Chapter 6: The Heart of a Bureaucracy

Kiyoshi looked up lazily at the towering buildings, cardboard boxes stacked upon each other until they blotted out the beautiful sky. The ground consisted of wood, and below him there were still several hundreds of feet until another false floor. The Jade Sea seemed so far away, and this land seemed to be missing anything that resembled all he loved as sky and sea were stripped from him. His armor was in a sack he carried around, his clothing traditional Luxon garbs so as to not arouse too much suspicion. Most of the people around him were dressed in rags hardly worth calling clothing, something he found quite distasteful.

He reached Kaineng Center, the towering buildings slightly more comfortable upon his eyes, and a few open areas revealing the cloud speckled blue sky. The sea air was a welcomed scent, though it was still different than its jade counterpart. He entered a building for the Ministry of Fire. There was a counter with several clerks busily helping people with paper work. Messengers ran in and out, up the stairs or down them, delivering stacks of paper work, the amount of which Kiyoshi had never before seen.

After an hour of waiting in line, he was finally allowed to speak to a clerk, “Excuse me. I am here to be in the employment of the Imperial Army. Where would I go to....”

The clerk did not look up. He continued stamping papers, “Go upstairs to your right, it will be the fourth door. Please have a nice day and good luck in the army, sir.” Kiyoshi looked around in wonderment at this treatment. In Luxon it would never have happened like that. The person he spoke to would have been a hardened fighter, likely the person he would train with. Yet here was a paper pushing wiry bastard who would not even look Kiyoshi in the face.

Kiyoshi followed the directions, sighing deeply. Walking so slowly annoyed him, and he rarely stooped to such simplicity. Shadow stepping was more efficient. The door was open, and behind a desk was another wiry man in noble's clothing, stamping papers. There was a hallway directly behind the man in the desk, and a scholar of some import walked up and handed him a note. The clerk spoke, not looking up, “Kiyoshi no Cavalon, your presence is desired by the Magistrate.”

“Something got done fast? How strange.” He stood up and walked towards the hallway.

The clerk stopped him, looking up. His eyes were a weak blue, clinging to miserable life, yet he had never known battle. It caused Kiyoshi's right arm to twitch. “First you must read the Manual of Auspicious Greetings. Then you have to read the Document of Celestial Fire. After that you must read this agreement to meet with the Magistrate, and then you must sign at the bottom. Then you can see the Magistrate.” Kiyoshi twitched again.

“I have to what?”

“Well sir,” the clerk pulled out the scrolls, and Kiyoshi slammed his hand against the desk.

“If Grenth worked at this speed, no one would die. Should Dwayna work at your speed, everyone would look as sickly as you. Let me see him. I have no patience for this.”

“Sir, you are from Luxon. We apologize, but the way you act would most certainly be considered a disgrace to the Magistrate. The Magistrate....”

“Lu, that will be enough.” A man walked down the hall wearing tight robes and light armor. He had two swords at his side. His face was a maze of scars, though a thick beard tried to cover it. His brown hair was long and rugged. He held out his hand to Kiyoshi, “Excuse Lu's antics. They are quite needed for so many, and it is in the Scroll of Bureaucratic Protocol. But you, Kiyoshi, are no bureaucrat. As he noted, you are a Luxon, and an assassin of such standing I will not wade through trails of paper work. Far too valuable. Please, follow me.”

The clerk gasped, attempting to speak, but no real words came out as he stood from his seat. As the door shut behind Kiyoshi, he could hear the clerk sputter, “Outrage!”

“Kiyoshi, I am Magistrate Gua Yong.” There was a table in the center, with a mat on either side. Kiyoshi put the sac on the floor, then folded his legs under him to sit. “Would you enjoy some tea? It is from Shing Jea, no more than a week upon the boat. Quite good, I assure you.” He motioned towards a kettle upon the table, along with two beautifully decorated tea cups. He recognized the designs as Kurzick.

“My apologies, but to drink such a tea out of such a cup seems to unsettle my stomach. I have no love for the Kurzicks. I am here for a job, though. How do I join the army of the Cantha?”

Magistrate Gua Yong poured himself some tea and sipped it, “Very well. You must go through a little training, but it will not be too strenuous for the likes of you. You are how old?”

“Seventeen, Magistrate.”

“Excellent. You will be the youngest in your class by a good amount. Most of the nobles do not part with their children until they are into their twenties. However, they are also not born for such a role as a fighter and adventurer. You will surely be a different breed among them, the likes of which will make you many enemies.”

“I care little. I will prove my worth, and they will learn I am their superior. Those better than me, I shall accept my station.”

“That's the thing. There will be none better than you. I've seen your record, I know who you are. You're the prodigy of the Luxons. I don't know why you would want to come out here for the dull assignments we have. They will pay a great deal better, but the scenery is nothing compared to the Jade Sea.”

“I am hoping that in an Empire they can act civil. That is all. I may be a Luxon, but I am no barbarian.”

“Ah, you wish to take part in the far more tame wars of the houses? The Luxons and Kurzicks have a war which rages across half a country in territories far below what would interest us. But we have rules and guidelines that keep the innocent out of the way. Though you must understand, this makes your job all the more difficult.”

“I have been waiting for a life which truly demands stealth, and an environment which caters to my desires. I feel this city will do perfectly for such.”

“Your training starts tomorrow, then. Enjoy your day in the city. When you don your armor tomorrow, you will likely never show your face again.” The magistrate bowed to Kiyoshi.

Kiyoshi tried the baths of Kaineng, hoping to find a final moment of relaxation between his stages of life. The bath was filled with naked women who were to help him with more than getting clean, a notion which made Kiyoshi weary. Before the women could make use of the youth, he shadow stepped to the lockers to quickly change, and shadow step once more into the darkness of the city. Guards lit lanterns while parents hurried their children into the safety of their ill constructed shacks. Some mother climbed ladders dozens of feet into the air in order to get to their more than humble living quarters. Kiyoshi stepped to the top of a stack of houses, then watched the people.

Street thugs hassled any who were still out. They went into the few stores still open, bruising the clerk behind the counter and stealing what they wished. Kiyoshi sighed, sitting back and looking at the sky. The stars twinkled lightly, drowned out by the lanterns strewn across the city. “Perhaps the Jade Sea wasn't so bad after all.” He fell asleep with the cool, salty breeze flowing over his body.

They met outside of Kaineng Center. The sun was at its zenith as they crawled around the southern portion of Kaineng. Kiyoshi had made out twelve, and it seemed only one or two of them had made him out. He preferred his anonymity. There was one who now and then appeared in the daylight, definitely the runt of the troop. Kiyoshi stopped and watched with a strange interest, then snickered as three oni confronted him. “Amateur.”

Kiyoshi noted a man crouching next to him, “Indeed. The oni are surely a clumsy sort, but how unexpected that they would be here.” Kiyoshi glanced at him, and was slightly shocked. Kiyoshi was wearing his cloth outfit from home, while this man was wearing armor of the Imperial elites. The white shined brightly upon the metal surface as soon as Kiyoshi realized he was there. It was their mark, that they could approach a target unnoticed while wearing such a loud uniform. There were supposedly 50 throughout the empire, and another ten throughout the world, though none knew quite what was meant by throughout the world. Most believed it meant south of the forest and sea. Kiyoshi turned his head and squinted. The man spoke again, surprising him, “They are called glasses. You shouldn't stare, you know that?” The man sat.

“Who...are you?”

“Surely one of such knowledge knows already.” Kiyoshi nodded a little. “My name is not important. What is important is that you are meant for greatness. Your master came to speak with me shortly before you left, and he thought you may, at some time in your life, end up here in Kaineng as an operative. Alas, here you are.” His voice was light, barely above a whisper. “I suggest you quickly make your way. They are a little ahead of you. Though, from what I gather, you were just taking count of those out there. Twelve you noticed?”

“Yes. There were twelve, though now I'm not sure.”

“Funny.” He pulled out a scroll and unrolled it, “There are only twelve in the class, and if my math is correct, you are counted in that twelve.” He rolled up the scroll and put it in a pouch on his back. “I guess you have some work ahead of you. May the gods find it an auspicious day to keep Grenth at bay.” He bowed, then shadow stepped. Kiyoshi tried to find where he ended, but there was no trail.

Finally able to relax, Kiyoshi slouched. He was likely still being watched, but at least he kept his nerve in front of the operative. There was an extra, or it was the instructor. Kiyoshi shadow stepped. He noted the man earlier who was running from the oni. The city became worse, and he realized he was descending into the undercity. Sewage drained into large canals, and things crept in the dark which Kiyoshi was repulsed by. People did not live in the undercity, only monsters who preyed on the unfortunate.

Finally he had passed most of the students. He found the two leaders, one choking the other. “Hah, this is the best of Kaineng? The Empire is withered and old, a crusty man hanging on to memories.” He crushed the man's neck, and tossed him aside.

The man still standing looked at Kiyoshi, “I expected you first, young Luxon. Come, prove that he was a fluke, and that you really are the better.”

Kiyoshi shadow stepped several times, then plunged down on top of his opponent, only to be flung off. Kiyoshi skidded across the ground, then stood up. “Kiyoshi, you might prove a powerful foe. But I think I know how this ends.” He smiled and walked towards the youth. “I will kill you now, and then I will kill every one of the other recruits.”

A large blade cut into his shoulder and through his chest from behind. Kiyoshi grinned, watching the haphazard recruit running past the two. “I don't think so. You didn't pay much attention to your environment.” Kiyoshi watched the oni kill the man, as he crept back into the shadows.

The eleven assassins who made it met on a pipe elevated high above the sewage. At one end of the pipe was their future trainer, however the man in white was the only one who mattered to Kiyoshi.

Kiyoshi was glad to be done with the tedious training of the Canthans. He missed the hands on approach of the Luxons, and felt bogged down by the politics of being an assassin in Kaineng. Finally it was time for his first mission, given to him by Magistrate Gua Yong. A writ was out for a merchant in Kaineng Center, just outside the palace. Hua of Shing Jea was the name on the piece of paper, a merchant who was skimming profits off the top on shipments coming in from Shing Jea. Supposedly he was working to oppose one house of nobility who directly benefited through the Ministry of Earth. The Kurzicks had less red tape in their way than the Canthan Empire, a fact which made Kiyoshi yearn for home even more.

Kiyoshi looked into the man's house as night fell. There were few lanterns in the area Hua lived, a small ghetto high in the air, near the top of the buildings. Three children clambered about, shouting out daddy. Both mother and father, a rather plain couple, laughed and played with their children. They lived on a vegetable stew from the looks of the situation. Yet he was a rich man skimming off of the top of a noble house.

Kiyoshi shadow stepped into a corner of the small apartment and squatted, watching the family interact, eat, play, and finally slip off into sleep. Hua and his wife stayed up in the dying light of the lantern, whispering to each other as lovers did. Kiyoshi tilted his head in curiosity, “Hua of Shing Jea?”

The two were startled, the woman letting out a quick yelp. Hua stood, looking about his apartment, lantern in hand, “Who's there? Show yourself!” He put a hand in front of his wife to protect her, though he had no idea where the voice had come from.

“There is a writ on your life. Are you the man who sees to shipments coming in from Shing Jea?”

His voice failed him for a few moments, “Yes...yes, that is me. Why are you here to kill me?”

“That's a very good question that I'd like answered, to be honest. I don't like the way this Empire works, and though I tire of how buried intent can be, I am not one to slay an innocent man. Do you take profits from shipments that come in from Shing Jea?”

“No...no, I don't. I was approached by one of the houses to do so to harm another house, but I refused. I don't want any part in their fighting.”

“Funny they didn't mention which house you harmed. I agree. I don't think a man should be harmed for minding his own business.” Kiyoshi stood up, and the man stepped back with a start. His armor was imposing, the blades jutting out and glistening from the lantern light. It was nearly a surprise to see how short Kiyoshi was. The assassin tossed a scroll on the table, “Burn it. I'll make sure you're never troubled for your honesty again.” Shadows consumed Kiyoshi and he was gone, leaving a shaking man and wife behind.

Magistrate Gua Yong was behind as dawn approached. He had tea with several important diplomats from all over Kaineng, along with signing clearance for two travelers from the Jade Sea who approached Maatu Keep. With a surge of violence between the two sects even in the city walls, any who entered had to register. Gua was beginning to loathe the new law, and hoped to lobby an appeal for it as both he and the local magistrate had to sign off on the visitors.

He was greeted as he entered his office, and he bowed to the clerks. By the time he entered the room he was out of breath. He sat down at his desk and froze in horror. Yu Xu of the Yu family was looking straight at him, the same man who had given the writ out on Hua of Shing Jea. Unfortunately, Xu's head was not attached to any sort of body, but sat cleanly severed upon Magistrate Gua's desk. Then he heard a man lean the wall behind him.

“Hua was an honest man. I though there were rules in the war of nobility, such as involving those who keep their distance.”

Magistrate Gua tried standing, but a steady hand placed him quickly back down. He sputtered for a while, looking about the room for some way to defend himself. “I...it was in the form of common practice. He was in the way, as he did interact with one of the noble houses, and he did work for another. They were both attempting to gain power over the taxes on goods going to and from Shing Jea. It is all quite....”

“I don't like that. He refused to deal with the house, so they kill him in order to find someone willing to deal with them? Then the house that does control the port will just kill him. I have an issue with a family man dying due to backhanded dealings he didn't want a part in. I think I'll send a message of my own: harm the innocent, and you will be removed from the little, sick, twisted game. Do we have an understanding, Magistrate?”

“Yes, of course, impeccably. I understand absolutely clearly!”

“Good. I believe the next Magistrate of Kaineng will understand as well when the sun comes up and your head is next to Xu's.” Kiyoshi snapped the man's neck, then removed his head.

In the square, as the sun came up, the peasants found the head of Yu Xu and Magistrate Gua Yong hanging from a bridge in Kaineng Center, near the palace entrance. Attached to their necks was a banner: “The houses are judged.”