Savage Divinity

As the pointed spear shot towards Luo-Luo’s head, her first instinct was to fall to her knees and plead for her life, but her body failed her. Her mind screamed at her to move, to block, to dodge, do something to avoid the oncoming thrust coming to claim her life, but in her trepidation, she stood frozen in place, unable to move a single muscle except to shiver uncontrollably from head to toe. Knees knocking and teeth chattering, her body played a concert of terror in symphony with the pounding of her panicked heart, and there was little she could do except stare impending death in the eye.

Except death didn’t come.

Given that this was merely a training match against Lord Husband’s beautiful and talented Sister-in-Law Alsantset, Luo-Luo’s life was never at risk, only her pride and dignity, but even those were spared as her body sprung into action at the last moment. Holding her Sceptre at either end, she brought the weapon up in an arc even as her body twisted aside, striking the spear at the base of the blade and gently guiding it away from her torso. An active parry, Sister Yan had called it, pointed out while they watched Martial Warriors spar in SuiHua, and it was different from a normal parry in that the defender would meet the attack before it was carried out to completion. This was done for many reasons, such as to throw the attacker off-balance or catch them at an inopportune moment, and Sister Yan followed this with a lengthy explanation regarding timing, balance, ripostes, and counter-parries, but it was all too complicated for Luo-Luo to grasp.

Except now, she was certain she’d just performed an active parry to great effect, not only fending off Sister-in-Law Alsantset’s first attack but also moving in to stand almost chest to chest with the formidable half-tiger and well past her optimal minimum range, supposedly the most difficult part of fighting against an opponent with a longer reach.

All of this flashed through Luo-Luo’s mind in a brief half-second, but even this minor delay was enough for Sister-in-Law Alsantset to recover. Instead of retreating to widen the distance between them, she stepped in even closer and hip-checked Luo-Luo away, a move which accomplished the same thing while leaving the half-tiger warrior in control of the match. Seeing was different from experiencing, and in the midst of their sparring match, Luo-Luo had an epiphany. Just like music, dance, or poetry, a large part of fighting relied on tempo and rhythm, on controlling it, changing it, or affecting it to aid yourself while hindering your enemy, a song played with one’s weapon which had little to do with the sounds they made. While she’d never faced an opponent when playing the zither, it was similar enough to draw upon her musical experiences to ease her nerves and still her troubled mind.

Surrendering her body to momentum, she danced away from her opponent’s unseen but anticipated follow-through, a sweep of the metallic spear which howled as it cut through empty air. Two short, plucked quarter notes to represent the step in and check, followed by a ringing half-note chord for the subsequent sweep, a simple, logical progression which had been used in countless melodies since time immemorial. Now, Luo-Luo recognized the familiar progression once more, only this time the instrument was neither flute nor zither, but rather the body of a Martial Warrior, and somehow, it still made perfect sense, the notes sounding in her mind as she watched her opponent move. The spear drew back like a descending scale, and again, Luo-Luo ‘heard’ where the music was going and responded in kind, warding off three probing thrusts before sidestepping the obvious conclusion of this particular sequence, a powerful, resounding downward chop which rang out as it struck the packed dirt and sent a cloud of dust into the air.

Despite dodging the attack successfully, a cold chill ran down Luo-Luo’s spine as the ground shook beneath her feet. Not because of how powerful the attack was, or how it’d come so close to striking her, but because she realized that her judgment had been a mere quarter-beat off, and yet it was enough to spell the difference between life and death. No longer panicked and moving without thought, Luo-Luo realized Sister-in-Law Alsantset was holding back and could have ended this match in a heartbeat if she so desired it. Luo-Luo’s life was in no danger, for if it was, the last strike would have landed clean on her shoulder instead of brushing gently past her leathers to leave her unscathed, but Sister-in-Law Alsantset’s knowing look was telling Luo-Luo to not to be so complacent with minor success. There was no room for error in battle, so she needed to leave herself a larger margin to work with. Instead of staying one beat ahead, better to anticipate an entire measure, or even compose the rest of the melody herself instead of waiting for her opponent to reveal it, so she gripped her sceptre tight and set her mind to task while dodging a flurry of blows from her formidable teacher.

Just as she stumbled when writing her first musical piece, Luo-Luo made countless errors during her first ever sparring match, but Sister-in-Law Alsantset was merciful and always left room enough for Luo-Luo to recover. Not to say she was spared the rod, for she was soon covered in a bevy of bruises and scrapes, from shoulder to knuckle and hip to ankle. All minor injuries, she noted, ones which would heal quickly on their own and leave her sore, but largely functional. Every time Luo-Luo thought she had the melody figured out, the tempo and rhythm would change, akin to using multiple styles of music in a single piece. A calm ballad shifted into a lively march while harmonic scales gave way to discordant trills, sequences which made no sense when translated to a musical piece yet somehow fit perfectly together when played out before Luo-Luo’s eyes.

Of course... Music wasn’t solely about playing a pleasing melody. During the new year’s festivities, when Lord Husband ran out of red pockets to hand out and the crowd grew unruly, did she not calm the crowd and bring them to silence by playing a dissonant tune? Why couldn’t she do something similar here? After measuring the tempo and anticipating where the rhythm would lead them, she then gauged the best way to disrupt the melody and seized the first opportunity which presented itself, a ‘downbeat’ during which Sister-in-Law Alsantset was retracting her spear. Until now, Luo-Luo had done nothing but defend, so this marked her first time mounting an offensive, and she held nothing back. Putting her full weight behind her two handed swing, she aimed for her opponent’s face and prayed she wouldn’t actually injure the fearsome warrior woman, for Luo-Luo had no idea how she’d survive if she angered Alsantset.

They’d been getting along so well lately, the brusque, blunt woman taking Luo-Luo under her wing and offering guidance on traversing the Martial Path, albeit with more insults and less encouragement than she would prefer. A good teacher builds confidence, while a great one inspires it, but Sister-in-Law Alsantset’s scathing criticisms seemed tailor made to tear Luo-Luo’s confidence to shreds.

...There was more than a little emotion behind her decision to hold nothing back while attacking, but it was all for naught however. Despite using every bit of strength she could muster, Sister-in-Law Alsantset caught Luo-Luo’s sceptre with a single hand and ripped the weapon from her jarred fingers. “When you strike,” the half-tiger said, scowling darkly in disapproval, “Strike to kill. No half-hearted measures, especially not while you are sorely outmatched.” Tossing the sceptre back, she watched Luo-Luo fumble to catch the weapon and nodded once she took her stance. “Good. Again.”

And so their match continued until Luo-Luo sported more bruises than a ripe peach after rolling down a rocky mountain path, collapsing in the dirt for the umpteenth time and unable to lift her head once more, her lungs burning and collar soaked in sweat. The world spun as Sister-in-Law Alsantset pulled Luo-Luo to her feet, grimacing as if she were one of her darling children who’d been caught screaming a litany of curses. Worst of all, the blasted, beautiful half-tiger looked none the worse for wear from their almost hour long match, without a hair out of place or drop of sweat to be seen. “Passable,” she begrudgingly said, the word dragged out from between her lips as if she didn’t truly mean it. “Rest, drink, and meditate, then resume training in a quarter hour.”

A quarter hour? Even a quarter day felt too short, but fifteen minutes was hardly enough time for Luo-Luo to catch her breath, much less change out of her sweat-soaked underclothes before they grew sour and musty. A quick glance told her Lord Husband was still sitting in the audience, though she doubted he even noticed Luo-Luo’s performance or her current appearance as he was busy snuggling with Lin-Lin in plain sight while the Abbot loomed nearby. Despite his callous, heartless attitude towards her, Luo-Luo still didn’t want Lord Husband seeing or smelling her as she was, but she lacked the strength to even shuffle off to the side and whimper much less run off to change her clothes. Unable to even speak for all her heavy breathing, she had no choice but to succumb to the whims of her handmaidens as they helped her off the field into a seat by Lord Husband’s side, where only Li-Li, who was also resting in between sparring matches yet somehow looking as radiant as ever, acknowledged Luo-Luo’s arrival with a quiet nod.

Were she not so exhausted, Luo-Luo might’ve lifted her sceptre to smash Lord Husband in the face, or the very least threaten to. Was it so difficult to smile and say, ‘well done’ or perhaps offer a word of encouragement? Hateful, hateful man...

Thankfully, her handmaidens were far more supportive of Luo-Luo, as they’d grown close as sisters in the past months. “Oh milady,” Anrhi exclaimed, fanning Luo-Luo excitedly while Sorya held a cup to her lips. “Ye were so dazzling out there, bold and heroic like a true Martial Warrior.”

“Ye were both moving so fast, I could barely keep track of who was who,” Sorya added, but all Luo-Luo could think about was why the silly girl would offer her a mere teacup of water while she was dying of thirst. “Why, if I hadn’t seen ye start yer training meself a few months back, I’d have thought ye started learning how to fight in the cradle, I would.”

Desperately wishing to submerge herself in a lake to slake her thirst, Luo-Luo quietly pleaded for Sorya to refill the cup and panted in desiccated anguish while her handmaidens nattered away in their charming, folksy accent, one which she normally found quaint and adorable but grated on her nerves in this time of misery. “That’s Imperial Blood at work, I say,” Anrhi proclaimed, so proud one might think she was speaking of herself. “Milady weren’t lying when she said she had the blood of Emperors running through her veins.”

Glancing at Lord Husband sitting a few metres away, Sorya lowered her voice and whispered, “Can you imagine how cute an Imperial and Bekkie blooded baby will be?”

“Ahh, they’ll be absolutely darling, especially if they inherit Milord’s dreamy eyes.”

“Even without them. Milady has wide, rounded eyes, so soft and inviting. Men could lose themselves for hours in them.”

“I reckon it ain’t her eyes men’re losin’ themselves in.”

“Oh Anrhi, yer so terrible.”

“Oh shush, I ain’t sayin’ anything that ain’t true. Don’t ye worry Milady, me and Sorya know how to look after the little ones, we helped Mama with the neighbour’s kids while we was growin’ up.

“Is this true?”

At the sound of an unfamiliar voice, Luo-Luo’s silly handmaidens jumped in fright, though Luo-Luo might’ve joined them had she not be so thoroughly exhausted. Craning around for a better look, she found the aged Colonel General Nian Zu standing over her shoulder, his brow furrowed and expression dark. Unsure how to answer, Luo-Luo stammered and stuttered while scrambling for a clue, because she had no idea what truth he was asking about. That Sorya and Anrhi looked after neighbourhood children while growing up? Luo-Luo saw no reason for them to lie, but she also knew there was no reason a Colonel General would be asking about them. Was he perhaps asking if men lose themselves in something besides Luo-Luo’s eyes? Certainly, for they were drawn to the strangest of things, but again, why would a lofty existence like Nian Zu ask such a question, especially with Lord Husband sitting nearby? It was hardly a proper line of questioning between a man and an unfamiliar woman, and might could even be construed as vulgar or immoral flirtation. A shame on this lustful grandfather, almost four times Luo-Luo’s age and...

Oh wait. Gesturing for her handmaidens to help her up, Luo-Luo gave a tired, belated curtsy and asked, “Is Colonel General Nian Zu asking if this one is of Imperial Blood?”

“No.” His frown darkening, the old warrior asked, “Did you truly begin your training a few months ago?”

“...Yes.” Hanging her head in shame, she explained, “Luo-Luo has worked hard, but her skills are sorely lacking and she apologizes for the disgrace she displayed for all to see.” The first time she’d come to the training fields with Sister-in-Law Alsantset, it’d only been to Demonstrate the Forms, and since then, that was all she’d done, but during breakfast today, Sister-in-Law Alsantset announced Luo-Luo was ready for her first ever sparring match. Too afraid and ashamed to spar in public, she begged to have their match somewhere private, but the stubborn woman wouldn’t even consider it before dragging Luo-Luo away to the field, where she was forced to humiliate herself before all of Lord Husband’s subordinates. Why Sister-in-Law Alsantset felt it necessary to do this, Luo-Luo couldn’t say, but now she had to face the ire of a Colonel General unaided, as it was obvious he was displeased by the distraction she’d wrought.

“Disgrace?” Scoffing in obvious disdain, Colonel General Nian Zu said, “If you think your performance a disgrace, then you should visit an Imperial training facility and see what true disgrace looks like.” So deep in her despair, it took some effort to parse through his meaning, but the Colonel General hardly noticed. “You fought well, especially considering your lack of experience and superior opponent, though I do admit some of your choices were rather unorthodox. Advancing where others would retreat, only to give up the advantage you’ve seized, or the way you treat your mace like a baton, rather than the heavy weapon it truly is. In all my years of service, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Martial Warrior with such a... unique take on the Forms.”

Cheeks heating with shame, Luo-Luo continued staring at her feet and wondered why a man in Nian Zu’s position would take the effort to mock a poor consort like herself. He’d made his stance clear back in the citadel, so perhaps he saw her as an unnecessary burden and blamed her for ‘forcing’ him here to the front lines. Luckily, Lord Husband chose to speak up in her defence, just as he’d refused to simply hand her over to Yang Jixing without her approval. “It’s an interesting perspective,” he said, still lounging in his cushioned chair with Lin-Lin, “Approaching the Forms as a dance isn’t unheard of, and as far as I can tell, it’s working out well for her.” Shrugging, he ruined the compliment by adding, “Then again, it could just be innate talent propping her up and her style will eventually come back to bite her in the ass later on down the Martial Path, so it’s hard to say how effective it really is.”

“Eh-Mi-Tuo-Fuo.” As if her shame were not great enough, even the Abbot saw fit to join the discussion instead of letting things lie. “Dancing and fighting share similar roots, requiring power, stamina, finesse, and flexibility to perform, but the ties go even deeper. Look to children for the answer, for when they are excited, they might punch the air or caper about, as both are forms of using motion to express emotion. What is dancing but fighting without bloodshed? What is fighting but a dance to the death?”

“A novel way to put it.” The Colonel General’s dismissive tone spoke volumes to his true meaning, for it seemed he found the Abbot’s explanation sorely lacking even though it filled Luo-Luo with hope for the future. “But one dances to entertain, and one fights to kill. Put her on the battlefield, and there’s a good chance she’ll get herself and the people around her killed.”

“True, but I’ve no intention of sending her out to fight in my stead.” Raising a hand to silence Colonel General and Abbot alike, Lord Husband gave an impish smile while behaving with such boorish discourtesy, but both men took it in stride. “Regardless, there’s no point standing around speculating when we can hear the truth straight from the horse’s mouth.”

While she couldn’t quite make sense of the idiom, nor could anyone else, Luo-Luo still bristled at being likened to a horse. Realizing silence wasn’t an option since it meant leaving a Colonel General and high holy monk of the Mother waiting on her answer, she scoured her mind for the best way to explain her thoughts, but alas, she hardly understood her choices herself. “This one apologizes wholeheartedly, but she was so flustered during the match, Luo-Luo cannot remember what was going through her mind.”

For once, Lord Husband devoted his attention to Luo-Luo, albeit at the most inopportune time. “Take a breath and relax,” he said, unable or unwilling to see her embarrassment. Who was she to speak of the Martial Path to anyone? “Close your eyes if it helps and picture the spar in you mind. Take us through it step by step, starting from the beginning. The first strike, picture it now, the spear racing towards you. What were you thinking?”

“...This one wasn’t thinking.” Reading the disappointment in Lord Husband’s eyes, which were as dreamy as Anrhi implied, Luo-Luo explained, “This one’s mind went blank and she... she heard the music of the battle, in a sense. There was a rhythm and cadence to Sister-in-Law’s movements, and at first, so long as this one followed the logical progression of the music, it was enough to read her movements in advance. In a sense, Luo-Luo played a harmony to Sister-in-Law’s melody, an accompaniment of sorts, but as the match wore on, this one realized that following Sister-in-Law’s cues would only lead to Luo-Luo’s defeat, so she endeavoured to... ruin the music, for lack of a better explanation. This one then tried to introduce a dissonant melody and seize control of the tempo, or failing that, disrupt the rhythm of Sister-in-Law’s movements and perhaps gain an advantage there, but she saw little success, as you all know.” Seeing the blank faces greeting her explanation, she gave a helpless little huff and clutched her hands before she threw them up into the air in frustration. “This one cannot explain it, not in its entirety, for this one does not understand it herself. It just... felt right.”

Everyone traded confused glances in silence, but it was Lin-Lin who came to her rescue. “So it’s like reading the flow of Set-sets movement’s yea? You know all the musical notes, which are the Movements in the Forms, so when you see a certain grouping of notes, you have a good idea of what should come next.”

Luo-Luo wasn’t entirely sure this was the case, but everyone present chimed out in agreement, having finally made sense of her thought process. “So smart.” After praising his beloved wifey, Lord Husband hugged her close before turning to Luo-Luo to say, “The music of battle, huh? What an interesting concept.”

“A deeply flawed one.” Clearly biased against Luo-Luo, the Colonel General huffed and said, “A song follows logical progression, but a battle less so. Your opponents will not do as you expect, and when you are caught off guard, complaining about ‘discordant harmonies’ won’t keep your head attached to your neck.”

“Eh-Mi-Tuo-Fuo, the mysteries of Heaven lay bare before our eyes, but we only lack the wisdom to perceive them.” Shrugging, the Abbot continued, “Who are we to determine right and wrong when speaking of the Martial Path? What works for one creature might not work for another. Should we condemn the wolf because it walks on four legs instead of two, or the fish because it breathes water instead of air?”

“I get what you mean, but technically, fish don’t breathe water. They only breathe while submerged in water, but like us, they need air to survive. They just get theirs by extracting it from the water, and just as normal humans can’t breathe underwater, they can’t breathe out of it.”

“...Junior Brother, this monk cannot fathom how you might even begin to back such a claim.”

Puckering his lips like a fish, Lord Husband flexed them twice and asked, “How do they blow bubbles if they don’t breathe air?” Seeing the Abbot’s poleaxed expression, he laughed and said, “It’s easy enough to prove too. Take a live fish and feed it, then put it in a small, airtight tank of water. Unless your tank is too large, the fish will suffocate long before it starves.”

“...A cruel test, is this not?”

“...Yea I suppose. What if you...”

Luo-Luo’s explanation long forgotten, Lord Husband and the Abbot moved on to yet another pointless debate while Colonel General Nian Zu took a seat beside them, studying Luo-Luo not as a man studies a woman, but as a man studies livestock, wholly immune to her charms and only here to satisfy his Martial curiosity. Reminded of Lord Husband’s rude comparison, Luo-Luo gave a muted huff before turning away to ignore him, though he probably wouldn’t notice if she dropped dead of exhaustion right here and now.

Well, there was still ample opportunity to test her theory, as her fifteen minutes of rest ended far too soon. Grinning like Sarankho coming back with a catch, Khishig Tursinai sauntered up to Luo-Luo and said, “On your feet, little princess. It’s my turn to play.” Molesting Luo-Luo’s sceptre with her gaze, Li-Li’s protector came off as a touch unhinged as she said, “I admit, I’m jealous of your wonderful weapon, but you don’t even use everything it has to offer. Ah, if only I’d been born a half-decade later, then maybe I’d have that sceptre instead of you.”

Mother in Heaven... to think, there would come a time when Luo-Luo wished she could face Sister-in-Law Alsantset instead, but Khishig Tursinai was a far more fearsome foe, a sadistic woman who grinned maniacally every time Luo-Luo let out a piteous wail, and if past experience was anything to go by, there would be grins and wails aplenty.

Dragging her heels, Luo-Luo’s departure came to a halt as an armed escort marched right up to Lord Husband, but to her great relief they weren’t here for him. “Colonel General Nian Zu, Commander Watanabe requests your presence in the Command Tent.”

“I’m busy.” Gesturing for Luo-Luo to hurry along, the shameless old warrior said, “I’ll be by to see the Commander later.”

“Begging your pardon Colonel General.” Though the messenger leaned in close and lowered his voice, Luo-Luo read his lips and watched him say, “This concerns the safety of not only Sinuji, but perhaps the entire front line as a whole.”

As the irate Colonel General left with the escort, Luo-Luo’s heart hammered away as she imagined all the possibilities. Could it be? Were the Defiled finally done with these piecemeal attacks and ready to move on the Central Province itself? Would Lord Husband and his people be left in Sinuji as sacrificial pawns to slow the Defiled advance? Or perhaps they’d already struck, sending assassins after key figures inside the citadel. Lord Husband’s father might already be dead, or maybe even the Legate himself, poisoned by the dark blades of the Defiled Wraiths...

“Relax.” Punctuating her advice by slapping Luo-Luo’s bottom, Tursinai dragged her away with a smile. “Whatever it is, it isn’t for the likes of us to worry about. All we need to do is train and fight, and that’s what we’re here to do.” Stopping in an area which had already been cleared of people, Tursinai gestured for Luo-Luo to stay still before girlishly skipping away in glee. At ten meters distance, she turned around and said, “Okay then. Let that chain loose and show Big Sister Tursi what you can do.” Twirling her own deadly chain and sickle, she added, “And since this is a spar, you need to do it while trying not to get hit.”

...Perhaps Luo-Luo had erred in refusing to go with Jixing. No, she hadn’t, but it was a close thing. Incredibly close, and if Lord Husband didn’t get her with child soon, then she might run screaming into Jixing’s arms and beg him to bring her back east, where she would be safe from Tursinai for as long as the Empire should stand.

Which admittedly, might not be long if the Defiled were truly on the move...

Chapter Meme