— The Emperor's Imperial Record, Entry No. 43 —
Azul raised his head up to look at Big Randy, "Watch how you talk to me, smith." He had his arms folded imperiously and his head held high, which amused me as he was the smaller of the two.
At this, Big Randy vaulted to his feet, nearly toppling over the table before it wobbled back to stability.
The tanner stepped back but held his head high, staring Big Randy in the face while he talked, "I don't care how many nobles you work for," and behind him, the board of tools let out tiny little screams from the small draft of wind in the room, "Azul, watch your tone."
The tanner tried to ignore him and turned to face me, although I noticed the shaking in his legs. "I want you to hunt a Celestial Mirror Leopard. Will you do it?" He pleaded.
I was already starting to think about it. I'd already tried my other options. The Awoken Moon sect, being a merchant, which was working, but to go anywhere with it, I'd need far too much money, and I was starting to make far more enemies than I was comfortable with. If I didn't think of something soon, there wouldn't be a second chance.
"No Khan," Big Randy gripped the edges of the table, "don't do it, one successful spirit beast hunt should not let you think too highly of yourself."
I was about to respond, but then a thought hit me, 'Too highly of myself?'
Was that how he saw me? The words cut deeper than I expected. I looked at my grimy, calloused hands. 'All this time I've been planning and working to become a cultivator, and he doesn't even think that much of me?'
I'd almost killed myself for my promise. I had two large scars down my hand and chest to prove it. My face was hard set now, and I turned back to Azul, 'Damn near five months I've been in this city, and even after all I've done, I'm at best relegated to the status of a smart peasant.' I bit the side of my tongue, 'I won't accept that.' If I did, then I'd have to accept everything else that came with being a peasant.
"What kind of beast is that? Why can't you get it?" When I said that, Big Randy looked at me in shock, his mouth agape, confused as to why I would want to continue the conversation.
Azul responded, twinges of hope marking his features, "Just a spirit beast," then he noticed my horror under the mask of bravery. The last one was more than enough for me.
He rushed to supplement what he had just said, "You've already killed one before, this one won't be–"
"Quiet, with your madness, tanner," Big Randy bellowed, still standing, and a shade more red than when he had first gotten up, he walked over to me, shoving aside the chairs that stood in his way, "Khan do not listen to this man," he pointed a muscled arm at Azul, who had to take a step back to avoid getting hit, "there are better ways to make money, ways more suited to your talents."
'Talents? What do you mean, my talents?' I almost got angry at him, but he was right. I may not have liked it, but I still had a deformed ethereal bridge.
Not only that, but if a normal person had seventy years to live, I'd only have thirty-five. I didn't have time, I had to find a way to cultivate as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, if I kept going like this, all I'd become was one of those bonded merchants. Having money but secretly enslaved to another, more powerful individual. If there were something from Azul that could benefit me, then I wouldn't care even if I had to hunt another spirit beast.
I continued to stare at Azul, 'I've done it before, how hard can it be?'
"Khan, you have to listen," Big Randy held me by the shoulders and looked me in the eyes, as if he was talking to his son, "this spirit beast isn't like the one you killed last time, this beast hunts mortals, not just other animals, you would be fighting a tiger with wings."
His words went in through one ear and out of the other, 'So? And what was my alternative? Get slowly pushed down by Wan Cheng till I died on one of his delivery missions? Or keep loitering around here as my business partner and confidant thought less of me?' But I didn't say that out loud.
My pride was getting the better of me, but if I didn't continue to look for a way, failed goals and unfulfilled promises would get the better of me. I knew which one was worse.
Azul scuttled over to me and tried to get in between Big Randy and his tight grip on me, but he didn't budge. "Five gold!"
"What?"
He laughed a manic laugh, "The pelt alone is at least five gold. If we negotiate with Lady Vespara, we could increase it." he looked at me, trying to figure out what would move me. "You can ask her for anything. She's a noble lady. She's rich."
Big Randy spoke again, his beard moving in tandem with each syllable, "Lady Vespara? You speak like you've never been smacked for your words."
"Tch." Azul ignored Big Randy again, but then… "Please," he nearly kneeled, "Khan, I…I beg of you."
Both Big Randy and I exclaimed with surprise, and in my head I thought, 'When has this man ever begged?'
"What is wrong with you?" I stepped back. Had an evil spirit possessed this man?
The tanner followed, keeping the distance between us as little as possible, "Please, she'll kill me if I don't deliver."
Seeing Azul act like that immediately brought me out of whatever bull-headed state I was in, it was time to assess whether or not this would help me. "What do I get out of this?"
He held up five fingers, "Fifty percent! I'll give you fifty percent of the sale."
Big Randy shoved him away, "Shameless! You send a boy," he looked at me, then back at Azul, "a young boy, to hunt a spirit beast, while you sit back and wait for the results, then you ask for fifty percent?"
I looked from Azul to Big Randy, thinking.
Big Randy noticed and tried to convince me to ignore Azul, "Khan, don't do this." his voice was soft now.
He'd seen too many boys die for too little where he came from, and after all he'd been through and the bracelet he'd given him, he didn't want it to be Khan. "Is it because of Wan Cheng?... Please…Make a new deal with him, tell him you'll give him some carcasses from your hunts, or tell him you can get him something rare on commission. Just," his hand tightened on my shoulder, as if he could keep me there by sheer force of will, "not this."
"I remember what you told me. You said deals with that man come with chains."
"So?" He looked frenzied, his hair was in disarray from trying to move Azul. "Are you trying to die?"
I blinked, nearly shrugging my shoulders. What did my life matter if I couldn't keep my promise to a dead man?
Azul interrupted before I could say anything, "Who says he will die? I told you, you can negotiate anything with Lady Vespara. Wan Cheng? The commander? I'm sure you could talk about something with her."
I was starting to see his point of view. I didn't want to work with Wan Cheng anymore, especially after he'd robbed me and then thrown me out onto the ground.
Getting out of Wan Cheng's grip would be the first step. The next would be to get my revenge.
"Don't listen to his honeyed words, Khan." He gripped the neck of Azul's robes tighter, "Lady Vespara, the one who killed her husband? Azul, get out."
"Hush, you big oaf, it's only a rumor." And he futilely tried to tear Big Randy's fingers from his clothing.
While they argued, I thought, 'Her husband doesn't matter to me as long as I can get–'
Azul interrupted my musings. "She's a noble lady. As long as it doesn't involve another noble, she can get you out of anything."
"Khan, don't listen to him. All that vixen cares about is power, her book collection, and how other people perceive her. There isn't a shred of love in her."
Immediately, I heard that something went off in my head, 'Books? What books? Would she let me go through them?' What I needed was information. Big Randy's help was nice, but I wanted to learn things for myself.
Things that would help me to at least start the merchant caravan, if I couldn't find something about cultivation, and for a noble lady, I was sure she had to have some esoteric books.
Maybe. Hopefully, there was something in there that would help with my ethereal bridges.
"Azul,"
"Yes?" He looked at me with expectant eyes.
"You said I could negotiate for anything?"
"I'm sure. A hundred times sure. Please." He held on to my robes now.
"If I ask her to talk to Wan Cheng for me, and still let me read her books, do you think she would allow it?"
"Yes, yes, a thousand times yes." Azul hurried through his words, afraid that I would change my mind if given too much time, but Big Randy interrupted again, "Bastard, if you're going to send the boy to fight your battles, at least tell him the truth."
Big Randy pulled out a chair and sat it next to me, while Azul kept standing, "Khan, I'm only giving you this information so you don't go ahead with this lunacy. Do you understand?"
I nodded my head.
"Good, you should know that there are a few spirit animals that are known throughout parts of the city. Most are harmless, only capable of stealing hunts from humans and being slightly faster than normal."
He took in a deep breath, hunched over with his chest resting on his belly, "Then there are those known all over the city, no matter where you go. That is because they are one of the few ones bold enough to come into the city itself."
He took a sip of the mug nearby, "It may not look like it, but the city has some formations that allow for the cultivators to know when there is a dangerous spirit beast in the city. When they find out, the sect sends one of its lower disciples to go hunt it down and kill it. One of those dangerous spirit beasts is the Celestial Mirror Leopard."
He put his hand on my shoulder. "Are you still willing to go hunt the beast?" Azul looked at me with large watery eyes and an inflamed nose, his robes still ruffled up.
I was starting to think I was too rash.
"Wait, no, don't listen to him, he is making the beast sound more dangerous than it is, the reason it is able to come into the city and hunt humans during this season, is because it's so fast, apart from that, it's not much stronger than any other leopard!"
Big Randy whipped his head to the side to confront Azul. "Then why don't you go hunt it?"
The tanner kept quiet and looked down, but when Big Randy turned his head away, Azul looked at me.
'What should I do? Stay here and continue things as they are with Big Randy, or risk my life for a man who had insulted me? What would I get out of this?'
"If I do it, I want a few things," Azul got uncomfortably close now, " I want access to her collection of books. I want any and everything she can give me, and a 90-10 split for the coins we get."
This was me reaching a bit too far, but I still hadn't forgotten about what Azul had called me, and I was almost certainly sure he had taken some of the coin from the spirit beast I'd already killed.
"What? Not possible, I won–"
I stopped him immediately, "It's not my life she wants," and he kept quiet, then finally agreed.
"What else?"
I smiled. The thought of finally being free of Wan Cheng flashed through my mind, but I didn't trust Azul. I wanted a guarantee, "I want the chance to negotiate with The Lady, Vespara, myself.
"Fine, fine, as long as you agree to hunt it."
Before I could allow myself to think about it, I said, "I'll do it. I want to meet her by tomorrow."
Azul jumped up from his kneeling position and hollered in joy, yet I didn't miss the way his hands had trembled the whole conversation. Big Randy buried his head in his hands and shook it. "What have you gotten yourself into?"
Behind me, I wiped my hands on my robe.
I didn't want them to see me sweat. This was my choice.
Now, I just had to stop making foolish ones.