The sounds of footsteps on the planks and the waves hitting the ship wakes everyone in the room. Swaiwan rubs his eyes with the black sacks underneath. He feels his head lighg, and his throat stuffed, and runs outside Hitting everyone with his shoulders and vomiting on the sea, he slowly turn his head up and gaze at the general looking to him two heads above with his silver armor shining and his dark eyes with a threatening stare. Swaiwan backs down and hears a soft and tired voice calling him from behind the general's shoulders "swaiwan how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine Ai, just a bit of nausea again "
the general says "you better pull yourself together, we are almost there and I don't want my soldiers to seem like weaklings in front of outsiders"
a gravelly voice is heard from the stairs "and they dare to speak for the emperor like he is a commoner"
the general responds "don't forget you are an outsider too Klaeben"
klaeben bow with the armor covering his muscular body and his brown skin "I believe I have already shown my dedication to the emperor"
General raise his tone "A man like you do not speak for the emperor" Klaeben walks to the other side of the ship saying nothing.
Swaiwan take his look forward, looking at the volcanoes that overshadow the green chain of islands as the sun rise behind them, the pink and red trees that shine from the distance, the large birds flying around the ships and across the seas. swaiwan with his mouth wide open look beside him. watching the soldiers and one of his comrade, looking with excitement at the land and behind him a lean woman wearing only a part of her armor, her dark hair floating on the wind and her green eyes staring plaintively.
a comrade asks "its beautiful isn't it?"
No one gave an answer, the general took his eyes away from him like everyone else, except Ai pulling her short dark hair together and saying jubilantly "you are right fenhua, it's beautiful"
Fenhua smiled at her. the general rumbles in his mouth.
They throw the anchor and march through the port. boats anchored all over displaying rocks, sponges and starfish on their hanged baskets. the small wooden houses most of with small wooden statues of a tree. Twelve bodies on the root and one woman with a lean surface for face above them. Her hands holding the sun.
They stop at the stone walls of the port. soldiers looking at them from above the walls with short bows open the door.
A group of soldiers with long curved spears,their armor of iron plates painted black, and enhanced by a chain mail from the inside seen underneath their hands look over them.
the general moves first saying loud and proud "I'm general Lixin send by the emperor to hear your calls"
one of the soldiers makes a sign to follow them. they start looking at the people trading, small benches selling fishes, others selling soil declarimg "it's blessed by karma and our good deeds"
even as they look at the palace of the city, tall with gold shinning, most soldier look with superiority.
After countless steps they reach the palace, the soil around it brimming with large wheats and trees. People collecting it, and placing it on their baskets.
The gates open and they enter inside, their eyes struck by the gold that was in the walls, cracks that were filled with it, they gaze infront of them in the throne. The young emperor sitting with his golden clothes reaching the floor, the people bowing to the emperor, and leaving and soldiers making two lines beside him.
the emperor speaks first "you have come sooner than we thought"
general lixin answer "we have answered to the call to aid your nation as Allie's"
The emperor smirk and says with a high pitch voice "general as you are informed we are on a thin situation with the creatures"
"i know very well, terrorising your villages and causing earthquakes"
"thats right ,now that we defend our smaller islands from pirates, our forces cannot be stretched"
He lean forward with his elbows on his knees. Laying his head on his hands "Aid us and i will stop the trade with the heretic zu huo, maybe even blockade their ships when we burn the pirates"
"you have my word that we will drive away the creatures from your nation" "Magnificent. My soldiers will accompany you to the village they most recently attacked and will oversee you" the young emperor raise his hand pointing at the doors.
the emperors men accompany them outside, the doors of palace closing and horses waiting for them. Traveling north, passing through flat terrains with trees growing everywhere and foxes walking alongside them. passing tall bridges with their bases hpld on the rocks. connecting the islands.
as the dusk comes they stroll to the village gates.
The gates open and half the houses on both side of the road burned. Blood trails on the grass. general lixin open his eyes wide and the others follow too, impoverished villagers come with spears and swords and take their horses. giving white flowers to the soldiers of their nation
general Lixin makes a sign for the others to follow him, the villagers ignore them mumbling in their language, they look at the burned houses and then at the large holes on the ground, general Lixin murmurs "hebi gunda"
The others pick at the holes, a soldier comes with a torch and throws it. Falling many breaths before hitting the ground. Swaiwan look around him, Ai talking faintly with fenhua with his eyes shinning. they hear general Lixin denouncing "soldiers, today we will settle here, start setting the camps outside, i want all the tanishka to oversee the ground, and the varina to be ready to contact everyone if the hebi gunda attack"
the soldiers say nothing and swiftly start preparing their camps. Letting their weapons on the ground and from their backpacks Taking pots, forks, and spoons and preparing the fire. Others preparing the camps parallel one another on the outside the village.
After hours swaiwan goes to the village walls and lay his back, looking at klaeben as he Investigate the holes. Ai Speaking with soldiers making them smille brigh and helping around the camp.
Fenhua approach swaiwan and bows, saying "I'm at your service your highness"
swaiwan looks with disgust at him and fenhua jumps and sits beside him, saying as he laugh "just kidding, I know you don't want the others to see you as superior" he takes a small flask from his backpack and place it in front of Swaiwans face. The smell of alcohol burning his nose "do you want some? It will help you loosen up a bit"
swaiwan shake his head "thank you but I don't drink. besides its against the rules of the army"
"At least don't tell it to the general"
Swaiwan takes a notebook out of his backpack.
fenhua drinks and asks "what are you writing here?"
He responds with an adenoidal sound "The travels i make as a soldier"
fenhua drinks half the flask "i can make some criticism if you ever need" swaiwan says nothing, and focus on writing.
The night falls, and the soldiers stay awake.
general Lixin shaking anyone who keeps its eyes close for too long, and taking care of his horse, Klaeben focus on the holes. he senses a wave of cold coming towards them, he shouts "they are coming"
The soldiers close to him raise their weapons. another voice comes to everyone's mind "they are coming"
everyone takes their weapons and run to the holes. tall pale women with green eyes reveal themselves from the black holes crawling with their hands with the lower body of a snake hitting the ground.
swaiwan close the notebook, and takes his longsword pointing at them as his hand shake. fenhua rush decapitating one, he continue forward killing another one and the snakes start surrounding him. the soldiers raise their shields and spears and move slowly towards them. A hebi gunda bite him on the leg. paralyzing him and dragging him with her tail.
A pillar comes from the ground knocking the snake, and letting a hiss.
More coming from the ground. Soldiers push with their shields, slicing the snakes one by one . Many retreating to the holes .Klaeben kills one of the two in front of him and as the other falls to the hole he rush to a horse and concentrate on the creature, leaving the village without anyone noticing and keeping watch of the cold aura underground as sweat starts running all over his body.
The snakes leave and general Lixin grabs fenhua and gives him to the soldiers, shouting "take care of this fool and do not lose him from your eyes"
he look around seeing the villagers watching them. Then at Ai and the varina saying "go help the wounded" and he calmly walk to the gates. The shakufu warriors opening them.
Ai transfer the wounded and parylized to the red camps with the varina healing them as swaiwan rests outisde with his heart pumping.
The moon reach its highest point and Ai stands behind Lixin "general Klaeben is missing"
the general cross his hands and says "forget about him" Ai look at him with her eyes wide open "we cannot leave him"
"he is dead, the hebi gunda will have already eaten him "
She raise her voice and says " you just don't want to trouble yourself because he is a dehi"
the general raise his tone "you have no authority to talk to your superiors like this"
Ai spine shiver and she moves away.
from the woods a neighing is heard. Ai turn and a horse slowly comes. Carrying the drained body of Klaeben as he breathes heavy, feeling his heart ready to explode. Ai runs to the horse and walks with it to the camp. Lixin walking beside them. klaeben says feebly "general, I found their nest"
general Lixin eyes open wide "where is their location?"
Klaeben coughs, breathing heavy.
Lixin shakes him, and Ai pull the reigns of the horse Looking at the general with her eyebrows pulled together "you will talk to him tomorrow. Right now he needs to rest" and turns her back.
The first rays of sun appear, and Lixin enetrs the tent. Ai and Klaben sitting and talking with bowls of food in front of Klaeben ranging from rice to fish and shrimps. Lixin says with authority " yesterday you said you found the nest"
Klaeben lets the bowl down "yes not too far away,I can lead you there"
Lixin look narrowly "fine, in two hours we will depart"
Lixin gathers a division in four lines one besed the other. Following the lead of Lixin and Klaeben, pale and barely keeping his eyes open they reach the far shores of the third island. Walking on the sand. Fenhua points his hand on boulders stacked on top of each other, and turn at the general who looks at them
"are you sure this is the place?"
"I'm sure, if the creature stopped here then this must be where the nest is"
General Lixin look carefully "alright, we will speak with the soldiers and we will contsrue a plan"
they go back to the village, talking with the soldiers as Ai takes care of them.
Lixin discussing with the band of shakufu warriors
"we found the nest east north from here, with the permission of your king, and a handful of your men we can eradicate it, probably finding more nests if they are connected"
the soldier says "I will bring your message to the emperor, until then rest"
the soldier mount his horse, and general Lixin stride to his camp with the rest of the warriors entering the village.
The sun almost sets with the villagers either handing food to the soldiers or talking with the shakufu warriors translating on both side.
The next day the warrior comes.meeting with general Lixin on the camp, and after an hour they leave with the sane calm faces, and general Lixin gathers the soldiers "their king has announced that we will move alone to the nests, but that doesn't hinder our progress"
The army reach the place, preaka move the ground beneath, and the boulders fall, the army Feeling the ground shaking, and as the dust leaves a deep tunnel is seen spanning many meters deep, Lixin takes his barrel, with powder smelling and moves at normal pace inside the lean ground, shouting "half of you follow me, I want a varina, a preka and two tanishka on my side"
swaiwan and half the army follow his orders .soldiers with shields, spears and barrels full of gunpowder.
They go deeper seeing smaller holes on the walls.
General Lixin swiftly orders "preaka close them"
The holes slowly close one by one. High pitch Screams stopping violently from inside.
they move forward into the complete darkness with the fire of the torches almost extinguished.
As they move deeper one of the soldiers whispers "general we are close, they are at least ten of them"
The General and the soldiers raise their weapons. Striding they see green eyes picking from the darkness. General Lixin throws one of the torches towards the nest, revealing ten snakes hissing at them, the preaka burn them with fire, And the snakes fall instantly.
The preaka fall to their knees. Two soldiers grab them, and general Lixin says" soldiers escort him to the surface, the rest we will continue forward "
Half the division abandons them, and the rest continue forward.
From the darkness they see the tunnels splitting in three ways, Lixin grunts and says "its no use to continue with these numbers, we will come back when the soldiers will recover"
The soldiers leave with their heads up, returning to the surface and explaining the situation to the rest as they go back to the village. seeing from afar its walls down, general Lixn raise his arm and march faster
Finding no house standing. the planks black and cracking amd scrathes on the walls. Many devoured.
general Lixin look at the tanishka and before they talk Klaeben says with a slow voice "there is no one left"
Ai look with terror at the bodies, most of them dragged close to the holes and many half eaten. Lixin murmurs
"Hebi gundas on the broad daylight?"
swaiwan look at their camps, most of them standing finding bodies of their own, many merely bones or blood stains on their bed.
He rush to the camps of the wounded finding no one.
Strolling to the general and sayign with short breath "general i found five of our own dead, but I couldn't find the rest"
the general looking at the walls pensively says "if they are not here then the gundas will have taken them"
swaiwan clutch his hend repeatedly
"We have to burry our own, they died for the emperor"
Soldiers take shovel buried on the debris or with their hand. Placing the bones and bodies on a single deep grave, and falling to their knees with their blades facing down.
soldiers arrive and their eyes glistening as they watch the half eaten corpses. one of them comes forward screaming "you were supposed to protect this village What happened to these people?"
General Lixin reply with a calm voice as he look at the soldier with his eyes narrow "we were killing the creatures as your king order"
the soldier clutch his fists. the other behind him grabs his shoulder "Toyotomi do not let your anger control you, our families have been good for all their life, I'm sure karma and the emperor will reward us to reborn with them again" the soldier left his palms open
"you are right, I should follow the orders of karma and the emperor"
he takes a deep breath and continues "I will inform the emperor and keep you in contact, until then the best place for you to stay is to a village north from here we will accompany you"
the soldiers gathered and watch the soldiers of the king pouring the bodies with a special oil, the corpses shining and pushing them to the shores, floating on the waters with the fishes eating them.
They bow their heads and stay still for minutes and then help Lixin and his army, and ride horses towards the village with the rest marching.
as they approach they see a giant red-leaf tree standing above the walls, the wind carrying the leaves to a small lake some footsteps away from the east of the village, the gates open and the people pass through them, not even giving them a gaze until the soldiers of the king arrive and talk to them.
General Lixin gives an apple to his horse and pets it, tie it on a tree, and goind to one of the few tents they remained.
Ai sitting close to swaiwan "do you believe fenhua and jing are dead?"
Swaiwan roll his eyes at the camp, his breath heard clear "we should not have any hope to see them again"
A silence surround them for many heartbeats
Swaiwan let a faint hiss "Have you finally finished helping people?"
She wash away with the back of her palm the sweat on her forehead and qith her finger her cleaning her glassy eyes "most of them"
"You were like this from the day i remember you"
She smile innocently.
He points his finger forward "i think another one needs a bit of help"
swaiwan take his notebook out and before writing Ai gets up and run. swaiwan look where she is heading, she comes close to klaeben giving her hand to him while he sits in the middle of the road, he gets up alone and continues with slow steps while Ai speak to him with a smile on her face. Swaiwan continue with his writing and Ai sits down again until she sees another one who needs help.
He continue writing and from the outskirts of the camp a scream is heard. the soldiers take their spears, and adrenaline flows on their bodies.
From the plain fields a man with his stomach open. filled with red flowers sheathing his organs walks with his hands extended. his one eye fall and dragged by its muscles, everyone look with horror except Ai who covers her face with her hands. The soldier approach him and Lixins eyes wide open grabbing the man as he try to form words with his teeth falling "jing, do not speak anymore"
he shout "soldiers, ready medicine and a bed"
jing place his hand in front of generals face, trying to speak but hearing only his breath, general Lxin shouts again "varina come here"
A short woman comes forward placing her hands on jings body, closing holes on his stomach.
everyone runs to the tent, ready the bed, medicines and whatever else the varina need while general Lixin carry him, feeling a shiver on his spine as jings eye touch the general's body, he let the soldier on the bed and Ai brings water and the medicines, giving them to the general and taking her gaze away.
The night comes and the leaves of the tree fall over. Ai lays her back on the tree and look at the ground with her eyes twitching, swaiwan stays on the walls alone holding his pen close to the notebook without writing, a woman watching her golden stone and klaeben staring at the clear sky.
From the camp general Lixin comes out and the soldiers run to him, he looks at them with a serious face with his eyebrows pulled together "soldier jing has died, we will honor him as we must"
General Lixin brings his dead body, the flowers on his stomach now withered and his one eye missing. Hd takes a shovel from one of the villager's houses, the few who were outside stand in front of him, showing the gate, general Lixin makes no sound and shake his head affirmative, opening the gate and burying him outside.
The soldiers fall to their knees, some having their faces calm and their eyes closed and other having their eyes open and be lost in their thoughts, Klaeben kneeling beside the general says "general did jing gave you any information?"
"You should have known that this is not the right time for us to talk" the hours pass with many soldiers like Ai and Swaiwan staying awake, Klaeben walks at general Lixin and asks "can we talk now?"
Lixin cross his hands "we have nothing to discuss"
Klaeben ignores him " how will we find the ones responsible for this?" L
He look at the roof of the tent, his facial muscles tense "trying to find them is a waste of time, we could only wait for their next move"
"at least you must have someone responsible in your mind, maybe the Zu huo could have done it to drive us away and to cut our ties with shakufu"
"Zu huo people have a war code, beside the flowers jings on stomach were not native to shakufu neither zu huo"
Klaeben sighs "we are trapped"
"Now leave dehi, i have more important matters than hears you"
Klaeben sigh again "i have shown so much dedication to you and the emperor and you still devalue me"
Lixin turns his back and walk to the table. Laying his hands.
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