'd both be happier if we never saw each other again, and maybe I can make this go faster."
"Choke on your own tongue," Junius said.
"Is it the Azure Dragon's Will? The technique library?"
"It's your mother's fat ass. It's kind of lonely in this-"
"Let me help you, goddamn it!" The bar rattled and I forced myself to let go, turning my head in frustration. "Fuckin' stupid, head-ass, ignorant-"
"Yeah, well you're a mouth-breathing, shit-eating-"
"-ugly, no-neck-having, donkey-fondling-"
"-pit-licking, honourless, malding-"
"-asshole!"
"-asshole!"
I punched the bars, the hall filling with the ringing sound of vibrating metal, and gave it another one for good measure.
The sound rang out down the corridor, echoing in distant corners until the prison fell into a gaping silence. Until, "You can't get rid of your guilt by helping us." Hua's voice was quiet, but cutting. "You'll live with it until you die. And I hope it hurts."
I stared at the back of her head, then turned to Chen, grabbing the sack and pulling it onto my head myself. "Let's get the fuck out of here."
==============================
"What have you learned, Executor? Why are the Devils here?" Master Wei didn't look at me, his focus instead on delicate calligraphy work.
"They're on guard against me, Master Wei," I said, bowing respectfully. It wouldn't do to upset him now, not after all this. You had to know when you could get away with pushing, and this wasn't the time for it. "I...know these two. Personally."
"Oh? An uncanny coincidence," he said, almost...amused.
"If I was never this lucky again, I'd be okay," I said.
"You have four days to work on them, Executor," he said, after a moment. "Then, I must be rid of them."
"Master?" I asked, unsure where he was going with this.
"Devils or no, I cannot abide having them on my grounds with secret purposes. We must merely be more...discreet in their disposal." He paused, ending a stroke with an intentional blot, using the moment to look at me. "You may, of course, advise them of this. Such leverage can be...useful. Even Devils must fear death, no?"
I met his gaze, hearing the unspoken threat: don't screw him, because the Blood of Bronze wouldn't save any of us. "I understand."
He looked back down at his work, giving me a quick dismissive wave as he returned to his work, and I took the opportunity to step out. The master claimed an entire building in the manor to himself and the walk outside was enough for me to reflect on the task he'd given me. It felt like a bad job, like I was being set up to fail. It had happened to me often enough before, when some jackass with more years than sense decided a fifteen year old muscling in on their protection racket was a problem.
My solution to that was "beat the shit out of them publicly" but...well, I didn't think that'd work here. And last time I checked, Junius and Hua were both higher cultivation than me anyway.
But what would be the point? Looking for an excuse to get rid of me? Seemed drastic, unless the old man had developed an affinity for his daughters no other man had stirred up in him. Wasn't like I had any interest in them, and I was far from the first they'd set their eyes on. Seemed unlikely.
Maybe he just wanted to clear the extra Devil, with an excuse that'd let him avoid any noise with the rest of the barracks? Not that we were blood brothers or anything, but if you drink and gamble with a group enough times, you inevitably become friends. They wouldn't fight for me, but I can see how vanishing would cause a stir. A little likely.
Sharpest knife in the drawer seemed like he really was just trying to get me out of the way. Even if he bought my story about being a lapsed Devil, simple good thinking would keep me far away from whatever the hell he was planning so I couldn't muck it up - intentionally, or otherwise. If I got him some real meat from Junius and Hua, well, so much the better. "Four days, huh," I muttered. "Right."
I caught a glimpse of a familiar bun of hair disappearing around the corner of the building, a brief glimpse of a basket full of cloths giving away her intentions. The only thing in that direction though was- ah.
I followed her around the corner, watching the scullery maid pulling open the wooden door to the man-sized hut as she balanced her basket of cleaning supplies on one hip. She had already started dusting the top of the room from atop an upturned bucket, when I leaned my back against the wall, staring out at the rest of the manor. "Latrine cleaning, huh?" I asked. "Guess you pissed somebody off."
I heard the cleaning sounds briefly stop, then resume before she said anything. "Sir, I...I feel I need to remind you it is-"
"It's not appropriate for blah blah blah," I waved a hand in front of my face, even if she couldn't see it. Damn patrol latrine smelled like- well, it smelled like a pit latrine. "There's nobody around right now. Just checking in with you real quick."
"Sir," she said, quieter but more firmly. "If anyone were to find us-"
"Then I'm just a guy willing to wait on a clean latrine, to ruin your hard work," I drawled. I closed my eyes, leaning back against the wall. She didn't say anything in response to that and I was content to let her work for another minute. Until, "Ran into some old...friends of mine."
"Sir?" she asked, curious.
"Just a bow bitch and a shine-head bastard." I scratched my head, wondering how long it'd take hair to grow back. "Can't believe he called me mald. He's the damn mald one..." I blew out a sigh. "Anyway, Wei gave me a couple days where I'm basically ordered to talk to them. I figure he's trying to get me out of the way, so...guess I can probably give him a reason."
"Sir..." she said, this time nervously.
"Ah, don't get your knickers in a knot. We're out of here soon."
"Sir!" she said, whispering in alarm. "We can't-!"
"Again. Alone." I spun a finger in a lazy circle. "Anyway, just wanted to see a friendly face before I go stare into Hua's blues for a while."
She didn't respond to that and I leaned against the wall in silence, eyes closed until she finished cleaning and walked away without a look at me. Just as well: I really did need to use the place.
==============================
I spent the next day almost entirely underground, to the point where I had Chen bring me a chair so I could at least get nothing from Junius and Hua in some comfort. Unfortunately, the chair was hard and awkwardly shaped, so I just went from standing and annoyed to sitting and annoyed.
As you'd expect, neither of them said anything to me aside from the occasional insulting tirade from Junius or cutting remark from Hua. The job got tired enough that Chen offered me a game of dice - I refused, wasn't falling on that sword twice - and eventually wandered away to do something more interesting. Probably scratching himself in a corner, at a...sanitized guess.
Eventually, Chen got tired of having to sit around and watch me fail to interrogate the two of them and clocked out so his replacement - Dugong, I think his name was - could take over. We passed the time talking loudly about how stupid looking our bald prisoner was, before I eventually called it a day and went back to my room to sleep.
I'm not sure how much later, but a sound in my room was unusually loud and woke me up-
I rolled to the left, grabbing the top sheet with my right hand and hurling it into the air even as I grabbed my sword with my left.
"Get him, quick!" someone yelled.
"Careful, he's got a Heavenstage!" another voice added.
I squinted at the darkness, whipping the blade loose as the sheet started to settle on heads, arms clawing to pull it aside. I stepped onto the bed and vaulted to the other side, swinging my sword at-
Chung He?
I turned my blade at the last second, clocking the man on the temple with the flat side and sending him sprawling. A voice yelled, warning me of the slash behind it, and I twisted to parry it. Edge caught edge and I grimaced, remembering vague swordsmanship lessons about parrying with the flat-face to avoid chipping the blade. "What are you doing?!" I roared, kicking the man in the stomach and pushing him back.
"Easy, Janus, easy!" someone yelled, a voice I quickly recognized as Chung Yu. "We...well." He seemed unsure. "Master Wei uh...he ordered you into the prisons. Just for the next day, he said."
"Master Wei ordered that?" I asked, squinting at them despite my eyes already having gotten used to the low-light of the hour.
"He did, aye," Chung Ge agreed. "It's not personal, but...well. You already laid out He, and I'd rather we not have to do this the hard way. You're a right tough bastard."
I took a deep breath and blew it up my face, throwing my sword to the ground. "Fine. Let's go."
They seemed surprised by my surrender but took it in stride, tying my hands behind my back with rope and bagging my head, then led me down into the prisons. "Where do we stick this one?" someone asked.
"New one?" Dugong replied. "Mmph. Stick him near the other two. I don't want to have to walk far to check on the bastard."
"Watch your mouth," Chung Ge growled. "He-"
"Let it go," I said. "Let's just go."
There was a dull agreement to that and a general wave of hostility, I'm guessing directed towards Dugong, before I was delivered into my cell. They clasped the steel manacles onto my arms before they left, encasing my wrists in the thick metal bands that kept me chained to the ceiling. "You alright, mate?" Chung Yu asked, double checking the lock to make sure it was closed.
"Gonna keep me company if I'm not?" I grinned.
"Not bloody likely," he laughed, giving me a pat on the face before walking out. "Hang tight, we'll get you out of here soon. Master Wei's just cleaning house for the bigshot 'guest' we have coming."
I nodded, watching the group amble away with waves and gestures of solidarity. They were good folk - well, mostly good folk if you ignored Jianhe and the feet thing - and I found myself genuinely sad.
Because it was almost guaranteed I'd never see any of them ever again.
==============================
"You dared," Master Wei growled, staring down at me from the entrance to my cell.
I opened my eyes with a blink and a yawn, rolling my shoulders as I twisted around, looked up at him through the cell bars. "Master Wei, I-"
"Do not speak to me, you dog!" he spat. He was dressed in large and flowy robes of blue and white, splattered with black like bloodstains. "You dared - you truly dared - to lie to me, the great Wei Shi Han, the greatest heir to the Azure Dragon Clan in thirteen generations?"
I raised my eyebrows at him.
He scoffed. "You thought I would not check? That I would take your claims at face value? A Devil who gave it up, abandoned your dog-brothers and dog-sisters to ape at life like a true man?"
"That feels a little personal," I said, leaning my weight against the chain.
"I would cut out your tongue for disrespect, if you were worth a modicum of my time," he said, gesturing at me with a fan suddenly in hand.
My face burned, and I tilted my head as a line of heat trickled down my cheek. "Ouchies, Masta Wei," I said, pouting. "You huwt me weal bad."
"Insolent fool," he scoffed. "Your bravado is as meaningless as your plans. We have already found your supplies. The armor of your legions, swords and spears, communication arrays." He laughed once, humorlessly. "That titanic barwench you were so fond of is no secret to us either. We've already chased her out into the cactus farms. She will not escape us."
I straightened. "Aelia- Don't you dare," I yelled. "She has nothing to do with this!"
"Don't touch her!" Junius yelled from beside my cell, joining in.
"Ah, at last, you admit your perfidy," he said, smugly. "In my magnanimity, I will permit you this: spend the next few hours considering your no doubt many failures. You will all die like the dogs you are, once my more pressing matters are dealt with."
I yelled at him to come back, to leave Aelia alone, but he simply walked away without slowing. His footsteps vanished into silence before I gave up, judging when he'd finally walked out of hearing range.
"Now what?" Junius asked after a while.
"Now? We wait."
And so I settled in.
==============================
"New mission, boys and girls," Remus said, tossing a jade slip to Chun Bo. The man snatched it out of the air and pressed it to his head briefly, passing it along even as the captain began to speak. "Short version: we've got rumours of someone selling a Blood Path inheritance, so we're heading out to confirm and bust up the party."
"Selling a- is that even possible?" Aelia frowned, crossing her arms and- don't look, Janus, be strong. "I didn't even know Blood Path could be passed on like...regular arts."
"Neither did I," Remus shrugged. "But we aren't waiting around to confirm it."
The jade slip made its way around to me, and I held it to my head-
Location: Hong Xuan Kingdom, Fertile Cactus Valley, Bumprickle Town
Party of Interest:
Azure Dragons Gang (prev. Azure Dragons Clan, legacy)
Wei Shi Han (Leader, Azure Dragons Gang)
Long service agents in Hong Xuan Kingdom's border towns have heard rumours of an art for sale, promising power for even the most powerless. Descriptions of the art were confirmed to use words and language prone to Blood Path adherents, and has been noted for investigation and confirmation by the nearest available scout squad.
Little to no resistance is expected, but it is suggested activity in Hong Xuan be conducted furtively to avoid undue impact to vassal relations.
-before passing it on, tuning back in to the conversation.
"We'll need to go in quietly, which meaaaaaaans…?" Remus drew it out, turning his head to face each of us.
"Aelia's not going?" Junius asked.
"I'm not going?" Aelia sighed.
"Aelia's going!" Remus chirped, grinning.
"Shit, the one fuckin' time I bet against it," Junius grumbled.
"She had to get it eventually," Remus patted him on the shoulder.
"Not that I'm not happy for the variety, but-" she held her arms out, gesturing down her body to her sandals then back up, cocking her hips to the side. "-y'know?"
"Ah, but Aelia, this particular town once played home to some refugees from a particular clan in the Verdant South! They're all mortals now, but all the women in the family grew up considerably taller than average. You're actually more undercover than the rest of us!"
"Yes!" she cheered. "What am I doing? Guard? Merchant? Ooh, can I be a seductress? I've always wanted to have feminine wiles!"
"You! Are going to be a bar owner," Remus grinned.
"I- what?" she looked uncertain.
"Yep. Staying in one building, dealing with bad patrons, handling tabs. It'll be great!"
"No, wait, I don't think-" she protested, but Remus had already moved on.
"Now, we need a plan for how we're doing this!" he said.
"If we don't have a plan, why do I have to-?" Aelia asked.
"Shh, shush, shush, shush," he said. "I know you're happy, but everybody else needs a role too, Aelia."
She huffed, pouting dramatically.
"Ideas?" Remus asked.
"We could just drop in as guards," Chun Bo said. "Work in his team, ask around, see what's going on."
"Oh wow," I said, eyebrows raising in surprise.
"Yeah, maybe we can just replace one," Junius nodded, holding out a finger. "See if maybe there's a leader or something we can swap out."
"In and out in a week or two," Lucius agreed.
"Oh, they're getting better," I muttered, putting a hand to my forehead.
"You disapprove," Hua said, turning to stare at me.
"Yeah, obviously," I said, turning to look at my squadmates. "These plans suck. How are you guys a successful scouting squad?"
"Like to see you come up with something better," Junius said petulantly.
I huffed, folding my arms. "Look, you can't replace somebody important, alright? Everybody knows somebody, and the higher up they are, the more people that know them. Standing in for them means you need to learn their social circles, personality, and friends real fast to be convincing.
"And you can't just walk in and expect them to trust you. That takes time and work to build up. No, if you want to infiltrate, you're in for the long haul. A couple months minimum, and that's just to get in the door."
"Sounds reasonable. Thank you for volunteering," Remus nodded.
"Wait, I didn't-!" I said, but he clapped.
"Now, how can we back him up?"
==============================
My legs creaked as I forced myself through a routine set of exercise, trying to ignore the hunger starting to gnaw at my stomach. It was uncomfortable, but it was discomfort I was well used to. I'd need my arms and legs awake and thrumming with life if I was going to distract myself from that, though, and being chained to the ceiling restricted my options to wake myself up.
So, I squatted.
"I'm huuuuuungryyyyyyyyyyyy," Junius complained, loudly.
"Be quiet," Hua said.
"But I'm huuuuuuuungry!"
She sighed, loudly.
"Huaaaaaaa," he groaned. "Huaaaaa, please. For once-"
"Don't," she warned.
"For once in your life-"
"Do not," she warned.
"Can you be nice, and just feed me?"
The only sound in response was the quiet creak from my knees as I powered through another set.
"You had to say it, didn't you," Hua said.
"Well, if you weren't such an unlikable bitch-" Junius said.
"This is exactly why you don't have any friends," she cut him off.
Junius gasped, dramatically. "I- You- Why, I- I have plenty of friends! Like Janus! Hey, Janus! Tell Hua we're friends!"
I ignored him, focusing on my reps.
"J-Janus? Buddy? Friend who lights up my life?"
"He's ignoring you," Hua said.
"He'd never do that! He'd sooner cut off his own arm!" Junius yelled.
I ignored them both, counting a new set. The chain strained as I pulled against it, dropping low before pushing smoothly back up. I didn't really like exercise before joining the Legions. I wasn't in love with it now, not to the extent I saw some people throwing themselves into it, but...the pain was easy to ignore. The clean, fresh burn afterwards? The energy rush like you could lift up the mountains and swat the sun out the sky? That was pretty nice.
"Janus, please, you're scaring me," Junius said.
Distantly, I heard the faint sounds of talking. I couldn't make out the words but it was two voices, the difference in timber and volume carrying through the prison. I stopped my movements, the creaking going silent.
"Oh shit, I think he actually died," Junius said, slightly alarmed.
"No, I'm just stitching my arm back on," I said.
There was silence to that, the distant conversation going quiet. I clicked my teeth in annoyance. Didn't hear any of it. But hopefully that was-
"...nice," Hua said, amused.
"That was pretty good," Junius admitted.
Footsteps approached us, quiet and light, as a small figure came into sight carrying bamboo steamers stacked almost as tall as her. She walked in front of our cells, eyes downcast, coming to a halt as she placed the stack on the ground. The scullery maid looked around, eyes gleaming with intelligence, as she pulled the top off the highest basket - and withdrew a lengthy blade.
==============================
"That seal on your back," Lucius said. "I think I can do something a little...fun. It's beyond my skill to tamper with at that size, but an extension array to bleed off some qi for a lightshow should be easy enough."
"Why would I want that?" I frowned.
"For drama, dear Janus!" he cradled his chin, framing his face as he stared into the distance.
I sighed, closing my eyes. "Okay, whatever."
"Actually," Jieyue said, pulling the jade slip from her forehead. "There is one set of people who usually go unnoticed." We turned to look at her. "Serving girls."
"Whoa," Junius and I said, leaning back.
"She means house servants, you animals," Hua said.
Jieyue didn't react, her second-hand embarrassment slowly worn down by our efforts. "Scullery maids are the lowest rung. They're effectively maids for the maids, and get stuck doing everything."
"Okay," Junius nodded. "But how is that useful?"
"If they do everything," Aelia said, thinking about it. "Then they can go anywhere, no?"
Jieyue nodded. "Most household gossip gets overheard by scullery maids, they find all the secret entrances, the amended inheritance documents tucked away behind shelves. No one but the other maids would even notice, and maybe not even then."
I looked at Jieyue, the girl matching me with a firm expression, and gave her a broad grin. She faltered at that, suddenly looking uncertain.
"Perfect!" Remus spread his arms. "Then we have our three cover agents. Now, let's figure out what the rest of us are doing, hm?"
==============================
"Stand back," Jieyue said, flicking her dao clean. She slashed twice and swiped her arm, pulling back an armful of split bars and laying them quietly on the ground.
"Ah, thank you," Junius said, as she stepped into the cell. I could hear the quiet clink of his manacles unlocking, the two of them walking out a second later.
I closed my eyes, focusing my qi and slowly beginning to move it through my body as I prepared the only technique I knew. I tried to ignore the sounds of Jieyue freeing Hua and Junius searching for his weapon, as my perception turned inwards.
Reflected Purities was a complicated technique, one that used qi to stimulate the Blood of Bronze flowing through your body to a higher effective level of activation. As you raised your cultivation base, the level of qi naturally flowing through your body would be so high that it would naturally be stimulated and you would manifest the visible signs of its power. Metal skin, hair...even your insides turned to metal, they told me. Instead of that natural gain, I sought to intentionally put my qi towards the Blood and activate it here at my current level. It would let me punch up temporarily, but it would cost too much qi and focus to do any other techniques at the same time.
Of course, for a man like me who only knew one technique, that just meant I got stronger with no downsides.
Did I mention I also like to cheat at dice games?
"Need a hand?" Jieyue asked.
I inhaled, feeling my chest expand, and power surging out through my body, through my veins, across my skin as I began to metalize.
They said Reflected Purities was complicated, but for me? It was simple.
Back when I was young, I'd joined a crew of thief kids to raid the Romanallis for some petty items and I'd gotten entranced in their bathing room. Not because of any arcane defenses, but because they had a mirror. Two mirrors, facing each other. It had created a bewitching image, of myself and my back, repeated forever until it faded into a dark green fog.
I didn't find out why until I'd mentioned it to Jieyue, and she'd said the colour was due to impurities in the mirror's construction, ones no good mirror would have. They worsened the image slightly each time they showed it to you, until you had more impurity than image, and the whole thing lost any value for the sight of it.
The pursuit of cultivation began with the removal of impurities from the body. Impurities that clogged the meridians, the acupoints, the dantian, the soul sleep - just about every spiritual vessel I'd ever heard of (and that last one I'd made up) was clogged with gunk you built up from living a material life, and you needed to cleanse it to become stronger.
I was a mirror. My Blood was pure. I needed to reflect it within myself to see true strength. And my impurities were blocking me. It was simple.
I exhaled, feeling the heat of my own breath as my face conducted it far better than regular flesh could. My legs flexed and threw me into the air, twisting around as I coiled the chain up behind me. The metal links bundled up as I shot through the air, until my legs were pressed against the ceiling with the chain's mount a half-step away with the knot of metal between us.. My shirt exploded off me as I broadened my shoulders, flexed my arms, and heaved.
The steel chain creaked and popped, stretching violently as the bundle of metal fought to preserve its integrity. Steel was strong, and restraints this thick and heavy would probably keep any normal cultivator without a technique to destroy them.
But I was a Golden fucking Devil, and steel didn't mean shit to my Bronze.
The chain snapped and I fell from the ceiling, flipping to land on my feet. "Nah," I said, pulling the broken manacles off my arms. "I'm good."
She nodded, turning to look at Hua, who'd pulled out a simple wooden greatbow she was bending to string, and Junius, who was idly spinning the end of a rope dart. "Let's move. Master Wei's guest is in the main hall, and they should already be in closed door negotiations."
"Any guards?" Junius asked, as we turned and booked it down the prison hallway.
"About a dozen, but I didn't detect any cultivators," she said. "Although they might have been using something to hide their cultivation like I was."
"Hey, what-!" Chen yelled.
I kicked off the ground, my empowered legs throwing me across the room, and slammed my forearm into his shoulders. He grunted as he hit the wall behind him, something in his chest cracking as he slumped to the ground unconscious.
Poor guy.
"Would be a surprise for this backwater town," Junius said. "But hell, we're already busting up a Blood Path technique being sold so I guess it's not impossible."
"Only weak cultivation can be hidden by an artifact," Hua said. "How bad could it be?"
"Ugh," Junius and I groaned together.
"Superstition is stupid," she added a second later.
"Oh my god, we're all going to die," Junius muttered.
==============================
"What can I get-? Oh, it's you," Aelia said crossing her arms. She stood in front of a tall bar-counter, one that looked standard sized beside her, with a rack of hogshead barrels piled behind her. She wagged a finger at me disapprovingly. "I told your little friends you weren't allowed back if you were just going to harass me again. I've got enough work to do without your trouble."
"Ah, beautiful lady," I said, climbing onto the lower near-side of the counter, snatching her head out of the air. "I could never intrude on one as sublime as you. But for the chance to see your face, I am left breathless until you fill my chest to bursting yet again."
"Yeah, okay, Loverboy," Xing said, clapping me on the back. "We'll turn you loose, but I wanted a couple bottles of your finest wine for me and my friends."
Aelia looked down at him flatly. "Really," she asked.
Xing hesitated, and held up three fingers. "Your third finest. Open bottles are fine, if they're cheaper."
She huffed and I rubbed the back of her palm soothingly- she snatched her hand away, face reddening. "Your wines will be over shortly," she said, turning to point at me. "You, off the damn counter. I have to clean the damn thing every time you come in here, and I'm more than sick of it."
"Anything for you, my lovely," I said, clambering over the counter.
"Not over the- gods damn it," she muttered, putting her hand to her face. "Why am I cursed to suffer like this? I'm a filial daughter, aren't I?"
I trailed after her as she muttered complaints, following her into the store room, closing the door behind us.
"Why did you follow me?!" she yelled, turning to look at me with a wink.
I grabbed the dirty carpet rolled up in the corner, sliding it up against the bottom of the door. I gave it a tap with my feet for surety, then gave her a thumbs up.
"Update?" she asked quietly, reaching for bottles stored in nooks built into the wall.
"Plan worked," I said. "Refusing the invitation paid off. Master Wei seems to think I'm just another clueless idiot who pissed off the Moye. They're already talking about moving me to patrolling the inner courtyard, instead of standing out in the desert."
"Good plan," she grinned, nodding. "Working real hard to impress, aren't you?"
"Please don't say that to Remus," I said. "I really do not want another...surprise party." She started to respond and I held up a hand. "Still more. I found a guy who likes to gamble, bets patrol duty on it. Watched him play a game against one of the new guys, Gong something or other. Cheats, and confident about it. I can probably take some extra from him to scout the inside some more."
She paused, waiting for me to continue.
"Report finished," I said.
She nodded, holding up a hand, counting down from four. "Good work." Three. "Watch out for Jieyue." One. "Also, try not to inhale this."
I raised an eyebrow- and caught a face full of sweet-smelling wine. I spluttered, catching a shove back out the door, tripping over the carpet to land on my ass to a chorus of laughing bar patrons.
"Touch me again, and you're getting the bottle instead of the wine," Aelia groused, stomping past me.
Infiltration sucks.
==============================
We burst out of the underground onto a dirt path between the manor wall and a building, confirming my suspicions - we were behind the barracks, so we had a short straight line to the main hall. We rounded the corner at a run, not slowing down as we broke out into the fading sunlight. The sun gleamed across me, my chest a metallic-flesh colour compared to the much more complete brass on my arms.
We raced towards the main hall, the two hired cultivators spotting us as we charged at them. "Jieyue, Janus, we're leaving them to you," Hua said.
"I won't fail," Jieyue said.
"Handled. I'll take ugly?" I leaned towards Jieyue.
"Which one is that?" she frowned, looking at the two identical men.
I grinned, flaring my toes for grip on the stone, and kicked off with a crack. The man in the silver robes yelled as my leg came for his head, pulling out a three-section staff to catch the blow before it crushed his skull. I could see his arms straining to slow it down, pushing my foot aside with only a graze across his chin.
I landed, half-turned from his parry, and leaped forward.
"Hah, you fool, your opening stri- what?!" he yelled.
Posturing. So many of these bastards did it, and I had no idea why. You know how many speeches I heard in street brawls? Zero. Opening your mouth was a good way to lose your damn teeth.
I tucked my limbs in as I flew towards him, throwing a punch as I straightened my entire body out like a Bronze arrow. He sidestepped, just quick enough to avoid the strike - but my second hand lashed out, grabbing at his chest.
He hissed as I scraped his skin, but I did little more than gouge his skin and rip the front of his robes off. "Wretched dog, you dare attack me when-!"
"Talk, talk, talk!" I roared, landing on one leg and pivoting. I swung my other foot up and dropped it on his head. I needed to keep the momentum, before he could react, because his better speed and higher cultivation meant-
He struck out with his staff, wrapping it around my leg and sending a chill through my body.
-he could overpower me in the long fight. Shit.
I bent my leg in his coiled staff, dragging myself closer, and threw a hard punch into his stomach. He grunted, releasing my leg and throwing a return punch into my kidneys. My side ached faintly and my torso rang like a bell, as he quickly drew his hand back.
Hello, yes, I am made of metal, nice to meet you.
"Where the fuck you think you're going?!" I yelled, grabbing his shoulders before he could retreat.
"Lunar Mirror, Second Reflection!" he roared in my face, the coating of ice on his weapon growing thicker. He snapped it together, the staff jabbing into my stomach-
I slammed my head forward, crushing his nose into bloody mulch.
-and quickly draining my energy, as I felt my body rapidly bleed heat away.
"Filzy gur!" he yelled, holding his face and reeling back. "You fight like a peasant!"
"And you fight like a dumbass," I replied, touching my stomach faintly and feeling the much more skin-like flesh. Was he- damn, he was draining my qi. I needed to finish this fast. "Who the fuck uses a Lunar technique when the sun is still up?"
"Sunset is waning Yang, waxing Yin, you imbecile," he replied, reaching for his staff with shaky hands. "Of course a Devil would lack such rudimentary-" He took a half step back, adjusting his stance.
I kicked off the ground, taking advantage of his moment of reduced focus, throwing my knee at his chest. He brought his staff up to parry, separating it into segments to catch my knee strike. I grinned, kicking with my other foot and forcing him to stagger backwards as I powered through his guard.
If he actually retreated, I'd never catch up. The downside to being made of metal was I weighed as much as a small family home, and I was about as fast in a sprint. Depending on headwinds. But if there was something I'd learned, it was that most of these guys got so upset over losing a real dirty knuckle-up that instead of retreating, they-
"YOU DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOG!" he screamed, whipping his staff around, the sections snapping together into a ice-coated rod.
"EAT SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" I roared back, throwing my body forward to grab his shoulders and throw him off balance, sending him toppling backwards to the ground. He grunted as his back hit the ground, weapon tumbling out of his hands in the fall.
I tucked my legs against his chest, pinning him in place below me, and-
The mansion hall behind us exploded, pelting me with small rocks and shards of wood. I almost glanced back, but you don't take your eyes off a guy while you're on top of him.
...hm, maybe I could've phrased that one differently.
-I beat the absolute shit out of him.
"Guess that's happening," I said, pushing myself to my feet and looking up at the shadowy Hoplite trading blows with a human-sized figure, hurling red lights that splattered against the formation's shield like dropped eggs. I looked over at Jieyue, getting ready to help her finish her fight, but she seemed like she had it in hand.
She had her dao in one hand and her Lattice-Shell Lute in the other, somehow managing with the pair of two-handed weapons as she wore down her opponent. Based on some mysterious family Demonic Tunes art, she'd decided to go all in and become a dual cultivator with both her dao and Demonic Tunes. It'd been a struggle for her for a while, but she'd been really working at integrating it.
'Oh, she already won,' I thought, walking towards her. I was still going to suggest using one-handers, though. This was just a weird style to watch. I raised a hand, watching her climb out from the broken ruins of the kitchen's northern wall. "Nice work," I nodded. "That place needed a repaint."
She looked at me, then looked down at the pile of broken stones and wood, then back up at me with a pout. "You're mean," she huffed, standing straight.
"What? How was that mean? I was literally paying you a compliment."
She studiously ignored me, checking over her lute for damage, giving the strings a few gentle tugs-
Ugh, krk, echt. Wow, that felt weird.
-then nodded approvingly. She glanced over. "Can you pass me my dao?"
I looked down, following her eyes, and hefted the blade up with my feet. I snatched it out the air, and tossed it. "How's your qi?"
She caught it out of the air, hanging the lute on her back and the dao behind her waist. "Low, but we can't leave the seniors on their own."
I rolled my eyes as she set off running, my longer strides letting me catch up as we made way towards the hoplite, it's shadow spear thundering through the air. "That wasn't why I asked," I said. "But it might be more useful to try and block this guy in, rather than joining up."
"You mean flanking?" she said, looking over at me thoughtfully. "I didn't know you read tactics."
"Isn't that the side of an ox?" I frowned.
"Nevermind," she sighed. "Fine, but I'm not-"
"You're steering," I said, already flooding my qi towards her despite her protests. Her words turned into a strangled sound but she was already accepting it, manifesting the formation around us.
It was always...weird.
I've heard people describing the feeling in different ways. Jieyue describes it as reaching out to many hands at once, holding them all at the same time, and being comforted and strengthened by the contact. Aelia said it was like being pressed in on all sides, like being dogpiled by people you like until your chest burst with warmth.
Lucius said it was like the gaze of his ancestors was on him, lighting his skin on fire with their stares. That one...that one was probably weirder than mine.
To me, though? It was like...so, the oldest memory I had was of a rough night. Longest night of the year, it was colder than normal, and I was in one of those stubborn periods where I'd rather be outside suffering than go back to the orphanage. But no one was out on the streets because of the cold, the wind, and the early darkness. No one was spending money, so the merchants packed it up early. And because there were no merchants, there weren't even any pickpockets around.
It was just me, wandering the streets, shivering and staring in through open windows at burning hearths and tables littered with food. Seeing families talk and laugh, relaxed and unguarded, purses left discarded in corners of the room.
A woman had called out to me. I didn't hear what she said over the wind, but I had looked back to see her standing in the door, gesturing to come closer. I'd looked around but the street was empty, not even a rat in sight, and she nodded to confirm yes, me. And I walked away. But sometimes I wonder...what if I hadn't?
Hoplite Formation felt like wondering that.
Our steps fell into sync as the Hoplite grew around us, our different strides pounding the ground at the same time as we closed in on the idiot who'd decided to face down Remus' Rejects instead of running away. I couldn't tell what he was doing from this far, red flashes lighting up the darkening sky as they hit Junius/Hua's shield, but he was fast enough we couldn't just expect to run up and catch him. I wondered if maybe-
"Do you think we should throw?" Jieyue asked.
Yeah, that was weird too. I'd realized people couldn't actually hear my thoughts - Jieyue did not have anywhere near the poker face to withstand the shit I'd thought to test that - but sometimes, we just...thought the same thing.
"Let's," I said.
We transitioned from a walk into a leap, turning sideways to bleed off our speed as we slid forward. The Hoplite mimicked us, all three of our arms pulling back as we lined up the throw, extra qi pumping in to the javelin. It would need the boost to survive being separated from the formation like this, but it could travel far faster than we could just by running.
We twisted and threw, the javelin cutting through the air with a screech like a hunting hawk. Our formation wavered as my qi threatened to bottom out. Probably for the best, anyway. Jieyue, Junius, and Hua probably could manage-
The formation broke.
-without me. And there it went.
The figure alighted on one of the manor buildings and I hoped for a moment- but no, they waved a hand, hurling a bolt of red that cut the javelin apart down the middle and shot out past the manor walls into the distance.
"Huh," I said, starting to run forward again. "You think that's enough for an assist?"
Junius/Hua's Hoplite crashed down beside the distracted figure, swiping the building's roof off with their shield, their spear stabbing downward as the figure fell to the ground.
"Really? You're thinking about mission credits at a time like this?" Jieyue said reproachfully.
"I have a bet with Remus," I shrugged.
"Captain Remus," she corrected.
"Yeah, same guy."
"Why me," she groaned.
The spear had stabbed down three more times during our exchange, but the figure had been slammed inside the roofless building and I couldn't see the outcome. Still, having been on the receiving end of that Hoplite, that was probably enough to do some damage. We all added different attributes to the formation, and personal cultivation didn't seem to mean- what did Jieyue call it? Proportional strength.
Jieyue made the formation more responsive, Hua added a serious edge to the javelin, Junius put more force behind our blows, and I added...muscle definition. We can skip talking about that last one, but the Junius and Hua combination wasn't one to scoff at. But whoever this was, they were strong enough to stand up to them while we dealt with our opponents so-
Click.
What was that sound? And what was that smell- blood?
"If I keep getting interrupted," a voice whispered from behind me.
Shit- move! I spun mid-step, swinging my fist behind me- there, at his face, no, mask! I could see Jieyue twisting out the corner of my eye, her leg coming around in a kick at his chest.
"How can I be expected to work?"
He held out a gloved hand, his entire arm hidden beneath a deep violet robe, tied off at the wrist. A metal artifact glowed bright red in his hand, filled with some thick flowing bile that menaced with an intent I couldn't mistake.
Shit, that smell wasn't blood. That was blood qi!
The artifact exploded into a gush of fluid, expanding to swallow the three of us in its crimson flow.
"Goddamn it, Hua!" I yelled.
I heard Jieyue scream, the sound cutting off into a drowning gurgle. Was she-? No, I could feel her qi reaching for me, searching for a partner, but I didn't have enough left for a Hoplite. My eyes scanned through the wall of red surging towards us, and I thrust my arm into it, reaching for the artifact. I screamed, as my arm suddenly burned like I'd shoved it into a forge, but I couldn't stop! I was already submerged to my neck and ankles, the liquid climbing over me, but I needed to-
"Hang on, you two!" I heard someone yell, before something crashed through the liquid and stopped the red tide from overtaking us. Aelia hit the ground hard enough to crack the stones, punching into the flow to grab Jieyue and throw her to the side. I barely had time to process that before I went flying too, slamming into something and dropping onto my gasping squadmate.
I fought to push myself up, staring at the spot-
A massive splatter of faintly glowing blood stained the ground around Aelia's landing spot. I could see her looking around, searching, but the figure was already gone.
Well, shit.
==============================
"Hm," Remus said, holding our jade slips in one hand. "Good work, squad."
"'Good work?' Seriously?" I grunted, lying on the ground with my head resting on my hands. He, Chun Bo, and Lucius had been searching the area around the town for signs of the seller in case they could find them before the deal happened. It had barely taken them any time at all to meet up with us in time, and we made our way back towards the Golden Heartlands at solid speed, only stopping to recover a few supply caches and tend to our injuries.
We'd stopped a reasonably safe distance inside recognized Devil lands to make camp and reapply medicines and, for whatever reason, it had also turned into our post-deployment session. In the middle of nowhere.
My right arm was bandaged from finger to shoulder, the outer layer being stripped off on contact. The liquid was some sort of...qi enriched blood, though enriched for what wasn't something I could tell you, and the blood qi in it was aggressive enough that it was trying to pull our blood out with step 1 being 'remove all their skin'.
I glanced over at the quietly exhausted Jieyue, heavily wrapped in protective bandages over barely two day old skin, and closed my eyes to rest them.
"You disagree?" Remus asked, voice ringing with amusement.
"Well," I said, holding up my bandage hand and gesturing thoughtfully. "I don't know. We didn't kill the Pather. We can't get any information out of Wei, since the Pather drained all his blood. Jieyue and I got beaten like an ugly baby-"
"Ugly babies," Jieyue muttered. "The way you said it would make us one single baby."
I paused, opening my eyes to look at her, then shrugged. "I'm just saying, it doesn't feel like a good run."
"The mission was to investigate and, if possible, stop a trade for a Blood Path inheritance," Remus said. "I'd say you all accomplished that in spades." I grunted, earning a chuckle from him and Aelia. "You're spoiled, Janus. You're so used to these good times of being a Golden Devil, you expect our excellence as just the standard."
"Spoiled?" I frowned, sitting up to look at him.
He held up a hand, gesturing for me to relax. I didn't. "Not like that," he said, turning to look- to face the sky. I still wasn't sure why he did things like that, honestly. I suspected he wasn't exactly as blind as he said, but his story never changed. "It's good. It's great. I want all future Devils to feel like you do, that we should succeed to perfection at all times." He smiled, turning to face me again. "But, there's a reason our tasks are so lightly specified. It's not intended for us to go and solve everything ourselves. Sometimes, things are bigger problems than just the eight of us could solve. Our squad serves the century, the century serves the Legion, and the Legion serves the Clan."
"So, what, we should've just confirmed the meeting and backed out?"
"Oh, no," Remus shook his head. "In fact, I saw a Legion try to order something like that due to high troop losses. Stick to the mission outlay, play it safe, come home. But everyone disobeyed." He exhaled loudly in amusement. "You can't stop people from stepping into problems, especially when it comes to protecting the weak or those they care about. That's the other reason missions are so general. To give us freedom to act." He tossed the jade slips up and caught them. "Sometimes, you need to get help. Sometimes you need to get back, because whatever you found is critical to the clan's survival. And sometimes you need to crush some maneaters into paste and erase their lineage from history right now, with no mercy.
"Okay?" he grinned at me.
I exhaled, lying down on my hands again. "Yeah, sure."
"Great! Then while we're out here, it's time to talk about our next mission."
The air filled with groans.
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I wrote way more than I planned to for turn 1, since I wanted to establish some more of Janus' personality before his first turn ended and time skipped forward. But this is the last thing I had prepared, at any rate. @Alectai @TehChron Threadmark, please?
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The return of Boss Bai, who'll undoubtedly get up to his own shenanigans. A nice little way to show some stuff happening elsewhere that may or may not end up being related to the main Janus' story thread. Also, the return of cultivator trading cards. Since she's Bai's idol, I figured it made sense for Minervina to get the card. She also is of a higher rarity, so shinies! I compressed it to the point where any more artifacts would give me a stroke, but it's still around 14MB. 