Tao Liu was in the East, fighting off a Maltan battalion that was raiding one of their supply chains. He easily defeated them without having to lift a single finger. He let his lieutenant Sun Zhen take care of the rest as he mapped out where they would be moving to next. He was in his large tent, planning the next course of action when the ever so lovely and youthful Su Hua popped in, "Ah? General?"
He looked up from his work and called, "Oh, Su Hua, please, come in."
She delightfully pranced inside and asked, "How is the general?"
"I am well," he smiled, tucking some papers together and putting them to the side. "How about Su Hua?"
"Oh, I'm good," she answered. "Very busy here and there, but I'm not too tired."
"Did you just show up?" he wondered. "Should we make a cup of tea? Sun Zhen never drinks with me."
"Is it because she thinks it's improper or she doesn't like it?"
"Both," his frown fell sideways.
"Well then I'll gladly have some tea, sir," she hummed.
"Very good," he placed a talisman on the pot of water to heat it up and only had to wait a little until it whistled.
"Wow, so cool!" she chimed.
"Thank you," he took two cups and poured one out for Su Hua and himself. They sat down on a pile of pillows to the side, taking a small break and he questioned, "So what brings you back so soon, Su Hua? Is the investigation still running cold?"
"Very," she nodded. "Take it from me, General. I don't think we'll find anything else."
He hummed, taking a sip.
"But I do have more interesting news," she remarked.
"Hm?" one eye peeked out with interest.
She said, "The Hero Omari is on the move."
He stared and placed the tea cup on his lap. He showed a bitter expression, "I see."
"News says that they spotted him at Fort Halda," she told him.
"Fort Halda?" he muttered. "That's run by General Lin Susu's men. She won't like to hear that it's been taken over."
"Actually, it wasn't taken over," Su Hua stated.
"What?"
"Their mission seemed to be to distract the soldiers long enough so a stealth group could enter and retrieve the prisoners," she explained. "But reportedly the Maltan soldiers did not take over the fortress."
"Hm… Was the Hero Omari just not capable enough?" he questioned.
She snorted in amusement, "Heh, no. He was plenty capable. Reports say he deflected cannonballs and scaled the fortress wall."
"Wow."
"But, here's the most interesting part," she smiled. "He didn't kill anyone."
"Really?"
"Nope," she hummed. "He distracted them long enough to take back those prisoners and when the Maltan horn was blown, he retreated back."
Tao Liu's brow furrowed, "What? Is he mocking us?"
"I don't know," she replied. "But he is apparently very powerful."
"To not kill anyone?" Tao Liu scoffed. "When he's that powerful? …What could he be trying to achieve with that? He's a damn instrument of war after all."
"Hm, a dog trained to fight," she nodded. "Perhaps he really is mocking us. I couldn't imagine what else it could be."
"I could… but I'm not telling because it's impossible," he huffed. "He's now the king's 'hero', he's our enemy and one we should stay wary of."
"He probably thinks he's above killing such grunts or something," she sighed then glanced at him. "Look out, General."
"Hmph," Tao Liu grunted. "He got the upperhand before because I had to use my powers to shield the rest of my troops. But if it's just me and him, I could take him." His eyes glared, "And then kill him so he doesn't grow into an even bigger threat."
-
It was long into the night when Omari finished his damn hundred laps jog. He was out of breath but he could do it! He ran so fast for so long with so much stamina. In fact, he probably could go for another twenty, but he was honestly just tired and needed to sleep.
Before he went to bed, he thought he'd check on the injured soldiers. He snuck to the medical tent and peered in to find the one who was burned and the other who was hit with an arrow were still alive and were treated. He smiled, feeling a bit accomplished and went to bed.
-
The following morning they would be sent to reallocate their position and everyone was packing everything up. Omari stayed to the side, eating a bowl of porridge as he watched people lift boxes and yell orders. He was minding his own business, gazing at the crowd when a couple people approached him. One was a pale skinned woman with very short blonde hair and the other was a man around her height, with very dark black skin and eyes. They approached him and said, "Hey, Hero Omari."
Geez, is that the nickname everyone was going to call him now? So derivative.
"Yes?" he politely replied. He hoped that these soldiers weren't here to bark at him too, he had enough of that from the general.
"We were in your squad yesterday," she stood to attention and said, "Private Emma Lanes!"
And then the man added, "Corporal Mwindo Ngoy!"
"Ah, hello," Omari slightly stood up. He realized he was taller than both of them.
"We just wanted to say…" she glanced over to Mwindo, getting his eye contact, then looked back at Omari and proclaimed, "Thank you very much, sir!"
"Huh?" he blinked.
"If it wasn't for you yesterday, our group would have been used as a suicide squad," she exclaimed. "We are grateful for your actions."
He stared, a bit appalled as he questioned, "You went ahead on the battlefield even though you knew that?"
"It was hard to ignore," she stated. "But someone had to do the mission. It just had to be us."
He shook his head. It didn't have to be anybody. If this dumb war just didn't exist, then they wouldn't even think in such a way. But now they're okay with throwing their lives away, for a 'cause'. Holy hell.
"Also, if it wasn't for you," Mwindo spoke up, "We would have had to use a different tactic that would have gotten even more killed. Our batch has been asking the capital for reinforcements for a while, but we never received any to add to our numbers. But we are thankful that you showed up and helped us. You were really amazing out there."
"Thank you," Omari nodded.
"How you smacked away those cannonballs," he said. "How did you practice such a technique?"
"I didn't," Omari flatly said. The two's faces paled at that, but it was true. That was something he did in the moment. He had to decide that he could just do it. But hey, he deflected Tao Liu's energy bolt with this sword, surely he could block some cannonballs. Though he really would have died if he had missed.
"I… I see…" Mwindo had a cold sweat to him but then cleared his throat, "All and all, we did appreciate it."
"And that you even went to rescue the injured," Emma noted. "I thought you'd truly die then."
"You said something to one of the injured soldiers," Mwindo wondered. "That you were a nurse."
"I mean, I technically still am," Omari replied.
The two glanced at each other again and Emma questioned, "An army nurse?"
"Yeah."
"Then… you aren't used to the frontlines at all."
"Nope."
Their faces became sort of amusingly strained and Emma remarked, "Then why is the general so hard on you for not being battle experienced?"
"We all saw you doing those punishment laps last night," Mwindo stated. "Did he make you do that because he wasn't happy with your performance?"
"Yeah."
Mwindo's mouth fell and he gasped, "What an asshole!"
Omari's eyes widened with surprise and watched Emma counter, "God, I hate that guy."
"He's the worst!"
"I can't believe he yelled and punished you for what you did yesterday," Emma grunted. "Our squad would have been totally wiped out without you!"
"I hear shit all the time where he grumbles and says 'Mm, less died than I thought,'" Mwindo muttered.
"Ah!" Omari snapped his fingers and pointed, "That's what he said yesterday."
"That dickbag!" Emma remarked. "He just uses us like cannon fodder! It doesn't matter how many people die. To him, they are all expendable and as long as he reaches his goal it doesn't matter."
"Uh, should you guys be saying this?" Omari wondered. "Isn't this like treason or something?"
"Pft!" Emma scoffed. "No one's going to tell on us. They all hate him too."
"Just watch," Mwindo huffed, making a gesture with his hands. "One day someone's just gonna take an arrow and fire it at the back of that asshole's head."
"It's got to be in the heat of battle to blame it on the enemy though," Emma scoffed. "But he's never even near the fight. Just watches it from afar."
"I mean… he's a veteran, right?" Omari didn't know why he was being the devil's advocate. "What about that huge scar?"
"Sure, he fought back in the day," Mwindo sighed. "But he's just grown into a selfish monster by now."
"Live long enough to see yourself become the villain," Emma quoted.
All three sighed and then Mwindo asked Omari, "Hey, wanna get some drinks with us sometime?"
Omari blinked in surprise then replied, "Yeah!"
-
They moved thirty miles to the East and at the end of the day put up shop. Omari was actually able to help a lot when he transformed, carrying huge and heavy supplies by pulling two carts at once. He wasn't gonna lie, being obtusely ripped was pretty nice. He was physically fit in his regular form, but this shiny one was definitely more effective.
And the more he helped out, the more he got to talk to people who needed assistance. Some people needed help pushing their supply carts up steep hills or assisting the injured up some slopes. The more he pitched in, the more they spoke to him. Some approached him because they were curious about his transformation, others coming over either saying they were part of his squad and thanking him or talking about how amazed they were at his magical physical feats at Fort Halda.
He even spoke with some of the freed tortured prisoners who also shared their gratitude. Omari quickly found out that they were soldiers ranked higher than the basic private. General Nasir saw them as invaluable and that was why he risked so many lower ranked soldiers to retrieve them. Apparently they had some important intel that they were withholding from their Hóngyèse captors and that was why they were imprisoned, instead of being killed off.
Once the army reached their destination, they put down their basic supplies and tents and took some down time. Emma and Mwindo waved Omari over for a drink at the big tent set up as a cafeteria. Emma hummed, "Ah, even though we don't have any reinforcements, at least we have beer."
Mwindo chuckled, "Cheers to that."
They clicked drinks together and to Omari's delightful surprise, he found that he was able to bond with the soldiers by all agreeing that General Nasir was a complete asshole. It was rather refreshing actually. To complain. Omari liked complaining about people.
"He is such a tool," Emma huffed. "Always trying to suck up to the king and if we are any less than perfect then he blames us for the mission, even if it's successful!"
"He has his own premade goals in his head and expects everyone to just read his mind and follow them perfectly," Mwindo scoffs. "He gets easily disappointed and upset if we don't do things just right."
"And says you could have done better?" Omari questioned.
"How?!" Mwindo snapped with a tipsy rage, not really directed at Omari but to his scorn for the general. "How can he have such unrealistic expectations?! Then he turns around and easily sarfrices a whole squadron to reach his goals. Everyone is so disposable to him but he has the gall to yell at us if we don't follow his perfect plan."
"Fuck that guy," Emma gritted her teeth.
"Fuck that guy," Mwindo nodded.
"We do the best we can, he takes all the praise from the king then turns around and yells at us, saying that we did a shit job!" Emma growled. "He can just choke on a dick and die!"
Omari raised a brow, agreeing that yes, the general was a bastard, but it was always beyond him why soldiers wanted credit for the stuff they accomplished in war. He didn't mind being acknowledged for saving lives, cause he's used to that, but to be patted on the back for taking lives. To him it was such backwater thinking. Whatever, he supposed it was common to think that way in the army. If it was up to him, he would just blend into the walls and never be seen again.
"Yeah, that sucks," Omari sighed. "Being yelled at for basically nothing is annoying." He wouldn't deny that it was something that pissed him off. He didn't need the credit but to be yelled at for doing the basics; fuck that guy.
"Argh!" Emma groaned. "I'd rather be transferred at this point then see that asshole's face again!"
Omari gave a sympathetic nod, already wanting to get a hundred foot radius restraining order on the general. He deserved that much at least. If he was going to be rewarded, he'd at least like to not get to know this shithead any further please.
His eyes lazily gazed at the inside of the tent and then he suddenly saw Jessi grabbing some food. He blinked and called, "Jessi, hey!"
She jolted at his voice, her shoulders stiffening. Emma and Mwindo turned to her with an unimpressed expression. Seeing that, Omari was guessing that perhaps they had their own opinions on Jessi too. She may have awful opinions, but hey, who hasn't had friends that you don't agree with at all but are still their friend? At this point it was like whatever. And he couldn't say if Emma and Mwindo hadn't done just as bad of stuff as she had.
Jessi anxiously approached their table and Omari patted down the empty seat next to him, saying, "Here."
She sat down, her body as rigid as a plank. He wondered when she became so awkward with people. In his previous experiences, she seemed to have made a bunch of good friends at all the other military camps they went to. Especially the soldiers. During her absence and while in his presence, did she get a bad rep because everyone came to the decision that her passionate views were annoying? Not the actual views but the passionate part? Well honestly that seemed bogus to him. Jessi didn't deserve this kind of treatment. What are they, hypocrites? He thought he'd do her a solid for once.
"Hey, Jessi!" Omari wrapped an arm around her shoulder, startling her with his friendliness.
"Ah?"
"Are you two friends?" Mwindo questioned.
"Yeah, since I was fourteen," Omari stated. "She's saved my skin plenty of times."
"Really?" Mwindo wondered.
"Mm," Omari nodded. "In fact she was the one who rescued me from the famed General Tao Liu."
"What?" Emma gasped. "I thought you defeated Tao Liu?"
"I did, I did," Omari fibbed. "But it was her who broke me out of my cell, getting me to my sword." He pulled it up for show and others turned around, intently listening to his story. "She fought off Hóngyèse soldier after soldier until I reached the general and blasted him away. Also saving every prisoner there too."
"Wow! Really?!" Mwindo said.
"Mm!" Omari answered. "And afterwards, I used up too much of my powers and collapsed, and she pulled me out of there."
"That's crazy."
"Yeah, if it wasn't for her, I would be a prisoner of the Hóngyèse Empire," Omari stated.
"No way, that's amazing!" Emma's eyes glowed. "I never knew!"
"Mm, well, she's not one for bragging," Omari nodded. "Pretty modest. Right, Jessi?"
"Uh, yeah," she slowly grew a happy smile and replied, "It's true."
"Did you also face Tao Liu too?!" Mwindo questioned.
"Um, no, but I did fight Guo Sying, one of the general's right hands," she hummed. "Omari was the one who fought Tao Liu."
"Wow, you guys both sound really strong."
"Thanks," Omari allowed. Then more people came over with more questions and the two lied through their teeth. Omari had to agree, Jessi was right about before, taking positive credit even if it was a lie. It did have some value. The soldiers already hated their superior, but if they liked Omari more then maybe that can sway their opinion on him in a good way that could be beneficial in the future. He supposed he'd have to keep taking credit for things, even if they wasn't true.
-
Omari and Jessi left the tent, slightly buzzed and Jessi asked him, "Hey, what was all that about? You were lying like wild."
"Sorry, it may bite me in the ass later, but I just thought it sucked that everyone viewed you with such disdain," Omari explained.
"Really?" Jessi gasped.
"Yeah," Omari sighed. "As you know, I don't agree with the whole patriotic aspect. But they weren't hating you because of that. They seemed to hate you because of how passionate you are, which is stupid. Passion isn't a bad thing yet that's what they denounced. The hell?"
"I guess it's hypocritical…" Jessi muttered.
"It is," Omari nodded. "And besides, you're my friend. I don't like it when everyone glares at you for practically nothing."
Her heart swelled and she said in an almost crying voice, "O-Okay."
"Hey, no need to sob about it," Omari ruffled her head. "You look after my back and I look after yours."
"Thanks," she sniffled.
"What do you even think made them start seeing in such a way?" Omari wondered.
"Probably because I'm doing the exact same thing that would counter my goals," Jessi rubbed her nose. "I'm not doing what I want for my own, but am following you around like a puppy. I must look pathetic. Saying I'd get to the top, but am now just playing bodyguard."
"That could be it," Omari sighed. "But I wonder why it's such a popular topic."
"Because you're a popular topic, you dolt," she huffed. He gave her a glare and she backed up, "Sorry, I'm a little drunk and stressed."
"I can tell."
"Because you are hot news, people are also gonna talk about those that you surround yourself with," Jessi said. "And since I'm the closest and the most constant, there is probably a shit ton of gossip about me. More than what we heard today."
"Well hopefully what we said back there mends some of that," Omari suggested.
"Maybe, word does spread fast after all," Jessi shrugged.
"I just hope those lies don't come back to haunt me later," he hummed.
"Well, with how information spreads," Jessi stated. "It's likely that if people want to twist those words to their own benefit or offense, that if it spreads far enough with enough people talking about it, that some could see them as baseless rumors or hearsay. Saying you probably said something like that or others thinking that people are just putting words in your mouth. Given enough time, the story we tell will twist and turn into several variations, so whichever one you say, no one will know."
"I guess that makes sense."
"Damn right it makes sense," Jessi nodded. "What you need to do right now is take credit on the good. No matter how untrue it is. Everyone will be so hung up on you being a 'chosen hero' that they won't be looking too deeper into that. Your story is so crazy and wild already, that it will be harder to pick and choose the facts unless you give your permission to be quoted."
"Do you think it'll be wise to backtalk the general?" Omari questioned.
"What do you mean?"
"Lots of soldiers already hate General Nasir," Omari told her. "Should I be neutral about it or should I voice my agreement on the general?"
"Do you hate him?"
"I don't like him."
Jessi thought about it then said, "If I was you, you want the positive opinion of the citizens and soldiers. The majority if you will. So yeah, to be able to relate with the soldiers will definitely put you in better graces… with them, I think."
"Good."
"Yeah," they reached the tents and she proclaimed, "Okay, this is me. I'm going to bed."
"Night."
"Night," Jessi entered her tent and fell asleep where she collapsed onto the bed.
Omari on the other hand wasn't too tired yet, even though it was fairly late at night. He decided to take a small stroll and saw that a good sum of the lights were still on. He wasn't bothered too much, everyone was focused on their own thing, so he decided to take a little peek into the medical tent again. He saw the two soldiers who were injured during the fight at Fort Halda were now soundly resting. He smiled and was about to leave when one sat up at the sight of him and called, "Hero Omari?"
He turned to find the woman who was burned. Her arm, neck and side were scorched by flame, but it was covered in bandages.
"Ah, hi," he gave a small wave.
"You… You saved me," she said.
He stepped in and nodded, "Yeah, I guess I did."
"I thought I was dead," she stated. "That I'd either die from the pain or get taken out of my misery… by one of those archers."
"It's alright," Omari replied. "You're okay now."
She stared then her gaze fell, "I was ready to die that day."
His shoulders flinched.
"I wasn't sacrificing my life for my country or anything," she muttered. "I just don't have much to live for."
Omari's brows furrowed and he approached her bedside, sitting down. He asked, "Why's that?"
"I've lost a lot of good friends… and loved ones because of this war," she sighed. "I just didn't want to stick around anymore."
Omari peered up at her and responded, "I'm sorry to hear that. Do you hate me because of it?"
She looked at him then said, "No… Those people died because they were sacrificed for this war. Like being fed to a beast that is never satisfied. I thought that, well, one day I would be fed to the beast. That my superiors would just send me off somewhere to die like the rest of them or use me like a disposable pawn. I thought no one cared."
Omari gazed at her with a soft sorrow, sympathizing with her blight.
"But you saved me," she looked up, a light in her eyes. "You saved me when I was supposed to be disposable. You saved me when it would have been better and easier to have left me for dead. You… cared."
He watched her and mumbled, "I don't want to die."
Her face turned to him.
"But… I don't want to watch anyone else die in front of me anymore."
"... I was supposed to die that day," she told him. "It was the unspoken truth that my death would be scheduled, like everyone else's. No one expected me to live or even cared if it was me out there. But you… you grabbed me. Carried me to safety. You cared, when I was supposed to be left behind, you turned around and got me. You cared…" Her gaze was gentle, "Cause of you, I think others might care too…"
"What will you do now?" he asked. "Now that you have a second chance."
She was quiet for a moment then smiled, "I'm going to retire."
His eyes widened.
"I'm going to be honorably discharged, saying that this injury makes it too painful to continue," she hummed. "Now that I have a second chance, I don't want to waste it. I don't want to throw my life away anymore. I'm going to leave this place and start brand new somewhere else."
Omari stayed silent, listening to the noise of the night and muttered, "I'm envious of you."
She peeked up at him.
"To leave… I wish I had done so sooner," he sighed. "But I really… had nowhere to go."
"... I'm sorry," she responded.
He gave her a kind smile and said, "Don't be. I'm happy you're getting out of here. I wish everyone would."
She stared then wondered, "Have you… Have you lost anyone?"
Omari's gaze lowered, "Too many."
"Then for that… I am sorry," she replied.
He turned to her and nodded, "Thank you."