His Imperial Tomboy

Beijing was an international city.

For all of the difficulties that Communist China presented, its capital was fairly easy to get into. It was made a lot easier when John had previously greased some wheels in certain bureaus. Bribes worked in basically all countries, as long as one knew where in the bureaucracy oversight was the weakest. Positions where the relation between power and accountability was maximized towards the former and minimized towards the latter always attracted the sort of person that would take the money. Observe covered the rest.

Once he was in the city, he was just another foreigner. Tourist or businessman, it hardly mattered, he and Undine went ignored. The slime lady had taken on her human disguise and covered her curves with a three-piece suit. Had the streets not been packed, she would have turned some heads. As it was, everyone was happy when they managed to take a step uninterrupted.

‘People in cities do not know how to walk,’ John thought. It was a common complaint he had when he visited large gatherings of humanity like this. He theorized it was a cascading effect of the small segment of the population that was genuinely and thoroughly selfish training everyone else that it was useless to watch out for the general movement of the crowd. ‘Certainly rewards just being a jackass and just barrelling ahead,’ he hissed inside his mind, after stopping so another guy could pass. Five others had followed.

He entered the Illusion Barrier the moment he was within its borders.

The Forbidden City had limited entry points, like many of the larger Abyssal cities were designed to work. When one entered the Protected Space, they were taken to the closest one of those points. John had deliberately walked a route that took him to the gate that he was already used to.

Black and white swirled into each other, a constant dance of inverted colours that always met and never mixed. The great gatehouse around it stood tall, interrupting the massive walls behind the meticulously kept moat.

John climbed the staircase under the gaze of four guards. Discipline kept their faces straight, but he could feel their surprise anyhow. He did not wear a disguise, because he did not reckon he needed one, just as little as he reckoned he had to sneak inside.

“I am John Newman and I have been invited to the heart of the Middle Empire. This privilege was given to me in friendship and in friendship I request it be given to me again.”

The captain of the guard, marked by a jade trim to his helmet, nodded in response to the request. He clapped his hands. The sound reverberated in the magical material of the gate. Black and white split, each taking a half of the great gate. Only a dot of the opposite colour remained on each side. Then, the Gate of Chaos and Order swung open.

John stepped through rapidly. The only thing measuring his step was the member of the guard that sprinted past him. Old was the bureaucracy and the concept of using phones to call in from the gate had not yet permeated through. With all of his superhuman speed, the runner went to deliver the message of John’s arrival.

Much as he wanted to just barrel on through to Lu Zhi, his imperial tomboy was no doubt within her personal sanctum. Between him and her, there was all of the might of the Middle Empire, all on high alert, most of them staying until they were given further mobilization orders. In other words, present was a **** that not even John could just ignore, especially not when he was just the Ambassador Double accompanied by a singular elemental.

He crossed the great courtyard, taking the long way around the large mosaic of Tianlong, and noted the absence of the eight massive drums that had been present during his last stay. ‘I suppose with the power used, they have been moved to storage?’

‘That would be the logical assumption,’ Undine agreed. ‘A quiet signal to the world that the Cardinal Beasts have been awoken.’

Their journey continued, taking them towards their first true test. The Gate of Chaos and Order was frequently open for the public. The Gate of Heaven and Earth, that one was only accessible for people who were truly invited.

Eleven members of the Dragonspears formed a line in front of it. Five left-handed members stood on one side, five right-handed members stood on the other, and in the middle stood one who wielded no spear at all. Her hands were folded behind her back, her stare unwavering. She only focused on him when he crossed an invisible threshold. “Halt!”

John obeyed the order and waited. There was a customary time during which the Dragonspears would not speak and simply test the resolve of whoever approached.

“The Forbidden City is locked down, following a heinous attack upon the Heavenly Jade Empress, she who is blessed by heaven and earth, glorious ruler of the greatest empire,” the spokeswoman declared. “State your reason for access to these hallowed halls, the Forbidden City that lies beyond the Gate of Heaven and Earth.”

“My reasons are not to be declared boldly on a space of the public,” he responded, always respectful of the court dialect of Mandarin. “I am John Newman, friend of the sovereign carved from the jade of heaven and earth. I request access to the heart of the Middle Empire, so that I may add to its prosperity.”

John placed his hands together, both bunched into fists. One hand open would have been to approach from an angle of equality or even inferiority. Both hands open would have been to approach as a spiritual request. Both hands closed was a sign that he considered his matter both urgent and outside of their authority. It could be conceived as a slap to the face, as far as social matters went.

Alas, he was a ruler of a nation considered equal enough to the Mandate of Heaven. Only that he was the president would have diminished his status. He doubted the news had simmered through to the majority of the population yet, but the Dragonspears would have likely been in the know. They also were the second most likely group in the empire to know of his relation with their empress. Only the ladies in waiting of Lu Zhi were more likely to have caught on to their affair.

“Your request is granted,” the spokeswoman declared after a customary pause.

The Gate of Heaven and Earth opened, clearing the second obstacle. Before John lay the great path that separated the Forbidden City into east and west and at its end was the prestigious Heavenly Jade Palace with its four towers and gargantuan jade pillar. That palace was his third and final barrier to reaching Lu Zhi. It was also the most likely one to see him stopped.

The runner must have reached it shortly after John advanced past the gate. Soldiers and servants poured out of the structure, as banners were raised hurriedly, all to create an atmosphere worthy of welcoming a foreign ruler. John let all of it occur without comment. He and Undine were on a mission.

Xi Pang stood atop the third and final flight of stairs in the court.

The first level, the Gamer climbed wordlessly. He refused to shout across the wall and equally he refused to stand below the prime minister. He climbed the steps of the second staircase, to stand on the level of the throne and the highest officials of the land. In his eyes was the clear warning that he dared Xi Pang to stop him.

And Xi Pang did dare.

John stopped with one foot on the uppermost step, Undine right behind him. “Prime minister, you know very well what I bring with me and my reasons for being here. What drives you to stand in my way?” Although his tone remained respectful, the Gamer did not care to mince his words. This was now a discussion between a king and an influential bureaucrat. Traditions were secondary to reality.

“Propriety and hesitance,” Xi Pant responded. “Our Heavenly Jade Empress has been wounded and to let an outsider step towards her would invite risks unnecessary.”

“I am your sovereign’s ally. Her health is my gain.”

“To aid her for gains alone betrays motives unbecoming and questionable.”

John narrowed his eyes a little more. Although this body had no blood, he still felt his pulse rise. That anger that dwelled within had an easy outlet in this obstacle. Through clenched teeth, he hissed, “You have always been a corrupt bastard, prime minister, but to keep me from Lu Zhi so you have a few more days to… no…?”

The Gamer stopped not because his wisdom told him that he was stepping over the boundary. He stopped because the expression on Xi Pang’s face reflected a genuine, harsh rejection of his words. Not anger, not primarily, but resolute will to not let those words sway him to any emotion.

“Your opinion of me is noted – yet it does not matter. You have no right to our empress.”

‘I have made a mistake. For all of his corruption, resource extraction, selfishness and greed, he is still a believer in the Middle Empire. He will protect the sovereign, even if he does not like that sovereign.’ John gathered his thoughts, calmed his mind, and tried to come up with a way to salvage this.

Other high officials entered the chamber, filling the layers that John found himself between. The strongest members of the Mandate of Heaven formed a wall of might behind the prime minister. Individually, John could have swiped them aside, but as one unit they could overpower him easily. Behind him, the middle elite of the Middle Empire formed a second wall that boxed him in. The harsh faces of traditionalists stared at him from all sides.

This was the strength of a nation that had practically invented the concept of recorded history. It laid not in any one member of the crowd, but the willingness of all to link up, to put aside all differences for the glory of China.

“Forgive my summoner, he is stressed due to events in our own home,” Undine raised her voice. The crystal clear tones wove her every carefully enunciated word into another part of a song. Even speaking normally, she was a melodious being. “Even as the Lorylim besiege our every village, we have taken it upon us to travel here. Call it selfish, if you desire, for we do need the aid of the mighty Mandate of Heaven. Call it righteous, if you are gracious, for we do wish to aid the friend we have found here on Earth. We come unarmed, with only my mending presence to defend my summoner, as my sisters remain home. I beseech that you acknowledge this – and our intentions.”

Undine bowed her head deeply. John mimicked the gesture with some hesitance. Pride revolted in his chest. ‘I’m trying to help my beloved and bowing to the idiots that are keeping me from her,’ he thought. Resentment had to be swallowed in the name of appeasement. ‘What reality is and what I want it to be are two different matters.’

The silence around him lost its edge. It did not turn friendly. There was contemplation in the air. A sharp step shattered the streak of soundless seconds, subverting silence with substantial mass. John could not withstand the impulse to tilt his head up, to look at what all others were looking at.

A warrior of black had stepped out from behind the Dragon Throne. Whether the figure was male or female could not be said, for the armour was simply too large and bulky to assume either way. An abyssal cold radiated from the polished texture of the overlapping plates, yet there was no frost around it, only the drifting mist of chilled air.

The armour was well over two metres tall, absolutely towering over the crowd of Asians. In shape, it was appropriate for the environment, mimicking the scales, layered skirt and large pauldrons that were pronounced in mythical Chinese armour over any European equivalent. The helmet, especially, had an oriental character. Enormous vambraces protected thick arms that ended in clawed paws, so large they left the realm of hands in the human sense.

Most striking about the silhouette of the warrior was the back plate. Its sheer size demanded that the whole of the armour was wider than any man. It was a curved shell, covered in flat spikes. Its bend gave the armour a slightly bowed appearance, as if it was always and forever paying quiet respect to the world around it.

The Cardinal Chosen of the Black Turtle became the centre of all attention. Even the prime minister bowed deeply towards the warrior. It, in turn, did absolutely nothing. It stood there. Observing, waiting, judging, its physical presence enough to **** itself to become the centre of attention.

“What do you decree, great warrior?” Xi Pang asked. “You, who is chosen by the spirit of indomitable will. You, whose loyalty to the sovereign is unquestionable. What do you decree we must do?”

Meandering, weighing a decision of enormous weight, one arm of the black warrior rose. The more John beheld the armour, the more he was certain that it was entirely fashioned from Black Ice, the same material Aclysia’s claws were made from. An extended finger pointed at John.

Silence after that.

“Is that a signal that I can go or that I should leave?” John asked, getting a tad impatient.

No response from the warrior.

“Ehem…!” The loud clearing of a throat moved the attention of all to a member of the middle ranks. John was not entirely surprised to find Han Xu to be the one speaking. Qingmei and Bai Bai were by his side, as per usual. The two lamias were keeping their heads down and appearance meek, but John knew who of the trio had first said the words that left Han’s mouth. “Let us waste no more time with talk, as the empress is ailing! Great warrior, if you wish for the king of Fusion to go to the empress, then lead his path. If you wish for us to rebuke him, escort him yourself, as we will need your might.”

Fifteen seconds passed.

Then, the Cardinal Chosen spun around on their heels with surprising swiftness. The footfalls of the gargantuan armour reverberated. Everyone looked at John expectantly and he marched past Xi Pang as swiftly as possible. He sent a thankful gaze back towards Han. Qingmei would know it was meant for her.

John hurried after the black warrior. The armoured person walked at a steady pace, their head bowed due to the relatively low ceiling. “Thank you,” the Gamer said.

“Thank you, truly,” Undine echoed.

The warrior continued to march without a word. They led them down the spiralling path until they emerged within the empress’ personal segment of the Forbidden City. There, the Cardinal Chosen stepped aside and pointed them at the path ahead.

John did not need any further signals for him and Undine to start running. There were no more obstacles, no reason left for him to behave according to any social expectations. He charged straight to Lu Zhi’s personal residence.

The empress sat in a pile of pillows, heaped onto the wooden walkway adjacent to her private park. A blanket was thrown over her shoulders and a white gown covered her. It was sticky with sweat, clinging to her frame. She had never looked more petite before, more ****. Trembling hands brushed the feathers of a white duck that had settled in her lap for her comfort. The animal looked up at the gaunt face of its owner with worry. Eyes were sunken, deep bags betraying an exhaustion that ran to the core.

More concerning than her appearance was the fact that she did not notice John approach at all. It wasn’t until he was practically right in front of her that she slowly tilted her head upwards. Servants and terracotta soldiers around her stood at the ready, ladies in waiting assuming martial arts poses, until they heard their empress speak, “Darling…?”

There was no energy in her voice, not even for secrecy. John had resolved to play it all off coolly, but that was gone when she tugged at his sleeve. He embraced her. “I’m here, Lulu,” he whispered into her ear. He smelled sweet rot. He saw a noxious green strip staining her white clothing where the dagger had sunk deep into her stomach. “I’m sorry it took me this long.”

“…I love you…” she croaked, weak and perhaps delusional with fever. The ladies in waiting beheld the scene with wide eyes. Had their mistress’ state been less concerning, would they have been shocked or happy for her? If all went well, that would be answered soon enough.

John shuffled to the side. The duck fluttered off without any gesture needed. “Lay her down,” Undine instructed and John did. Lulu’s head rested in his lap. One of her hands came to be between his. Undine untied the binding of the satin gown. Cloth stuck to soaked bandages. “This is the care you have for her?!”

The hairs of abysstide elemental coiled like a nest of snakes. Wrathful notes made the ladies in waiting take an instinctive step backwards. “W-we changed them ten minutes ago! The wounds just keeps oozing!”

Undine clenched her teeth, calmed the sea of her rage, and concentrated on her task. “This must be,” she warned Lu Zhi, before peeling the layers of cloth off. The empress clenched her teeth and remained still, the pain shooting through her cutting through her sickly haze enough for her will to focus.

The wound was revealed in full. It had not clotted in the proper way. Where blood should have flown, a bright, sickly green dominated her flesh and the veins surrounding it. The colour oozed from sliced flesh, mixing with the fluids from cut organs. The dagger that had struck her had sunk in to the hilt, a large wound on anyone and an enormous one for a woman of Lulu’s size.

“The greatest healers in China have beheld the wound and found that the poison feasts on the healing itself,” one of the ladies in waiting reported. “Only the sovereign’s own body can exorcise this poison.”

“Your healers made one correct observation.” Undine did not elaborate. She shed her clothes and reverted fully to her elemental form. The fingers of her right hand first fused, then spread out into a myriad small tendrils. “I recognize this kind of magic from our time in the Iron Domain.”

“Necromancy,” John muttered. He had guessed as much from the colour and the effect it had. The confirmation moved his suspicion to the Rift Spawn beneath the Forbidden City and the apparent conspiracy at court. All of that had been ongoing for too long to be a scheme of either Izha or Tiamat. ‘Another plot of another faction, a crime of opportunity? To what end?’

Any thoughts John had were painted over when Undine’s tendrils pushed into Lu Zhi’s exposed flesh. The gruesome sight was tolerable. The pained hisses from his beloved were not. He held her hand as strongly as he dared, while her trimmed nails dug into his skin.

Undine was drawing the poison from her wound. Conjured water, as clean as water could be, washed away every viscous drop that she pulled from the veins. It soaked into the surrounding pillows, staining expensive fabric green and, once blood flowed with the poison, red. The ladies in waiting beheld it all, for that was their duty.

Lu Zhi’s mouth opened wide in a silent scream. Her spine arched. Her teeth sharpened, then returned to human form. Scales pushed out of and were reabsorbed into her skin. Pupils shifted wildly between slit and dot. The more of the poison left her, the more her imperial might attempted to resurface. Claws scratched open the back of John’s hand. He did not notice the pain.

“You’re strong,” John whispered to her. “I’m here.”

That was all he could do, while Undine healed her.