In The Shade of the Trees
Heartfire, 1st year of the Gwangyeong Era (September, 4896 YDC)
Courtyard of the Jade Halls, Home of the 1st Legion of the H'ang-hyun
"Let the duel commence!"
In response to those words, a flurry of magic began to fly within the stone walls of the courtyard. The Junior Commanders watched from the stairs leading to the Jade Halls' entrance as two mages started to duke it out in the courtyard. This would be a good one, she thought to herself. Min Ru'sa against Mae-da. The High Commander against who was arguably the second strongest of the entire group. The two of them were good friends, despite how they usually act towards one another, and this battle was no exception. At the end of the day, it was just two comrades having a friendly duel, testing their skill against each other to see what needed to be fixed, how to get an advantage when they had a real fight, and to experiment. From Lin's reckoning, it seemed the two were evenly matched for now, though the lack of Mae-da's preferred liquid to manipulate would complicate matters somewhat. On the other hand, Min wielded a particularly ornate longsword and through the use of her natural proficiency with plasma, clad herself thunder and lightning from the far ends of the sky.
The first spells started to be flung as the two grappled for the initial advantage, blades of pressurized water flew through the air as Min began to counter him with blasts of flame. When the projectiles hit one another, all that could be heard was the sizzling of steam as the water snuffed fire and in turn was rendered into gas. The only sound that could be heard after was that of Mae-da clicking his tongue in annoyance.
"Did I ever tell ya how annoying yer magic is, Min? Lightning, fire, light and shadow. Must be easy for ya ain't it? You aren't limited by anything." Mae-da taunted, eyes filled with a kind of bloodlust unique only to him as the heat of battle crept onto his skin. Blade after blade of water continued to fly in her direction as she replied. "I'm not particularly good at any of them you see. I'm just...creative! Yeah! Creative! Let's go with that. If you don't have any imagination with this sort of thing, you'll be dead on the battlefield before you know it. That's what gets all these rookies killed when they're out hunting Strigoi."
Magic was powerful, especially the kind that the warriors of the Five Legions practiced. They crafted their formula in dread, copying that which they feared and despised, yet admired the most for their strength. Min, Mae-da and the others were the best of the best yet between them there were still differences when ideally they would be equally powerful. If each commander were to fight the other four, the result would be something resembling rock paper scissors. There were some match-ups where the victor would be obvious, decided from the start, and some where there would be none, where both of them would fight each other to a standstill.
"Alright, that's it...I ain't holding back now..." He said as a bolt of lightning smashed into the stone floor behind him. "It's just too troublesome to hold back, and I know this is against the rules for our usual bouts, but I can't stop it when it's started." His feet dug into the ground as he took up a defensive stance. His words of power filled the air in an instant as he voiced his desires to the sky above.
"Burn to naught but ash, my dearest of all,
Fate tore you from me, left me to behold your remains."
Anyone who heard this aria of tragedy could feel the mood change.
"Why did this happen to me, why did it come to pass?
Beast of the Night, what brought you to ravage, consume,
That which mattered the most, my truest love, hearth and kin?"
Fear filled the thoughts of the assembled onlookers as the otherworldly tune rended the air.
"I know not what you truly are, nevertheless I will destroy you,
Steal your name, legend and power for my own.
A night daemon I shall be, veiled in darkness and shielded from harm."
Shou-chou
"創造"
An explosion. That would be the only word to describe it, an explosion of blood. His own blood. Blood covered his hands, his chest, his head, all of it. It throbbed and pulsed, forming armor that defied comprehension. A suit of armor and a sword to match, forged from naught but his own lifeforce, held somewhere in a state between liquid and solid, solid enough to deflect yet delicate enough to mold into whatever shape he needed. Mae-da was reborn as a Knight of Blood.
"Oh? You're using that one now are you?" Min taunted, holding back a giggle. "In that case, I'll raise you this! It's a new technique I've been experimenting on. Let's see how useful this one will be, hmm? You can probably write this one down as your win, though. That makes your thirtieth, compared to my twenty-nine and seventy two draws." She drew her longsword from its sheath as she began her own incantation, her own display of sorcery to match his own.
"Fields sundered, rivers dried, cities burnt to cinders.
Warriors of ten thousand kingdoms fought, slaughtered, ravaged,
Death, o' glorious death was to be their only savior
Hearts drowned in venom, pierced by spears,
Oh, mortal men, can you understand why?
Why you savage and destroy?"
The sound of thunder roared a warning, like the sound of a hundred thousand muskets firing in unison. The lightning that had previously clung to the sword on her belt now spread throughout her entire being. Everything around her was slow, that was the best way to define what she could see. Everything had regressed to the speed of a turtle crawling across a beach, as the speed of lightning flowed through her. She charged forwards in the blink of an eye, a bolt of thunder. She wanted to be a hero, that was her innermost craving.
"My passion shall cleanse the filth that surrounds you,
And as light showers from the heavens above,"
In her two decades of service, it brought her to realize one thing. Everything they did was for the sake of protecting those who couldn't protect themselves. This incantation was nothing more than a statement, and a plea. Of someone who had enough of seeing her comrades fall before her.
"My beacon shall guide you on the darkness of the battlefield."
Shou-chou
"創造"
Blinding, brilliant light showered from her form as she rushed forward, closing the distance between herself and the Knight of Blood. Transformed into an avatar of the Sun's embracing light and righteous wrath, she put all her strength into one thrust of her blade. Ahead, she could see her foe draw his own sword, dyed crimson, yet she pressed forth regardless. The clang of steel rang through the air as their blades clashed, neither side wishing to yield...
They pushed, and pushed, their blades locked onto each other, until at last, they relented, and laughed. Mae-da's bloody armor slunk back into his veins, Min's stormy aura crackled and fizzed as they both fell to the courtyard's stony floor.
"Ugh...we're both down so..." She began.
"I guess we'll call this a draw..." He finished.
______________________
Sun's Dawn, Fifth Year of the Gwangyeong Era (January, 4901 YDC)
Border town of Xu'han, on the Miranid frontier.
The midday sun's heat beat down on the Xu'han militiamen, made worse only by the tropical humidity of the air that paid no heed to the four seasons. The militia stood in line formation at attention, each man clutching a musket in their sweaty hands as they marched further from the town and further south into the hills towards the banks of the Gwang-he River. The ragtag company wasn't really a company of professional soldiers. Far from it, they were simply ordinary men. Fathers, husbands and sons who had volunteered to protect their homes, to do what needed to be done to keep their family and friends safe. One of them, Wu, spoke up after a while, addressing the man leading them the column onwards.
"Err...Captain? I understand that today was the day for the militiamen to gather for training, but what does this march have to do with it? He inquired. The man he spoke to, Captain Yuan, replied back simply.
"It is training. You'll see."
He sighed at the vague response.
A few minutes later, they had crested the top of the hills to see an array of tents and wooden constructs laid before them on the elevated terrain about a hundred metres before the banks of the Gwang-he. Yuan raised his hand, signalling for the group to stop marching as a trio of horsemen approached, one carrying a triangular banner emblazoned with the Imperial Phoenix. Wu didn't need anyone to tell him the obvious. They were bannermen, the professionals of the Imperial Army, not part time wannabe warriors like the rest of his company.
"You see what I meant by training now, Wu?" Captain Yuan laughed as the bannermen drew ever closer to the militiamen. His previous demeanor turned into one of seriousness as he turned back to his men. "Stand at attention, all of you. The Kae-in of the 23rd Banner will be directing this week's training personally, and believe me when I say persuading Li H'ung-chang himself to oversee us was not an easy feat. Do not disgrace yourselves before his presence."
The horses finally drew to a stop, as the dirt and dust kicked up behind them settled in the air. The man leading the group, dressed in a resplendent dark-blue garb, addressed Yuan.
"Q'ing-lai, Captain. You are late. Me and my men have been expecting you all morning. It would have been much more comfortable to conduct their training than in this deplorable midday heat, but no matter. You must be hungry, yes? My own company has prepared lunch, and of course, your attendance is expected. We have much to do to make up for lost time."
His spoken Amrean and choice of words were somewhat peculiar, closer to the dialect spoken by the peasantry of the Yin river than that of the men of the south. He was a man of the people atleast, unlike most of the other Kae-ins' that only spoke the dialect of the Kou'ji. Yuan placed his hands together and bowed slightly.
"Of course, Kae-in."
______________________
After their meal, both bannermen and militiamen assembled a scant few metres away from the tents, facing the wooden constructs that resembled a rather hastily put together training course. It was a strange contrast, seeing the resplendent uniforms of trained soldiers mixed in with the peasant garments of the militiamen.
"Now then, shall we begin, Captain?" Li asked, half addressing Yuan, half announcing the commencement of the training exercises. Yuan simply nodded in response as he continued. "Very well then, first things first. What we will be doing today is a version of the training Bannermen receive in the army. My own troops should be familiar with this and as such, they will demonstrate. Normally I would explain what the different steps are, but enough time has been spent on trivialities that a visual explanation should be enough."
Li shouted a nondescript command in the Amrean language's archaic form and the Bannermen split into two formations, each roughly a quarter of a kilometre away from each other whilst the militiamen stepped back to observe. The soldiers formed ranks four men deep and 20 men wide each, with him and Yuan taking up command of each respective formation. The bannermen had their own flintlock muskets loaded with blanks and as the exercise began, the two ranks immediately opened fire on each other. Smoke filled the air as the two commanders shouted their orders.
Yuan's men deployed themselves into a square after the first volley, and on his word, loosed volley after successive volley as they formed a rotary to deliver unrelenting fire onto Li's contingent. At the same time, Li's voice could be heard carrying through the air.
"Aim!" The front rank pointed their muskets at the square.
"Fire!" Smoke flew into the air as the gunpowder ignited and their "shots" flew from their barrels.
"Advance!" The fourth rank began to advance to a few paces ahead of the first as the cycle repeated itself again, each rank laying down successive musket fire as the rank behind them reloaded, quickly enough that there was nothing but a scant few seconds between each volley. Li's forces inched ever closer to the square. Yuan's continued to rotate and fire. After a distance of 30 metres remained between the two regiments, the practice concluded.
"Time?" asked Captain Yuan.
"About five minutes." replied Li.
Yuan nodded in recognition as he turned to the shocked militiamen under his command, his voice carrying through the air. "This, my friends, is how true warriors fight. With pride, with skill, and with efficiency. You may not be bannermen, but displays such as this is what I expect, from each and every one of you. That is how war is fought, how you will defend your homes and families! You will learn this and by the grace of the Sun, the 23rd Banner will whip some shape into you! And it won't be just today either, the Kae-in will be posted in Xu'han for the forseeable future, so be prepared."
The group bowed their heads in respect as they picked up their own muskets and advanced into the training ground. Li merely shook his head as he prepared himself to drill the militia. Hopefully this training would make them something other than dead weight in the event any savages tried to cross the Gwang-he.
______________________
Last Seed, Fifth Year of the Gwangyeong Era (February, 4901 YDC)
Port of Cantha
Smoke drifted through the room as the sweet aroma of scented candles wafted through the air. Li-yen sat cross-legged on the straw-matted floor as she stared at the man sitting across the table from her, dressed in the garment of an official in the Imperial Court, and that of a Duke of the Third Rank, the Chief Minister himself, Rhee C'hung-hang. He reached for the pot in the center of the table, pouring tea into both her cup and his own. An attendant soon emerged from a side room in the teahouse, a tray in hand carrying biscuits and honey. Setting them down on the table, the attendant soon dismissed himself from the room, leaving the two alone.
"Now then, shall we get down to business, your Excellency?" Li-yen inquired, only to be met with a nod from Rhee.
"Indeed we shall. How has business fared, since the Empress' proclamation, I wonder? I cannot imagine that the lifting of the trade monopoly your esteemed Hong holds at Cantha was anything but detrimental to your business and that of your compatriots."
"That is what your untrained eye sees, perhaps, Duke Rhee. It speaks of your inexperience in such matters, despite your scholarly upbringing and experience in matters of state. If you had the time to spend observing the ships of foreign strangers dock, you would know that business will always be good. Lifting the monopoly was in our interest as well, or we never would have agreed to it. This port is both magnificent and small. Too many, Amrean and foreigner alike would want to land to conduct trade. It is a burden, managing the mass of ships that wish to dock and unload their goods, make deals, load their holds and set sail once more. The proclamation has eased matters somewhat, made them more manageable, that is all there is to it."
The Duke could do nothing but nod in tacit understanding, and agreement as he comprehended the conditions at Cantha. There was more to the Empire than he knew. Much much more, yet he did not have the time or inclination to delve into.
"I see. That is good news to hear indeed, Director. I have heard rumours before coming from this port, that the foreigners, the Yllendyr, come trading advanced trinkets and devices. It is the opinion of the Imperial Court that we are perhaps, two, three decades behind them in such advancement. The squabbles of court bureaucrats has delayed the implementation of the Young Engineer's steam engine outside C'hung-jin, and I do not see them clearing up anytime soon. I'll make myself direct, so as to not cause any confusion. I wish to discuss another agreement with your trading conglomerate, regarding the Yllendyr once again."
"Oh? You have me interested, your Excellency, but I must hear the terms of this transaction before I can agree to anything." She stated, taking the opportunity to press for the upper hand in negotiations. The Duke simply smiled as he replied coolly.
"Your merchants make contact with the Yllendyr merchants on a daily basis. Have them seek out technology of significance, cajole the Dark Elves if they must. The Court shall pay a 10% commission for each article of technology delivered to the capital, as well as refund the majority of purchasing expenses."
Li-yen raised her eyebrows at this offer. It was certainly a good starting point, but it wasn't exactly enough. She took a sip of tea, formulating a response.
"Duke Rhee, your offer has its merits, but it is somewhat...difficult. The Yllendyr do not part with their devices easily. It will be expensive, is all I can say, and there will be no weapons that can be acquired. Their Emperor forbids the sale of such items. In addition, I would have to request an additional financial incentive..."
"That is acceptable, I do not expect your traders to perform miracles, after all. As for your request, we shall lower taxes on the Hong to 8%, from the 10% previously demanded. Is that enough?"
"Indeed it is, your Excellency." She smiled as she raised her cup. "A toast, if you will, to a mutually beneficial deal." The Duke raised his own cup, clinking it with hers as they both drank til it was empty.
"May we all prosper under the Sun's light." They said in unison.
