Chapter 507

Chapter 507

Giving Mama Bun a sweet kiss goodbye, Song placed the snoring rabbit in bed with the rest of the sleeping bunnies, their ears and legs twitching every so often as they unconsciously snuggled against their sizable mother. On the cusp of forming her Spiritual Heart, Mama Bun was easily twice the size of her children, who were already larger than the average bicorn rabbit, marking her as a true paragon of her species, though this wasnt worth much. At most, she was only a little tougher than other rabbits, her skull and neck bones sturdy enough to bear the weight of her forceful headbutts, but these days, she and all the other rabbits had little need to defend themselves.

Unlike Song, whose time would be better spent preparing for battle instead of staring at sleeping animals, but given recent revelations revealed just how insidious the Enemy could be, the mere thought of confronting these new foes was enough to unnerve her.

Armed with Spiritual Sabre and Runic Breastplate, Song feared no Defiled Champion or Demonic Miscreations, but her trusted weapon and durable armour gave no defence against the ethereal Spectres, with their cunning schemes and duplicitous whispers. Mind thrown into turmoil by the discovery of this new foe, she spent hours agonizing over every thought, idea, and decision which passed through her head, wondering if itd been placed there by her unseen foes. Worse, in a moment of horrific clarity, she concluded this wasnt the first time shed attracted their attentions and almost succumbed to their lies, for it explained much about her state of mind over the past few months. Her dispirited dejection, bouts of uncontrollable crying, and inadvertent triggering of her Heavenly Oaths, all this and more could be explained by the presence of Spectres, a revelation which sapped away courage and left her trembling in debilitating terror.

How was she to defend herself against a foe which could neither be seen nor slain? Would she even notice if her minds defences were compromised and shed succumbed to the Enemy? Her Oaths were supposed to strike her dead if she should ever turn Defiled, but how was she to avoid such a miserable fate if she couldnt distinguish between her thoughts and those dictated by Spectres? With no eyes to spot them, no training to defend her, and no weapons with which to strike back, she was wholly reliant upon Rains unfathomable Talent to keep her free of the Fathers foul minions, a plight she was none too fond of considering his need for physical contact to do so. A mere touch of their fingers was enough, but once apart, Songs mind would once again be open and vulnerable to the Spectres, a conundrum which kept her tossing and turning in bed for the past three nights while scouring her mind for possible Enemy influence so she could go running to Rains tent.

Reluctantly peeling herself away from the rabbits, Song strode out of her yurt and took her place by Rains side while he said his goodbyes to Lin-Lin and Luo-Luo. ...and if I learn you even set foot out of camp, Ill send you back to the citadel faster than you can blink. Cupping Lin-Lins pouting cheeks, Rain leaned in to touch foreheads with the tearful half-hare and whispered, Love you wifey. Stay safe, okay? Hiccuping too much to reply, Lin-Lin nodded and clung to Rains wrist as he turned to Luo-Luo, hesitating briefly before taking her hand in his own. Stay close to Lin and her guards will keep you safe, but in case the worst should come to pass and you get separated, then Song will bring you back to the citadel along with Tenjin and Tursinai.

No. The objection slipped out before Song thought better of it, but it was too late for regrets. Doing her best not to quail before his surprise, she steeled her nerves and said, I want to fight by your side. Because if the worst came to pass and he died, then she would have no choice but to spend the rest of her life living in fear of her own thoughts unless she found some other means to defend herself from Spectres.

...Okay. Acceding to Songs request without too much of a pause, Rain turned to Niece Alsantset who should have already ridden off with her Khishigs and asked, Could I trouble you to spare Jochi and Argat to look after Luo-Luo?

No trouble at all, little brother, and I will make certain they understand the gravity of the task. Narrowing her gorgeous eyes, Niece Alsantset lightly pinched Rains cheek and added, But their efforts will not be needed, because you will return alive.

You best do the same. Smiling in response, Rain didnt say what everyone already knew, that even if he survived today, there was still tomorrow, the next day, and all the days thereafter to get through, and considering his frail health and precarious posting on the outer wall, it would be a miracle for him to survive this first battle, much less all the battles to come. Resigned to his fate, he bade Ping Ping farewell and marched out with Dastan and the fourteen remaining survivors of his former retinue in tow, as well as his six strongest Death Corps escorts to guard him during battle, including the Peak Expert swordsman, Kuang Biao. Rain had been limited to no more than twenty escorts in total, and Song, Tenjin, and Tursinai counted as three over the limit, but he barely even thought about it before agreeing to her wishes.

He was... a good man, she saw this now, but good men die young, brave men die first, and Rain was nothing if not young and brave.

With the defences already locked in place for the night, raising the barricades risked letting Concealed Experts, Wraiths, and Demons into the fort unseen, so they were forced to trudge their way through the winding maze of rammed earth walls. Not a problem for soldiers and Martial Warriors, but by the time they arrived at the outer wall and made their way up the barricaded staircase, Rains brow was dripping with sweat from keeping up with their speedy pace, for he was unwilling to slow them down or allow himself to be carried. The situation was made worse by his insistence on leaving his walker behind and using two metallic canes to help him walk instead, each one bearing a metal hand guard at the base and a sharp spike on the end so he could defend himself if need be. Rain still had a warriors pride, if not the physique, and garbed in his Khishig leathers with the shadows of his open-faced helm obscuring the gauntness of his face, he almost looked like the warrior he once was.

Sadly, even at his best he still looked like a young child playing an ill-suited part in the opera...

Ignoring the contemptuous glares and pitying stares alike, Rain made his way across the battlements ringed by his Death Corps guards, their procession slowed by the tightly packed bodies of Sinujis defenders, a disastrous state of affairs which lead her to suspect their Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Watanabe, had never once in his life held a fortified position. Putting too many defenders here on the outer wall was worse than too few, because if hed left too few and the Enemy broke through, then at least there would be more soldiers in reserve waiting to plug the gap. With the defenders packed shoulder to shoulder atop the battlements, they barely had room to swing their weapons and would die three or four at a time to the Defiled attackers, not to mention the grievous blow to morale when soldiers at the front died while those in the back could do naught but stand and listen.

A fool of a commander, one Mama would have long since thrown out on his ass, but Colonel General Nian Zu was not so direct. Many a time, the Living Legend had been heard grumbling about Sinujis poor state of affairs, but Lieutenant Colonel Watanabe refused to accept any of Great Hero Zus suggestions unless the Colonel General pulled rank and ordered his commands obeyed. Supposedly Mitsue Watanabes refusals stemmed from sheer stubbornness and unwillingness to admit his wrongs, but Song found it difficult to attribute such incompetence to such egregious ignorance and suspected there were underhanded reasons for his mule-headed obstinance.

A suspicion which proved right when they arrived at their destination and discovered Dastan and his fourteen comrades had been tasked with defending a thirty meter-long stretch of the battlements, though only five meters wide. By themselves, mind you, with barricades on both sides and while a cadre of soldiers stood back in reserve to hold the line once all the traitors had fallen, or so they were informed by the Lieutenant in charge of the reserves, a powdered, pinched-faced, clean-shaven fop who refused to give his name.

Jaw clenched and eyes burning, Rain nodded to himself and said, Good. Good. Blatantly forcing me and my people to death, Ill remember this. If you survive todays battle, then you tell him that whatever assurances he has to keep him safe, it wont be enough.

Though everything he said made sense, she still wasnt entirely certain she understood, but since the Defiled would soon arrive, she simply nodded and accepted it as fact. Reluctant to let go of his hand for fear of Spectres, she idly wondered how often she should return to be Cleansed during battle. Once every half hour, perhaps? Or would every quarter hour be better? Best not to risk it, but how was she to keep track of time during battle? Perhaps, she could come whenever she suspected a Spectre had latched on, but it would raise questions if she kept running back to touch Rain...

Song. Wearing a smug expression which made her lip curl, Rain asked, When do you think I could get my hand back? I want to organize the water-skins and medical supplies before the battle heats up. Wont have a lot of time for breaks in between. Reluctantly releasing his hand, she consoled herself with a reminder that shed be back soon enough, but he shook his head and laughed at her unenthusiastic actions. Youre scared of Spectres right? Dont be. Theres nothing to fear from them.

Easy for him to say, a man so beloved by the Mother that She not only blessed him with immunity from the Fathers whispered lies, but gave him the ability to Cleanse others of their presence...

Songs disbelief must have shown in her expression and Rain shook his head and smiled. You know, when I first discovered this ability, I went on a Spectre Su... Devouring Spree. Everyone I came into contact with needed a little Cleansing, from extreme cases like BoShui and Dastan to barely Tainted individuals who wouldve emerged unscathed without help such as Mila and Tursinai, I took Spectres from them all. There was only one person who had no Spectres to Cleanse, someone who was nearby during the Purge, took part in the battle for Sanshu, and was also with me on on Yo Lings island, three separate incidents in which the air was filthy with Spectres. You know who that was?

...Lin-Lin?

...Yes, but uh... I wasnt talking about her, because I forgot. So two people. Bah. Throwing a hand up in defeat, he rolled his eyes and said, You. I meant you. Not a single Spectre to be found despite all the shit we went through, not to mention the burdens of your past.

Truly?

Truly.

And Song believed him, but... Why?

At the time, I believed it was because of your Oaths, but I know better now. The Spectres are nothing. They whisper sweet lies and promise you whatever your heart desires if youll only surrender, because in truth, they have no power of their own. All they can do is play on your emotions and make you give in to their control, but they cannot change a person through words alone. Everything they do is meant to distract and deceive you into thinking you need them, when in truth, they have no power besides what you give them. They dont give their hosts strength, they only help the host seize it, guiding them along the Martial Path without really explaining a thing. Take Dastan, BoShui, and myself for example: each of us advanced in strength thanks to help from the Spectres, but if this strength was given to us, then why wouldnt it fade away once they were Cleansed, and why wouldnt we need to relearn everything the proper way? Shaking his head, he smacked his forehead and added, Oh, I get it now! Its a con game. Thats why the Spectres push their hosts to commit unspeakable atrocities, usually starting with the murder of those they hold dear. Those acts of violence are what change the host, this and their desire to change in the aftermath, because its easier to believe the Spectres drove them to do horrible things rather than admit they made a grave mistake and accept responsibility for their heinous actions.

Eh-Mi-Tuo-Fuo. Though the Abbot was nowhere to be seen, his voice sounded nearby, and Rain scowled as he peered suspiciously at their surroundings. Junior Brother speaks sensibly, and this monk agrees wholeheartedly with his conjectures. Perhaps now he understands what this monk means when he claims there is no distinction between Tainted and Defiled.

...Youre not supposed to be here. Or listening. Waving his cane around at the empty air, Rain added, How can we be sure there isnt someone else hiding nearby?

Rest assured, there isnt, but Junior Brother has yet to answer this monk. Do you...

Her confidence bolstered by Rains explanation, Song beat a hasty retreat to man the defences before getting drawn into a long and lengthy debate. Taking a deep breath, she stared off into the twilight where she spotted the tell-tale signs of marching Defiled lurking in the shadows, a mass of moving darkness making its way towards Sinuji. Savage and numerous as they were, she did not fear the Defiled, for they were a foe she could stand against with blade in hand. Similarly, she no longer feared the Spectres, though much like the Defiled, she still respected the threat they represented, but again, she could stand against them. Only this time, instead of saber and Runic breastplate, she wielded her iron-willed determination against them, and if that wasnt enough, then she still had Rain to rely on.

...Theyd come a long ways since their sparring match in the unnamed tea-house, but had she known then what she knew now, then she wouldve gladly accepted the beating with a smile.

Chapter Meme