Enlightened Empire

Finally Uchu had left the confines of Rapra Castle behind him. Finally he could breathe.

"Let"s get out of here," he said towards the rat who still followed along his every move.

"You know, brother, there was no reason to be so hung up on leaving right away. Leaving in a crowd could have been much safer," Guachimine remarked and followed Uchu along the streets of Sillu Island. This close to the castle, the new town had not been built yet, and so the two marched through empty, dark streets, flanked by half-finished houses.

"Nonsense. You didn"t hear that king before? I mean, I don"t like the guy too much, but there"s no way he"d kill me, not here."

Even though the king would do his best to preserve his own reputation and guarantee Uchu"s safety, the indifference and vicious stares from the n.o.bles had done a lot to gnaw at his confidence. Not to mention the cannon shot.

"Because of his reputation?" the rat guessed. "While that may make sense, there is always the chance for him to pretend an accident."

"Another misfire, you mean?"

"Just so."

Uchu shook his head in response.

"No way. He can"t run a stunt like that again. If he does, none of the other lords are gonna come here any more. How will the great king play merchant and sell his overpriced trinkets then? Plus, I have my doubts that he was the one who fired that cannon in the first place."

"Brother, you would not believe the story that king has told, would you? Believe that Epunamo did it?"

"Why not?" Uchu said, as he looked to the ground, where the water of the Mayura River reflected back the moonlight up above. "I mean, that king hasn"t got a good reason to kill me in the first place, except maybe that head we brought him. Still, the way I judge the guy, he doesn"t seem much like the sentimental type either, you know? Our dear brother, on the other hand, came here with a plan. You said it yourself, Epunamo doesn"t act without thought, so you didn"t think he just brought those d.a.m.n pistols to look pretty, did you?"

Although he had first been annoyed by his brother"s habit to always walk a step behind, at this point Uchu had accepted it as one of his traits. Considering the way the rat had been treated by his brothers all this time, it wasn"t too surprising that he would want to make himself invisible.

"That"s... while that might be the case, we should still consider a cooperation with Epunamo. He is our brother after all. When all of us focus our strength, we can oppose the western lords with their king as a group. In this way, you get time to show your strength and gain favor over Epunamo. Once our conflict with the west is over, you can replace Epu and take father"s seat in Cashan for yourself."

"What, you mean show off during war? I can do that."

With a dark grin, Uchu thought back to the days of his youth, when the warriors sent by Iqtana Villca – the man who called himself his father – would torture him in the name of "training". No matter how hard his brothers had worked in their youths, the bandit was certain that not one of them was this prepared for a war.

Sunk into thoughts of his distant past, Uchu even forgot about his little brother"s existence. Uncomfortable, the rat traipsed after the leader he had chosen for himself. At this point, he would still be unsure about his own decisions, and about his older brother"s capabilities. However, the bandit was in no mood to placate the rat who was still as good as a stranger to him. Only a call from Guachimine brought him back to Uchu"s consciousness.

"Who goes there!?" the rat squeaked, but Uchu was only annoyed by the outburst. In front of them, Uchu could see a fat man in a simple, gray robe trot towards them. For most of the evening, the roads had been pretty empty, as the lights of the commoner banquet in the distance attracted them like moths. However, encounters with one or two strays weren"t all that surprising. Thus, Epunamo gave his little brother another love tap on the shoulder, to make the brat wince in pain.

"What are you doing? It"s just some fattened peasant. What"s with your skittish att.i.tude?"

Confused, the bandit stared at his brother, who had beads of sweat streak down his pale face, while his eyes chased shadows in the darkness around them. Maybe this much was to be expected. After all, no matter how sly and nonchalant he always pretended to be, the little brat was still nothing more than a pampered n.o.ble.

After everything that had happened today – the a.s.sa.s.sination attempt, their secret talk with Epunamo and the tense conversation with the king – they were now on their way back, but still surrounded by enemies on all sides. For Uchu, this sort of situation was nothing new. He was used to this kind of terror. However, for the brat it must have been too much excitement all at once. Like any good brother would have done, Uchu gave his little bro a mighty pat on the back, to show his presence and ease the youngster"s nerves.

"Not to worry, this isn"t the worst sc.r.a.p I"ve gotten myself out of. Let"s just get out of here and then-"

"Watch out!" Eyes enlarged, Guachimine stared past Uchu and raised his finger in horror.

*c.r.a.p, careless!*

He could see the stranger move towards them before. He could hear the footsteps get closer. He should have noticed that something was wrong. Beating himself up wouldn"t help any, so Uchu decided to act instead. As so often in his life, his instincts – and his grit – would have to come and save his life.

*No time to turn.*

With a mighty leap, the bandit grabbed hold of his stunned brother, before he dragged both of them to the side, just out of the way, somehow. At the same time, a bang confirmed his suspicion. As if hit by an invisible fist, Uchu"s right hip was thrown off to the side, and dragged the rest of the body with it. Confused and disoriented he rolled, without control. He could feel the pavement hit against his shoulder, his hip, his head, his shoulder again, until hit something hard stopped his tumble.

Somewhere along the way, he had lost his little brother, but that didn"t matter much for now.

*First, who"s attacking? Can"t make a choice otherwise.*

Still confused, he ignored the ringing in his ears and found the sky. Up above, the stars and the moon shone down on him with their cold indifference.

*Useful. Stars are up.*

Indifferent himself, Uchu found his orientation as he felt the wall in his back. The attacker would have come from the other side, the side he had been flung from. In mere moments, he had found the source of the danger.

The commoner still stood there in his dirty gray robes, hood up to hide his face, but now he saw the smoking muzzle peek out of the attacker"s sleeves.

*b.a.s.t.a.r.d!*

Another pistol, just the same as the weapon which had almost killed him during his duel with Epunamo. When the attacker loosened his fingers, the pistol slipped from his grip and towards the floor. Before the now useless weapon had hit the ground, the a.s.sa.s.sin had already drawn the next one, an axe this time.

How could this be a commoner? This was another cultivator, no doubt, and a Yaku to boot! Large strides drove the attacker ever closer to Uchu, who was still slumped against the wall, his right hip still numb from the impact. Maybe he was bleeding, maybe dying.

*Worry about that later.*

With trained precision, his hands went down to the ground and grasped for dirt, like they had done in so many fights before. However, he only grasped air, and the cold hard stone of the road.

*b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Who keeps his city this clean?*

By the time the attacker was almost upon Uchu, he had only managed to drag his mangled body into a half-standing position. Even if he drew his own axe, there was no way for him to fight back, not like this. His back against a wall, he saw the man charge towards him. This was it, desperate times!

*Hands in front, as if you"re scared of the axe. Good, come in closer! Now!*

With a flick of his hand, the bandit ripped open the cloth pouch inside of his sleeve and released a cloud of pepper powder into the attacker"s face.

"Aah, what the h.e.l.l!" a stifled scream, more of anger than pain, escaped the attacker, while Uchu ducked to the left, to escape the wall and gain some room to maneuver. Only a few steps and his legs gave out again. A searing paint had reintroduced his right hip"s existence to him. Once more, Uchu found himself on the ground, once more helpless as the attacker shook off the distraction and marched towards him once more.

Desperate, Uchu tried to stand, but his leg gave out again. Only now did he look down his own body, to see his own blood leave the sinking ship drop by drop. A hole had been punched through the cloth of his pants and straight through the side of his stomach, maybe just above the hip bone. His instincts screamed for him to run. Although they had returned his weapon when he left the castle, he could never win a fight if he couldn"t even stand. He bit his teeth and turned to the attacker, to face his fears. Rather than look into his opponent"s face, he stared into a mask, in the form of a black panther. Still, he would do what he had always done, and claw and bite to the last. Instead, a surprise beyond belief preempted his final hurrah.

Without warning, Guachimine sneaked over from the side to a.s.sault the fake commoner. Almost, by a hair, did the ferocious first hit lodge itself in the attacker"s masked face. However, the fat man managed to dodge to the side and raised the small shield on his left arm, another detail his long coat had hidden before. Still, A relentless series of hits managed to drive the man back, as Guachimine pushed on, always interrupted by that pesky shield.

For a moment things looked good, but Uchu knew better. His brothers form was hurried, his style sloppy. Unlike their attacker, the brat hadn"t been in a single proper fight in his life, and it showed. Like a mad bull he rushed ahead, but the a.s.sa.s.sin dealt with blow after blow, with minimal movement and no hurry.

*Idiot.*

Like this, the brat would only tire himself out. Like this, the attacker would have easy play. As Guachimine pressed the a.s.sa.s.sin into the unfinished house Uchu had been thrown against before, the bandit had to make his own choice: Fight or flight. d.a.m.n, why had the little brat shown up to defend him? Why hadn"t he just run away? Alone by himself, Uchu was sure that he could save his life, somehow. It wouldn"t have been the first time. Still, no use crying over spilled milk. Running wasn"t his style anyways. He"d just have to think of something on the way inside.

*Move dammit!*

Now that he had sat for a while, he had gotten a better feel for that rearranged hip of his. Although he was injured, and it hurt like h.e.l.l, it wasn"t as if he couldn"t stand at all. Bit by bit, he clawed his way back up onto his feet, as his bloodied fingers strove up along the grooves of the wall behind him. By the time he had gotten back up, his heaving rib cage proved the depths his body"s damage. While he had struggled with the wall, the fight in the distance was still in full swing. However, by now, the roles had been reversed.

*c.r.a.p!*

Now his brother was on the receiving end of the attack, ducked low while he tried to evade the enemy"s constant swings. After another deep heave, Uchu ignored his shaky leg and rushed into the roofless building.

Past loose beams of solid oak, he willed his way closer, anxious at the sound of shouts and grunts until the attackers came back into view. Guachimine was still in his wide, defensive stance, his axe clutched in both hands. With an erratic twitch of his head, he looked over his shoulder and rushed up the stairs behind him, the only escape the attacker had left him.

*Idiot, don"t run when I"m trying to catch up!*

For a moment, the masked attacker turned around and stared back at Uchu. The bandit halted, ready to fight, life or death. Even so, the panther scorned his determination and instead turned to follow the rat up the stairs.

"Go screw a donkey, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d." Under curses, he dragged his beaten body along the stairs, after the others.

Once more he was behind, but through gritted teeth he was determined to catch up once more. He wouldn"t let the brat sacrifice himself, not in such a pointless manner, not for someone like him.

When he reached the upper floors, his sight improved again, as moonlight filed in through the open roof, dispersed by the skeletal shadows of the wooden frame above. Finding the fighters was easy. He just followed the noise.

There they were, silhouettes against the night, a mighty panther over a cowering rat. The courageous and clever animal, driven into a corner, had understood his predicament, and by now had calmed down, focused on nothing but defense. Uchu didn"t know if his brother could tell that he was coming, or if he was still trying to win time for his escape. It didn"t matter. Determined to use his one chance, Uchu took out his axe, for the first time since he had entered Saniya.

He couldn"t fight with this in close combat. He would lose, he knew it. He couldn"t even stand right. Still, if he ignored the screams from his body for long enough, maybe, possibly, it would just be enough for a single throw. His axe wasn"t a n.o.ble"s weapon. It was the weapon of a bandit. In the wild, there were all kinds of dangers, so he had to be flexible. His axe was just as much built for throwing as it was for hitting.

His hand gripped the smooth handle of his weapon, worn down from years of use. How many times had his own blood, or that of his enemies, trickled down this handle to polish the surface? No time for memories. Uchu blocked out the world around him and focused on nothing but the panther, the beast about to pounce. Through searing pain, a mighty throw catapulted the axe across the floor, through the wooden beams and onto the enemy. However, he had underestimated his attacker, again. The man had seen him long ago.

"c.r.a.p!"

As soon as he had launched his weapon, the attacker turned his head, back over to Uchu. His left ripped up high, ready to welcome the axe, and welcome he did. Still, the force was to much. And with a scream of frustration, the panther was launched through the open frame, out into the cold night.

"Brother?" the shocked rat squeaked, drenched in sweat.

"We gotta get out of here. Come with me." This was no time for tearful reunions. The older brother would protect the younger one, and lead him out of the darkness, into the light. However, only a few steps and all strength left him, as he stumbled and almost fell.

"Come on brother, let me help."

With a grunt, Uchu accepted Guachimine"s a.s.sistance, and the youngster followed his big brother"s guidance to the opening opposite of the attacker"s fall. They still weren"t safe. They couldn"t know if there were any other men in the city, ready to ambush them. They didn"t even know if the first attacker had died from the fall. Now that they were injured and down to a single axe, they really were out of cards.

At the house"s edge, Uchu looked down, into the dark night, illuminated by a silver film of moonlight. Below them, the shimmer of silver rang true as well. A mirror worth more than all the treasures of Arguna, the immortal, eternal Mayura River. Of course, Uchu knew that this wasn"t only the Mayura. These waters were as much part of the Tunki as they were of the Mayura, and the Tunki was his turf.

A glance along the waterfront, and soon he spotted a small boat, only two houses down, anch.o.r.ed along a little pier. No attackers were anywhere in sight. All they had to do was swim a short distance. That, the bandit could do, even with a b.u.m leg. Of course they would be an easy target for arrows, cannons and all the other tricks the n.o.bles seemed to like to d.a.m.n much. Still, this was their best shot. They would have to risk it. Whoever was behind this attack, they should hope that Uchu wouldn"t make it through today, wouldn"t make it back to his men. Otherwise, he would become their worst nightmare.

"Brother," he asked towards his side, "how good are you at swimming?"