“Dark Step” he murmured as he launched forward. But as he fell forward, he felt his weight violently tug him laterally – to his right. And then, in the same heartbeat, his stomach sank. The sensation of not having stable ground, like falling off a cliff.
Yes
In that very heartbeat, everything in his vision blurred. He even felt himself blur.
Yes. This is what he wanted. And now, before the end of that very heartbeat, it was time to brace ground. Ground that his body knew wasn’t there, but his spirit forefelt would be there. He felt the slight pat of floor under foot. There it was. He braced the landing and twisted into his strike. Suddenly the tree materialized before him, and his sword sliced into the trunk.
“Woah!” onlookers aired under their breath. Others hushed in awe. A couple of onlookers began clapping their lone applause – they were his main hands who had seen him practice the very technique over time.
“Nice, Tse koh!” they cheered as usual. “That was the one! Tse koh’s phasing has grown as smooth as ever.” Those few would always speak encouragement, but it wasn’t what Tse cared for at the moment. It was his officers who had never seen the technique, whose opinion he cared about.
Tse looked to his left. The left was the side he’d been standing upon not a moment ago. If we counted the tree as the origin, then Tse was now 120° from where he originally stood. That movement, if performed on a yan, would have placed Tse slightly behind the target and not just to their side.
The Dark Step. Another technique. Elevating the Howler Fang arts.
Tse then looked up to the small crowd to his left. As he suspected, his guardhands were applauding and smiling. And his officers…. all looked to had seen a ghost. And they had. For that split heartbeat, Tse had shifted realms. He’d essentially become a ghost. Tse didn’t know how to explain it, but he knew that the sensation was beyond physical, something physical his body couldn’t recognize. But his soul… something was not alarming about the phasing to his soul. Strange. He would meditate on such matters another time. For now…
Tse stared back towards the troops by the road. They had to move now. The Lung were likely still other there. And Tse’s forces would catch them. They had to catch them. This was Cor Tse’s province. If the Cor didn’t catch the Lung, it would make everyone question Tse’s capability as lord.
Tse didn’t have to prove himself as a statesman. Most of his career was managing governance in the imperial courts. He wondered if the Zyur had the correct senses to keep the worlds’ affairs in order.
He knew the Zur and Zyur Dei koh had the right heart for such governance, but there was a skill that took a lifetime of interregional diplomacy to develop. Maybe Tse was passing too many affairs to the imperial courts – maybe more than they could manage? If Tse was still in office there, he would have handled affairs the way he knew how. But Zyur koh likely didn’t have the capacity yet. Maybe Tse should have gone to Swayking some time to offer the Larchu some guidance. When there was time, of course.
Right now, Cor Tse had to prove his martial capabilities if he wanted to prove his right as regional lord. And this demonstration of hidden-techniques was not – he knew – a proving point of those capabilities. Dueling skill was one thing. Warcraft was entirely another.
Hands overlapped out towards Tse as he walked by his guards and officers. “Lardai Cor Tse koh” the bowed. Tse gave his bow and gestured for them to rise.
“Lardai has truly masted his technique” one of Tse’s guards announced proudly. “Lung daikoh will not stand a chance.”
“Cor Tse koh is truly champion of the Howler Fang” an officer spoke out. “Our late Daishi Haolei would be proud.”
“To have mastered such a mystic technique,” an elder officer explained, “it is best such a hidden-technique stay unknown while it can. We hope it can stay a quiet treasure within the Howler Fang arts.”
Mastered the technique? Tse knew he was nowhere close to mastery. The whole motion felt foreign. It would take decades before he’d feel any comfort in the action.
The way the yan grew boastful of his very technique meant that Tse had sparked the impact that he had hoped to ignite. A flame of morale. This was key. The very technique meant nothing in the grand scheme of this patrol – of this hunt, rather. To have the troops buzzing with energy was more important. And knowing Tse had an edge to defeat Lung daikoh personally, energized the Cor’ yan. It made them feel that their hard marching would be worth the capture.
Morale was vital in warfare. Tse knew it from his own experiences during the Takeover. Morale made yan march faster, made yan strike harder, made yan impervious to any damage, and it made yan trust in than yan by their side. If the Cor were going to sift through their own region, it was best they trekked their own grounds in their best form. Lung daikoh had gone too far, even if the old yan had a considerable reason.
Tse got his forces assembled and moving. It was time he checked in with Teng and got a report on that side of the region.
Teng asked to be stationed on the southeastern edge of Julienne. He understood that side was bordered by mountain crag and the Sway River. Ans so he asked to be left with only one full unit.
Tse knew Teng would effectively partition scouts and patrols with whatever he had. And his yan would do their duties well, full of morale. Teng – Teng koh, Tse secretly wanted to address him – was a natural born commander. They were of the same age, but Tse had complete respect for Teng’s warfare nature.
Everything seemed in order at Teng’s roadblock.
“Cor Tse koh,” Teng Stim overlapped his hands before him. “Any updates of the Lung?”
“We’ve captured several small bands here and there.” Tse wiped his brow. “But no actual Lung family members. Not even the members they repossessed from the mine. It seems whatever raid party they assembled to strike the Juli mine has been purposely dispersed. Likely lots of little diversion to keep their figure heads safe.” Tse looked around at Teng’s orderly garrison. “Does Teng have any reports for Cor?”
“Teng has been thoroughly checking every yan and ying passing by.” Teng lacked excitement. “ Teng’s unit has detained several small contingents and suspects. Some were recognizable faces from the Takeover. Some couldn’t mask their westside accents. Some couldn’t properly hide their red gown and gear under their disguises. But most of the traffic are just commoners coming from Swayking. No Lung daikoh or his kin, though.”
“I’ll have a band take Teng’s captured back to Ein Juli” Tse told. “Our captured are already on the way to the city as well.” Tse then sighed. “Even after capturing a good lot of yan, Cor is sure that Lung daikoh will have no issues covering the ransom. These beaming country yan really know how to trek the trees and forest better than us. I feel like I’ve let Lung daikoh slip through my fingers.”
“Cor Tse koh should lose hope” Teng told. “These westsiders are all born in the jungles, so of course they know how to navigate the trees. But the Cor forces are not a bunch of pushovers. The Cor are warriors. The Cor led the Takeover. Cor Tse led the Takeover, Cor koh. The Lung could not have slipped through the Cor’s grip. The Lung are still out there, Cor koh. Cor koh will capture Lung daikoh soon.”
There was something always so reassuring about Teng Stim koh. Tse met Teng’s eyes and knew that everything would work out.
“Of course!” Tse straightened his stance. “The yan are all ready to remind the Lung about who the lune we are. And I’ll get my duel. Whether it be Lung Chun daikoh, or any of his sons. They’ll avoid it as much as they can, but I will make my mark.”
“Lardai Cor koh” Teng overlapped his hands before him. “Oh. Teng forgot to mention.” The yan then straightened up. “Larchu Zyur koh came by here not a few drops ago. Zyur koh asked about Cor koh, but Zyur koh said he was heading to Dryfox House.”
“Zyur Dei koh? Who was with Zyur koh?” Tse asked.
“Only Jin koh and four of their main guard.” Teng gestured sideways. “Cor koh should be able to catch them at the station before the manor if Cor koh leaves now.”
“Mounts!” Tse called out for his ride.
Because of all the commotion with the Lung, Tse had admittedly not kept up to date with his Heavenly Highness. What if Zyur koh figured that out?
Diaries of the Moonlight Hours 