Jin Sheng was irritated.
Thud.
No, irritated wasn’t the correct word. It did not go even remotely far enough to encapsulate the full magnitude of the frustration that he felt since this entire expedition began. However, he could not use more dramatic or apt words. After all, control over one’s thoughts led to control over one’s mouth. Control over one’s mouth was one of the first lessons taught to those that wished to lead the nation. Even now, he knew that his irritable expressions were being recorded by the scribe that stood just a few paces behind him. He hoped that they may have been preoccupied with the sheer amount of information that surrounded him, but he knew better.
Screech.
Rorigan, the carefree and infuriating Strettian, probably had a handful of words that he would be able to use on Jin’s behalf. But, as of late, he did not have much interest in exchanging words with Rorigan. He was the first step in the cascade of events that left an unsightly and uncouth expression on Jin’s face.
Snap.
It all started when Rorigan voted Endless Skies as the provisional leader of the expedition. Actually, it started when Seojun betrayed him by nominated his doe-faced pet woman as leader. But, Jin had already felt so much disdain for the Bhotakan that the vote didn’t contribute much to his irritation. It was Rorigan who went next, and he picked the nomad. Ines went next and seconded the vote. Princess Jasna was all too willing to be the final nail in that coffin. They left the city of Hé Zhīliú, his city, with a horse lord in front. His people, his friends, and his father, had to cheer on a foreigner smeared in his barbaric paints and screeching his guttural language. Jin almost wished to kill himself on the spot if the disgrace of suicide wasn’t the ultimate spit in the eyes of his ancestors.
Crackle.
It only got worse from there. The maps that the scouts recorded of the wilds beyond the newly re-established Southern Wing were almost entirely useless. Dense spiritual energy and the powerful denizens that dwelled within that thick miasma constantly caused the region to shift. It was no wonder that humanity decided that here would be the spot that they would march no further.
Roar.
Endless Skies lost all his senses as soon as they entered the woods. Like all the other mounts in the expedition, his divine four-legged brother refused to step upon the lands. It was expected for animals to feel skittish, it had been recorded as fact for 600 cycles. Yet, Endless Skies thought his horse was different. His horse was special as it came personally from the divine Jilqi himself.
Crunch.
Predictably, he was incompetent at anything but riding and raiding. He didn’t know how to read the scout’s map, quoting that ‘us fire-breathers don’t know how to prioritize.’ As soon as the first deviation appeared, he never looked at the map again. Jin could talk about his strategic blunders for ages, but there were none as egregious or foolish as what they faced presently.
The many-legged spiritual beast they faced screeched again at the group. Corrosive acid dripped from its gaping mouth and steamed on the ground below it. It stomped its free legs while it tried to extract the limbs that were buried in stone or trapped in ice.
This situation was entirely avoidable. It was not as though they could not see the lumbering giant whose abdomen swayed above the treetops. Even if they could not see it, the rumbling from each footstep should have been enough of a warning to steer clear of it. The only real problem that it posed was that it moved far too closely to their ideal path along the river. While the topography might have constantly changed, it was impossible to fully overturn nature’s plans.
Endless Skies, eager to net his first victory as leader after countless days of setbacks and troubles, wanted to get a true win against the behemoth. He called their victories against smaller spirits unimpressive. And, with a scribe present, all would know who the commander was.
Jin advised against it, the lead scout advised against it, even Lord Yudi, a decorated enemy of his nation, advised against it. But, irritatingly, Endless Skies was the leader. The representatives had agreed upon a charter before the votes were cast. Chiefly, the leader has the final say in strategy. Of course, there were numerable ways to get rid of the leader, but such a vote was not agreed upon.
Admittedly, it did not start out poorly. Rorigan was able to pierce it effectively with a few javelins thrown at inhuman force. Lord Yudi had managed to wrap the ground around two of the massive legs. Even Jin had managed to light a fire on its body.
It screeched in pain and stumbled around awkwardly with trapped legs. That was the end of their victories. The beast screeched in such a pitch to make Jin’s ears ring. Then, it shot a glob of acid that melted one of their attendants down to the bone and disintegrated the foot off another who did not manage to time their evasive maneuver properly.
But that was not the worst of it. Numerous beady eyes peered from over the sides of the beast. Like a wolf spider, hundreds, if not thousands, of dog-sized miniatures scurried down the pillar-like legs of their host to overrun the expedition.
Which brings Jin to the present, standing behind a makeshift earthen work fortification assembled by Lord Yudi and maintaining a trench fire created by some hastily thrown twigs and a splash of highly concentrated Norzyet alcohol. Jin believed they could have tried harder to assemble him something more substantive to maintain his flames with, but, it was far preferable than manifesting them from air.
His flames were impressively hot and melted any of the smaller spirits that attempted to cross the boundary and feast upon his less talented compatriots. He even managed to concentrate the intensity of the heat across the trench by focusing in the areas the spirits were currently attempting to cross. Despite his best efforts to be efficient, he felt a trickle of blood escape his nose and cross his lip; a detail that the scribe would rather die than avoid taking note of.
The formation was simple. Jin kept the lesser spirits at bay. Ines would try to flood the ground beneath a leg before it landed and Yudi or Jasna would harden it in place. It was primarily Yudi’s job as Jasna’s primary role was to flash freeze the acid that the beast spat. The hardened projectile now snapped bones, but it was preferable to dissolving.
Rorigan and Endless Skies were focused on damaging it. While Endless Skies used the breeze to gracefully guide his arrows to the positions he found best, namely the joints, Rorigan now grabbed any rocks he could find and hurled them violently at his oversized target.
That left Seojun in charge of evacuation. They quickly discovered that blinding the creature did not do much. They could not reposition quickly enough and the spirit was not disoriented as hoped. Instead, the controller of shadow would use the darkness of the underbrush to cover the escape route for the unfavored members of the expedition. It was their presence that proved to be the biggest constraint in their strategy.
Another glob of acid turned to ice and crashed uncomfortably close to Jin. Unfortunately, Jasna’s favor was not absolute enough to freeze a projectile of that size all the way through. A small splatter shot near Jin, dissolving the fringes of his traveling robe.
One more irritation to add to the ever-growing list of irritations. He could write an epic and name it the “Compendium of Irritation.” It would sell, at least enough to replace his robe.
“Release the restraints!” Jin heard Rorigan order to Yudi and Jasna. “It wants to escape!”
“No!” Yudi denied. “Spirits of this power do not just run away.”
“If you are wrong, we have lost all of our progress to restrain it,” Jasna commented.
Jin almost impulsively shut down Rorigan’s suggestion. Admittedly, it was more out of spite than disagreement with the idea. He was running low on the energy required to maintain the intensity of flame and the miniature spirits were still in too great a number. He would faint long before he burned through this quantity, not that he would notify anyone about this particularly shameful piece of information.
“Will it die soon if we keep fighting it?” Jin asked Endless Skies.
Endless Skies’ face twisted into a frown. It was clear that he did not wish to retreat. The decision to attack was unilaterally his and his alone. He bit his lip and looked into his steadily dwindling quiver.
“We…lack the ammunition for a decisive blow,” Endless Skies conceded. “It also fights more like a beast than a creature of higher intelligence. It’d rather leave without gaining unnecessary wounds than kill us. Release it. We will flee if it continues to pursue.”
Yudi and Jasna exchanged glances and frowned.
“I would like it to be known that if we release it and it attacks, I will be slowest of us,” Jasna commented, gesturing towards her well-insulated northern figure. “While I may be vivacious, I am no athlete.”
“Worry not, Princess,” Rorigan reassured. “Endless Skies will guard the rear.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Endless Skies made a bitter face at his involuntary promotion to fodder. He shook his head vigorously in opposition to the suggestion, almost speaking in his native language before quickly shifting to Diplomat’s Tongue.
“One does not sacrifice their leader,” Endless Skies argued.
Jin could not believe the nerve of the horse lord. He gets voted as leader only to spite Jin and then believes that they all actually intended to treat him with an elevated status. Rorigan made a displeased face. Yudi spat in annoyance and neither he nor Jasna showed any indications of following his orders. The ice princess instead froze another glob of acid.
“I do not mind staying behind,” Ines volunteered, disliking the tension.
“There is no need to do that, sweet Ines. Both this attack and this retreat is ultimately our leader’s decision,” Rorigan countered. “I did not know that the word ‘responsibility’ was completely foreign to the tongues of the Steppe.”
“Fine!” Endless Skies barked. “I will cover the rear.”
Ice melted and the land reformed, allowing the beast to excavate its arrested limbs and regain its full mobility. It screeched once more at the tiny beasts that attacked it, that dared wound it. But wounded it was, and the little creatures did not flee. It screeched again, at a lower pitch than before. Its children clambered back up its legs and onto its body, allowing the spirit to gallop off to a safer location.
“Looks like I was right,” Rorigan said after a long exhalation.
Once the favored heirs regrouped with their attendants, silence presided over the remainder of the day’s march. There was much that everyone wished to say, but they had expended a great deal of energy in that fight and no one was interested in wasting it on bickering. That served Jin just fine, he worried that if he did speak his mind, his rant would be the most read work in the Great Library.
When evening struck, they broke camp. Sages and other accompanying holy men arranged their runic stones and waved their burning incense to create the ideal refuge in this spirit-choked place. At least, while they slept, no bestial spirits would opportunistically encroach upon them.
Of course, that was where the peace ended. The collective breath that everyone was afforded to take only created an exhalation of shouts. For the moment, there was a singular target.
“Seven dead, three wounded!” Yudi shouted at Endless Skies “Porters, guides, chefs. Dead! All because you wanted a taste of glory! Well, young pup, do you feel glorious now? Do you feel vindicated forcing us into unneeded combat just to needlessly dwindle our manpower and supplies?”
“There was no guarantee that it would have allowed us to pass through its territory peacefully,” Endless Skies argued, the stress of all the perceived upon him had frayed his nerves significantly. “It is the proper stratagem to take the initiative and attack before the enemy is aware of your presence. At least with my plan, we were able to fortify and escape.”
“I fortified,” Yudi spat angrily. “Maybe in the open plains where we leave you to fellate your divine sibling to your heart’s content-“
As the air pressure changed and a brawl was about to take place, Jin decided to leave to his tent. It was an irritation that he did not need to know the result of. Yudi was sharp tongued and inflexible, always requiring to have the last word. Endless Skies was arrogant and brash, allowing the position of leader to swell his head and break his hat. Ideally, they would kill each other and save the rest of them the trouble of their presence.
He ate his meal with a frown on his face. Not only did the rumbling of the ground and blustering of the wind disrupt his digestion, his chef injured their back during the retreat and someone else cooked the meal at their instruction. It was painfully clear that the hands that prepared this were those of someone whose spouse made all their meals.
Not only did he have to suffer at the fact that he had to eat simpler meals for the sake of supplies, but now, his flavor profile was butchered beyond repair. Too much salt on the noodles, not enough peppers infused into the duck. In fact, all of the ratios of herbs and spices were off. The sauce possessed none of the flavors of its components. To make matters worse, everything had been cooked just slightly too long as they worried about giving their lord undercooked poultry.
Still, much to his chagrin, he complimented the attempt. Jin did not wish for his chef’s shame to be recorded in the annals. The substitute will just have to receive undue praise, as much as it made Jin’s teeth itch at the prospect.
The cessation of the fighting was meant to herald a peaceful moment for Jin, however, a large irritation made his way towards Jin.
“Are you having a pleasant meal, Jin?” Rorigan asked with a smile that appeared ignorant to all that had transpired between them.
“I have little interest in sharing words with you, Heir Rorigan,” Jin replied flatly.
Rorigan appeared undeterred by the clear rejection that Jin levied against him. Instead, he revealed a small bottle of plum wine. He swayed the bottle between his fingers like a bell. “Are you certain that you do not wish to share a drink with me? I plan on giving you good news.”
Jin made a stubborn face. Rorigan was the one that he got along with best, but, he was also the one that hurt him the most so far. Accepting such a trivial bribe would only record Jin as one who was weak to alcohol. No doubt, upon his ascension to rule Hé Zhīliú, his chambers will be filled with bottles of fine alcohol in bids to win his favor. Jin scratched his chin. From that line of thinking, it wasn’t so bad.
“Fine,” Jin agreed, gesturing to a cushion that was across from him. “What is it that you wished to discuss?”
Rorigan tutted Jin like a mother may do to a rambunctious child, causing the fire blood to already regret his decision. The Strettian took a sit opposite and revealed a pair of earthenware cups. He poured a healthy amount into both and provided Jin with one of them.
“Do you have no interest in the winner of the fight?” Rorigan asked, head tilted to one side.
“Endless Skies should easily defeated Yudi,” Jin replied plainly. “Despite his vast experience, it is difficult to overcome such a mismatch in elemental favor. Endless Skies can make his steps lighter and use the wind to guide his arrows true. Yudi would never catch him.”
“And what if I told you that Ines used their sweat to drain their bodies of water until they passed out of dehydration?” Rorigan asked with a playful expression.
Jin raised an eyebrow at the proposal. Ines had only shown herself to be timid and afraid of conflict. Jin foolishly allowed that to cloud his judgment and deem her incompetent as a result. He was glad that the others learned that lesson on his behalf.
“I will remember that fact,” Jin commented.
“It’s good that you do,” Rorigan replied seriously, taking a sip of his alcohol. “She is the lynchpin for our entire plan. Show her that you aren’t willing to be polite and she will never show you grace again.”
“Our plan,” Jin repeated with a dour face. At least the plum wine was good.
“Well, it’s my plan on your behalf,” Rorigan replied with a coy smile. “And you have been playing your role perfectly. Ignoring me with an angry glare this entire time has sealed everyone else’s thoughts that we are not working together. Now that Endless Skies’ rule has been waylaid and suitably sabotaged, it’s time for the next appointment.”
Jin silently sipped his wine. He was unsure if this was just some elaborate plan to get back into his good graces. Since Rorigan’s personality was generally juvenile, it was hard to read when he was serious.
“So, your plan involved me to leave my city behind Endless Skies’ ridiculous whooping and dancing?” Jin asked coolly. “It was your plan to deny me a perfect expedition?”
“Of course,” Rorigan answered. He tilted his head and looked at Jin as though foolishness was a visible feature. “Nobody else wanted to see Xanbo collect any the glory. No matter what, they were going to spit on you. If I showed my favor towards you, the rest of them would have rallied around one of those three. If you somehow won, it would only be met with numerous accidents and setbacks to undermine your abilities. Our alliance would have been exposed and I would have been cold to the rest of their plans. At least, with this situation, you have the chance to retake control.”
Jin made an irritable face. As the host of this expedition, it was always he who had the most to lose. Pettiness drove them to smear his name in front of his people. While he simmered with frustration over the silent conspiracy, he felt relieved that his hopes were not completely dashed.
“Yudi has every intention to win the next election for leader,” Rorigan continued, snapping Jin out of his thoughts. “He always wished to go next after falling in line for the first election, but Endless Skies’ attitude has made it personal. He’s already trying to gain support and have someone nominate him. So far, I know he has approached Jasna, Ines, and myself.”
It was unsurprising to Jin that Yudi did not approach him. Outside of Rorigan, hardly anyone began a conversation with Jin of their own accord. Ines once tried to speak to him, but he was not in the mood at the time. It was now a situation that Jin looked back on with bitter regret. An asset he overlooked.
“I spoke to Jasna of this recently,” Rorigan stated, continuing his brief. “Obviously, Ines would not budge to move in support of Yudi. Jasna is also apprehensive as she finds the offer provided insufficient. At least she was given an offer. I was only told that I needed to prove that Strettia still intended to uphold their alliance with Hetecis. Miser.”
“Anyways, she intends to make her move at the third election,” Rorigan informed after seeing Jin’s expression unchanged. “It is her belief that the third leader will be the permanent one. There will be too many hurt feelings to form a coalition to depose her. She will be the one to lead the expedition back and it will be her name in the history books.”
“When did you speak with Jasna of this?” Jin questioned. “Is the information still accurate?”
“The other night in the privacy of her tent,” Rorigan replied with a grin. “It is as fresh as you would hope. It is fortunate that at least one person here is intrigued by my reputation.”
“You spent the night with Jasna?” Jin asked suspiciously. Jin knew Rorigan’s lecherous tendencies better than anyone else in the expedition.
“To match the amount of fun that Xanbo provided me, she’d have to sneak into my tent until I’m thirty,” Rorigan stated, unimpressed with Jin’s assertions. “Do you think I am so easily swayed by something I can get wherever I go? A golden chicken egg is still a chicken egg.”
“I see,” Jin replied, mollified.
Rorigan refilled his glass but did not offer to refill Jin’s. He frowned at the slight shown to him. Even now, in the middle of the jungle, certain codes must still be followed. Though, it seemed that only Jin wished to show a civilized air in all situations.
“This is the issue with you, Jin,” Rorigan said with an exasperated sigh. “Even now, you think that you are better than me, better than the rest of us. You have no support. Not Jasna, not Yudi, not even your own vassal will put their name behind you. It is just me, Jin. I can win the election tomorrow without you. So, unless you wish to be ignored by everyone for the rest of our expedition, tell me which you prefer. Do you wish to challenge Yudi and face sabotage and intrigue for seasons on end? Or, would you rather attempt to depose an entrenched Jasna and risk never being elected at all?”
Rorigan’s frustrations made Jin feel alone for the first time of this expedition. Not once did the others speak of Jin, they did not think of him. In their eyes, he was the blustering, prideful noble of Xanbo that was blinded by his own grace. What frustrated Jin is that they were accurate in their assessments. Without Rorigan, he would have been exiled, hopeless to ever obtain glory. It was a chapter in the annals that he needed to avoid at all costs.
“I will win the next election,” Jin proclaimed, making his intentions known to his conspirator. “And I will not let it go. I apologize, Rorigan. I, somehow, underestimated you again. Tell me how I must do this, please.”
Rorigan smiled warmly at Jin’s stiff apology. “You must create your own majority that cannot be overturned. For this, you need Ines. Then, you must win over either Endless Skies or Seojun. Without this, you will fail.”
Jin stood up and brushed off his robe. He handed his cup back to Rorigan and gave him a small bow of appreciation. Things were clearer now that his pride had been cracked. It only proved to be an inflexibility that held him down. He will win, he just needed to play the same game as the rest.
“Where can I find Ines?”