Chapter 326 (Rough, unedited, and memeless)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yaagL59Rbv5U9vxoMMeZt7x8qa2cfOLI56s-AgziwKg/edit?usp=sharing

“I’ll ask you one more time: you’re certain your information is important enough to wake the boss?”

Pausing mid-drink, Jorani swallowed his jerky and flatbread to answer. “Sure as sure Mister Rustram,” he croaked, regretting his hasty decision as the half-chewed food sat painfully in his gullet. Still, after seven days traipsing through the brush, even dried rations tasted like heaven-sent cuisine. “The boss’ll wanna hear it himself, probably with someone keeping things quiet to boot.” A handy little trick, it also made the list of things Jorani wanted to learn, but Sending still sat firmly at the top. Ain’t nothing better than being stationed as a Sender, an easy life if he’d ever seen one.

Swallowing another mouthful of water and praying the lump in his throat would descend, Jorani noted the number two’s nervous fidgeting in the flickering firelight, clenching his sweat-soaked handkerchief like it owed him money. It was never a good sign when the top dogs were anxious enough to show it, so Jorani leaned in and whispered, “Mister Rustram, if’n ye don’t mind me askin’, what’s got ye all twisted in knots?” The second he stepped foot in camp, Jorani had rushed over to make his report, so he didn’t have time to learn about what’d happened in his absence. The bossman probably started another blood feud or something, he seemed to really like those.

“It’s nothing,” Mister Rustram whispered back, which only told Jorani something was afoot. Why else would he whisper? Without further prompting, Mister Rustram continued, eager to have a sympathetic ear. “It’s just that the boss’s mood has been dour of late, what with getting exiled from the city, the shark attack, and his difficulties Awakening, so disturbing his sleep to make a report you refuse to reveal is... stressful.”

Mother above... Shark attack? Awakening?

Whatever, enough to know that the bossman was being all cantankerous and such. Nothing to it, Jorani had served under dozens of bandit leaders and learned all sorts of ways to keep his head attached. “Don’t ye worry about a thing Mister Rustram, ain’t a doubt in my mind the boss’ll want all this kept hush-hush. Why, I bet he’ll even praise ye fer yer keen foresight.” Well, Jorani’s foresight, but it never hurt to let a superior take credit for your work. A pat on the back or a favoured owed, easy enough to know which option to choose.

As the bossman stepped out of his yurt to meet them, Jorani straightened up to match his posture. A small trick he learned to ingratiate himself with others, always try to match their energy. If the boss is alert, then the lackey should be too, and if the boss is relaxed, relax with him, unless you’re on duty or got some other reason to be alert. If the boss makes eye contact, then you hold it for a second before looking away as a show of submission, unless you’re trying to convince him you’re innocent of whatever he’s accusing you of. Then, you open your eyes wide, stare back without blinking, and hope he buys your story.

Studying the bossman with a critical eye, Jorani assessed the situation in a heartbeat. Fully dressed, armed, and carrying a full tea-kettle, it would appear the bossman had only just fallen asleep while still wearing his clothes. No wonder number two was all jumpy, the bossman looked exhausted and with him, that really meant something. If the dark bags under his bloodshot eyes weren’t enough to sell it, his damp hair and collar showed he’d splashed some water on his face and hadn’t been too careful about it. Weary though he might be, there was a rarely seen intensity behind the bossman’s gaze, a look usually reserved for his luckless opponents now directed at Mister Rustram, Jorani, Jinoe, Ronga, and Siyar. It was only a cursory glance, taking them all in as he did his customary sweep of the surroundings, always on the lookout for danger. Not an easy way to live, always vigilant and guarded, but with how often the bossman came close to dying, Jorani couldn’t blame him for being more cautious than most.

“Jorani,” the bossman said, starting his second sweep of the surroundings. “You’re late.”

Not the best start, but he’d survived through worse. First, acknowledge your guilt. “Sorry boss.” No need for excuses unless the bossman asks for one, because otherwise he ain’t interested. Luckily, even on his worst days, this particular bossman the most rational bossman Jorani ever served under. A raised eyebrow was all it took and Jorani seized the opportunity to explain. “We ran into complications on the road and could only travel at night. I told Mister Rustram here we found some damning evidence and he figured it’d be best we keep this all quiet like.” The bossman nodded along but appeared distracted as he glanced around. Looking to number two for support, Jorani found none forthcoming, so he continued, “Might be best if we put up a sound barrier, or maybe stepped inside?” The days might be warm and sunny, but at night, the breeze coming off the Azure Sea sapped the heat right out of your bones.

Stilling but for a twitch in his cheek, the bossman stopped looking around and fixed Jorani with an unnerving, predatory glare. That’s all it took to put Jorani on edge, sensing the calm before the storm, a heavy, suffocating atmosphere brought about by the bossman’s silent promise of brutal retribution as he stared Jorani down. What’d happened these past few days? The bossman was a harsh taskmaster sure, but he was never one to rule through fear or brutality, at least not before. Now, with his jaw clenched, muscles tensed, and deliberate, measured breaths, the bossman looked ready to explode into violence at the drop of a hat. It took all the courage Jorani could muster to stand firm without flinching, only managing because he knew running might set the bossman off.

After long, torturous seconds, the bossman pursed his lips and huffed. “Fine.” Glancing at the empty space beside his door, he asked, “Would you mind?”

“Eh-Mi-Tuo-Fuo.” The fattest monk Jorani had ever seen appeared out of thin air, sitting with his eyes closed and head bowed. “Such vigilance, such perception.”

“Not really,” the bossman replied. “Easy enough to see grass pressed flat to the dirt. Mister Rustram, when we’re done here, find our guest some proper accommodations.”

“Unnecessary. This one requires nothing more than the earth as his bed and the sky as his shelter.” Opening his eyes, the fat monk frowned and said, “The barrier is in place. Ordinarily, this one would refrain from taking action, but there is something... unpleasant upon your person.”

Nodding in agreement, the bossman resumed glaring at Jorani. “So? Out with it.”

“Right.” Swallowing his resentment over hostile treatment, Jorani recounted their trip to the winery, emphasizing their lack of preparation and how unpleasant the entire journey had been, but the bossman appeared unmoved. “Then we legged it and near as we can tell, they were none the wiser.” His tale finished, he grimaced as Siyar handed over both copper vessels, one sealed and one broken, but wrapped several layers of cloth and shoved into a metal helmet. “Damn nasty stuff. Near as we can tell, it’s sunlight what sets it off, which is why we only moved at night. It’ll eat through almost anything once it gets going, but without sunlight, it’s harmless enough. Ronga got some on his hand and it stayed there for hours til dawn, but once it got goin’, it spread fast. Worked its way up the arm and could’ve killed him if we hadn’t lopped it off.”

“Interesting.” The bossman’s response was less than ideal and Jorani could feel Ronga’s heart dropping. Losing a hand might be nothing to the Undying, but to a cut-purse, their nimble fingers were what they relied on to survive. Turning to the monk, the bossman asked, “Your thoughts?” The monk didn’t say anything out loud, but after a short pause, the bossman sighed. “Yea, seems about right. Okay, time to pass this up the ladder.” With that, he strode off with the monk, giant turtle, and Mister Rustram in tow, leaving Jorani and his people standing in place. No thank you, no dismissal, not even a cursory ‘good job’, the bossman just left like that.

No. This was unacceptable. Even the most sadistic bandit leader would offer a few words of praise, if only to keep up appearances.

Gesturing for the others to keep up but hang back, Jorani rushed over to the bossman’s side, keeping a leery eye on the giant turtle. “Beggin’ yer pardon boss,” he whispered, struggling to sound both deferential and authoritative at the same time, “but maybe ye could spare a word fer my boys back there. Not fer nothing, but they slipped into a heavily guarded compound and back out without so much as raising a whisper. I made it sound easy boss, but it was anything but, and Ronga did lose a hand bringin’ that stuff back. A little pat on the back would go a long way towards -”

Shutting his mouth with an audible click, Jorani shot to attention as the bossman stopped in place, the cheek twitch back in full force. Too scared to look, Jorani stared down at the tip of his nose, praying for sweet mercy and wishing he’d never opened his mouth. Damn it, he should’ve listened to Ral and caught a couple ground-squirrels to offer as a pet, but it was too late for regrets now. Time slowed as the bossman’s blurry, out of focus hand stretched out and -

Patted Jorani on the arm.

“You’re right,” the bossman said, shoulders slumping in shame. Waving for Ronga to approach, he asked, “How’s the hand?”

“Ain’t even a thing,” Ronga replied, holding his head up high. The whiny little bastard hardly kept his mouth shut these past few days, throwing scathing glares and biting remarks Jorani’s way. “It’s growin’ back, but real slow goin’. Maybe three, four weeks?”

“Not bad but you’ll have to practice Healing some other time. I need you in fighting form, so I’ll speak to the Healers in the morning. Look on the bright side, at least Jorani didn’t ask you to taste it.” Everyone laughed except Jinoe, who shrunk back a little, probably wondering if the bossman could read minds. Grinning like a fool, Jorani stood there as the bossman talked up his boys, expressing his thanks and admiration for a job well done. “Get some food and rest,” he concluded, dismissing them with a clasped fist. “Tomorrow’s gonna be a busy day and some people might have questions. Jorani, stay behind.”

That certainly sucked the wind out of Jorani’s sails. “Yea boss.”

Too tired to even fake a proper smile, the bossman nodded in approval. “You’re a good leader. You made the right call to go in stealthily and now we have a chance to catch these traitors unaware. Not just that, but I was wrong and you stuck your neck out for your people. I respect that.” Giving Jorani another pat on the back, the bossman added, “Keep it up. You see me doing something off, then don’t be shy about letting me know. Mister Rustram does good work and is indispensable, but he likes to pretend I can do no wrong. All right, dismissed. Oh and I haven’t forgotten I owe you and your boys a good meal. We’ll get to it as soon as all this clears up.”

“Thank ye boss, yer too kind,” Jorani said, waving as the boss walked out of the camp. “Why, ye don’t owe us a thing, the meal completely slipped me mind.” He hadn’t, but the lie wasn’t hurting nobody. Still waving, he watched as Jochi and Argat slipped out of the shadows to join the bossman, but knowing they needed Chi to do what Siyar could do with skill made it seem less extraordinary than before.

Now, hiding in plain sight next to a light source, that was impressive. Maybe the fat monk would be willing to teach Jorani a trick or two. Whistling a tune as he headed back to his yurt, he imagined all the fun he could have as an invisible man.

Peeping in the baths mostly, but motives weren’t important when it came to the Martial Path.

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

Stifling a yawn, Akanai smoothed out the boy’s hair and fixed his collar as he recounted Jorani’s tale. Silly child, how could the number one talent in the north let himself be seen like this, all dishevelled and fatigued. She was partially at fault, choosing to bunk down in the Sentinel camp instead of staying in his camp to keep a close watch on him, but she feared too much coddling and oversight would push him away. With so many capable guardians looking after him and Song and Mila at his side, Akanai thought it would be safe to spend a few days with her husband after their month-long separation, but perhaps she was wrong.

At least he wasn’t slouching today, but he still refused to make eye contact, instead staring at the side of Akanai’s yurt. Hmm? Was it a coincidence the boy stared at her guard Concealed in the shadows? No, no coincidence at all. Following his eyes, she watched him pick out two more guards, though his gaze glossed over three other. Mundane perception or Enlightenment from his Awakening? Interrupting his story, Akanai Sent, “How goes your Awakening?”

“Huh?” Blinking in confusion, the boy shrugged with casual indifference and Sent, “Oh. I figured out how to bind water or something along those lines, but it’s time-consuming and near worthless. Anyway, where was I?”

Wait. “You ‘figured out’ how to bind water? When? How?”

“This afternoon?”

“And you kept this to yourself?”

“No, I told Lin and Mila. Song too, I guess.” With another shrug, the boy sighed and added, “Sorry, I didn’t tell you, it’s been a long, crazy day and I kinda forgot about it. But yea, this stuff is bad news and Siyar says the entire warehouse is filled to the brim with more of it. What should we do?”

Ignoring the proffered copper vessel, Akanai grabbed the boy by the chin and pulled him into the torchlight to study his expression. There was no shy smile or disguised glee, no glint of pride or sense of accomplishment, nothing but weary resignation and a touch of resentment over her rough treatment. Something was amiss. After years of obsessing over his Awakening without progress, the boy finally succeeds and comprehends the mysteries of water and he forgot about it? ‘I bound water’, delivered in the same tone one would use to say ‘grass is green’ or ‘water is wet’, this was absurd. “Explain.”

“Let go.” His cold expression and forceful demand took her by surprise, but she loosened her grip after a second’s thought. Patting his cheek to show contrition, she resisted the urge to grin as he Sent, “Thank you. It’s not exactly binding water, because the water doesn’t actually go anywhere. It’s more like... inviting the spirit of water into my core and allowing it to shape my Chi, so I end up with normal Chi and Water Chi. Problem is, once you use the Water Chi, it’s gone and doesn’t replenish on its own. I spent hours in the water and bound maybe a teacup’s worth of Water Chi, then immediately wasted it all by spitting it out. It’s a party trick at best, and not even an impressive one at that. Hardly worth mentioning.”

“Nonsense.” Pulling the boy into a hug, she allowed herself a smile while he couldn’t see. Hmph, and they called Tenjin talented when he Awakened at twenty; it took him over four years to condense his first flame. “This is but the first step, and an important one at that. Your Mentor’s tail will wag so hard it might even fall off.” A good think Akanai had no such tells, her caribou heritage left almost no physical marks aside from two short nubs of horn which she kept filed down and hidden beneath her hair.

Belatedly noting the boy’s silence, Akanai stepped back and studied his expression once more. Still angry, but this time directed inwards, likely blaming himself for not understanding sooner. His body language screamed of confidence, back straight, shoulders square, and head held high, but his eyes, so pained and mournful it pained her to look at. “What’s wrong child?”

She could see the struggle within his mind as he considered telling her his problems, but ultimately, silence won out. “It’s nothing,” he Sent, feigning a smile. “Like I said, it’s been a long day and there’s still much to do before morning.”

Hm... Leave him be or press a little harder?

Mussing his hair so she could fix it again, she pursed her lips and sighed. No sense pressing him for more, it’d be easier to get blood from a stone. “We are here should you wish to speak. Now, regarding Jorani’s discovery, give me the vessel for safekeeping and we will leave the politics to Yuzhen. I assume she will want to wait until after the commencement to meet with the Legate, so take no action until after he gives judgment. He will not be pleased to hear of this third-hand, so keep your temper in check, understood?”

“Yes Grand-Mentor, but I want a part in the assault, if it comes to that.”

“Impudent brat, call me grandmother or Mother-in-law.”

“I haven’t married Mila yet, grandmother.”

“Oh? After all you have done, you would dare try to escape?” Finished with his hair, she hugged him again. “Now off to bed with you. You are the number one talent in the North and the youngest second grade Warrant Officer in history, and after your foolhardy display of Awakening in the bay, you will undoubtedly be challenged by your peers.”

“Not yet. Still lots to do. Could I get my new weapon? I figured I’d try to bind it then go look for Blobby when the sun comes up. Oh and I wanted to go over the gifts again and make sure there’s nothing wrong with my presentation. Could I run through it with you once, so you can tell me if there are any accidental veiled insults or whatever?”

...Mother above, the Heavenly Tear is missing?