As intimidating as the arrival of the Instinctive horde was, Jack couldn’t help but feel the city’s response was almost anti-climactic. As he watched the lead elements of the great mass begin to arrive and set up camp beyond the walls of the city, just outside of catapult range, he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed by the lack of… excitement from his own side.
No bells were being rung. No horns were being blared. There was no mad scramble of soldiers rushing to the walls, or cultivators leaping from roof to roof to do the same.
Because there was no need. The city’s defenders were already in place – and had been for hours.
Because a million strong force on the march is anything but subtle, Jack thought as his eyes panned over the great mass that was even now streaming down the road towards the city. Even from the walls, he could see the dust clouds being kicked up in the distance.
Personally, he was still skeptical of the idea that the force actually numbered a million strong. Still, he could admit that the size of the horde before made for an intimidating sight as they slowly surrounded the city, boxing it in from shore to shore.
“How disconcerting,” the Magistrate murmured from her command position. “They’re organized.”
He turned to where the woman stood, clad in gleaming gold armor and surrounded by her advisors as they stood resplendent upon the walls and couldn’t help but wonder if he and her were seeing the same thing.
Personally, while he would describe the unwashed masses gathering below them as many things, organized wasn’t one of them.
Hell, if there was one bit of uniformity or organization amongst them, it was a lack of it.
The army he was looking at was as varied as it was intimidating. They didn’t approach the city as a marching column, but rather as a series of disparate groups that each peeled off to make their own camp.
Clad in a mixture of furs, leathers and other simple clothing, they looked for all the world like stereotypical barbarians. What few bits of armor he could see amongst them looked ragged and rusted, clearly taken from Imperial dead and given little in the way of care or maintenance.
Still, as he continued to watch, he found he could pick out certain commonalities amongst the horde. Disparate groups began to make themselves evident as they streamed toward the city. Race was certainly an obvious divider, with beast-kin keeping to their own kind, but other distinguishing markings were present too.
One group, all dog-kin were clad in seal or whale skin, their weapons tipped with what appeared to be bone. While another group, tiger-kin seemed to have foregone clothing entirely, their incredibly hairy bodies loping about in a manner Jack had no issue labeling as animalistic. Yet another group marched with something almost close to discipline if one squinted a bit. The monkey-kin’s tails were tied around their waist as they strode down the road with determined purpose, all of them armored in the same breastplates Jack so often saw Imperial guards wearing. Yet another group were entirely mounted, riding to the side of the main horde, clad in thick furs, their blue tattoos contrasting against their dark clothes in the morning sun.
The list went on and on, and the miner slowly came to realize that this was less an army he was looking at as it was a collection of tribes formed into a single nomadic horde. Because it wasn’t just men or women he could see. Children, the elderly and even pregnant women marched with the horde – in such numbers that Jack couldn’t help but wonder if they outnumbered the ‘fighting front end of it’ two to one.
He shook his head.
The sight made for a startling contrast to the Imperials upon the wall, who were stood in organized ranks, to a man clad in gleaming breastplate, spears at their side, with the black, white and gold of the Imperial Army or the colors of their sect proudly on display. Each group was organized into its own section, with a cadre of even more colorful cultivators watching over them.
No archers though, Jack thought. Which is just plain odd.
He could take some small consolation in the fact that there were plenty of pots of boiling oil on hand, ready to be spilled down onto any attacks, and a few primitive looking wall mounted catapults, but the oversight still made him want to frown.
“Great One, if this one may ask, why would you say they’re organized?” he asked finally, turning back to the Magistrate. “They seem anything but to this lowly one’s eyes.”
The woman chuckled, the draconic scales around her eyes crinkling as her golden orbs flitted towards him. “Well, for one thing, they aren’t eating each other.”
Jack knew he was making a face, but he didn’t care. “They do that?”
Her chuckle turned into a derisive laugh, one he hoped was aimed at the Instinctives and not him. “Of course. They are following the instinctive path after all. And what else would a wolf do when confronted with a rabbit?”
Jack blanched, that was… horrifying. It also shouldn’t really have surprised him. An had told him that Instinctive cultivators were those individuals who chose to cultivate the ‘beast’ part of their ancestral heritage rather than the human. To return to the spirit beasts from which their divine ancestors had ascended.
With that in mind, to call an Instinctive an animal was not an insult to them. It was a compliment.
He frowned as the first of the enemy’s cultivators came into view. A snake-kin, one that clearly showed him that Yin’s transformation was not an anomaly. The woman actually looked like a snake with arms, one that stood upright and held a massive fuck-off axe.
Yet she still has tits, Jack noted clinically. What’s the deal with that?
She wasn’t the only beast-person he could see. More and more strode out from the crowds, the tribesmen around them giving them a respectful berth. Were-horses. Were-dogs. Were-cats. Even a particularly lithe looking were-rabbit with chains wrapped around her arms.
Yet… none of them were what you’d call… ugly. Freakish, certainly, but not ugly. Which to his mind was a very fine line to walk.
It seemed the natural tendency for cultivators to be attractive extends even to monsters, he thought. Go figure.
Which was odd because Yin had been very ugly. So much so that Jack had to wonder if the former Imperial had transformed wrong. Got her… chakras and her meridians mixed up?
He didn’t know.
“What do you think’s changed?” Jack asked, turning away from the menagerie of weirdness below him. “For them… not to be indulging their instincts.”
He realized belatedly that he’d not bothered with ‘polite’ speak when asking that question, but if the Magistrate noticed – and it was pretty much a given that she would – she made no comment on it.
“I imagine the Monkey Queen has one of her Fleas down there to keep this hodgepodge alliance of clans from falling apart.”
Flea? Jack mouthed.
“The opposite of an Imperial Scion, those direct offspring of the Arch Traitor herself. The Instinctives call them Heralds.” Ren’s voice crackle in his earpiece, showing that his own advisor was listening in from her position in his ‘command center’ back at the compound.
Ah, that made sense.
He’d also just learned that the traitorous Divine Ancestor was the monkey.
That was news.
It also went some way to explaining why he’d never seen a monkey beast-kin until just a few minutes ago.
Those that lived in the Empire probably weren’t too popular – if they lived at all.
A sudden whispering from the walls brought his attention back to the horde beyond them and his eyes widened as a massive figure rode down the road toward them.
Not least of all because said figure was riding on a wolf the size of a small truck. And the rider wasn’t much smaller.
“Abomination,” someone hissed and Jack couldn’t find it in himself to disagree.
The thing looked like what would happen if a particularly large gorilla happened to fuck a dragon, then pumped the resulting child full of steroids.
And the bastard still isn’t ugly, he thought irritably.
Indeed, the great ape looked rather resplendent with her wings tucked behind her and her glittering red scales peaking out through her fur.
Of course, ignoring the fact that some kind of impossible hybrid was now riding toward the walls, Jack shuddered as he realized exactly what that particular combination meant.
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Something he was sure one particular individual currently present on the wall wouldn’t take well. A theory that was confirmed a moment later as he heard a dozen mortal guards behind him collapse on the spot.
Fortunate we’re far from the parapet or some poor bastard might just have toppled to his death, Jack thought faintly as he very detirmidnly didn’t turn around to look at the absolutely furious visage of the city’s only Imperial Scion.
And thus, only person present with any dragon blood in their veins.
Or rather, she had been the only person present with dragon blood in their veins, because the extra features of the veritable chimera standing smugly outside the walls of the city suggested she wasn’t.
And that couldn’t be good for anyone.
---------------------------------
It pained Elwin that the method by which cultivators were created was known to the local peasantry. It made her goal of finding a suitable cadre of students to teach all the harder.
Though, the elf thought, given the nature of peasants, I suppose it makes little difference that they know the means by which to identify a gifted one is through their prodigious appetite.
If one gave one of the lower classes the opportunity to gorge themselves, they would take it. The fact that doing so might draw the attention of a magister, and thus seize them the opportunity to elevate themselves, was simply a happy coincidence.
To that end, the ‘cafeteria’ of the Sky-block was filled end to end with uncouth peasants, feasting upon the sundries that she had provided ‘free of charge’.
Because watching them eat was the most reliable means by which she might identify a possible student. For the ignition of one’s soul required great amount of fuel, and as such, the easiest way to idenfity a bearer of the gift was to find those of slight build who could yet out-eat those who outmassed them considerably.
It was neither a reliable nor foolproof method, but it was both the cheapest and simplest.
“-most thankful for your contributions. It brings me joy to see that you are not just a woman of exotic beauty, but one with an equally resplendent heart.”
Though hardly the least stressful, Elwin thought as she ignored the local headman’s jabbering in her general direction. As befitting her station – and the fact that she had provided the feast- she had been given the position of ‘honor’ at the headman’s table.
“My thanks, though I must once more reiterate that I am not the provider of this feast. The true philanthropist this evening is Master Jack Johansen, who not only built this magnificent structure but now also sees to the wellbeing of the occupants.” The elf couldn’t be bothered to look at him as she spoke. “I am merely here to make sure these resources are properly distributed – rather than horded by a select few.”
It was a fairly unsubtle comment, but these were not the courts of her home and she had little need to engage in more subtle intrigue.
“I cannot speak to the honor of the other sky-blocks, but know that here in the ‘Grey Haven’ such behavior would never be allowed to occur.” To her irritation, the man across from her actually had the gall to look wounded by the insinuation.
She rolled her eyes. The fat slob across form her and his cronies would have immediately seized all the food present if it weren’t for the watchful gaze of her fiance’s men-at-arms standing against the walls of the hall.
It still annoyed her that she needed to engage with him at all. As if he were anything more than the first upjumped thug to establish himself in this particular sky-block.
Apparently it was a similar situation in most of the other sky-blocks, with each of the disparate local gangs quickly declaring their unofficial ownership of the dwellings after moving off the streets.
They even dared to levy an unofficial tax on their personal fiefdoms.
The thought irritated her. Which was why she fully intended to request that her fiance send his men at arms to re-establish order within the blocks once she was done here.
This man, and others like him, would serve as an example of why it was unwise to take advantage of her fiancé’s naivety and wandering attention.
For now though, she needed to suffer the man’s presence.
“Perhaps though, I might invite you back to my room to partake of some more choice drinks I have managed to stash away?”
Even as he feebly tried to woo her with his pitiful personal wealth.
“I am fine, thank you. My work compels me to remain here in the main hall.”
That he was attracted to her was not surprising. Most were. Rarer though was the fact that the still-mind chose to act on that attraction.
Personally, she blamed on the shocking ignorance of the locals. Because she wasn’t a ‘cultivator’ they seemed to think her as little more than a foreign merchant employed by her fiancé.
And thus, someone attainable.
She resisted the urge to have the man taste a quick lightning bolt, knowing that it would only drag out this dreary affair longer. There was a reason she had chosen to work with him rather than smite him on the spot on their first meeting.
So instead, she turned her attention back to the eating habits of the locals.
None of whom had hesitated to partake of the bounty of food she had provided.
A bounty of food that had not been easy come by. Her fiancé had naturally been leery of spending such an irreplaceable resource on this endeavor, when its value would only grow now that the city was under siege.
To her mind, that was a rather shortsighted perspective. The coming siege would only make her work to form a cadre of local wizards all the more important. The siege could last for years, and starting now could be the difference between some basic magical support in the second year and none at all.
Fortunately, her fiancé was no fool. He had reluctantly agreed to her desires after she had explained the logic of them to him.
To that end, she was set to visit fifteen sky-blocks and would be hosting a feast at each.
With any luck, that would net her a decent number of students to focus her attentions upon for the immediate future.
Looking about, she was satisfied to see that the militia were remaining disciplined, even as the civilians around them tried to ply them questions – or other offers on the part of some young women.
The militia of Jack Johansen were a known entity to the people of Ten Huo. The tales of their resplendent armor and the power of their gonnes had pervaded the lower classes - and Jack’s building of the sky-blocks had only propelled the reputation of his budding organization higher in the minds of the peasantry.
Why the man wanted the adoration of the unwashed masses was beyond Elwin, but plastering his name all over the Sky-Blocks had certainly attained it.
Well, once those who could read spread the message to those that couldn’t, she thought.
Drawn from her thoughts, her eyes roamed over the young woman she had been watching for much of the evening. A girl who had steadily been plowing through plate after plate of piled high food.
Even as the elf watched, the girl raised her plate in an attempt to pile a fifth massive helping onto it – only to be stopped by her disapproving neighbors. She didn’t need to be nearby to be able to guess at the conversation that was likely going on.
Nor did she need to watch any longer.
One large plate could be put down to hunger.
Two to a greater hunger.
Three to being starved.
Four to foolishness.
But to go for a fifth, with such a slender frame, without throwing up?
That spoke of an unnatural hunger.
“Excuse me,” she said, standing up. “I need to speak to someone.”
The braggart looked surprised. “Of course.”
Elwin had already left, striding up to where the rabbit-girl’s conversation with an ox-man had gotten heated.
“I’ve got a right to-” The willowy ravenette started to shout before the ox-man overrode her.
“No more than the rest of us. A fifth plate!?”
The girl’s eyes glinted dangerously. “What does it matter to you. The Hidden Master is providing-”
Elwin coughed, interrupting the both of them. The man paled, but the girl had to whirl around, clearly ready to continue shouting, before she paled in turn.
Good. That was the kind of response Elwin expected to see.
“You.” Elwin pointed. “Girl. Do you wish to be a cultivator?”
That was a lie, but it was close to the truth and infinitely easier than expalinign the existence of magisters.
“…Yes?” Her response was fast, but cautious.
Which was good. It meant the girl could react promptly to an unexpected situation, while not being rash. A certain level of mental dexterity was a valuable trait for a Magister.
“Good.” Elwin nodded. “Grab your things and come with me. If you have any family, grab them too.”
The girl hesitated for barely a second before dashing off, a skip in the rabbit-kin’s step.
The elf watched her go with a satisfied grin. She’d found her first disciple, and though time might reveal that the girl was perhaps merely a glutton and not actually possessed of the gift, Elwin doubted it.
One down, fifteen or so more to go, she thought as she summoned the militia to her with a gesture. After this I will be demanding my ice-cream ration reinstated as recompense.
As she started to vacate the hall, the militia falling in around her, she couldn’t help but wonder how her fiancé was doing?
Hopefully he had put a show in at the wall for appearances sake before beating a hasty retreat back to his compound.
------------------
Jack wished he was on the wall. Hell, he wished he was back in his workshop.
He wasn’t though. He was outside the walls of Ten Huo. On foot. Marching towards a massive horde of angry cannibalistic savages and their Frankenstein-esque leader.
Glancing around, he noted that area outside the walls was little more than mud with a few patches of singed looking grass.
The end result of the Magistrate’s move to clear out the shanty town that had formed outside the city walls less than a week ago. By having the Imperial army put it to the flame, the refugees that had once occupied it now scattered to the twelve winds.
He’d felt… not quite guilty about that, but uncomfortable. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. The shanty town needed to go. The materials involved in its creation might have been used to help besiege the walls or create cover.
And the populace might have become a food source.
In the end, all I could do was pay a few runners to spread rumors that there was a safe place to the East.
How many of the thousands of people that had ringed the city would make their way to Jiangshi, he didn’t know, but he’d made sure to tell An to keep an eye out for them.
Beyond that, it was out of his hands.
He had his own problems.
Like the giant dragon-gorilla waving a white flag in front of me and the very angry Imperial Princess watching it all from the wall behind us.
Why he’d been chosen to accompany Shui in her role as messenger and negotiator, he didn’t know. Something to do with it being a show of wealth as well as an opportunity for him to provide an outside prespective.
Personally he thought he could have easily done both from the relative safety of the wall.
“Look confident, Johansen.” The woman in question murmured to him, just quietly enough that the small collection of guards around them couldn’t hear. “If you appear nervous, you’ll only inflame the instincts of these beasts… and that will end poorly for us.”
He glanced at the woman, who stood tall and proud even as they were surrounded on all side by snarling tribesmen.
In turn, Jack nodded, drawing himself up even as they approached the flag bearing Ape-Dragon.
Keep cool, he thought. This is just like when we used to act as a runner back in the gang. Stand tall. Be confident, but not rude. Speak from the diaphragm.
For some reason, the comparison seemed to calm him, and he found himself feeling not quite at ease, but close to it as their group stopped a respectful distance from the Herald and her mount.
Behind the enemy leader stood a collection of disparate were-people, who eerily reminded him of the Sect Leaders of Ten Huo when they gathered around the magistrate. The comparison was almost uncanny.
Though he couldn’t help but note that pretty much none of them were eying Shui. Their gazes seemed to slide over him just as they did the sect guards accompanying their small diplomatic party.
“Why?” The Ape-Dragon’s voice was surprisingly feminine for such a massive being.
Shui glaring up at the beast. “Why what, monster?”
The Ape-Dragon seemed momentarily amused at the descriptor, before her gaze hardened again as it flitted towards him. “Why have you brought a powerless merchant to this meeting of equals? Have the Domesticated truly fallen so low that they consider the All-Prey to be equals?”
Jack blinked as suddenly every eye present was on him. None of them looked kind. Some of them looked… hungry.
Well shit, he thought. This isn’t good.
Fortunately, he had practice at the correct response to that sort of question.
“…You dare!?”