252 Servant of the Axe – Enemy Camp
Chapter Type: Character Interaction
So, we entered the enemy camp. Whatever our cultures shared, the Daurians apparently did not practice “forgive and forget”. But... given how forgiving the Celestial Emperor was, maybe that was a religious thing for them.
In any case, I needed to... do sothing before I could defy Kumanchu. I couldn’t rember what it was, but I recall it was important.
Oh well, if it was important... but it WAS.
Okay, so it was sothing ddling with my mind, like a curse, and protecting itself from detection, also like a curse. It may have been manipulating my mory.
Okay, but I’d rember if I were CURSED, right? Surely, I thought, I would. So what WAS it?
There was a comforting magic around the back of my head, at least. It was...
Okay, it was interfering with my throat chakra, which was just weird.
Hrm.
.....
“Keep up, cart slave.” Kumanchu said.
And without needing to tell them, my feet just picked up the pace. What a great magic I had on ! Now, if only I could get it to respond to my commands instead of his...
But no, that wasn’t important right now. I was under so manner of attack that affected my psyche, but wasn’t itself psionic.
And it wasn’t arcane or divine, because both of those would be curses. I’d know if I were cursed. In fact, I could prove I wasn’t.
And yet, as soon as I recalled the incantation for Drown Curse, I realized I couldn’t recite it. It was like my Truthspeaker Oath had just locked down on my throat and silenced . Nah, what could get past my new magic to do that?
Actually, where HAD I gotten that magic? It was like whatever was affecting my mory must have been terrified of it, afraid I would access it. IT MUST BE WEAK TO MY NEW MAGIC!
Where had I actually gotten sothing useful like that? It seems I would rember that...
“Ah-ah! Slow down, I’ll take so of that wine.” One of the soldiers said.
“Sure thing.” I said, slowing down.
He was knocked over by a yellowish-brown dog with a beard and a lion-like mane.
“THAT.”
“IS.”
“MINE.” Kumanchu told the soldier.
To , he said, “I thought I told you to protect the wine with your life.”
“Oh, was that supposed to be an ongoing order?”
“It was. Defend that wine with your life, until I tell you otherwise.”
“Okay.”
Then, just to test whether I was serious, he moved forward as if to take a pitcher off the cart.
So, I slugged him with my left hand while pulling a short spear from my inventory with my right.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”
“He’s defending the wine with his life, like you just told him.” Huang Lan said.
I nodded vigorously.
“WELL, STOP.”
“Sure thing.” I said, sorry that I wouldn’t be thrusting the spear at his throat. I an, it wouldn’t hurt him, and what better way to let him know I was taking my duty seriously?
But I couldn’t do that... because first I needed to do sothing...
He actually drank a pitcher and a gourd, before shaking himself as though from a light rain.
“AH, THAT IS GOOD STUFF.”
“Can we move onward?” Huang Lan asked. “Watching you makes thirsty. And hungry.”
I smacked my lips. “I’m hungry also. I could eat.”
“No. Eat later. I need you hauling the cart for now.”
There was a reason I didn’t want to haul the cart just now...
Oh, right. The people of this army wanted to cut my head off! How silly of , you think that would be the kind of thing I’d rember and fight against. But hey, I had a cart to pull, so I did.
The camp was incredibly well ordered, and we made for a large blue tent, decorated with purple stripes.
We passed a group of green-clad Cult of the Octopus mbers. I had no problems rembering they wanted dead. But they made no move to attack, for whatever reason.
h, whatever. If it was important, I’m sure I’d rember.
Ah, right. Lord Zaodong Hwang. The leader of this rebellion. I wanted him dead, because he’d wrecked my ship, and probably killed my crew, and because... because sothing that I couldn’t rember.
But I knew I wanted him and Kumanchu dead.
What?
No, clearly Kumanchu was aweso, like all fu dogs were. I must have misrembered. I an, how evil would I have to be, to intend harm to such a benevolent guardian?
“Your feet look cold. Be sure to step in that oxen turd there.” He said.
I’m sure he just forgot that I had boots on my feet, but sure, I could step in one slly oxen turd for him. I an, why wouldn’t I? He was such a great guy.
“You wait outside.” Huang Lan said.
I parked the cart and almost went with them.
“What are you doing? Guard the wine.” Kumanchu ordered.
Of course. Who would defend the wine with their life, if not ? Good, loyal, . Who left my friends and my duty behind to do whatever Kumanchu asked...
Hey, that didn’t sound like . That sounded like I was chard, or cursed. Hey, I had senses to tell things like that! I even recall using them... and...
Why couldn’t I rember what they revealed to ?
Inside the tent, soone was yelling at Huang Lan, telling him they were going to behead him. Oh, good. I hoped they did, because he had brought Kumanchu to the battlefield. And even after I freed him, he...
Huh. HAD Kumanchu done sothing to ? It seed that he had, but it was sothing I couldn’t rember.
Maybe it was that traumatic? Oh, well, if it were... no, it WAS important. It was important, and I couldn’t rember.
My vision went white, and sounds vanished, and suddenly I couldn’t sll anything.
Oh! This was like a ditative chi trance... except that my new magic was blocking my fifth chakra, and ... no, surely I’d rember if I’d unlocked a Chi-using class. Oh, no, I hadn’t.
So where HAD this magic co from? How had I made it?
And more importantly, how the hell did I get my senses back, to guard the rice wine?
Sothing in the back of my head popped. Or snapped. Or maybe sothing bit ? Anyway, it was a sensation that wasn’t normal or natural. But hey, whatever it was it brought my senses back, just like magic.
I felt dizzy for a while, and leaned on the cart for support. It was almost like I was dehydrated...
[Physical conditions: Hungry, Lack of Sleep, Thirsty.]
Oh! I was [Thirsty]. I should probably drink sothing.
I reached out a hand, and the magic stopped partway. Of course it did, helpful magic! How could I protect the wine, if I were to drink it? I an, the poison was mild enough, I probably COULD drink it.
And it wasn’t as if it wouldn’t satisfy my thirst.
But for important reasons I just could not rember, I needed to guard the wine. Oh, that’s right. Kumanchu had told to guard the wine.
He’d beco so important to in just those few days. He really was that aweso. He was the best, and I just wanted to kill him.
No. Wait, what? Where had THAT thought co from?
In fact, hadn’t Kumanchu ordered to STOP thinking about... about...
Oh, well if soone as good and righteous as Kumanchu had ordered it, I’m sure that there was a proper reason for it. Why should I worry about things that concerned ? I an that didn’t concern ?
I pulled a sword from my inventory. “Even look like you’re touching this wine, and you’ll die, soldier. Move along.”
“Hah! As if! I am the mighty Tien Long,” he said, brandishing his mace at like I should care about who he was. “I was just going to take two of these beverage containers, but I can see that I’ll need those to wash the taste of beating you down out of my mouth. Or...”
His mouth curled cruelly, like his mustache. “Or you can reach into the cart, and give FOUR of them.”
I pulled one of the pile of shields from my inventory, and strapped it to my arm.
“What are you doing?” he asked, “I am a champion of the repatriation army! How DARE you defy !”
“I am ordered by the mighty fu dog Kumanchu to guard this wine...”
My Truthspeaker Oath clamped down on the last words. Hadn’t he ordered to protect this wine with my life? Oh, I guess he hadn’t. But very clearly, I needed to guard it.
.....
“Kumanchu is a he-bitch, and scruffy and rude besides. His authority is as nothing here. Stand aside, or I shall finish you with a single blow of this mace.”
“I think it shall take more than one blow.” I said.
He strapped on his own shield, took his stance, and approached cautiously. “Then perhaps I will need more than two of those containers.”
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