Gravebronze
Maria Turn 8 Ninth Omake
"Remember, clansman, passing by,
As you are now so once was I,
As I am now so you will be,
Prepare yourself to follow me."
-Traditional Optimatoi forge-chant
"After one has become used to the bizarre appearance of the Golden Devils, their greatest trap will reveal itself; complacency. They may appear civilised after a fashion – perhaps even praiseworthy. But one must never forget that these are savages. Cruelty, murder, and callous violence are at the heart of their nature. Nowhere is this more obvious than in their burial customs."
-Jingshen Chan Bo, "Customs and Rites of the Barbarians Vol. 3"
"Father-"
"Hush." Lu Xu pressed his hands to his daughter's mouth and shook his head. "I know. But no more. This must be done."
Mei glared at him fiercely, but he held firm, and after a moment she broke, and nodded. She was a good child. Hard working and studious, and sweet tempered. Wilful, though. Normally he wouldn't mind, but now?
The cords from his bag were starting to cut into his shoulders. He heaved it up a little, wincing as his back complained. Gods. He was too old for this. But debts must be paid, one way or another, and he owed a life.
"Come on," he muttered. They pushed on over the sands. The scorpion road would have been easier to travel – faster too – but the Jingshen patrolled their section diligently, and they couldn't afford to be discovered. Not with what they carried. The border wasn't far off now – as soon as they crossed into Devil territory, they could turn back across the dunes and wave down the first legionnaire they saw.
That's what Lu Xu told himself.
That's what he hoped.
They carried on like that for an hour, Mei moving ahead to scout the dunes for safe paths, or darting back to watch the way they'd came, and him trudging on beneath the weight of their cargo. They were silent, but for the occasional metallic clink from inside the bag. It was a quiet night. Each sound felt like thunder.
But it's not, he told himself.
It's not. You're paranoid, old man. Keep walking. Keep-
Thud. Bony shoulder hitting his ribs. Weight of a teenage body behind it. Wind went out of his lungs all at once. He fell, rolled down the dune, Mei clutching him as he went. At the bottom, he lay still, pulling air back into himself. His daughter stared at him, eyes wide with fear, and gestured.
Peddler handsigns. He'd taught them to her.
Pursuit. Silence.
Fear filled him like cold water. Lu Xu went still, and nailed his eyes to the crest of the sand dune.
One moment.
Two.
Three.
Four.
She must have imagined it. Paranoia. Not surprising, but-
A head silhouetted itself against the dark blue of the pre-dawn sky. Long, silken hair, cut loose and flowing. Jingshen road guard.
They were going to die.
This feels familiar, he thought, wryly, beneath the terror.
"Mei," he murmered. "Up, love. Up."
"What do-"
"Let me speak to him. You stay quiet unless spoken to."
As he spoke, Lu Xu's mind whirled furiously. There had to be a way out. Had to. He couldn't let them search him. As it was, their papers were in order for everything but – that. The guard would assume he had something else, but that… could perhaps be dealt with. The Jingshen took bribes, didn't they? And it wasn't actually illegal…
He pasted a smile onto his face – friendly and ever so slightly obsequious - and began to trek up the dune. "Honourable lord Jingshen! Your presence lights up my heart!"
No response.
"What brings you so far from the road, my lord?"
He'd gotten far enough up now to make out the face. Slim. Pretty, more than handsome. Fine features, no scars. A cultivator, obviously. He'd guess perhaps the fourth or fifth heavenstage. Lu Xu felt the guard's eyes on him, now. Cold. Disdainful. Arrogant.
But something else, too. Something he couldn't quite work out.
"Border papers," said the Guard. Lu Xu bowed deeply.
"Of course, lord. Allow me."
He pulled a thick sheaf of permits, crossing records, and certificates of authentification from his jacket, careful not to shake his bag. The guard took them, and scanned through them disinterestedly.
"Why are you not on the road?"
"Ah – a foolishness on my part, my lord. I have a fancy for desert roses – my wife more than I, in truth, they were the first sign of my intentions when we courted – so I thought to find some to bring home to her."
"How romantic," the Jingshen drawled. "Nothing to do with that bag on your back then."
A flicker in his eyes of that unidentifiable emotion. Lu Xu kept his smile.
"Oh, of course not, lord! This is merely ballast. A brother of mine, foolish and shameful in his youth, at last begins to make something of himself as a builder of houses. I thought perhaps to give him this waste metal, and ensure he never disgrace us again by keeping him in work."
Cold, assessing stare. More arrogance. Some malice-
And fear. The road guard was afraid.
Lu Xu kept his face still as he thought. They were far from Cannibal territory now, and still deep enough into the desert that the mountain clans would not be a factor either. So why so frightened?
Because of the border.
The war had set everything in flux. The long alliance of convenience between the Jingshen and the Golden Devils, anchored more in mutual hatred for the Cannibals, was starting to fray. It would be a bad time to be caught intimidating a peddler by a wandering centurion. Authority would be shaky, so far from any reliable milestone. They might… push.
Lu Xu nodded, smiled, and spoke again, louder this time. "I will be honest, lord. I do not know that I trust him to stay the path of honest toil. He was a gambler and a glutton, and drank strong wine with no heed for the consequences."
He'd pitched it just right; loud enough to be heard for miles, if the wind held, but not so loud as to look like anything but a frightened, overeager peasant. The guard's lips thinned.
"Keep your voice down," he hissed. Lu Xu let his brow furrow.
"My lord? I apologise – I have spoken to few of the blessed immortals of the world, and your exalted presence-"
"I said
quiet."
A hand had strayed to the sabre at the guard's belt. Lu Xu was dancing on a knife edge, now. He bowed again.
"Quiet, lord. Yes lord. As the mice before the hawk, I shall be silent and still before your honoured attention." He was quieter, this time. Now all he could do was hope.
The guard glared at him.
"Ballast is a trade good," he growled. "You haven't declared it."
"No lord. I was struck by good fortune as we passed through the territory of the heavenly bandits. A peddler and brother of the road was offloading his goods. I took advantage, but sadly could not update my manifest."
"I don't give a fuck about your fortune. Open the bag."
Lu Xu closed his eyes. Well. It had been worth a shot. He could take his honour to the grave, at least. But poor Mei did not deserve to die.
"My Lord, I promise-" he began, and did not even know the sabre had been drawn until he felt his cheek gape open as the blade screamed by. He fought down a scream of pain. The guard smiled, coldly.
"I said, open the bag."
The fear was gone. This bastard was a bully, and the worst kind.
But over his shoulder, Lu Xu saw a gleam of gold and sunlight.
A legionnaire. A legionnaire was coming towards them.
"Of course, lord .But before-"
Another wound yawned, this time across his chest. The shout of pain punched loose of his mouth.
"No. No argument. No stories. Open. The. Bag. Or must I gut you?" asked the guard, sneering with callous mirth.
"Well, that depends on how you feel about stab wounds," said the centurion, behind him.
The Jingshen froze. Lu Xu kept himself still and calm as he could. This was anyone's game, now.
"Our side of the road, longhair," said the Centurion. He was big, broad, and his helmet was tied at his belt, so the tight cut of his gleaming gold hair shone in the dawning sunlight. His teeth gleamed very white in his grin. "Our territory."
"He is carrying contraband," said the road guard, stiffly, turning at last. "I am entitled to check him for it."
"Ah, but I have two brothers over there, and another two miles away. Closing fast. I'm sure you can feel him. We are entitled to tell you to go fuck yourself."
"The border treaty-"
"Oooh, you want to push that?"
Oh shit. This was escalating, and too fast. If they started fighting, Lu Xu would be caught in the crossfire. Worse, so would Mei. He needed to end this.
"My lords," he said, loudly, and tried not to flinch as they glared at him. "Perhaps I might show you?" And before either could answer, he pulled his bag from his shoulders and heaved it open.
The bronze armour caught the light, each of its intricate carvings thrown into sharp relief by the sun. There was the beginnings of a patina forming on the breastplate, and a few scratches from lack of maintenance, but what it was was clear.
The centurion's eyes widened. He turned back to the road guard.
"Leave this. Now."
"Armour-"
"Is taxable, yes, fine. I'll have a spirit stone sent over to your garrison. Just leave it."
The guard stared at them both, confused.
"…I have your word?"
"My name," said the Centurion, "is Economos Longinus. I am Centurion of the 95
th Legion. On my name, my family and my clan, you will have your spirit stone."
Another long pause. Lu Xu waited, not daring to breathe.
"…I am Jingshen Ma Tien," said the guard, at last. "Stationed at the ninth waystation. You have a week." And with that, he withdrew, darting back across the sands. The centurion didn't watch him go. Instead, his eyes fixed on the armour like iron filings to a magnet.
"…How?" he asked, voice hushed.
"Luck," said Lu Xu. "A sandstorm drove us into ruins. The winds tore loose some of the flagstones. Beneath was this. I…"
He stopped. Peddlers were not equipped, by nature, for discussions like this. Honour and loyalty were principles followed, but rarely spoken of. And yet, here he was.
"I was saved by one of your clan, many years ago," he said slowly. "And I traded in Seventh Heaven for many years, before I met my wife. I owe your clan a debt. So I brought it home."
The centurion watched him for a long time, not saying anything.
"You should come and speak to my legate," he said eventually.
---
"The Devils couch their barbarous practices in practicality. There are few copper mines in their territory, and those that do exist produce little metal, and poor quality at that. Thus, to ensure they have the bronze they need to armour themselves, they turn to the only alternative; their own blood.
"Honourable reader, consider; the dead of their clan are not laid to rest in catacombs. Nor are they placed upon funeral pyres, that their souls may rise to join heaven. Instead, they are exsanguinated, and then (through practices too foul to even hint at) reforged into bronze ingots. This metal, called Gravebronze, is then used to make armour, or weaponry, for their legions.
"To we civilised people, this is at best ghoulish in the extreme. But the Devils seem to revel in this horrific practice. Indeed, some families bear suits of armour centuries or even millenia old, forged from their own ancestors. This is not seen as disrespectful; instead, it is a great honour to be selected to join your lineage's Panoplia (as they call it). Many of their legends tell of heroic young devils, seeking out these awful things, returning them to their rightful clans at the cost of their own life, and being given pride of place as their corpse is rendered down for ingots.
"Let this terrible truth stay with you, reader. Let it defend you from the Devils' seeming civility. They may seem decorous enough, but in their hearts, they are monsters."
-Jingshen Chan Bo, "Customs and Rites of the Barbarians Vol. 3"
Two months later
Mei's dress was perfect, decided Lu Xu. It was only his own robes that needed improvement. Well. Too late now. The Legate had ordered them to attend him an hour ago. Best not to keep him waiting.
They stepped into his quarters slowly, heads lowered in pre-emptive bows. Typically, they'd wait until he addressed them before even considering rising. Today, though, was clearly not typical.
They could tell by the way the Legate, a cultivator of the second pillar, swept them both up in a bearhug immediately.
"My favourite mortals!" he bellowed, grinning wildly. "Look at you both! Honour comes in small packages, clearly!"
Lu Xu was, for the first time in his life, without words. This did *not* happen.
"Sit! Sit, let me pour you a drink," said the legate, setting them down at his table. Their chairs (CHAIRS! To sit as *equals*!) were already pulled back, and he settled them and poured them plum wine before sitting himself.
"Done us a hell of a service," he said. "I'll say that now. That Panoplia – well. Centuries. Centuries, it's been missing. We didn't even know where it had gone. Drink, will you? Don't make me have one alone."
The peddler drank. It was beautiful wine, some distant part of his brain noticed. The rest was too busy wondering if perhaps as an encore the sky would be turning purple.
"Good man. Yes. The family will be pleased to have it back, let me tell you. Not many of them, mind; small lineage. Still. Very grateful. Trust me on that. Very grateful indeed."
"Honoured Legate," said Mei, "who- the armour. It- I am told, foolish worm that I am-"
"Brought home our ancestors, youngster, not foolish in the slightest," rumbled the legate, smiling. Mei froze. Lu Xu watched as she tried to process being referred to, affectionately, as a youngster. She gave up and went on as if nothing had happened. It was probably the wisest choice.
"I am told that armours such as that bear names of their own?"
"Ah! Yes, I see what you're getting at. It's called the
Bacchante- the song of wild ecstacy, in your tongue. Wardancer's armour.
Very special. The Angelus- that's the family it comes from – are a little unusual in the way they do things."
Bacchante. Pretty, thought Lu Xu. He drank the wine again, to steady his nerves.
"Now! Let's talk reward," said the Legate.
Wine went directly into Lu Xu's sinuses. He spluttered.
"I- honourable lord, I did not do this for a reward-"
"Course not! Doesn't mean you shouldn't have one. Let's make you rich, my friend, and go from there."
---
So, this idea came up in the discord and Occipitallobe thought it was cool, so... here's an omake about it! Yay!
