“Let him up.”

The relief at surviving the wrath of the Temple’s of Dawn and Dew left Tsea-gong with a hollow chill and he found no relief as he replayed the confrontation in his mind. He had gambled the odds and that was a victory only fools would celebrate.

Kido lifted his foot off the junior’s chest, sending the peasant a warning look that beggared proper behaviour. It went completely unheeded.

“You let him get away! You let him go free even knowing what he had done!”

With an irritated tilt of the head from the Shogun, Kido lifted the junior back onto his feet. Patting him down and making sure he was hale. The Shogun remained cool to the outrageous demands, watching in patience as Kido held out Seedlings hand.

Too late did Tjien notice the strange calmness come over the Shogun and his Preafects. The sudden crunch of cartilage and explosion of pain in his left hand had his eyes bulging as he looked down at a very bent and very broken finger.

The peasant screamed in pain and fright. Stumbling away from Kido as he clutched his hand. He didn’t get very far before a second Preafect held him firm only for Kido to rebreak the finger back into place. This time Tjien bellowed, falling to his knees as he cradled his injured hand with every heartbeat.

Looking about in newfound horror, his honest peasant upbringing struggled against the unreasonable violence done to him. Nothing in these Cultivators faces had betrayed their intent. Then with a jolt he suddenly realised he was before the coldest killers the Watch had to offer. Their calm exterior and stiff posture taking on new meaning.

Here in the tent of his late Sergeants most beloved Shogun his world was dashed against the reality of what the most powerful Cultivators were. What it took to be one and the effect it would have on one’s soul. Tjien came to the immediate conclusion he would be offered nine more painful chances, before things got serious.

These Cultivators existed in a different world to his and only when he bit his tongue to silence his whimpers, did he perceive a modicum of approval.

Tsea-gong spoke softly as he watched the lanterns being lit in the junior’s head.

“The gods appear to have blessed your aim in accordance to the curse they placed upon your mental acumen. And you’re quite possibly the finest Arbalist the Watch has to offer.”

Tjien gave the Salamander a blank look of confusion, leading to an awkward silence.

“It means you’re another level of idiot, you fool!”

Surprisingly, it was the Arch-tenant whose temper broke free. Blasting the insolent junior for his impulsiveness. Tsea-gong let the man have his say, glad to realise he was not the only one drawn taunt over the recent drama.

“What right have you to make demands of your Seniors!? Are you able to cleanse a thousand warped souls lost beneath sludge that would swallow you whole for single foot placed wrong? Can you sense their hellish energies as they come into being? Can you fight Spirit Beasts? Do you even possess the tools let alone Techniques? SPEAK UP!?”

The peasant Seedling cowered at the Arch-tenants fury, not daring to speak.

“Leave the Monks alone! You selfish little pyeanchi. Lives depend on them this very night, whilst you sulk behind depleted walls that wouldn’t hold those Spirits out for more than a single hour. What use are you, besides bait!?”

The flustered Arch-tenant finished with a start. Catching himself staring directly at the Salamander, his true source of disbelief. Quickly he bowed in silence, rectifying his behaviour. His was not to question why his Master had risked their lives just to save an ungrateful peasant.

An amused Tsea-gong did not begrudge his favoured servant the outburst. It was unusual enough of the man’s character, but it did reflect just how a close call that had been. He absolutely hated to gamble, but gamble he had. Once more betting on the greater powers finding it too tedious to replace him and deal with the fallout.

“Junior,” Tsea-gong addressed the Seedling calmly.

“Your loyalty to your late Sergeant is admirable. It is one of the extremely few things that please me in a wilful individual. But if you cannot control that tongue of yours, I will cut it out as a mercy.”

He pointed at Kido in summary. “It would be foolish of you to expect hesitation from my men at such a command. So keep this at the forefront of any future thoughts you may have concerning the Watch that you serve.”

“You will remember your place, junior.”

It was a statement that brooked no leeway and left Tjien questioning if he really did have nine more chances at the Shoguns patience.

“Now, time is against us so I will get straight to the point. I have men dying in sick tents from wounds and infections, who are in turn more concerned for their brothers rushing to complete the great harvest. Achieving this, the Watch might recover well enough to afford the dishonourable prices the Guild Apothecaries charge. There is also the matter of compensation to the families of the deceased.”

Tsea-gong never took his eyes off the Seedling as he spoke, trying to gauge its thoughts. He might have been cowed but there was still a lingering defiance there too.

“Many, like your Sargent, have sacrificed far more than you. But your efforts to honour him, have only jeopardized the lives of your brothers. The expenses I mentioned, can only come into being after all others have been calculated. Such as repairs to the wall, the Runes, greater weaponry and other such sundries. What would your Sergeant think of you now?”

Tjien straightened himself defiantly, ignoring the throbbing pain in his hand. If only for the sake of the others who urgently needed tending.

Better, thought the Shogun.

Although he had just witnessed the Shogun fighting for his life, the mental anguish he felt was still very sore spot for him. Not one of his officers had believed to him, instead silencing him as they led him away from his brothers and sisters. The last two days had him questioning everything and left him deeply mistrustful of his Seniors, including the elite gathered here.

“If you will serve, I have use of you. But I need to know I can trust you.”

If not for the broken finger, Tjien would have scoffed out loud. Instead, he bit his tongue, keeping his silence. Knowing full well death was seated behind him, patiently waiting. He could wait a little longer.

“I need to know you won’t ever fall apart like this ever again. Nor will you break your silence of the events transpired with the Monks. Seeking not to incite insurrection amongst the ranks, but to do the very opposite. Assuring those amongst the first of the elevation given unto them. You will be this beacon. However, you are also free to walk away.”

Tjien frowned, not sure if he had heard that last bit correctly.

“You will be of no good to me unless you commit to this willingly and fully. You can either take your pay as well as a gratuitous bonus in Cultivation resources and I will personally blot out the remainder of your four years’ service due. But to do this, Tjien must die. You will take a new name and walk away, never to show your face within these walls again. You will be on your own.”

Four years and a bonus. Tjien almost leapt at it immediately. It was only the pain of a broken finger and a deepening suspicion that gave him pause.

Would the Salamander truly let him walk away? And what of the Monks?

“Alternatively…” The Shogun continued. “You stay and follow my orders without hesitation, giving glory to my Banner. And I will raise you up to Captain, making you the first peasant ever to be promoted beyond the boundaries of the bloodless.”

Tjien was stunned by the offer. Not nearly as shocked as the Shoguns Arch-tenant who whipped his head up, staring in disbelief at his Master. If it not for his reaction, Tjien would have suspected treachery. This went against all precepts.

“You shall receive weekly Cultivation resources in line with that of Captains in training. And when you pass your Captain's test, a choice of three Watch-approved minor Essences shall be made available to you depending on your specialty. Each coming with its own terms for service.

The details hurled past him faster than he could hold onto, Tjien did not know what to say. He definitely wanted it, but what little sense he had, screamed at him not to. He knew the nobles would not let it stand, why he might be ‘accidented’ long before the week was out.

“Shogun, I can’t read or write. How would I…”

“The Arch-tenant will see to your tertiary needs, junior. Beyond those, it just so happens a young noble has made himself available after losing his team to the Azuma. The two of you will get along.”

Tjien was not exactly filled with confidence at what he heard of this supposed ally, but then he did not imagine any surviving the jaws of an Azuma. In a strange way he found himself sympathetic to one who had suffered as he had against those hateful Beasts. Even if that one were a noble.

In Tijen’s apprehension, the Salamander mistook it for hesitation and so offered one last finale fruit. One he hesitated at after witnessing the peasant’s emotional discord, but one he knew the Seedling could not refuse.

“Say yes and I will tell you why the monks hated your Sergeant, but for this trust you must swear first.”

“Yes,” Tjien replied instantly.

“I can’t hear you.”

“Yes!”

“Yes what, Watchman!?”

“Yes, Shogun!”

“The full oath you…”

“I swear to hold back the tides of this broken world, that she might heal first on the seed that is our beloved Qaelang. In honourable vigil I swear to lay down my life before she should come to harm. May the Twin Sisters turn their face from me if I should cower in my duty to the Shogun!”

Tsea-gong stared at the Seedling. That was the peasant oath, but he had always preferred it. It spoke plainly of cowardness, something nobles could not do.

“Bow.”

Tjien bowed the best he could, grimacing from the many aches his battered body protested at. Out of sight he heard the Arch-tenants chair scrapping the floor as the man suddenly stood up, but after a short while he heard it slowly tuck back in. Not a word uttered in protest, as the scratching of ink on parchment resumed.

What Tsea-gong wondered, might become of this one should he survive and outlast his purpose. Perhaps he was the mad man they accused him of. Upending centuries of tradition in the face of the dire need, or perhaps this was simply what those faithless Sects referred to as evolution.

Either way, the decision had already been made by circumstances and fools other than him. Tsea-gong only need be the power that channelled the flow of this disaster away from his Watch.

“Rise. Captain Tjien. First rank in Waiting and Captain of Tower 80.”

Tjiens face paled as his Captaincy was declared. His horrified expression only seemed to make the Shogun smile even more.

“Ah, it seems even the Seedlings know of Tower 80 and its… misfortunes.”

Misfortune was an outright lie, Tjien thought as he stared at the madman that was Tsea-gong. How many times were those doors found sealed from the inside with their occupants found as withered husks? Their meridians drained of every drop of Chi and their cores shattered. That Tower was utterly and totally cursed and everybody knew it.

“You may have heard of the men, turning on Prime Elder Choa-peng students and murdering him for a promotion placed upon them to tower 80. But let me ask you this Tjien. Where in all of Qaelang will a peasant Captain be safe from the reach of Nobles, whose anger has been provoked simply by your elevation?”

“You will not be looked upon fondly by your fellow officers, junior. Your life in constant peril to their schemes. Only at Tower 80 they will not envy you but the men and women of the First Wall will rally to you. It is only a matter of time before we discover what is killing the men, rest assured I have the Night Watch fully committed to resolving the issue.”

“You will be a herald of change to come amongst the Watch and the matter of your success will determine the rise or fall of peasantry-made Cultivators. Not one shall rise without talent and power, but those that prove themselves shall have equal opportunity under my reign. Be warned rivalry and ambition in the noble’s world are just as deadly as the Beasts themselves.”

Tsea-gong felt this had gone smoothly enough and that his Righteousness was unblemished for not having deceived to the junior. Finally, something he felt good about fixing. Even though the junior appeared to have taken on an unhealthy pallor, it was nothing a splint and healing balm could not fix.

“Prove you are worthy, that others might follow in your steps, Captain. Now, do you have any last questions before we inform the men?”

Tjien gulped to steady his nausea, a helpful hand from one of the monstrous Preafects was enough to frighten him out of his horrid thoughts. At a short pause, he finally dared and broke his peace as he fingered the necklace around his neck.

“The Sergeant. You said you would tell me about him.”