Chapter 191

Chapter 191

Startled by a resounding crash, Chu Tongzu jolted from his sleep, the ingrained reaction rewarded with a jabbing pain in his side. Drawing a sharp breath, he muttered a string of curses for the ignorant fool who dared disturb his slumber. What a pleasant, peaceful sleep, something hed had precious little of late. Gingerly holding his abdomen, he waited for the pain to subside with half a mind to call his guards and have them find the noisy offender. Feeling magnanimous from the warmth of his bed, he let the matter drop and shifted to his side. Lifting the blankets, he let loose with a thunderous fart, greatly easing his discomfort and bringing a smile to his face as he chuckled at his prowess. With a smack of his lips, he lightly fanned the blankets while sinking deep into his pillows, allowing the sirens song of slumber to pull him back into its warm embrace.

Beggin your pardon Magistrate, what with this being your room and all, but the least you could do is warn a man. Scared me something fierce.

For several seconds, Tongzu ignored the smooth, baritone voice, attributing it to nothing more than an oncoming dream. Then, for the second time in minutes, he jolted up in alarm, this time with pillow in hand, ready to defend himself against the unwelcome intruder. Standing at the foot of his bed, a hulking giant sheepishly scratched his dark, unruly beard, facing the wall with his back to Tongzu. Who are you to intrude upon Magistrate Chu Tongzu? Such audacity, your head will roll for this.

The giant turned around and offered a military salute, weathering Tongzus Aura without effort. Names Vichear. Good to meet you Magistrate. Sorry for alarming you, dont you mind me. I shouldnt have said anything, Im just here to keep the Wraiths away. You go on back to sleep now, youll not hear another peep out of Old Vichy. With a wink, the giant resumed his vigil, back turned with sword and shield in hand.

The giant was the most polite assassin Tongzu had ever encountered, though he was starting to suspect hed misread the situation. Tossing the pillow aside and regretting how ridiculous he must have looked, he smoothed out his robes and slipped out of bed, gingerly stepping towards the weapon rack where his maul sat waiting. Although this Vichear showed no signs of aggression, it never hurt to be cautious. With Stoneshaper close by, he felt more prepared to handle the massive giant, clasping his hands behind him as he stood by the window. Though his room showed signs of battle and bloodshed, he put those out of mind and studied his self-proclaimed guard.

By the Mother, the man was imposing. Tonzgu was a man of impressive stature, but this Vichear dwarfed him in both height and girth, a solid mass of muscle from head to toe, girdled in black leather armour. Even at his best, Tongzu would be loath to fight the man head on. So youre one of my soldiers? Impossible, he would remember a man like this. I never knew I had such an impressive warrior in my ranks. Which unit do you hail from?

Turning back with a grin, Vichear seemed to have noticed Tongzus obvious attempt to probe for information. Not one of your soldiers Magistrate, you know as much. I served out of Feng Huang at one time, made my way up to Major until I lost most of my command to Defiled around Shen Huo. The army tossed me out on my ass, but Lieutenant General Akanai took me in, so I ride with the Bekhai now.

The Bekhai again. Try as he might, Tongzu couldnt see why those barbarians were held in such high esteem by some. True, their youths were talented, but from what hed seen of Warrant Officers Falling Rain and Huushal, they were hunting dogs at best. Lacking subtlety and common sense, theyd run roughshod through his city, upsetting the delicate balance with all the grace of a rampaging bull. Leaving corpses in the streets to clog his canals, barricading his own building and refusing him entry, those brats gave no face. Skill was one thing, but no man could be an island, and the Bekhai made few friends with their outright defiance of the Society.

Scoffing, he shook his head. There has to be more to your story, the Army does not toss' aside talents like yourself for a single defeat. At most, youd have been relegated to duties outside of command. Did you upset someone in power?

Vichears grin faded, replaced by a grim resignation. Right you are Magistrate. When I joined the army as a boy, they insisted on a thirty year contract. Wouldnt take me in otherwise, too much effort to train, they said. What else is a starving half-beast to do? I served for twenty-eight years, held rank three, and was looking forward to life outside the Army. Travel the world, find myself a wife, maybe kids and whatnot, but the Mother had different plans for me. The same Defiled who killed my soldiers also broke me back, and the Army offered me two choices. Spend the rest of my life as a cripple or a soldier, no two ways about it.

Looking the giant up and down, Tongzu remarked, You seem to have recovered. I would assume the Herald offered you the same, healing in return for service. Why take up with them and not the Army?

True enough except for the order. Lieutenant General Akanai had me healed first, then made her offer, the proper way to do things I say. Tapping himself on the chest, Vichears melancholy was plain to see. Twenty-eight years of life Old Vichy gave the Empire, and they treated me like an honourless vagrant begging for handouts. It aint proper. I served with honour, and when I needed aid, they wanted to make me a slave. Costs and benefits, with no place for honour.

Sympathizing with Vichears concerns, Tongzu nodded in spite of himself. I was a soldier myself, lost many a comrade in battle, but thats to be expected. Worse was watching the injured survivors mistreated, but thats what happens when you have scroll-shuffling scribes deciding the fate of good fighting men. They cant see past their abacus, every soldier little more than numbers scrawled on a page.

Right you are again. After a small pause, Vichears grin returned in full force and Tongzu couldnt help but smile with him. Still, things worked out for the best. My oath is lax, I fight only when I want or need to. The Bekhai are a pleasure to serve with and the job came with a nice little home in the sticks to call my own, something worth dying for. I still miss the city sometimes and the Bekhai have no proper opera or theatre, but the wilderness has a certain beauty and poetry to it, no doubt about it.

That would be a mistake. Gerels voice sounded from beside him, the obstinate man refusing to leave gracefully. Here, in this plaza, they hold the advantage. If we attack now, it will only work in their favour.

Then what would you have me do, Senior Captain Gerel? This time, his sneer came in full effect. You think your flimsy wooden barricade will hold them back? Youll be burned out in minutes, at least you could have built a wall of stone!

The barricade will fall within the hour. They have a fire-manipulator among their ranks, but with a big enough fire, the Defiled will be forced to wait until it dies. Gerel answered without hesitation, his gaze locked with Tongzus. The plazas design forces us to distribute the soldiers evenly between three fronts, with a travel time of five minutes to reinforce one another. A feature meant to protect the gates, but it works against us now. The Defiled are free to decide which side to attack while holding the high ground, a disastrous combination.

At least the man had a grasp of basic tactics, though five minutes travel time was overly optimistic. Then what do you hope to do? We cannot hold, we cannot fight, am I to let them run roughshod through my city unhindered?

Yes and no. The tribesman shrugged, gesturing to the map which sat on Tongzus table. The fight here is not to our advantage, so we only defend it with a token force. Sanshus walls and gates are expertly designed, but the city proper is a sprawl of roundabout streets and alleys separated by man-made streams and villa walls. Plenty of places to mount a proper defence or lead them into ambush.

Tongzu snorted with disdain. There is no area large enough to accommodate my army aside from the plaza. It would be impossible to attack in sufficient numbers.

A wolfish look came over Gerel, a smile without smiling. Exactly. The same goes for the Defiled, and seeing as were outnumbered when it comes to quality soldiers, this works to our advantage. We'll rend and tear them slowly until nothing remains. Pointing at the map, Gerel marked the major passages out of the south-western district. The passages through the outer wall have been closed off, so these five bridges are now the only path into the rest of the city, aside from swimming through the ponds or canals. At your Guard Captains suggestion, we lifted the sluice gates and flooded the canals, using bloody bait to lure in hordes of carnivorous fish. The majority of the soldiers are positioned to guard the bridges, and should the worst come to pass, they have orders to destroy the bridge. By doing so, we contain the Defiled to the south-western district. It took a little diplomacy to roust the inhabitants, but Guard Captain Sovanna is a... persuasive woman. I only had to kill two people before the rest fell into line.

Hmph. Dreading the fallout from his diplomacy, Tongzu decided to deal with it after the battle. For all he knew, theyd all be dead and hed be spared having to eat crow and apologize. Instead, he studied the plan as Gerel continued to elaborate, but though he looked long and hard, he found no obvious flaws. Still, he disagreed wholeheartedly with the strategy, interrupting Gerel mid-explanation. Your proposal would have me give up an eighth of my city to the Defiled without a fight. Then what? Pray for deliverance? Even after Major Yuzhen arrives, well have no ground from which to mount a charge. What good is cavalry without their mounts? Am I to keep them there and starve them out?

The wolfish grin seemed to stretch even though Gerels lips remained pursed and neutral, the air growing cold and still. All the Major needs to do is keep the Defiled from leaving through the gate. You want to make them bleed for stepping into your city, but my claim supersedes yours. Leaning forward, Gerels amber eyes promised wanton violence and slaughter, forcing Tongzu to instantly revise his opinion of the man. A dangerous warrior, hed rather be matched against a dozen Vichears than cross weapons with Gerel. You look down on a mere Senior Captain and I cannot begrudge you this. Rank holds no allure for me, only battle, but now I have reason to seek it, a promise to keep. Karma has been sown and these Defiled cropped up almost instantly, their lives a gift laid out before me. Do not interfere in my moment of glory. Sanshu is full of danger and your death would mar my victory.

Repressing his shudders, Tongzu stared blankly as Gerel strode out of the room, unable to formulate a reply until the man was out of sight. Blinking at Sovanna, he asked, Did he just threaten me?

That he did. Sovanna nodded, bringing a cushioned chair to the window, which he gratefully collapsed in. An intense sort, I swear if he had a tail hed be wagging it nonstop right now. Happy as a fox in the hen-house he is, a born killer if Id ever seen one. Dont be too cross with him though, he saved yer life last night. She shivered dramatically, perhaps to ease his guilt over doing the same. Mark me, but Im glad hes on our side, not a man Id like to cross. The servants say he came in through the window and tore a Wraiths arm clean off before it even knew what hit him. Killed five in total and walked out of yer room like hed been swimming in blood.

From his vantage point, he absently watched as Gerel rode off with Vichear and the other Bekhai. Private First Class Gerel, the unknown, unranked, warrior who, at twenty-seven years of age, took the world by storm when he claimed eleven certified Demon kills in a week, and his numbers continued to rise. Those who saw him claimed he cut Demon and Defiled down like a farmer harvesting wheat, earning him the Name of Demon Reaper.

Whether it meant Reaper of Demons, or Demon who Reaps was still a matter of debate.

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