Sun Kingdom - River Monsters

Saizomaru listened with all the attention that the emperor wanted. He had listened to the tale of how two opposing kingdoms, Yung’s own and the Moon Kingdom, had come to a stalemate with some sort of hesitation between who would strike first—living proof of the Nuclear Deterrent Theory, so to speak. It was even more apt of the connotation considering this other opposing kingdom had enough research and technology to develop its own weapons of mass destruction.

The name Yangcong stuck out like a saw thumb. Saizomaru had met the man once before, back in Taola village, though the encounter wasn’t something he considered memorable. He had considered the man in question as aloof and way out of his depth in affairs. He didn’t think he would be hearing his name come up in major geopolitical discussions, let alone that he has ended up as a war criminal. There was a chance that the android would probably end up seeing him—facing him, as an opposing side—again.

Saizomaru continued to listen, though his hand was still firmly grasped on the handle. He watched Yung pull a sheet of paper out from his coat, holding it in front of him before he took hold of it. He glanced over it, scanning it with robotic eyes and taking in the information within a split second before lowering it again. It detailed the purpose of parlay, to propose and discuss the terms of some form of peace treaty. Saizomaru dared not to put any faith in it considering the knowledge of the kingdom housing an alleged war criminal.

The young emperor was even trusting enough to share his weakness to the android, and even display it. Saizomaru allowed the hit, and it was as weak as Yung said it would be—barely a thud on his chest, with not even enough force to bruise him. For a minute, he took pity on the emperor. He cast his mind back to a time when he had received his first android body. He could barely walk. He struggled to use the stairs. He hadn’t even the dexterity to grasp a tennis ball. It took him eight long, agonizing, depressing months to learn how to use it properly, and even longer to learn how to fight with it.

The android’s fingers slipped from the door handle, his arm falling by his side. “Good answer,” he finally spoke, then turned to face Yung properly. He held out the letter and stuffed it haphazardly back into the emperor’s coat. “Aight. I’ll come give you a hand with this meeting. But, if they try anything stupid, I’ma put the hurt on ‘em.”

He smirked and pulled the door open. He gestured to Yung to go through. “After you.”

Saizomaru watched as the emperor handed over one of the cards from his deck to the guard who stood by the door. He didn’t catch a glimpse of what was on it, but Yung’s explanation gave him more detail than looking at it would have done. He followed them close by, only a few inches behind, as they made their way out of the castle.

The blizzard was starting to calm into a gentle snowfall. Visibility was much clearer, though flakes still blew into the faces and eyes of those who stared forward for too long. Still, it wasn’t a problem that the android had to endure. The streets beyond the path were calm and quiet. The prior invasion hadn’t managed to penetrate this deep into the city, leaving its roads and buildings untouched. However, as the two of them made their way closer to the city gates, the damage became apparent. Parts of the wall had been damaged, the walkways and roads had been torn up, and brown-red stains of frozen blood were visible in the snow. The guards that had managed to survive the assault were now pulling and piling bodies, both friend and foe, onto the embankment. It was probably the best scenario they could have faced, and the best conclusion that they could have hoped for.

Beyond the gates was a carriage waiting for the two of them. Saizomaru flicked his eyes to the front, spotting the two winged horses that were bridled to the posts that jutted out from the sides where the carriage driver would have sat. As Yung spoke, Saizomaru nodded and climbed in. Taking a seat by the emperor’s side, he glanced at him, noticing how they looked and sounded exhausted as though they just run a thirty-mile marathon. He said nothing, and wouldn’t do so for the duration of the journey.

It took some time to get to their destination, which Saizomaru thought to have been a waste if he had just carried the emperor on his back and flown there himself, though he doubted that Yung would have survived it if they did, considering they looked close to passing out from just walking through a city.

He stepped out of the carriage and watched as the other leaders approached. He took note of each of them along with the guards that they had with them. Saizomaru couldn’t help but give an inward smirk. They should have brought more if they wanted protection from him. As it was for the moment, they each came in peace and amnesty.

As they all greeted each other, Saizomaru’s attention was drawn to the last to speak. The man had the garb and armour of a samurai warrior, something that the android knew all too well—much of his lineage had tied to Bushido and he was proficient in the blade himself. The samurai’s sword, a typical katana, was threaded nearly horizontally through a silk sash—it showed that the man was indeed a high-ranking superior. They spoke out, and the group followed, with Saizomaru staying close to Yung’s side.

Through the gates lay the cobblestone road to a large temple-like structure. Saizomaru glanced around, taking in the surroundings as well as others who had been stationed here. As the group passed by the guards, Saizomaru inclined his body forward at a slight angle, a typical but respectful greeting between samurai. As they continued down the road, Saizomaru tilted his head towards the emperor’s direction. “You really think this is going to go smoothly? I hope you have enough mana to deal with possible assassination attempts.”

Saizomaru gave a quiet hum in acknowledgement. “With tight sleeves like yours, I hope you don’t struggle to pull out that little ‘something’ when you’ll need it.” He made sure to refrain from saying “we”—he already knew that everyone here was no match or threat to him considering their low power levels.

As the group reached the summit building, the leading samurai led them into the main chamber. The room was vast from wall to wall, its ceiling reaching as high as a two-storey building. Around the edges of the circular room stood tall, ornate pillars that reached the ceiling. In its centre was a crescent-shaped table with chairs aligned around the outer curvature. The Iron leader sat in the middle seat, and the four emperors flanked him on either side, with their bodyguards standing behind them on either side of their seat. Saizomaru took his position behind Yung a few feet back so he could see and observe the whole table.

The discussion started and its floor was open to the emperors to speak when they wanted. Saizomaru paid it no attention, simply observing and watching for suspicious movements and gestures. For now, it remained amicable. Then, that name cropped up once more—Yangcong—as his eyes shifted to the Dusk leader. He kept his gaze upon them and he didn’t care if they had noticed. He would remain silent, however, and simply listened. The discussion now had the android’s full attention.

As it continued, Saizomaru took mental notes of all that was transpiring—talk of what could be described as a doomsday weapon, how it was to be used against Yangcong, and to wipe off the Dirty Snakes group, a group that Saizomaru had understood to be some sort of small-time crime group. By the sounds of things, they had grown in power, though perhaps most of that could be chalked up to Yangcong himself.

Regardless, the meeting had concluded. The peace treaty was agreed upon, and their signatures had been placed on the document. As the sheet was passed around to Yung, Saizomaru shifted his eyes quickly to it and had already not only memorized it but had taken a snapshot as well. After, he kept his gaze on the table and watched silently.