Savage Divinity

Eyes locked on the receding shoreline, I cuddle with Mama Bun and watch as my waving wifey, worried family, and playing pets fade from view. Seated at the back of the skiff, I try not to think about how small and fragile the vessel is or what dangers might lurk beneath the waters. Instead, I use my newfound optimism and focus on the good things in life, like how I won’t have to worry about the nobles of Central, or what the Legate is plotting, or about the Defiled if I die out here on the Azure Sea.

Okay, so I’m not great at the whole optimism thing, but it's all new to me. I’ll get better with practice.

Probably.

In my defence, I can hardly be blamed for my lack of optimism. It turns out, our ‘skiff’ is a rickety lifeboat which seats six, and while ours only holds four plus a bunny, there’s barely enough room to turn around in this tiny, choppy deathtrap. I’d hesitate to even call it a boat. The ships we arrived in, now those were boats. A hundred meters long, fifty meters wide, and twenty meters tall, we travelled in relative safety and smooth comfort the whole way here. In comparison, if I stretched my arms out on both sides, my hands would be outside the skiff and barely thirty centimetres above water, water which often splashes in to pool at the bottom of our paddle-powered dingy.

I hate boats.

I thought we’d be travelling in something like the big, forty-man boats the Butcher Bay Bandits used, but no, my crazy teacher decided this wooden tub would make for perfect transportion to bring us out into the Azure Sea. Forget giant kraken, Mafu could probably capsize this thing if he felt like it. Why did I agree to this? I need to learn how to say no to Taduk, but it won’t be easy. His single-minded determination is unshakable and his wide-eyed, pleading pout could give Lin’s a run for her money. Like father like daughter, and now with Blackjack in the mix, I suppose it’s my lot in life to bow before the whims of the cloud chaser hare community.

“Quit your moaning and groaning boy. Aren’t you supposed to be some sort of valiant young hero?” Puffing away at his pipe, Guan Suo blows out a cloud of acrid smoke which the wind brings directly into my nostrils as I turn to face him. “You’re as safe as can be considering the circumstances, and well-protected to boot. Over-coddled if you ask me, but no one ever does.”

Over-coddled my ass. Guard Leader is here to keep Taduk safe, while Guan Suo himself will ditch me in a heartbeat if his precious turtle is in danger. Shooting him a dirty look as I cough, I reconsider my first five scathing retorts before settling on a more diplomatic response. “You think we’re safe? There’s really nothing to worry about?”

Okay, so I’m also super nervous.

“Pei. That thinking’s a good way to get yourself dead. No one is ever safe, not entirely.” Shrugging, the dishevelled old man absently combs his fingers through his tangled, greasy white beard. If he took better care of himself and smiled more, he’d look like a sweet, ruddy-cheeked old grandfather everyone loves to dote on. Instead, for some unfathomable reason, he chooses to look like an unkempt, crusty beggar no one wants to look at. Maybe he doesn’t care, or maybe he’s going senile and doesn’t notice, but either way, I’m tempted to boot him overboard with a bar of soap. “With the three of us here,” he continues, “not to mention the old girl and all these quins around, I reckon there ain’t much cause for worry. Things’d be different if we leave the bay, but long as we don’t go too far out, the old girl is queen in these waters and them quins her brave soldiers.”

Turning a skeptical eye to the queen in question, I smile at Ping-Ping’s joyous expression. Eyes wide and mouth half-opened, if she had lips I’d swear she was grinning. I can’t help but marvel at her majestic presence as she glides along with effortless grace, cutting through the water like a hot knife through butter and parting the waves with little to no disturbance in her passing. On land, she is a hulking, lumbering behemoth of beak and shell, but out here, Ping-Ping is poetry in motion. Like a massive island floating behind us, she effortlessly follows the skiff for several minutes to make sure I’m not up to any shenanigans. Then, without warning, she submerges beneath the waters and circles the skiff in a wide, swooping arc while doing the mother of all barrel rolls. Thoroughly enjoying herself, she flaps her tree-trunk legs like leathery wings and drifts through the waters, devouring fish, shrimp, and seaweed in massive gulps. Around her, the quins go wide-mouthed with delight as they frolic in her wake, taking turns spinning and tumbling about like giant, furry eels caught in miniature riptides around her.

For a bunch of mountain-born, battle-trained, apex predators, roosequins act a lot like sea puppies once they’re in the water.

“Rain my boy.” Taduk interrupts my quin gazing and reaches over Guan Suo’s head with two grasping hands like an overeager child. “Rabbit please.”

Carefully passing Mama Bun over, I wince as he takes her away with one hand on the scruff of her neck and the other under her belly. Struggling in his grasp, Mama Bun flails and squirms about in an attempt to escape, almost slipping out of his grasp and into the water. “Support her back legs so she’ll stop kicking and you can let her lean against you.”

“Hmph. Hug this oversized long-eared rat? Never! I’ll be picking its damned hair out of my robes for weeks.” Still holding her by the scruff of the neck, Taduk compromises and supports Mama Bun’s bum and back legs with his other hand, pointing her belly towards the front of the skiff like a lantern who will light the way. Snorting in his grasp, she huffs and stills as her twitching nose scents whatever attracted her attention this morning. Craning her neck, she stretches out towards the left side of our skiff (port I think?) and Guard Leader works the paddles and brings us in the same direction.

It brings a small measure of relief to see that despite all their bickering and squabbling, Taduk is still the dominant one in their relationship. While I’m not clear on exactly how strong she is, Guard Leader is probably an expert as strong or stronger than Akanai, which means she stands at the peak of Martial strength but still has to row the skiff when my teacher demands it. That’s the respect a Medical Saint deserves, even if this particular Medical Saint is a goofball who can’t cook to save his life.

As our skiff follows Mama Bun’s fickle guidance on a meandering course through Nan Ping’s bay, my smouldering anxiety and trepidation has plenty of time to build up into a roaring fire of panic and terror. Though land is still visible on the north and south shore, and the city sits static to the east, I can’t help worrying about the dangers hidden within the crystal clear water around us. Even at its narrowest points, the opposite shores are still kilometres apart, so if things go wrong, it’s a long swim to shore and safety. Then there's all the boats going in and out of the city. Even the largest ships avoid the midsections of the bay we’re currently navigating through, and if I have to head for shore, I’ll need to be careful not to get run over by a ship or swept back out into the bay by the currents.

Calm down. Nothing’s gonna happen. The waters are crystal clear and the quins escorting us in strength, what could be hiding there? Sure, squids and octopuses are masters of camouflage and we’re far enough out so the sea floor is shrouded in darkness, but I’m sure Taduk knows what he’s doing. My teacher is excitable, but he's a responsible adult who knows when to stop.

“Bah!” Turning Mama Bun around so he can glower at her, Taduk lets out a frustrated growl. “You dumb, flea-bitten, sorry excuse for a mop-head. Pick a direction and stick with it, or you’d best learn to swim!”

Okay. Taduk is a responsible adult most of the time.

“Enough.” Coming to her feet without rocking the skiff, Guard Leader snatches Mama Bun away and cradles her like a baby. “Her indecision is likely because she is scared and uncomfortable. Give her time to acclimate herself to the swaying of the skiff before we try again.”

Huffing in displeasure, Taduk grumbles beneath his breath too quietly for me to hear, but Guard Leader hears and she turns to face him. Veiled though she may be, I know a death glare when I see one but Taduk pointedly ignores her and looks away. Wishing I could escape their feuding, I pluck up my courage and lean over to watch the quins play with Ping-Ping beneath the waves. It’s incredible, she doesn’t come up for breath often, and when she does, she doesn’t seem tired or out of breath, more like she’s here to make sure I haven’t left. While she's surfaced, some of the more adventurous quins climb onto her shell and launch themselves back into the water with barely a splash, diving deep down before coming back up with food in their hands or clamped between their jaws.

Once her inspection is finished, Ping-Ping sinks back into the waters and the quins squeak and chitter in delight, once again following behind and playing spinning teacups in the water. I don’t know why they’re only doing it around Ping-Ping, with how agile they are, the quins could spin and twirl wherever they want. Why do they even need to take turns?

Unless they're not spinning themselves...

With a gasp of shock, I exclaim, “She’s controlling the water around her! Look! She’s spinning the quins around for fun. How is she doing that?” Ping-Ping Sensei! Teach me your ways!

“Bah, child’s play.” Glancing into the water with his customary, casual arrogance, Taduk sniffs and declares, “Thousands of years old and her skills are only so-so. Not surprising considering no lizard has ever taken the final step to become an Ancestral Beast. Probably because their brains are too small. Don’t worry, Rain my boy, mark my words: in a handful of years, her skills will seem mediocre and unexceptional compared to your own.”

Flattered as I am by his high opinion in me, I’ve learned not to take his silly declarations as gospel. Maybe it only took him a couple of years, but he’s supremely talented beyond measure, while I...

Sigh...

Sharing my misgivings, Guan Suo is far less polite about it. “Pei.” His derisive snort cuts through the wind, displaying nasal mastery beyond compare. “The boy has ability and dedication I’ll give him that, but the Divine Turtle’s comprehension of water is unmatched, instinctive and effortless. To overcome her in a ‘handful’ of years? Hmph, if you’re going to fart from your mouth then at least have the decency to stand downwind.”

Bristling with contempt, Taduk reels back and looks the scruffy woodsman up and down. “Have you gone senile? Since when was it your place to speak about talent? A geriatric old fossil who only knows how to bully the younger generation, you wouldn’t know talent if it snuck up behind you and bit you on the ass.”

Before things get out of hand, I splash both fussy men with a handful of water. “Play nice you two, this is a tiny boat and we’re a long way from shore.” Ignoring their incredulous stares, I strip down to my makeshift cotton undies and hold out my hand. “Hand me the rope and don’t move the skiff please, I’m gonna go for a swim and try to figure out how Ping-Ping is controlling the water.”

Looping the rope around my shoulders and chest, I tie it off into a makeshift harness and hand the free end to Guan Suo. Peering over the side of the skiff, I try to drum up my courage and dive in. Relax, there’s nothing to worry about, you have Ping-Ping and like a hundred quins to keep you safe. All the fish are swimming away and if something dangerous were hanging around-

“Why’d you wrap a woman's scarf around your crotch? You some kinda pervert or something?”

Guan Suo’s question interrupts my pre-dive psych up and it takes me a moment to respond. “No, it’s to keep me decent while I swim.” Noticing Taduk’s discomfort, I quickly add, “I bought the scarf today. It’s brand new, never worn.” God this is mortifying, he thought it was one of Lin’s scarves. I want to add ‘I’m not a pervert’, but that might be protesting too much.

And let's be honest... I am kinda pervy. I can't help it. I see boobs, I ogle. Such is life.

“And I pray it never will be.” Catching me off guard with his foot, Guan Suo none-too-gently boots me out of the skiff and into the clear, cold waters.

Suppressing my instinct to scream and panic, I roll with the impact and right myself, treading water as I tighten my undies so they don’t unravel or slip off. “Err, thanks. I needed that. Don’t fight now, I’d like to have a skiff to swim back to.” Turning to find a familiar face, I swallow my girlish scream and pinch Mafu’s fat cheeks for almost scaring the piss out of me, only to receive yet another scare when Ping-Ping emerges from the water behind him. Nudging me with her beak to make sure I’m not in any distress, the giant turtle does a full-body wiggle before diving back under, flying through the water on a massive circuit before returning to wait nearby and see what I’ll do next.

Aww that’s so sweet, the big girl wants to play.

Taking a deep breath, I dive underwater to watch Ping-Ping in action, though the doting Mafu distracts my attention. Floating beneath me on his back, my chubby quin exhibits his concern by keeping careful watch on his silly, frail human. Unable to resist, I dive down and hug the silly floof before turning my attention back to Ping-Ping. Also keeping a close eye on me, the giant turtle floats in the water and does nothing else, no longer sending quins spinning in her wake. Doing my best to communicate my wishes, I exhale through my nose and do somersaults in the water until I’m too dizzy to continue. Tilting her head as she watches me make a fool of myself, Ping-Ping continues to float and watch.

After unsuccessfully trying to get my point across a couple more times, I stop to check on Baledagh and Blobby. They’re both doing what they do with little to no change in behaviour. Maybe my little brother would like to swim around, but he doesn’t like me interrupting his training so I’ll wait until his normal break time to ask.

Tightening around my chest, my rope harness drags me upwards and I rocket up out of the water, clearing at least a meter above the surface before landing in the boat. Stumbling to keep my balance, I steady myself with Taduk’s help and stare at Guan Suo in confusion. “What happened? Was it a kraken? You see a kraken? It’s a kraken isn’t it? Why aren’t we moving? There’s a kraken in the waters!”

“Calm down.” Turning me left and right to inspect my face, Guan Suo furrows his brow and says, “You’re hysterical, but not out of breath.”

“Uh... okay...?”

“You just spent ten minutes underwater. I figured you ran out of air and passed out.” Lifting my chin, he pokes the sides of my neck. “You half-fish or something? I don’t see no gills or anything.”

Was I really underwater that long? Glancing at Taduk, he smiles and shrugs, unbothered by my unexplained water-breathing. “You say you spent a week underwater in Sanshu, so ten minutes isn’t so surprising. I would have told him to leave you be but you stopped moving for a bit and I got nervous.” Nudging me back towards the water, he continues, “Don’t concentrate too much on the how, I know you like to agonize over every detail, but sometimes, the Mother gives and does not explain, so don’t overthink.”

Plunging back into the cold water, I do my best to listen to his advice but to no avail. The press of water weighs heavily on my lungs as I try not to worry, but all I can think about is how I’m going to drown. Relax, calm down, and take a deep breath. Just do it, you were breathing fine before. God, it’s hard to force myself to breathe underwater. I mean, breathing is easy, I’ve been doing it my whole life, but underwater, I’m instinctively holding my breath and I can’t shake it. Oh god, I’m running out of air. I’m lightheaded, my lungs are burning for more, I need to surface for another breath. No, No, fight the instinct. You’re fine. Just let yourself go and bre-

Water rushes up my nostrils and into my lungs and I sputter and choke in panic. Struggling to the surface, I cough and breathe as Mafu floats up to support me, lifting me up onto his soggy belly. After emptying my lungs of water, I sheepishly shake my head and avoid eye contact, pained by the pity emanating from Taduk’s eyes. “Sorry Teacher,” I gasp. “I couldn’t not think about it.”

“Don’t worry, Rain my boy,” he says, leaning over to pat my head. “You’ll get the hang of it soon enough.”

Leaning back, I gaze up into the afternoon sky and organize my thoughts. This little fiasco shows I’m not actually ‘breathing water’, which means I’m getting oxygen some other way. It’s not Blobby’s work, which means I’m doing... something... somehow... If I can figure it out, then I’ll be one step closer to flinging bullets, blades, and shields of water. I’m so close I can feel it, information and comprehension just floating in the outskirts of my brain.

Lightheaded from exertion, I rest a little longer to catch my breath and clear my head. It’s beautiful out here, peaceful and calm, with only the sounds of the waves to keep me company. Almost drowning aside, I like it out here and it’s the perfect excuse to get away from all the bothersome things back on land. As long as Rustram finds someone to supply us with fresh food, then I can stay out here and avoid all the annoying nobles who will no doubt come to pester me in droves as they arrive from all over the Empire, not to mention avoid whatever the Legate has intended for me, at least for awhile.

It’s the perfect excuse. He's the one who told me to guard Ping-Ping, so he can't criticize me if I spend all my time out here.

Smiling, I knock on the boat and announce I’m ready to try again before diving down under the waves. I’ve got my own little piece of paradise out here, where no one will come to bother me. Hell, if someone tries, I bet I can convince Ping-Ping to capsize their boat and make others think twice. This is her domain and I intend to make the most of it.

Plus, if I can learn something about manipulating water, then even better. It's not fire or lightning, but it's something...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riding through the city gates, he found a cooler reception than he’d expected. There were no cheers or applause, with only a few scattered eyes turning his way, nothing like the glorious parades of his youth. Those watching lacked awe or recognition, with only meagre curiosity for his mount at best. They all saw an old man past his prime and nearing death, but soon enough, he would prove that his best years still lay ahead. Last time, he’d swallowed his pride and sat in silence when the Emperor passed over him for a commission, but never again. He was the Hero of the Hoplesh Rebellion, the Sanguine Tempest of the Central Province, and admired teacher of the Empire, Lieutenant General Du Min Gyu.

Mentally parsing through his steward’s Sendings, he smiled and shook his head. “Girl, it seems your old rival kept himself busy. He won twenty-eight duels in two days, a feat even you would be hard pressed to match.” Accomplished and hardworking as she was, her Chi and stamina were average at best. Her slender frame was better suited to explosive bursts of power and she required time to recover between bouts, but knowing her competitive nature, he sought to temper her expectations.

Bringing her quin close, she took his hand and squeezed tightly, flashing her beautiful smile as she Sent, “Don’t worry grandpa. Rain likes to think himself clever and cunning, but he can be dumb as a rock at times.” Glancing at every young warrior in sight, she assessed their skills and ogled their looks before dismissing them from memory, all unworthy to challenge her skills. “All he knows is how to work hard. Quality over quantity I say. Forget fighting twenty-eight trashy young masters, I’ll find the strongest talents and beat them into submission.”

“Good, good.” His chest swelled with pride as he gazed at this young woman who favoured too-tight clothes and had come to mean so much to him. His granddaughter and arguably the number one young talent in the Empire, Du Min Yan.

“Good.”

Chapter Meme

- End of Volume 16 -