Chapter 39: Execution
Xin and Maha left the tent of the Emperor of Mo. Mo Pu looked at their backs, then, without any expression on his face, started enjoying the food. Backed ham, human's cuisine. Being a slave makes you addicted to things like that, that he was willing to admit, however, rather than going against it he would rather usurp. Eating cooked food is a human's way? Well, no more.
A true ruler won't refuse the ways of his enemies, he will rather he will adopt them.
"Crack."
Of course, he still was a wolf. Breaking bones was so easy, so tasty. Soon nothing was left out of the three prepared meals. Mo Pu licked his lips.
"You may ask." He said lightly to the grey wolf who has joined some time ago, but remained silent and standing.
"Has everything gone well, brother?"
"Yes, to some extent. I had stumbled upon several unforeseen problems, but looking at the picture as a whole, our chances are still there. Can't say it is guaranteed, but they neither refuse nor agreed. Meaning, they didn't lie. They said they will think. What about their behavior after they left?"
Mo Guang slightly nodded.
"No how particular; the boy was slightly sluggish, I guess. But he's a child."
"A child, right."
Mo Pu stood up; his eyes shinnied with a sky-blue radiance.
"Something else you wish to say, brother?"
"Yes." The grey wolf leaned whispered something to the blue wolf. His expression remained the same.
"Iron-Tailed Birds and Green Monkeys…"
"Yes, the battle was bloody, ten dead."
The blue wolf, looking thoughtful, said in a quiet voice:
"How many witnesses?"
"Zero, the night was dark."
"How many have survived?"
The grey wolf's eyes opened wide. He looked at the back of his brother, clenched his clawless paw, and then nodded, so low that Mo Pu wouldn't be able to see his expression.
"Don't be so shy, brother. I see, many. Deal with it the usual way."
Mo Guang shivered.
"No one can know about what has happened, it might threaten the whole army. It's a miracle that up to now we have been able to march together with so little accidents, any spark can become a fire."
"I… I see. I will."
"Of course you do, brother. You never disappoint me."
"And I never will."
The grey wolf nodded once more, clenched his machete and left the tent, a wind blew, and the curtains wavered in the same tone as the blue gown. "Crash" sounded, the table was in ruins, but no one could see it expect Mo Pu.…
…
…
Xin knew it wasn't his deal; however, he couldn't stay silent.
"Will you help?" He asked with his eyes once the door closed behind them.
"I do not know." Said Maha, opening the chest delivered by the grey wolf.
"I have to think. This decision may lead to many sufferings, both of humans and beasts. I want to find the best way ...and I am not on His side."
She furrowed.
"I think."
And sat down, closing her eyes. Xin felt that the way she abandoned connection was more abrupt than usual. Better not to bother her now.
He also sat down, crossed his legs and started cultivating. Still, the Second Stage; well, he isn't a genius, nothing to help here. According to some chart he once saw, for someone with Three Meridians, it usually takes seven years to reach his full potential, and that's with diligent training so it could've been worse, much worse.
For someone with Six is goes like that:
First Stage - One Week.
Second Stage - Three Weeks.
Third Stage - Half a Year. (A sudden increase)
Fourth Stage - A Year!
Fifth Stage - Three Years!!
Six Stage - Five Years!!!
...For now, he better concentrate on improving his control over his current strength. Like studying sabreplay with that old man, if he isn't a con after all.
Even so, Xin cultivated for about twenty minutes.
Then, feeling drowsy, he abandoned that process and gave up to sleep.
The next day came, he opened his eyes, looked at the sleeping, or maybe thinking Maha and walked out, leaving her in peace. Some people think better that way, he, for example, always walks around when need to thought up something.
The outside, however, gave him a surprise. The ground was unusually low; the unicorn elephant was still laying. Has something happened? He jumped from the beast and decided to look around. On his belt, there was a half-broken twig tied. Why? He wasn't sure.
Standing in the green forest he, first, looked around. Nothing. And that was strange, for though the army was disjointed, it wasn't to that extent. Then a sound, like the buzzing of a bee, (what a terrible association), reached his right ear.
Should he check it? Xin was a bit hesitant; he put his hand into the pocket and took a little Blue Flag, a symbol given by the Emperor of Mo himself to keep him safe from assaults, he was "similar to a human", after all.
The boy knew he couldn't count on animals being much intelligent and asking first, so just in a case he clenched the flag and lifted it above his head, waving time to time. And time to time it was waving on its own. Last night there was a harsh wind that hasn't calmed down yet.
After several minutes of walking toward the source of the sound, Xin finally saw a crowd, still as diverse as ever. These days he saw so many beasts that he started treating them as one colorful mass. Why they even have so many colors, shouldn't all be green, to merge with the green forest better? He should ask Ying Zheng later.
And all of them was tall, even mice were two meters in height and five meters long, with a tail as thick as his leg. Again, when will he grew up?
The boy touched at the mouse and proudly waved his flag, waiting to see its expression. "Let me sit on you!" he planned to say.
"…"
The beast ignored him.
Disappointed and mildly annoyed child left it be and started slowly making his way through the dense crowd. Every beast was so big and attentive to whatever was happening that they mostly ignored him. Finally, with a heavy gasp, crawled under two scaly legs and saw the event.
His expression froze.
He saw a tree, an oak with its branches twisting to all sides like legs of a dead spider; he saw Mo Guang, with his paw on the machete, standing still with his eyes closed, and he saw a body, twisting and trembling, hung on the tree upside down, dressed in rags.
It was a human, a man in, probably twenties, with short black hair and uneven line of the nose.
He was shocked, didn't know what to say, what to think. Meanwhile, the Mo Guang's eyes slowly opened.
"Everyone is here… Good. As you know, the night before a terrible massacre happened."
A loud roar of different animals answered his words. Xin clenched the flag stronger.
"A tribe of Iron-Tail Birds and Green Monkeys, two different species, though often on bad terms, but united in their loyalty fought against a troop of humans, the infamous Squad 7!"
One more wave of roar followed. It pierced the hanging man as if a lightning, making him tremble more and more.
"They took many with them, fought to the very last, and heroically died. All thirty of them perished, however, more than twice humans were killed."
"And one we managed to catch."
Swiftly, Mo Guang took his machete out and made one slash. A red line appeared on the man's leg, blood started dripping to his face, soaking the cloth used as a gag.
He closed his eyelids and trembled even more.
"As a punishment, the Great Emperor sentenced him to death."
Now there was no roar; Xin looked around, he saw beast opening their mouths, salivating, their fangs clattering.
His face went pale, are they going to…