Kichiro was assigned to the Teal Banner. Before Nurhaci united the entire Red Tassel Nation under his rule, it was divided between warring tribes. Nurhaci replaced the tribes with the Eight Banners, which were not only modern military districts, but served to break old loyalties by splitting up the ancient clans, securing every Red Tassel’s personal allegiance to Nurhaci and no-one else. However, the system was bound to be imperfect. The Teal Banner was home to a disproportionate number of Nurhaci’s political opponents. It was also the smallest and weakest of the Eight Banners, ensuring that Nurhaci could move to crush it at any moment. The Marshall of the Teal Banner was a hot-headed young nobleman of the Wolf Tribe, the youngest and angriest of the Banner Marshalls. His name was Jirgalang and as soon as he heard that Kichiro had been assigned to the Teal Banner, he was convinced that Nurhaci intended to pollute the Banner through the incorporation of foreigners.

‘Listen up, foreigner,’ Jirgalang told Kichiro upon his arrival in the Banner’s main camp, ‘Every true Red Tassel warrior begins their career by developing the Steppe Rider Job. Now, you will never be a true Red Tassel warrior, but if you are to be part of the Teal Banner, you too must become a Steppe Rider. A true Red Tassel warrior is naturally conferred the Steppe Rider Job by virtue of living as a true Red Tassel warrior well before his balls drop or her breasts bud! Luckily for you, as a Banner Marshall, I can grant you the Job right here and now, despite the fact that you will never be a true Red Tassel warrior!’

He roughly shoved his right palm into Kichiro’s forehead. For a second, Kichiro’s vision went white and he stumbled backwards.

You have gained the Steppe Rider Job!

Kichiro rubbed his head gingerly. He got a mild headache, although that was partly due to Jirgalang jerking his head back violently. Kichiro was used to being treated as an outsider, but he was still a little disgruntled. He thought Jirgalang’s hostility to be needlessly excessive, and he knew nothing of the Banner politics behind the Marshall’s behaviour.

‘The most important skills a Steppe Rider must master are horseback riding and archery, and any passable Steppe Rider must be able to do both proficiently at the same time,’ Jirgalang continued, ‘You will practice for one week. Then you will return to me and I, as your Marshall, will give you Quests, which will enable you to gain experience as a Steppe Rider faster and give you the Gold income with which you will pay for food and lodging.’

Having completed his little speech, Jirgalang no longer paid Kichiro any heed. Kichiro left his majestic tent and took in the sight of the Teal Banner main camp, trembling with excitement. This was to be his new home.

The Teal Banner occupied the western steppe of Red Earth Country, where the Red Tassels lived as nomads. As such, families lived in yurts and herded sheep, goats and horses, subsisting on a diet that was composed of dairy products and meat. The Teal Banner main camp was little more than a vast congregation of felt tents beneath an endless blue sky. It took Kichiro a couple of weeks to journey here from Glimmering Cave Town, traversing rocky mountains, cutting through thick forests, crossing icy rivers and, towards the end, trekking wearily over seemingly immeasurable stretches of featureless steppe.

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In the midst of the hustle and bustle, Kichiro suddenly felt at loss. Where am I supposed to get a horse and a bow from?

He followed the torrent of people and animals that streamed through the ‘streets’ of the Teal Banner main camp, that is, the wide pathways that ran between groups of yurts. Eventually, he came across a market, and saw a stand that sold bows. After rummaging through his leather satchels for coins, he found 9 Gold and approached the shopkeeper, a muscular moustachioed man.

‘What bow can I get for 9 Gold?’

The shopkeeper laughed in Kichiro’s face so hard that spittle got into his ignorant eyes. The laugh was so excessively loud that Kichiro wondered whether the man genuinely thought his question hilarious or whether he was just trying to make a point.

‘Welcome to Red Earth Country,’ bellowed the shopkeeper after he had calmed down somewhat, ‘It takes a Level 25 Bowyer one year to craft a good recurve bow. And that’s not even taking into consideration that military-issue recurve bows are usually magically enhanced to increase their strength and durability. A good bow will cost you at least 120 gold!’

‘I can’t afford that,’ replied Kichiro miserably, ‘I just need any bow right now because I became a Steppe Rider today!’

The shopkeeper’s smile faded and his gaze turned into one of sincere pity. After a moment of hesitation, he picked out a simple wooden bow from a pile at the back of the stand.

‘This is a self-bow, meaning that it is hewn from a single piece of wood,’ explained the shopkeeper, ‘It usually costs 11 Gold but since you’ve joined our Teal Banner today, I’m willing to sell it to you for 9 as a welcome present.’

The shopkeeper’s eyes softened with pity even more when Kichiro bought the bow with great excitement, knowing that it would be wholly inadequate for any genuine Steppe Rider. As Kichiro ran off merrily and disappeared into the crowds, he shook his head sadly.

Before long, Kichiro found a horse shop, but he was also penniless. An idea struck him. He pulled out the little bronze pig that his mother had given him as a good luck charm when he set off to leave the Morning Peninsula, and stared at it for a long time. Then, holding it tenderly in his hand, he approached the horse salesman and asked him whether he could trade it for a horse.

‘You want a horse for that stupid little charm? Is it even magically enhanced?’

Kichiro assured him it was.

‘You can have this mare,’ said the horse salesman, pocketing the charm carelessly. He brought Kichiro a tough little steppe pony, the sort on which the Golden Tassels had once ridden to conquer the known world and beyond. However, this particular horse suffered from an abnormal gait; it was lame and old, worn out after long years of hard service.

Kichiro rubbed his eyes furiously as he grabbed the reins. The image of his sweet teary-eyed mother giving him the little pig, her face sad but hopeful, was fresh in his mind, as if it happened yesterday. The pony seemed to sense his weakness and refused to follow him. Kichiro grabbed the reins by both hands and dragged the reluctant pony violently along, his eyes red. The horse salesman watched on coldly.

Kichiro looked up at the blue sky, determination welling up in his chest.

Don’t be sad, he told himself, You’ve got a bow and a horse. You’ve taken the first step to become a real Steppe Rider of the Teal Banner!