The members of the Crashing Wave Otter sect watched in horror as Daisy clopped her way towards them. The massive draft horse was wrapped in layers of shadow that seemed to stick to the ground as she walked.
“I come bearing good news,” said the spirit beast, showing rows of teeth that had no place in a herbivore’s mouth, “Your bodies will be consumed, in honor of my master. But your light will live on, in me.”
“What the fuck are you?” sputtered one of the disciples as he backed away. Zane and the others had already moved to block the exits.
Daisy continued to walk towards the cluster of cultivators in blue. She towered over them like an executioner. “I am death, little one. And since my awakening, I have sampled many of your kind.”
The spirit beast slowly inhaled through her nostrils, taking in their fear. “You came with greedy hands, hoping to grub some trinkets from the dirt. But now the time has come to repay the mountain for its bounty.”
She lowered her head to speak directly in the man's ear. “Rejoice,” whispered Daisy, “The rise of the Awakener is inevitable, and your death will fuel his ascension. Rejoice… and then be still.”
One of the cultivators tried to slash at her with a sword, but a feeling of overwhelming pressure brought him to his knees. The weapon fell from his hands, too heavy for him to hold.
“DO NOT TRY TO FIGHT THE INEVITABLE,” said Dumpling as she expanded the radius of her attack to encompass the rest of the group. They fell to the ground as the rapidly increasing gravity threatened to mash them into paste.
“YOU ARE NOT STRONG,” the spirit beast purred, her tiny footsteps breaking the cobblestones as she walked, “YOU ARE NOT NOBLE, OR POWERFUL. AND IF YOU WERE LUCKY, YOUR LIVES WOULD HAVE LED YOU ELSEWHERE.
“EMBRACE YOUR TRUE PURPOSE, AND REJOICE.”
***
Zane watched with detachment as his pets ate their dinner. He felt nothing for the cultivators that had come to threaten his home, or the man that led them.
Forcing Lord Grasa into a confrontation and then killing him had been a deliberate choice. Zane knew that the man had come to investigate the death of his son, or ask for help in doing so.
Conflict between them had been inevitable, the result of actions taken when Zane first escaped the warren. A more noble person might have waited to see how things played out, but Zane had no desire to wake up one night with a knife at his throat.
It was better to remove an enemy early on, rather than play nice and hope for the best. He looked down at the dead lord, a plan beginning to form in his mind.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Hey Groucho,” the rogue cultivator said, “I need you to do me a favor…”
***
The next day, Mayor Jeffries found himself wrestling with a dilemma. “You’re absolutely certain that your people saw Lord Grasa leaving the city?”
Captain Cerdo nodded. “According to the men on gate duty, he departed with two of his guards and headed further up the mountain. That was the last anyone saw of him.”
“And when was this?” Jeffries asked.
“Perhaps an hour after I left him at master Zane’s restaurant, maybe less. The gate guards said that Lord Grasa was in a hurry.”
The Mayor rubbed his temples. He could feel a Zane induced headache coming on. “What about the cultivators he had with him?”
“Guards spotted men in blue jumping over the walls later in the evening, after the gates were closed,” Cerdo replied, “They didn't think much of it at the time. Cultivators are always leaving the city at odd hours.”
Jeffries let out a groan. He could smell a rat, but all the evidence pointed to Lord Grasa leaving the city of his own free will. “Did he at least say why he was visiting master Zane?”
“No,” Cerdo replied with a frown, “He was incredibly rude. Lord Grasa demanded that I drop everything and escort him to the restaurant. Then he made me wait there until Zane showed up.”
“And what happened after that?” Jeffries pressed.
The Captain decided to give an answer that was technically correct, if misleading. “I was dismissed before I could see or hear anything important. But when I left, Lord Grasa was alive and well.”
Cerdo chose not to share any assumptions about what might have happened after his departure. To him, Lord Grasa was just another corrupt lowland ruler, a pig that deserved to be slaughtered. If his death had occurred ahead of schedule, so be it.
The Mayor shook his head. “None of this makes any sense. Lord Grasa had dozens of meetings scheduled. Important meetings. I can't imagine why he would run off like that and miss them.”
“I can,” replied Captain Cerdo, “We know that Lord Grasa was trying to track down the Red Rogue for killing his son. It's entirely possible that he received some time sensitive information and moved to act on it.”
Jeffries wasn't sure he bought that particular explanation, but it did make sense. Besides, if he decided to treat Lord Grasa’s sudden departure as foul play, there was only one suspect. And the Mayor had no desire to piss off Zane.
The Jade Fox, or whoever he really was, had worked literal miracles. That spoke to a certain level of power, which visibly conflicted with Zane’s apparent age. Chances were that Zane really was a hidden master. And a wise man left hidden masters alone.
Still, something about the whole situation bothered Jeffries. “Do you really think that Lord Grasa dropped everything and rode off in search of revenge?” he asked.
The Captain’s face grew dark. “I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a son. But if someone killed the people that I loved, no force in this world or the next could stop me from getting revenge.”
Jeffries felt a chill run down his spine. He was dimly aware of Cerdo's past, even though the man had taken steps to hide it.
“I guess you're right,” the Mayor said, “Either way, I've still got work to finish before the Winter Festival. Thank you for being so diligent in your duties, Captain. You are dismissed.”
Cerdo nodded and stood up. “Good luck with the festival planning, sir. I hope it's one to remember.”
Jeffries smiled. Cerdo really was one of the good ones.