Savage Divinity

Seeing her little brother consumed by anger, Alsantset kept a firm grip on his hand while they rode for the Canston Trading Group’s merchant house. “Mind your temper little Rain,” she Sent, wishing sweet Lin was here to calm him down instead of sleeping in her yurt. The adorable girl was lovable to the extreme but far too lazy and spoiled for Alsantset’s tastes. “Do not do anything overly rash, not here and not now. Even with his backing, the Legate will not turn a blind eye to open slaughter.”

“Yes sister,” Rain replied, using the same cordial tone he always used when humouring her. Shoulders tense and muscles taut, his eyes held a predatory cast to them, fixed and unblinking on what lay ahead. She’d seen the same look on Gerel dozens of times before, always in the calm before bloodshed which betrayed his longing for death and destruction. It seemed so out of place on her little brother’s handsome face, yet somehow also fitting. Her poor, sweet little brother, a man grown yet so haunted by the memories of his past, even the mere mention of his former oppressors was enough to send him flying into a rage.

Not that she blamed him. She’d never forget the first moment she’d laid eyes on little Rain, thinking her eyes were playing tricks when that frail, gaunt little boy emerged from the brush and blindly stumbled towards their well-hidden camp. Shivering from head to toe, he made for a pitiful sight, dressed in dirty rags which barely covered his sickly and battered body. His laboured, wheezing coughs and slow, wearied steps revealed he was close to collapsing yet he continued moving with careful caution, shuffling from brush to brush and resting in cover whenever he could find it.

It was such a heartrending sight, it took every shred of discipline she possessed to resist the urge to run over, wrap him in her cloak, lift him off of his bloodied feet, and reassure him that everything was going to be alright. It physically pained her to stand and watch as he continued his arduous trek, but she stayed her hand not out of malice or disdain, but because she needed to see how he’d react to the light from their campfires. This far out in the wilds and with how much he’d obviously suffered, it wasn’t a far stretch to believe he could be Defiled.

Would his smile hold joyous relief or cruel anticipation?

When the dying boy rounded the bend and spotted the firelight, she discovered neither in his expression, for he didn’t smile at all. There was no shock or surprise, no relief or joy in those lovely golden eyes, so similar to her husband’s, yet wholly devoid of hope or expectation. The boy saw the light, instinctively took cover, and sighed. For long minutes Alsantset waited for him to take action, perhaps to move towards the camp, or maybe angle around and survey the area, or even try to signal his still unseen comrades, but the boy did none of these things. Instead, he hunkered down to watch and wait just as she was, though for what, she didn’t know.

Why? Why did he stand there struggling with indecision? He was cold, injured, and helpless, while aid and succour lay within reach, yet he made no move towards it. Instead, after thinking things through, he staggered down to the river, filled his belly with water, then settled into the exposed roots of an overgrown tree to lie down and watch the camp. These were not the actions of an innocent in need, celebrating at the first sign of human presence, nor was she convinced they were the actions of a Defiled spy. The boy was clever enough to follow water downstream in search of rescuers and his body language told her he wanted to approach the camp, but fear and apprehension kept him rooted in place. The boy was cold, starved and injured, yet still he hesitated to trust the strangers before of him.

So shocked by his actions, she took a long time to piece together what she’d seen. Golden eyes, like her husband and Gerel, this boy was one of the People. Defiled or not, she felt an obligation to help, either by taking him in or putting an end to his miserable experience. Believing he wouldn’t survive until nightfall, she abandoned her post and returned to camp for permission to bring him in. She would have brought him in first and damned the consequences, but she didn’t want to frighten the poor child any more than necessary. Papa’s Iron Banner mercenaries were not the most well-adjusted individuals living in the Saint’s Tribulation Mountains, and surprising them at mealtime with an injured, dishevelled child whose image screamed Defiled would not end well for either party.

Oh how he’d run when she first approached, his frail body fuelled by fear and desperation. Determined and crafty too, giving up his struggles after she brought him in so she’d lower her guard. Papa and her beloved still made jokes at her expense for letting little Rain slip from her grasp, but she took pride in his cunning and knew it would serve him well. Now, six years later, that scared, desperate young man held a special place in her heart, her driven, persistent, stubborn younger brother who could move mountains and drain seas through sheer effort of will alone. At nineteen years old, he was already the publicly-styled number one talent in the North and the youngest Second Grade Warrant Officer in the history of the Empire, all while hiding his most impressive Martial accomplishments like Awakening and forming a Natal Palace.

And today, she feared he would throw it all away in a fit of blind rage.

Knowing her words would not reach Rain, she turned to her husband for help. Meeting her gaze with a helpless shrug, he Sent, “Unless you intend to knock him senseless, little Rain will do as he pleases. Better that he does this while we are here to watch over him. Trust him, my love. He will not act rashly, not with Tali and Tate here.”

“So you intend to stand by and do nothing?”

“I am ready to intervene if necessary.” Shrugging again, her husband added, “This is not the first time we have protected him without his knowledge, nor will it be the last.”

Guiltily glancing at her little brother, Alsantset reassured herself there was nothing wrong. While she wanted to be as calm as her husband and trust her little brother, she couldn’t shake her worry. There was a darkness inside Rain, a vicious anger so bitter and inhuman it took her breath away. He never spoke about what happened before they found him and no one ever asked, but his missing fingernails, shattered teeth, malnourished frame, and mangled body spoke volumes to his treatment, as did his actions after meeting his helpless tormentors. Though she treated him like family, she’d always been careful to watch him for signs of Defilement, even going as far as letting him wander into the forest ‘unsupervised’ to see what he would do. As time passed, her vigilance waned but even then she feared that someday his past would catch up to him and she’d lose him to the Father’s vile lies.

The first time she thought him lost was when Yan clued her in to his actions against the Defiled, seething with hatred and torturing them until they screamed for mercy. The second was during the duels with the Society, when he’d allowed rage to overcome reason after killing a young man in cold blood and finding himself matched against a bristleboar slave. In his mind, bristleboars and Defiled were one and the same, his most hated enemies who deserved no mercy, but as abhorrent as their practices were, the bristleboar were merely slaves serving their master. If little Rain overstepped his bounds and killed one inside Nan Ping, not even the Legate’s goodwill would save him from the lash, or worse, the hangman’s rope.

For the second time in as many minutes, Alsantset cursed sweet Lin for her lethargic ways, wishing the sweet girl was here to break little Rain’s foul mood. No one else could do the same, not even stubborn Sumila or adorable Tali and Tate. How was she to keep Rain from making the mistake of a lifetime? Throw the clingy Banjo into his arms? Make Aurie grumble for a headbutt? Drag Rain into an enclosed room and release the rabbits? Convince Auntie Song to give him a hug and a kiss?

If only Yan were here, she’d keep little Rain in line with a bawdy joke and a lewd wink. He was an idiot for letting her slip away.

Unfortunately, time ran out before she could act as they arrived at the closed gates of the Canston Trading Group’s merchant house, A massive, walled property sitting next to the main road and backing onto the river Nan Ping was built around, the merchant house was far more luxurious than Alsantset had expected. Now, all she could do was send her babies to the back, grab her spear, and pray for the best. Outside the house gates stood eight armoured, bristleboar guards, brandishing their distinctive hairstyle and iron weapons as Rain’s retinue arrived in full force to surround them. Giving credit where it was due, she applauded their courage for coming out to meet them, but it was more likely they’d been ordered to do so by their merchant masters.

By now, word of her little brother’s heavy-handed ways had spread, with his reckless behaviour and willingness to risk the Legate’s ire sending the dishonest merchants into a tizzy. What did these greedy fools expect, for a Warrant Officer to sit idly by and be cheated of their coin? Or for millions of soldiers to do nothing and slowly starve outside Nan Ping’s walls while merchants and nobles feasted lavishly in earshot? It was idiocy of the highest order and were it not for this unforeseen complication involving the Canston Trading Group, she was wholly supportive of little Rain’s actions.

“Warrant Officer Falling Rain,” a bristleboar guard said, greeting him with a salute. “My mast-”

“Who gave you permission to speak, piggy?” Mounted atop his fat quin, little Rain rode up to the bristleboar and stared him down, bringing their faces within centimetres of each other. Were it anyone else, Alsantset would have laughed at the sight of this bantam young man facing off against a hulking, imposing bristleboar. Forced to look up at his standing foe despite being mounted on Mafu’s back, there was nothing comical about this as Rain’s killing intent leaked out and set the bristleboar guards to trembling. His murderous hostility was clear to everyone watching and even the Divine Guardian sensed something off about the situation, looming above Rain’s head to study the poor guards like tiny, bite-sized snacks.

After long, tense seconds, Rain finally broke the silence. “Funny story. I killed two hundred piggies who looked just like you,” he proclaimed, sneering at each bristleboar guard in turn as he fanned the flames of an already volatile situation. “Little more than a year ago, we found your ugly brethren trespassing on our territory, hiding in a cave with ill intent.” Reaching out to tap lightly on a guard’s breastplate, Rain sneered and continued. “A worthless bunch wearing fancy armour just like yours, though it didn’t do them any good. Since they were too afraid to march out and die like warriors, I huffed, and I puffed, and I filled their cave with poisonous gas.” Grinning maniacally, he paused for effect, as if reminiscing of fond memories. “Those brave enough to come out were slaughtered like the pigs they were, while the rest died slowly, choking on their own blood.”

One of the guards growled beneath his breath and Rain focused in on the dissenter. “Does that make you angry little piggy?” Rain asked. “How surprising. I didn’t think you piggies would care about the death of your brethren. Why should you? Your progenitor obviously doesn’t give a shit about you. Judging by how many of you there are, he’s probably too busy rutting with women day in and day out to care about your lives.” Looking the bristleboar up and down, he asked, “You a slave piggy? I bet you are. A real warrior would’ve stood up for themselves by now. What a sad, sorry existence, sold by the father who sired you. How much do one of you go for? Can’t be worth much, you worthless, ugly piggies are good for nothing besides bullying the weak. Don’t know who has it worse, you or your master. There are no winners there, one stuck with a worthless fool and the other born a bristleboar.”

Infuriated beyond all measure, the eight guards stood firm with clenched jaws and blood-shot eyes, their involuntary twitches betraying their urges to strike little Rain down. Far from worried, her brother seemed to welcome their anger, grinning coldly at the guards, his face twisted by hatred and contempt. Before he could speak again, a voice sounded from behind the gates. “Enough.” Peering over the edge of the wall, a painted merchant with quivering cheeks and a bulbous nose said, “W-warrant Officer Falling Rain, t-this one is merchant Chuwon of the Canston Trading Group. To what do I... do we owe this pleasure?”

“Tch.” Making an audible sound of disappointment, little Rain glared at the terrified merchant on the wall. “Is this how the Canston Trading Group greets its customers? Open the gates. I have business to discuss.”

“Your contract has-”

“Silence.” Little Rain was in no mood to let them off lightly like he had done with the other merchant groups, determined to make trouble for the Canston Trading Group. “I will not have my affairs announced before the entire city. Open the gates or I will open them for you. What are you afraid of? I won’t break an Imperial Decree over a few thousand gold coins.

Little Rain’s not-so-innocent smile made the merchant’s cheeks quiver all the harder. Turning back for instructions, Chuwon parroted his puppeteer’s words back for them to hear. “M-My a-ap-apologies young hero, but-”

“Warrant Officer,” little Rain corrected, enjoying this far too much.

“Yes, yes, my mistake, Warrant Officer, but-”

“Then open the gates and all is forgiven.”

After ducking back for more instructions, Chuwon reappeared and said, “Very well, but I fear our humble merchant house too small to accommodate so many soldiers. As you said, with an Imperial Decree keeping the peace, you have nothing to fear, so you won’t mind having your soldiers wait outside.

“Sure. If you’re so worried about little old me, I’ll come inside alone,” Rain replied, taking every chance he could to mock them. Once the gates cracked opened, he rode through the tiny gap alone and the gates slammed shut behind him, as if the guards feared Rain’s retinue would rush through. Stuck outside, the Divine Guardian voiced her squeaking dissent and Alsantset immediately realized why little Rain was so insistent on going inside, as did mister Rustram. Pulling the retinue away from the distraught turtle, they stood and watched as the Divine Guardian grew more anxious and concerned with each passing second, but no matter how loud she cried, little Rain did not return.

The minutes passed quickly and after a quarter-hour of restless, foot-stamping anxiety, the Divine Guardian had finally had enough. Unleashing a hellish shriek at the guards, they had just enough time to leap aside before the Divine Guardian burst through the reinforced double-doors, revealing a surprised Chuwon approaching them. Bringing a good portion of the wall with her, the Divine Guardian stepped into the merchant house’s courtyard, barely pausing as she searched for a path around the main house. Finding none which could fit her bulk, she made her intentions clear by smashing through a wall of the house with her head and waiting for the inhabitants to flee, stomping and screeching the whole while. Finally deciding enough time had passed, she ran straight through the main house and out the other side, leaving nothing but ruins in her wake as she disappeared into the river and swam away.

Choking on his laughter, mister Rustram coughed and said, “Escort the Divine Guardian and keep her safe.” Leading the charge, he brought little Rain’s retinue around the merchant house in an orderly fashion, ignoring the chaos left behind them. Overwhelmed with shock, Chuwon stood with jaw agape as he gazed upon the destruction around him, unable to believe his eyes.

Remembering the painted fool was headed for the gate shortly before the Divine Guardian charged in, Alsantset rode over to question him. “Where is the Warrant Officer?” she asked, concerned they might have done something to little Rain.

She asked twice more before the buffoon snapped out of his daze. “The Warrant Officer... he remarked on the beauty of my pleasure barge,” he said, voice heavy with regret, “and asked to borrow it for the afternoon. Since he conceded to all our terms readily, I agreed. He wanted to take it out immediately, so I saw him off and was on my way over to inform his men when... when...” Waving a hand around him, he gestured at the destroyed merchant home.

Hurriedly voicing her thanks, she rode away like the wind and caught up to her husband before bursting into laughter. Barely able to contain herself, she explained everything through Sending to her husband between breathless gasps, delighted by her little brother’s crafty ploy. “He slipped out the back and took the boat upstream, knowing the Divine Guardian would sense him getting away and stop at nothing to find him.”

Not sharing in her mirth, her husband frowned and shook his head. “I suppose little Rain will claim the Divine Guardian acted on her own accord and refuse to pay, but his story won’t hold if the Disciplinary Corps get involved.”

“Even if he’s forced to pay for the damages, it was well worth it,” Alsantset replied. “I imagine the Canston Trading Group’s reputation will plummet once the public learns the Mother’s Sacred Servant destroyed their merchant house in a pique of rage. There will be whispers of Heavenly Justice for decades to come.”

“It’s not payment I’m worried about my love,” her husband Sent, his brow furrowed with worry. “While little Rain followed all the rules, he skirted dangerously close to breaking the peace and intentionally at that. What if the Legate takes issue with his actions? Or worse, looks into why the People and Rain in particular have such enmity with the Canston Trading Group?”

Her mirth and good mood spoiled, Alsantset’s stomach flopped as she considered the consequences. Unable to find blame with her little brother, she scowled and glared back at the ruins of the merchant house. “We should have killed them all years ago, removed them all root and stem for daring to enslave one of the People.” Closing her eyes, she prayed that the Legate had a sense of humour and many, many more important matters to attend to. Wealthy though they might be, the Canston Trading Group was merely a merchant group while Falling Rain was a rising dragon of the Empire. Surely the Legate would take their side in this, so long as little Rain didn’t go overboard.

Or… well… any more overboard...

Most likely, nothing would come of this, but just in case, Alsantset changed her plans. Initially, she intended to conceal her strength and go easy on her challengers, but no longer. The more Experts the People revealed, the more valuable they would be.

Today, a new name would be added to the Empire’s Roll of Experts: Tigress Alsantset, Flower of the North.

Chapter Meme