First Wall

Captain of the Watch

Lunging forward at the last second, with an enhanced surge. The Captain stabbed a giant winged lizard bird right through the skull as it dived for him with a cruel serrated beak, side-stepping its crash he weaved against a crude coral spear thrust from a large Toka-Loshi. Sweeping his blade back down and across, he sent the Beasts head spraying over the horde as the rest of its severed body spasmed, dropping its spear.

“Hold that shield wall steady you dogs!”

Looking over the breach from the forefront, he knew should not have been here. A Captain's place was to control not lead, he heard the words of his own Disciples begging him the last time there had been a breach. But none of lesser rank were remotely strong enough to handle a morphing Azuma.

It was up to him to save lives and bring vengeance. Bitten, clawed, rammed and jumped upon, the violence of the front elevated his soul amongst the desperation of his men.

The second wall held strong and honourable Cultivators stepped into place behind him, holding the ground he had cleared as the Captain of the flaming sword waded through the breach. An instrument of death.

“Duelists! Retake that wall! I want archers up there as soon as it’s cleared.”

His voice carried over the din with authority and enhanced volume. The end was in sight and Disciples of the Watch channelled the last of their Chi freely, using whatever lesser abilities they possessed to smash through the horde with ease. Time and again the Captain had to reprimand overzealous Sacred Artists to hold the line.

Two hastily erected shield walls on opposite ends of the breach had ensured the Wave did not spill over the Arena completely. A common enough and well rehearsed tactic for all breaches in the wall. The Watch performed it admirably considering it was just him giving the orders now.

With the Kaiju slain, most of the Beasts had had their minds broken, fighting on with a berserk rage and lacking their previous battle smarts. The Beasts hampered themselves as they pressed in through the narrow space. So long as the shield walls held, they would die.

Eventually ground began to be cleared rhythmically, as the spearwall stabbed and pushed as one. Both sides closing in, with carcasses being hoisted over and taken away for processing.

Satisfied that things were in hand below, the Captain leaped up to join the Duelists in retaking the wall. He had taken it upon himself to despatch any that began to morph into greater Beasts, leaving his Disciples to do the grunt work.

“Elder!” They cried out as he leapt away, leaving them below.

Those that morphed after consuming a human core risked setting off a chain reaction and hesitancy now on his part would be costly. The strange cloud of Chi that briefly engulfed a Beast at the beginning of its morphication was contagious to any other that entered it. It was this cumulative effect that brought about the true danger of Beast Waves and Swarms.

Elder Ji-yeng sought these out with a vengeance, trampling it out wherever he saw it.

So too did they become unstable with power during their change. Exhueding large amounts of Chi, which in turn empowered their attacks. A simple rat swarm that took on an unaware patrol, might result in a hulking pack of were-rats terrorising the area for weeks.

Only blades of an infused metal rim could do them harm during this process and in effect halt it. As a Captain, all his blades were metal rimmed. Not as flamboyant as some others, but still with a decisive effectiveness.

Relieving the head of a snarling Kappa that fed on the corpse of his fallen brothers, the Captain laid about these crude weapon weilding Beasts. Taking his vengeance where he might and sparing the dead further desecration.

“Leave none alive!” He cried, kicking the Kappa corpse off the edge.

The fight for the wall was over even before the breach was sealed. For although the spear was more practical a choice of weapon, twin blades of superior design in the hands of a Cultivator were a terrible force to reckon with. In the Duellist sect of the Watch, they were certain death.

Atop his portion of the wall once more, his flaming sword was visible to all. He grimaced as he inspected the destruction done to it, knowing this would take weeks to rebuild. He would have to inspect it every day as the work would be rushed to completion before the next assault on Qaelang

The rushed rattle of expensive armour heralded the return of his Disciples and he suppressed a smile when he saw his very own Standard come bobbing along, tied to the back of a very angry looking Sergeant. Their displeasure with him evident for risking his life, in that he alone had stood in the breach tempering its currents.

When the Shogun had been forced to give chase on the Kaiju, taking his best with him in the pursuit. The remaining Cultivators began to fall heavily. If anything The Beasts had begun to press harder, throwing themselves with a greater abandon.

“Elder Ji-yeng,” the Sergeant bowed in greeting. “It seems you have slaughtered half the Beasts this day and left little for the rest of us.”

The Captain smiled at the compliment. He knew well just how hard the Sergeant practised at veiling his chastisements, he had caught the man practising.

Giving a small bow in return as the rest of his small band of elite Disciples made their way over to him, he took his first moment of respite to look over the battlefield. Surveying for areas of control that needed his attention and found none. His junior Captains on the second wall had gotten better at concentrating fire on targeted areas.

Standing upon the edge of the broken wall, his Chi fuelled adrenalin began to wilt. Without the roars of the Azuma, the remaining Beasts seemed almost pitiful. Each still deadly in their own right, but their growls and screeches were nothing compared to the bone-shaking roar of that most dreaded reptile Beast cat.

With a sigh he watched the last of the Beast Wave fall apart. The Shogun himself was already stalking back to camp unchallenged. No Beast was left alive strong enough even to approach him, even his Preafects had sheathed their blades. One of them carried the day's prize.

The Kaiju Beast core.

This battle was over. It was over the second the Kaiju had turned tail and fled.

The Captain thought back to the shock he had suffered after witnessing the Salamander kneeling directly behind him, pulling molten fire up from the depths. Barely seconds after escaping the wall, the Kaiju had come roaring through, sending brick and morter crashing about for miles around. It had used an ability to plough through,but the Salamander had met and tempered it with his own.

Both my blades for a bloodline ability like that.

“Elder, there has been…”

The Captain of the flaming sword held up his hand silencing the Sergeant as he took a moment to pay honour. He knew there were reports and a mountain of inspections to conduct, if he did not honour them now, he wouldn’t get the chance to do so properly again. And the last thing he wanted was a vengeful spirit.

Looking upon the many faces of men he had stood beside mere minutes ago, all corpses now. His mood collapsed even before he could celebrate their victory. The Sacred Artists beside him shared the sentiment in their stillness as they went about methodically ending and harvesting Beast cores.

Though it was Taboo to touch the dead, he paused over the body of a young Seed. Retrieving and placing the broken spear firmly in the hand that remained. He closed her eyes so that she might rest at peace before the monks returned her to the Rock.

He hadn’t even known her and with a heavy sigh realised this was her first fight under his command.

Rare was it that a woman would join the Watch, for cored Artisans were highly prized in any field they chose. But for those who could not afford the process, the Watch offered it in return for taking an oath of service to settle the debt. She had come as a commoner and had to earn her way standing here on his portion of the first wall.

As all Nobles were cored young, he had never experienced the stigma that plagued the different sex’s amongst the poor. If anything he had joined the Watch because of the relentless harassment of his own two sisters. Both elder and younger had taken to bullying him mercilessly for his inferior core and all his family had allowed it.

Indeed, they had condoned it, as was proper amongst cultured Cultivators. Unintentionally and much to their chagrin, they had driven him into the arms of the Watch and here he knelt at the opposite side of that coin. Peasants lacking cores had a different proper to their communities and he wondered if she had joined for a similar reason.

You died facing forward little one. I wish I could have known you, or what drove you to stand here. But should the Cycle see fit to return you, know that by your honourable death you will not have to face what ailed again.

It was only when celebratory flares were fired from the main camp, did he hear a few conciliatory cheers amongst the Watch. The Sergeant dutifully tried to rouse the men's cheer, but his huzzahs came out sounding strained.

This day had been far too bloody for any good to come of it. Giver send we never have another like it.

“Sergeant can we make sure this one is placed near the front of the mortuary mats with care. We would not want her parents looking all night to find her. See to it her weapon remains in her hand until the monks take her away.”

“Elder, It’s just a peasant. There are thousands this day.” The man frowned.

Elder Ji-yeng rose smoothly, focusing on the stink of the battlefield and pained cries of the wounded. He stepped back once and bowed. Then he bowed in both directions of the wall making the sign of the Giver over the dead. Before turning back and facing the Sergeant in a controlled serene manner.

“You are wrong twice Sergeant. She was our sister at the end and now she is but a Soul. I see no peasant.”

“Apologies Elder, I merely meant that as a peasant she has yet not paid off her debt of service. If her weapon is not returned to the Watch our costs go up. If our costs go up by thousands of razored spearheads, then the Watch cannot afford to advance the Cultivation of our living Sacred Artists.”

The Captain sighed. A Sergeant had no place arguing with him, but this wasn’t just a Sergeant. This was his Disciple and he had personally agreed to take each of them on as juniors when they had come begging. Others he had flat out refused, having seen nothing that interested him in them.

“The Soul and Core are two separate things entirely junior, and yet both critical to the Cultivation of Chi. So many of us easily part with obscene amounts of Koku on pills and herbs that only effect the one.”

“Pills and herbs can also help maintain strong meridian gates too, Elder.” The Sergeant answered easily. “Thus prevent the tainting of our Cores.”

“This is true,” Ji-yeng nodded affirmatively, “but are you implying the Soul has less need for attention and cannot be tainted? Where is your Balance, Sergeant?”

“I weigh the dead against the living for Balance Elder and they come short every time. My Soul remains pure so long as I put my duty in the Watch first.”

Do not confuse your sense of Duty with the conviction of Duty.”

“Elder, I beg of you.” The Sergeant protested aghast. “I do not.”

“Then why do you cheer so hard and produce so little effect even amongst your own juniors.”

The Sergeant winced, looking to his fellow Disciples and Sacred Artists and seeing them look away. He fell to his knees, bowing his head in acknowledgement “You shame this one greatly, Elder.”

“I humble this one sternly, so that he might grow tall. Honour the dead Sergeant, that you might cleanse your Soul. For there are no potions or pills that will aid you in this. The little things will help too.”

“I will do as you instruct Seo-sang.”

“That is well junior, be grateful that I did not use pain. A far greater teacher than humbleness. Now rise, this day has been cruel enough and is not yet done. What did you seek to inform me of earlier.”

The Sergeant rose gratefully and bowed, rushing on with his message.

"Elder, as Senior of the first wall it has been asked that you attend to an urgent matter of a murder most foul and vandalism done to our revered Blade Shapers, Artisan Hall. Also, a peasant has gravely wounded a Doa monk.

The Captain sighed out loud, raising his face to the heavens as he felt the calm in his Soul walk over to the edge and dive off head first.

It had been such a nice speech, too.

“Pray tell, Sergeant. How has a Seeded managed to wound a Doa monk?”

The Sergeant swallowed nervously, not wanting to disappoint the Captain further.

“Seo-sang, the monk was attempting to perform his duties over the dead when the peas… Seeded shot him.”

“So? Even if he had a Razor crossbow, those monks are faster than a bolt and they Temper their flesh against Spears. There’s a reason we take them out with us to put down the undead.”

“Uh… Apologies Elder. He had a Ballista.”