Since as long as he could remember, Gen had aspired to be a hunter.

It wasn’t the most lucrative profession he could’ve chosen. No, that would’ve been fishing, believe it or not. It didn’t take much to haul nets and set traps for a steady source of food and income, but that wasn’t what made fishing so rewarding. Western Treasures Lake hid untold wealth within its turbid depths, and more than one fisherman had gone out to drag his nets and returned home with radiant pearls, sunken gold, or other such items of fortune. It seemed like every other month he’d hear about someone’s distant cousin or friend of a friend striking it rich, but more telling were the many widows and orphans scattered throughout every hamlet and village. For every family who struck it rich, there were hundreds of others brought to ruin by death and disaster, with thousands more barely surviving on fish and mussels while dreaming of the day they too would stumble across wealth beyond compare.

Not to say hunting was any safer. The safest profession was to become a farmer. Though not as temperate and fertile as the farmlands adjacent to the Xiangmi river, the soil around Western Treasure’s lake still yielded plenty of rice, grain, and vegetables. Farming was not a simple job, for the work was never done. Till the fields, sow the seeds, feed the chickens, milk the cows, water the crops, pull the weeds, the list went on, but short of bandits or wild beasts overrunning your farm, one could always count on the harvest to feed one’s family. The downside, aside from the hard work, was the need to pay protection money. Most of a farmer’s efforts went to paying bandits to leave them alone, which meant they’d have barely enough to survive through the long, cold winters and no chance of ever striking it rich. A grim, dismal existence, farming was arduous and depressing, but safe.

If fisherfolk were risk takers and farmers were cowards, then hunters were the middle ground, the romantics as Pa used to call them. Hunting was not only a means to provide for one’s family, but a good hunter who ate and trained enough might even become a guard or Martial Warrior, a far more lucrative profession than fishing could ever be. Not only could they dream of glory, but a hunter was beholden to nothing and no one, unlike the fisherfolk beholden to the mercy of the lake or farmers to bandits. Though they risked life and limb each time they set out to brave the wilds, a clever and careful hunter could minimize risks and maximize benefits to live a decent and respectable life. Strength was always admired and hunters stood at the top of the pecking order in those insignificant villages like the one Gen grew up in. There were days when the hunting team returned with nothing to show for their efforts, but there were also times when they hunted more meat than they knew what to do with, like the time they brought down a sixteen point buck, a massive, majestic creature which fed their village for weeks.

Gen had been the one to make the killing shot, his arrow taking it clean through the eye as it tried to run him down, but upon returning home, it was not a hero’s welcome which awaited him. No, Pa had beaten Gen with a switch, then brought out the strap when he asked why. “For taking a fool’s risk,” Pa had said, but Gen saw things differently. He stood his ground killed his prey, whereas a lesser man like Pa would’ve run and gone hungry.

Killing that cowardly bastard had been a mercy, and Gen’s only regret was letting him die so quickly.

Though raised by sheep, he had always possessed the heart of a dragon, and since becoming Enlightened to the Truth, he made an effort to remember to his roots. Where Mentor and Goujian believed his time best spent recruiting soldiers and guards to their cause, Gen believed their efforts would be better focused on his fellow hunters. It took some convincing and plenty of effort to get Mentor’s blessing, but as he rode through the sandy dunes with his personal cadre of Huntsmen, he knew it had been well worth the effort.

These were his people, hundreds of former hunters turned Enlightened Warriors thanks to his Talents. Each was armed with spear, short sword, short recurve bows, and the knowledge they’d gathered over generations of their craft. The west had no stags, wolves, or tigers, but they had similar beasts like antelopes, coyotes, and leopards, and strange, foreign ones such as flightless cassowaries, tri-horned kroxsaurs, poisonous hiccup skinks, and other beasts Gen had never seen nor heard of. To make matters worse, his woods-craft skills were next to useless here in the sandy deserts of the Western Province, but his Huntsmen were happy to teach and he was quick to learn. After months of practice tracking and hunting the most dangerous beasts in the West, today, Gen brought his Huntsmen out to hunt the most dangerous prey of all.

Humans.

Though Mentor’s tamed savages had conquered the cities and subjugated the people, there were still plenty of Imperial Loyalists resisting his rule. Scattered bands hid in the deserts and emerged every few weeks to prove themselves an annoyance, and the savages were as unfamiliar with these lands as Gen himself was. Busy with boring matters of logistics and economics, Jianghong tasked the Huntsmen with tracking down these hidden bastions of resistance, which would be the first true test of their skills. Though the Westerners traditionally rode camels, the stupid ornery beasts were unable to accept the greatness of Heaven’s Enlightenment, so instead, Kash and Deng led the way riding atop gajashias, twin-tusked equine mounts with beaked heads which were brought here by the savages. How anything left a trail in the shifting sand dunes and constant dust storms, Gen couldn’t say, but his friends followed tracks which were invisible to Gen’s foreigner eyes, a testament to their native skills and hunter’s craft.

They weren’t the same Kash and Deng Gen had grown up with, bearing the tanned skin and thicker brows so commonly found in natives of the west, but they were good replacements for the friends he’d left behind. Hunters and trackers much like himself, the three of them spent many a night drinking and dallying alongside the zealot Yuanyin, sharing wine, women, and wisdom until the early hours of the morning. They were his pack now, sheep turned wolves much like himself.

“The dissenters be close, Emissary,” Deng Sent, his distant figure pointing south at a towering sand dune. “The oasis sits over yonder, the only one large enough to support their numbers within a hundred kilometres. The signs guide us close, and we shall be upon them before night has come.”

“Good. I tire of tasting sand these past few days.” Adjusting his veil, Gen Sent, “Find them within the hour and you shall be rewarded. Fail, and punishment awaits.”

“By your will, Emissary.”

Though they were his friends, Gen knew enough to separate work and pleasure. Though it would upset him to kill yet another set of his friends, they wouldn’t be the first, or even the fifth of their name. Gen had lost count of how many friends he’d gone through some time ago, but the latest Deng and Kash had proven themselves rather competent. Six months ago, they’d been little more than bugs to squash underfoot, but with his guidance, they’d found their true place in the world. According to Jianghong, both were now strong enough to hold the rank of Major, while Gen would be a Lieutenant Colonel by Imperial standards. Of course, this was merely in strength alone as Gen had no head for tactics, but to reach such heights in so short a time only proved Balance was a lie. While Imperials struggled through every step along the Martial Path, the Enlightened progressed by leaps and bounds under the direct guidance of the Spirits in service to Heaven’s cause.

As their luck would have it, the Heavens blessed Deng and Kash when their hour grew short, delivering a sign even Gen couldn’t miss. A flock of turkey vultures took flight to the northwest and the Huntsmen turned as one to head towards the disturbance, for not even a pack of coyotes could scare off those large, avian scavengers. This meant there were humans nearby, and out here, this far from civilization, that could only mean Loyalists.

The armoured lizards crested the sand dune with their loping gait and Gen spotted the first signs of their hated foes, a small caravan of eight camel-drawn wagons headed to the oasis to fill up on water. Moments later, the Imperials spotted Gen’s Huntsmen riding down upon them, and their looks of despair were delicious to behold. “Take them alive,” Gen commanded, his booming voice easily heard over the stampeding charge. “Death is too good for traitors of Heaven!”

To this end, Gen refrained from setting their wagons alight and turned his attentions to the leading camels instead. Once he was within range, he conjured a pillar of flame to spring up from beneath the beasts’ hooves, charring the creatures black in the blink of an eye. It came as easily as breathing now, the secrets of Heaven unfolding with each passing day, and he flaunted his prowess by conjuring seven simultaneous pillars of flame to kill the remaining camels in one fell swoop.

There was something so satisfying about killing with a point of his finger, even though the effort left him sweating and panting for breath. Stopping to rest, he watched as his whooping huntsmen ran down the fleeing Imperials and feathered their legs with arrows, the small recurve bow far more powerful than the unwieldy longbows Pa used to make. Jianghong scorned the Huntsmen’s use of ranged weapons but Mentor applauded it as a tool for ‘lesser beings’ to strike back at their betters. A shame it took a lifetime to learn, but this more than anything convinced Mentor to allow Gen his Huntsmen.

The glorious battle ended far too quickly, a half week of tracking ending in a half a minute of glory, but this was merely the beginning. There were no Martial Warriors amongst these traitors, merely servants and retainers out to collect water for their masters, which meant their base must be hidden nearby. Dismounting from his gajashia, Gen handed the snapping beast off to another Huntsman and studied the gathered prisoners with a frown, for only a handful still lived in spite of his earlier command. “I ordered you to take them alive.”

“Forgiveness, Emissary.” Familiar with his temper, the Huntsmen all fell to their knees and grovelled for his mercy while Kash pleaded their case. “Most of the traitors took their own lives the moment we were spotted, using a poison derived from hiccup skinks.”

Troublesome, but fanatics and extremists often were. Nothing to be done about the dead, hiccup skinks were so named because commoners they bit only had time enough to make a strangled gasp before dropping dead, the poison potent enough to even weaken hardy Warriors of Heaven. Turning to the gathered survivors, Gen saw pain, terror, and anguish in their expressions, but above all, desperation. They still hoped to live, else they too would’ve taken their poison, and Gen could use that. Stalking up and down their lines, he studied his prisoners one by one in utter silence, giving them time to deliberate their eventual fate while the Spirits whispered in their ears, delivering them a chance to reject Imperial lies and embrace the truth.

The Heavens were just and merciful, even if Gen was not.

When he felt the time was ripe, he introduced himself without preamble. “I am Gen, Emissary of Earth’s Fire.” A shame Mentor was so particular about naming conventions, for ‘Earth’s Fire’ just didn’t sound right to Gen’s ears, but his reputation alone was enough to elicit a chorus of shuddering gasps from the prisoners. Allowing the bare hint of a smile to grace his face, he asked, “Where are your comrades hiding?” No one answered, so Gen pointed at the prisoner he deemed least likely to talk, a grizzled old servant who had the audacity to glare. Eager to please, Kash hauled the old servant to his feet while Deng salvaged a wheel from one of the camel-less wagons, and together, they lashed the prisoner to the wheel using strips of torn cloth. The old servant screamed and struggled, but it did him no good, and once he’d been firmly secured to the wheel, his shouted insults quickly turned to pleas of mercy under Kash and Deng’s deft knives.’

Gen was in no rush, for the day was still young. Even if the prisoners gave up the location of their comrades, it would take time to confirm and plan the assault. Only a fool charged headlong into danger, so he was happy to let his Huntsmen have a little sporting fun. None of the prisoners would live unless they accepted the Truth, and Gen could already see most would not. Cowards the lot of them, but some might be convinced otherwise and all had potential to become a Transcendent, even the defiant old servant who called them Defiled scum and now screamed for death.

One prisoner in particular had caught Gen’s eye, a terrified serving girl sobbing in the sand. A pretty little thing with honeyed skin and dark, smoky eyes, her features lacked the cold perfection of Imperial Martial Warriors but her imperfections made her all the more beautiful. Her ragged clothes and unwashed hair reminded him of Bei during those few precious hours before she surrendered her human trappings to become a Transcendent, and he ached to repeat the process with this exotic western beauty.

Gen had mourned for long enough. It was high time he replaced his wife, for a man as powerful as he needed a strong woman to stand at his side. Perhaps this new Bei would suffice, but even if it ended in failure, then he could enjoy the process.

When the old servant’s screams quieted to a hoarse whisper, Gen addressed the servants as a group. “I was once like you all, a base scavenger from an unnamed village in the wilds, living under Imperial yoke and too stupid to realize it. I spent my days seeking Balance and yearning for strength, but thanks to their lies, I tasted the barest hint of power, one which elevated me a hair’s breadth higher than a basic commoner. You’ve seen the strength I now wield, and you could wield it too. All you need do is reject the lies and accept the Truth, and Heaven’s bounty will be yours. Why remain loyal to a dog Emperor who has abandoned you? Why cover for your so called comrades who’ve sent you out to die? You see us as conquerors and rebels, but I tell you, we are the true patriots of the Empire! Those Loyalists spout their lies of Balance and Defiled to keep commoners like us weak and underfoot, but in doing so, they cause more death and misery than any foreign savages ever could. I, Gen, the Emissary of Earth’s Fire, will bring change to the Empire, and it will be change for the better.” Gesturing at his Huntsmen, he shouted, “We are the wildfire who will clear away the dead undergrowth of the Imperial Clan. We will form the steel and earth of a new foundation, a new Azure Empire without the lies and corruption of the old, but to do that, we need your help.” Pointedly glancing at his new Bei, he added, “I promise to guide you to discover the immeasurable power of the Heavens, and I only ask one thing in return. Give me the location of your comrades, and I will erase your sins committed in ignorance and personally welcome you into the fold.”

Bei’s eyes met his own and Gen suppressed the urge to lash out. She would soon learn not to challenge him, but for now, he needed her alive to find those hidden Loyalists. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Bei straightened up and declared, “You will find our comrades when they emerge to take your dog life, Defiled filth.” Her part said, she trembled in fright and shut her lovely brown eyes, stubbornly rejecting the Spirits from her mind and Gen from her heart.

How dare she?

When he emerged from his berserk rage, dusk was upon them and all the prisoners laid dead save one, a young man with robes reeking of blood and excrement as he busied himself telling Kash anything and everything he could think of. Sweet Bei was an unrecognizable mess scattered about the desert, for no matter what Gen did or made her do, he could not convince her to accept the Truth. Chest aching in heartbroken sorrow, he took a deep breath and licked his fingers before scrubbing them clean in sand, for there was still more work to be done.

Perhaps he’d find another Bei amongst the Imperial Loyalists.

After scouting out the area, they found the smuggler’s warehouse right where the gibbering prisoner said it would be, backed onto a towering dune and entirely hidden beneath the sands. Further searching uncovered the well-concealed stone entrance described by the prisoner, as well as two more exits he swore he didn’t know about. Not convinced, Gen removed a strip of skin as punishment and fed it to his gajashia. Then, since he wanted to wait until midnight before attacking, he removed a strip of fat, then muscle, then began carving his name into the bone before the prisoner finally fainted and it was no longer fun.

He finished carving his name regardless, mostly because he needed the practice. Reading and writing were much harder to learn than the secrets of Martial strength.

When the time came, he dispatched Kash and Deng to guard the other exits while leading the assault on the main entrance himself. Aside from Mentor’s plain-armoured Transcendent who never left his side, Gen had also brought a second Transcendent along on this hunt, one under his sole control. A recently born Transcendent, the white-faced Demon was both stylish and deadly, a lean, dangerous duellist with a billowing cape of blades, and like Gen, hands bearing sharpened, metallic fingers. Gen had an older brother who’d died in infancy, so he imagined that this Transcendent was his brother reborn, here to protect Gen as an older brother should.

Samat had been his name, and this Transcendent would wear it proudly. A shame he was too stupid to hide in Gen’s shadow like the first Bei had, but he made allowances for family.

Though the warehouse was well hidden, it had been built with concealment in mind, not fortification. Once discovered, it was more deathtrap than fortress, for there was no place for sentries to watch and warn of enemy approach. Striding up to the entrance under the cover of darkness, Gen arranged the Transcendents on either side of him and the Huntsmen behind before drawing on the Blessing of Earth. Body bristling with boundless strength, he ripped the heavy door off its hinges and tossed it off into the empty night. Though surprised by his abrupt entrance, the Imperials were ready and waiting for an attack, trembling behind their impromptu barricades at the force arrayed before them. Grinning from ear to ear, Gen stood tall and clasped his hands behind his back, portraying the young hero he knew he was.

Ah, of course. It’s too dark for them to see.

Conjuring a ring of fire around his feet, Gen posed and said, “I am Gen, Emissary of Earth’s Fire.” There were no shuddered gasps this time, which put him in a foul mood. Perhaps he should’ve kept the Transcendents out of sight. “Lay down your weapons, embrace the Truth, and your sins shall be forgiven.”

Silence was their only reply, their weapons still pointed towards him in utter irreverence of his status. Utterly unacceptable. Anger consumed him for the second time this night, and when he emerged from the darkness of his mind, the battle was done and he held a lovely warrior woman by the hair, so similar to the Bei he’d dismembered only scant hours ago. A Heaven-sent gift, no doubt, to come across his deceased wife’s sister so soon after losing her, and Gen rejoiced to find love once again. “Hello Bei,” he said, stroking his wife’s flawless cheek with his gore-soaked hands. She would look so much more beautiful after he branded her with burns. “I’ve missed you so, wife.”

“I’m not your wife, Defiled filth.” Bei struggled in his grip, but her arms and legs were covered in lacerations and completely useless. It pained him to see his wife in such poor health, but the woman defied him and must learn her place. “Nor am I this ‘Bei’ you speak of. I am Brigadier –!”

Her words gave way to a strangled scream as he held a burning hot finger to her lips, leaving a lovely black line across them both. “Hush dear wife. You are Bei, my beloved bride, and I have missed you so. Come, let us celebrate our reunion. You remember my brother, yes? You injured him greatly in your hysterical struggles. A good thing he calmed you down.” Eyeing Samat’s grievous injuries, Gen shook his head and sighed. “Dear wife, you must be more gentle with your brother-in-law. Healing does not come easily to the Transcendents.” Gesturing at the dead Huntsmen and Loyalists around them, he commanded the Spirits to sacrifice themselves to Heal Samat using the corpses at hand and lamented the waste. Mentor treated the Spirits like a resource to be spent and consumed, but Gen knew how precious each of them truly were. The more Spirits used to Heal Transcendents, the fewer remained to convince his prisoners to accept the Truth.

Reminded of his work, Gen tossed Bei aside to deal with later and turned to the crowd of prisoners, launching into his oft-recited speech. “I grew up as a base scavenger from an unnamed village in the wilds...” No matter. The cost was well worth it, and with Mentor’s savage rabble marching east to their deaths, there would soon be many more Spirits free to roam about, Spirits better suited to Enlightening or inhabiting more worthy hosts. Then, once their army of Enlightened Warriors and Transcendents was ready, they would bring fire and justice to the Azure Empire and slaughter all those who opposed them.

And after the Dog Emperor lay dead, Mentor would be next to pay for his crimes against Heaven. Such was Gen’s burden, to usher in a new age of Enlightenment as the Chosen Son of Heaven and future Emperor of All Creation.

Chapter Meme