novelraw Chapter 159: No Remorse
Chapter 159: No Remorse
"The Dmonics lack scouts, so I surmised that our enemies might be using animals for espionage. We've captured numerous birds, and then I deceived their leader, that specter." Wuyi crossed his arms behind his head.
"And with the cook fires—you mentioned that," Jia leaned forward.
"Jin isn't often at the Bridge fort; he's predominantly in the forests, observing their encampments. He has been ever since we discovered that the main force of the demonic army had bypassed us to strike at another fort. Talking about bravery? I dispatched warriors armed with a potent concoction—the Fire Paste, an adhesive known only to the Western kingdoms.
The formula, a closely guarded secret by the artificers, includes Starlight Brew, either star oil, ground oil, or fish oil infused with Midnight Tar for its enduring night-bound resilience; demonic Sulfur, and Moon Bloom Saltpeter, crystallized under the full moon's glow. Numerous variations exist, each familiar to any seasoned artificer.
These ingredients combine to create a fire that clings to its targets as if sentient, a relentless inferno that withstands even the fiercest downpours."
Jia nodded. The bookkeeper made the sighing noise..
"Even the creatures on the demonic side need rest. The spectre, too, is merely a creature. Especially those with demonic talons. Demonic talons are humans who use the demonic Qi. However, humans are social beings, so it's known they establish camps. What about other demons when they assemble for an attack?
Surely, they must have camps. Do they converse? Gather around campfires? Play songs? Quarrel among themselves?" Wuyi peered out the window.
"Have you ever considered, Jia, that we are entrenched in a merciless war against an adversary we barely comprehend?"
"So, you've observed them and struck their camp," Jia said, a tone of satisfaction in his voice. "And we hit them hard." Now Jia was smiling.
"Yes and no. Perhaps we didn't really affect them," Wuyi explained. "Maybe Baijian and Yun Ming merely scorched some insignificant tents, then the enemies tracked our initiates back and retaliated fiercely—slaughtering twenty-three of our people for the loss of just two flying serpents."
Jia's smile faded. "But—"
"You need to understand that victory and defeat are matters of perception, unless you're dead. Everyone in this fortress—from every man and woman in the group—believes we achieved a great victory. We torched the enemy's camps, then slew two of their fiercest beasts in our territory," Wuyi stood up as Jia nodded.
"And due to this perception, everyone will fight with greater ferocity and bravery, despite our error in allowing civilians into the courtyard, which cost twenty-three lives. Despite that, we're prevailing." Wuyi's gaze fixed on Jia's. "Do you see?"
Jia shook his head. "It wasn't your fault—"
"It was my fault," Wuyi interjected. "It's not my moral burden—I didn't kill them. But I could have saved them had I not been distracted that evening. Keeping them safe was my responsibility." He stood erect and grasped the ruler of his group's command. "Remember this, if you aspire to lead: You must face reality squarely. They lost their lives because of me.
Honestly, I am not saddened by it—I didn't personally know them, and life holds little value in this world—but I cannot dismiss it either. It's my duty to learn from my mistakes and improve, or else I'll remain merely a minor leader with an insignificant title. Understand?"
Jia nodded and gulped.
Wuyi made a face. "Excellent. Here ends the lesson about victory. Now, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like Yinhai Hu and Baijian to join us, please."
Jia stood and bowed. "Immediately!"
"Hmm," Wuyi murmured.
Yinhai Hu, nearly fifty, had black hair that had mostly greyed. His arms were unnaturally long, and despite being an archer who joined group late was not the member of Wuyi's main entourage, he was reputed to possess the good sword skills. Rumor had it he had once been a monk. He clasped hands with Wuyi and grinned. "That was a little too exciting."
Baijian entered after him, a head taller than everyone else; his hair also beginning to grey. His forehead carried a heavy bone structure that made his head resemble the prow of a ship, and his appearance as usual was far from handsome—intimidating even in broad daylight and dressed only in a robe.
He clasped hands with Wuyi and the archer, grinned at Zhai, and settled his gigantic frame into one of the cushions.
"Good plan," he said to Wuyi. "I had fun."
Jia slipped in. No one had invited him, but his presence suggested that no one had told him he couldn't come either.
"Get us all a cup of wine," Wuyi ordered, indicating that Jia was welcome enough.
When five wine cups were on the table and Zhai had begun to write, Baijian tasted his wine, leaned back, and said, "We hit t'em hard. Not much to say—the worst part was getting there. The youngsters were quite nervous, and every shadow seemed to hide a Swampling or a Duskreaver. I thought I might have to cut a few of the young ones in half just to calm them down.
So, I picked one of them and leaned over him—"
Yinhai Hu grinned. "Leaned over him with that giant dagger in his fist!"
"And the kid almost passed out," Baijian added with evident satisfaction.
"Baijian," Wuyi Sighed .
Baijian shrugged. "If he couldn't handle it, he should go weave blankets or do embroidery. He's a poor archer and might end up getting someone killed one day. Anyway, we rode most of the way there, and we moved fast, because you said—"
Baijian paused, obviously searching for the words.
"Your only stealth will be speed," one of the Zenith texts Wuyi had quoted.
"That's what you said," Baijian agreed. "So, we didn't sweat it too much but went straight for them. If they had guards at the gates, we never saw them, and then we were in among their sleeping quarters. I slit a lot of throats of the sleeping cattle," he said, with a gruesome smile. "Stupid demonics, asleep with a killer among them."
Remorse was not a word in Baijian's vocabulary. Wuyi winced. The big man looked at Yinhai Hu. "I got busy. You tell it."
Yinhai Hu raised an eyebrow. "We followed Yun Ming and Baijian. As mentioned, Yun Ming stayed in the shadows and watched all the way. But there weren't many difficulties on the journey. All the archers had an alchemical concoction on our backs. I threw mine into a fire—to start the ball, so to speak." He nodded.
"They were spectacular, if that's the word." Yinhai Hu was obviously proud of it.
Baijian nodded. "Made us plenty of light," he said, and his words, combined with his expression, were unsettling enough that Yinhai Hu looked away.
"We didn't see any tents, but there were men sleeping on the ground—demonics too—and beasts: horses, cattle, sheep. And dozens of wagons. They've been attacking the trade convoys," Baijian continued.
Wuyi nodded.
"We burned it all, killed the animals, and then any demonic we came across as well."
"What kind of demonics? Swamplings? Duskreavers? Tell me," Wuyi demanded, and his words hung in the air between them.
Baijian grimaced. "The usual ones. Mostly Duskreavers and Swamplings. Nightmare-like beasts. Yingmo chased us; they are fast. The real problem was the Crimson Shadowmaw.
I fought a Crimson Shadowmaw, sword against its axe and claws." He flare his nose in excitement . "But I didn't get to fight a Yingmo," he added regretfully.
Wuyi wondered if there was another man in the world who could regret not having met a creature that projected terror.
Baijian was not like other men.
"How many in total? What are we still up against?" Wuyi asked. Yinhai Hu shrugged. "It was dark and chaotic, Young Master. I'm not certain, but I'd say we killed maybe fifty men and more creatures. And all we really did was kick the anthill."
Baijian gave Yinhai Hu a look of appreciation. "What he said. We kicked the anthill, but we kicked it hard. Around more than 50 humans might be there maybe"
Jia sputtered. "You two killed fifty demon talons?" he asked.
Baijian looked at him as if he'd noticed a foul odor. "We had help; Yun Ming was there. And they weren't all demon talons. I killed I don't know how many—five? Ten?—before I realized they were some captives or slaves, not demon talons. Poor bastards."
Jia made a choking sound. "Captives?" he managed to say.
Baijian shrugged. "Seems so."
Jia's outrage was palpable, and Wuyi raised a hand, pointing at the door. "More wine," he said. "And take your time."
Yinhai Hu shook his head as the young man stormed out. "Not for me, Young Master. It'll put me to sleep."
"I'm done, anyway," Wuyi declared. "Better result than I expected. Thanks."
Yinhai Hu clasped his hand again. "One for the books, Young Master."
The bookkeeper glanced at his brush. "I'll just copy this out fairly," he said, exchanging a parting look with Yinhai Hu and heading for the door himself.