The Grand Daion Khanate Part 1

 Boarding the small steel made ship Hikari held the Henrikan tight, both to make sure he couldn't slip away and subconsciously because he worried about entering this whole new world. “Tch…” the Henrikan responded as he looked away in annoyance at the grown man clinging to him like a child, yet he didn't chide or insult him as he usually did either. It's not like he himself didn't do something similar when he was deployed in his first mission. Both would take a seat on some wooden crates below deck in the cargo hold. It was dark, damp, and cold down below where they sat for an hour or so until the boat was finished being loaded and with the hum of a big diesel engine the ship slowly lurched away from port. Hikari would make the pair sit down in the darkness of the cargo hold longer still, both to insure the Henrikan couldn't jump out on the dock as the ship left, but also so that he wouldn't try to abandon his own mission as well. The realization of how he had to leave not only his home but most likely his lifestyle and cultivation as well weighed heavy on his mind as he sat in silence for a while. “Hey, earth to man child. You can untie these binds now, I sure as hell can't swim back by now. And in the real world you can't escort a prisoner around hassle free.” the Henrikan chided, desperate to be free of the binds around his wrists. “Why should I? You've given me no reason to trust you. I am kind and of the upwards energy, yet unlike what you think that does not make me a fool.” Hikari responded quickly, to where the Henrikan just sighed. “It's Chad, my name is Chad Hardman ok?” The Henrikan stated as he began to accept his fate. “Nice to meet you then Hardman but you'll have to do more than that for me to trust you.” Hikari responded still half in deep thought. “Right your damn names are backwards, my given name is Chad. We Henrikans only use our family names when talking about two people with the same names.” Chad added in the first piece of humanity he's really shown Hikari since he was captured. “Ok Chad, but why the sudden change in attitude? You've been almost nothing but insulting to me for the past few weeks. How do I know this isn't another trick?” Hikari responded increasingly thinking this was some sort of especially heinous trick. “Well I can't actually get off this ship anyway so think of this as a test run. Like I said you'll get arrested if you're seen dragging me around with my hands bound when we get to Daion so you'll have to do it sooner or later.” Chad elaborated as he held his two bound hands up. “Arrested…. Right that old concept where the rulers would capture and hold anyone who displeased their unnatural authority. Wouldn't that benefit you if I were arrested in a foreign land?” Hikari asked as he considered cutting the rope. “Not anymore, I haven't been able to radio back to my bosses in weeks now. They're assuming I'm either dead, captured, or gone AWOL. I don't think either of us have any intention of me living in Muryowa for the rest of my days and if I run off on my own then any other agents that see me will probably try to kill me. If you bring me back to Henrika then I have the excuse of saying I was captured. At best I get a slap on the wrist and some shit work for a while. At worst I get fired with a nice severance package. Either one of those beat getting killed by a former brother in arms.” Chad elaborated further as he spread his wrists as far apart against the ropes as he could. “Your way of life is disgusting, killing those you call brothers because they don't listen to false authority.” Hikari responded as he unsheathed his sword and cleanly cut the ropes apart in one fell swoop. Chad opened his eyes wide as the swinging blade was well too close to multiple parts of his body for comfort. “Don't break this trust I'm placing in you, or I'll cut your legs off and carry you to your vile land instead. Anyone asks I'll just say I'm helping my poor crippled friend get around.” Hikari added as he resheathed his sword. “Damn you're being moody today. Ahhh Gods that feels good.” Chad stated before he stretched his arms and grabbed his wrists. Both independently would walk above deck, Chad would walk to the front of the deck and chat up whatever crew available, while Hikari went to the back of the deck and watched Muryowa island disappear on the horizon. The trip took over a day’s travel, when Muryowa island disappeared off the horizon Hikari went back below deck and went through his sword and cultivation forms in private for a while, ensuring he was freshly disciplined with it all. Between those graceful arcs of his sword and burning deep reds and yellows of his cultivated energy that flowed like sunlight below deck Hikari knew he was in top order for this journey. Chad meanwhile treated this like the vacation he so desperately needed, he borrowed a pole and went fishing off deck, he drank and gambled with the sailors, over all just having a ball of a time. That night the pair slept on sacks of rice below deck and by next morning the coast of the mainland could be seen in the distance and already its enormity from a distance dwarfed Muryowa Island. By midday the great gray skyscrapers of the city could be seen in the distance like the fingers of a titan piercing the ground as they aimed to strangle the sky.

As the ship drew closer still Hikari would join Chad at the front of the ship to watch the boat approach the city. Only for Hikari to cover his face in disgust at the overwhelmingly power stench of civilization that burned his nose like a campfire dry burns pine needles. “What is that smell?! It’s as if burnt hair made love to rotting flesh and the result was left to pickle improperly!” Hikari nearly shouted over the muffling of his cupped hand. Chad just laughed his usual hearty and obnoxious laugh he did whenever something he did offended Hikari or his sensibilities. “That’s civilization, that’s what the real world smells like, hot asphalt and exhaust fumes.” Chad answered as the ship drew close enough to port, in where the true enormity of the buildings came into focus. Their height and size completely dwarfed the even the greatest buildings in Suichokunōjō City and in further contrast stood squared offed and gray with the only thing covering them being signs of words Hikari couldn’t read and pictures of things Hikari didn't recognize alongside maybe bird feces and trash. The sea now was well crowded with various ships, small fishing ships bringing in the morning nets, slightly larger ships dropping off crowds of people, and larger yet shipping vessels like the one he was on coming to unload cargo from various lands. The activity, the sights, the smells, the newness of it all, it was too much, well too much. The experience was like an iron vice to the brain case for Hikari and he didn’t like it one bit. “This? This is the outside world? This is awful! Who would ever want any of this…. this…. headache, this unnaturalness, this torture?” Hikari hissed with genuine hatred and confusion, like a fish thrown into a desert. Chad meanwhile was absolutely cracking up laughing about Hikari’s reaction to the point where he had to catch his breath afterwards. “Hells I knew you were going to react like that, just wish I had a camera on me to film it. Just remember kid there’s folks here that would react in a similar way to how you all live on Muryowa, and just like you they’ll get real mad if you disagree with them. So for the sake of the both of us not getting jumped could you keep those thoughts to yourself?” Chad lectured between bouts of laughter as the ship entered the harbor and queued up in line for a spot in port. Hikari just held his nose and pouted for the most part. It took nearly an hour before their ship could actually dock and the pair departed with a friendly send off by the captain and the crew. Hikari kept a hand on Chad’s shoulder as they left the docks making sure he wouldn’t just phase into the dense crowd. The crowd like everything so far in this land completely dwarfed anything and everything Hikari had ever seen in Muryowa, not just by the amount of people but the sheer variety of them as well. Pale folk with black hair just like Hikari, tawny skin folk of broad shoulders, folk with darkly tanned skin and tall skinny builds, folk with even darker tans still to the point it resembled ebony wood alongside their thick curly hair, even some other pale skin Henrikan types like Chad with blonde, black, and brown hair. A hundred styles of dress, a thousand styles of hair, a million styles of accessories from gold jewels to elaborate tattoos. As much as Hikari was overwhelmed he was also completely fascinated as he had no idea so many types of humans existed. Some weren't even human, Hikari had seen what looks like a woman’s head and body with the slithering tail of a snake instead of legs, a great blue skinned ogre, tall ghostly pale men with long pointed ears, and working on the dock was what looked like a man yet he was taller than the average Muryowa home. As Hikari stood looking around, slack jawed Chad would be the one to guide him through the crowd and into a dark alleyway between two buildings. “Alright get it together kid, the real world doesn't wait for you to take it all in.” Chad lectured before Hikari shook his head to regain focus. “Where are we anyways? I had no idea there were so many kinds of people, and so many other kinds of nonhumans too.” Hikari blurted out in shock and excitement. “First of all don’t call them nonhumans unless you want to get in a fight, they’re mortals. The modern world calls us humans and everyone else mortalkind. The country we’re in is called the Grand Daion Khante, it’s the largest country in the world second only to Henrika back when we still had colonies across the globe. This city is called Hǎizhījiā or Aguuboomt depending on who you ask, nobody cares as much anymore but I heard saying the wrong name used to get you in fights.” Chad explained further to Hikari. “Do a lot of words and names get violence forced upon you in this land?” Hikari asked with genuine concern. “Just ones with a lot of old drama and history connected to them. Just… don’t blurt things out thoughtlessly around here. This is one of the handful of places where someone might understand you.” Chad elaborated further. “Oh so there’s other Muryowa here? That’s great, maybe they can help us.” Hikari picked up in excitement at the news. “No no no, bad idea. They’re Muryowa but they aren’t like you. They sailed here after your revolution as refugees, they’re the descendents of all the nobles, warriors, and monks you ousted back then. They find out you’re from Muryowa proper and we might both get jumped.” Chad explained as he shook his head side to side.

“Ah that’s nonsense, I’m sure once I get them to hear me out they’ll be perfectly happy to meet a brother Muryowa in this strange land.” Hikari responded as he boldly walked back out into the sidewalk. “Alright, don’t say I didn’t warn you kid.” Chad remarked as he stuck his hands in his pockets and followed alongside Hikari. He knew experience was going to be the only thing that would actually teach Hikari anything about the outside world at this point. Asking around whoever didn’t just uncomfortably try to avoid Hikari for one reason or another, eventually the pair would be directed towards a district of the city simply labeled Muryowa Town. The town was like a microcosm of pre-revolution and post-exile Muryowa culture. Some more familiar early Muryowa architecture with its wood, paper, and claw tile construction laid side by side with modern skyscrapers, and traditionalist mixes of both styles were abound. The people looked like Hikari and his kin back home, with their pale skin and black hair. Yet where Hikari had a toned and athletic toughness to his build from a life of field work these people were much softer in appearance from civilized living. Where Hikari’s hair ran wild down the back of his neck, many here wore topknots, and elaborate headbraids, or else just had some form of modern hairstyle. Where Hikari wore a kimono with his sword on his hip, here everyone wore modern clothing of which being some variation of a shirt and pants or maybe a three piece suit with no weapon at all. Some looked upon Hikari in endearment, thinking he was just cosplaying a bushi and didn’t want to commit to the hairstyle change. Others looked on in annoyance thinking he was some sort of tourist giving a dispassionate mockery of their roots. Most just seemed to notice the weirdo with a sword walking around in public and gave them both a weary side eye. Chad noted all of this along with every possible exit he could find, knowing this was going to all end badly. Hikari all the more oblivious walked into the most traditional looking building he could find, it was ratty and falling apart but one sign could be read out front even if the symbol looked not quite right to Hikari’s eyes. What he thought the sign said was The Emperor’s End, while in reality the sign said Not Yet the Emperor. Sliding open the paper door Hikari’s first real encounter with modern civilization would be a bar, and worse yet a bar hardened thugs in suits seemed to frequent as many were lounging around having drinks. Almost all would eye down Hikari and Chad the moment they entered. Tending the big wooden bar would be an elderly man with an obscenely long bone white beard and mustache paired with an impressive chonmage haircut to match. Seeing as he was the one giving them the least unfriendly look, the bartender is the one Hikari would happily stroll up to, Chad meanwhile hung back towards the door they came in from. “Greetings friend, I’m new here in this land and I was hoping to meet some fellow Muryowa to help me get my bearings.” Hikari proclaimed with a smile as he leaned against the bartop. “You’re a quarter my age yet you talk like my great grandfather.” the bartender responded in Hikari’s language yet it was off, like an extreme accent to the point where it caused a true lack of understanding. Because in truth while it was the same language, it was a very different dialect that evolved outside of Muryowa Island for centuries. “He sounds like he was a great man then.” Hikari smiled which got a chuckle out of the old bartender. “Nah, he was a crook. Now where are you from anyways? Dawnland City? I hear they let you carry swords in the open there. Kajikino? Mokula? Baraw City? Stop me if I get it right.” The old bartender rattled off as he polished a glass. “No I'm not from any city.” Hikari stated before being interrupted by the bartender again. “Ah I understand, you're from the interior aren't you? A regular farm boy come to the big city for the first time, I should have seen it sooner.” the old bartender assumed with a chuckle, which of course made Hikari comfortable enough to fully misunderstand the man all the worse. “Ya the interior of Muryowa, a little village called Seitōnatochi.” Hikari elaborated with a smile as a sudden silence broke over the bar so thick Hikari could have cut it with his sword, while Chad silently cursed in his own mind. “You mean to tell me you're rebel trash?!” The bartender shouted as he slammed his fist down on the table. “My family were great artists in Muryowa until the rebels butchered most of them and stole their land!” One of the patrons sitting at the bar shouted in turn. “I heard rebels stole babies from their cribs and bashed their heads against trees just because their parents were in the bushi caste!” A woman latched onto a thug’s arm shouted from across the bar. “They stole my clan's land, now we're stuck here living in apartments!” A drunk man blurted out as he stood halfway out of the bathroom door. “They killed and drove out all the hunters!” A sharp dressed thug added from a booth. "How many starved after you stole their land and destroyed the markets?! Another bar patron exclaimed “And the entire imperial line captured and beheaded one by one, man, woman, and child.” The bartender mourned through gritted teeth. Hikari in turn was completely overwhelmed by all of this, he just froze wide eyed which just seemed to make the mob all the angrier. Quickly a tattooed thug in a suit attempted to sneak up behind the overwhelmed Hikari while reaching in his pocket. Only to be met by a wooden chair being bashed over his head by Chad. The creaky old thing shattered into a million splinters upon contact, a hundred of which may have stabbed into the thug's back and scalp as he collapsed face first onto the floor. If the bar patrons weren't a frenzied mob before they certainly were now as most every man got up from his seat with red in their eyes and a knife, hatchet, or their own swords in hand. The bartender meanwhile reached under his bartop and pulled a double barreled shotgun aimed at center mass for Hikari. Yet the crash awoke Hikari from his stupor and upon seeing the gun aimed at his chest cultivated his energy in a blink of the eye and sliced the bartender’s shotgun in half length wise with one swift motion leaving its twin barrels as exposed semi circles and the bartender's apron cut off entirely. Both barrels and the apron fell to the floor and Hikari turned and deflected an incoming attempted back stab from a thug. Yet as the blade burned in a hellish blazing inferno of scarlet and gold light many patrons lost their courage. For this was the power they heard of that overthrew their country and ousted their ancestors from their homeland. Worse still for Hikari was that something had awoken within the sword's spirit, the battle with these men reminded it of the rebellion they so passionately demonized as cruel and evil. The blade demanded the blood of its old enemies once again and Hikari could feel it in the depths of his soul, an unrelenting savage evil that roared out like a dragon.

“We have to leave now kid!” Chad screamed out as he held the door open, shaking Hikari from his state of shock. Hikari would try to resheath his sword and run yet the dragon blade refused to return to its saya, every time he tried to line it up his and would move the blade to one side of the other. Not having time to fiddle around, Hikari took the kasumi no kame stance by raising his sword to eye level in front of his face and charged towards the door. Bolting forth in a flash of red and yellow light Hikari was beside Chad in a blink of an eye to which both would run out the sliding paper door. “Will you put that away, we already got enough attention on us without the glowing sun sword!” Chad yelled as he led the pair down through various alleyways trying to shake the horde of angry men behind them. “I can't, the sword refuses to be sheathed.” Hikari replied as he expertly deflected a hatchet thrown from a second story window. “Why the Hells does it have a choice?!” Chad responded as he knocked over a trash can as they passed. “The sword has its own spirit and its evil, I think them talking about the rebellion woke it up. It won't let me put it back in its saya.” Hikari worried as he ran with Chad out into the open street. Yet they would run right in front of would be two large men in blue robe uniforms with red accents and pistols in holsters. One would turn and point at Hikari's sword and shout something in another language before they pulled their pistols and aimed. Chad grabbed Hikari by his collar and pulled him into another alleyway before they could shoot. Whistles would be blown by both men before the group of thugs chasing Hikari and Chad would clash into them and a fight ensued. “Who were they and why did they draw on us?!” Hikari asked Chad as they ran. “The Keshig, used to be royal guards of the Daion Khans but then morphed into the Grand Daion Khanate police force. They yelled for you to put the sword down. They don't like city dwellers walking around armed like that.” Chad elaborated as they winded down the old dark alleyways. “Why do they care if the city people have a sword? They have guns.” Hikari pressed further. “The Grand Daion Khanate didn't actually build this city, the old Lungzong Empire did. The Daion just conquered and its people and Lungzong people don't exactly appreciate it. So they've tried to rebel many times. Therefore the Daion Khans decided not to let any non-nomads bear arms, so they can't rebel.” Chad elaborated as they further disappeared into the city. “Is everywhere ruled by such tyrants in this real world of yours?” Hikari asked as he followed beside Chad. “As you'd see it? Pretty much, but Henrika is a lot better on the freedom to bear arms than Daion is.” Chad elaborated for the last time as they shook both parties chasing them. Both men at Chad’s lead would vanish into the urban jungle to where Chad would pick a lock on some old abandoned building and the two would hide out until night time.