Path of the Berserker

I awoke to a horrific scream.

Shooting upright in my cot, I immediately reached for my axe. I stopped short when I realized the scream had come from Chu Ren who was now kneeling beside Su Ren’s cot along with Lo Ren. When I rose to see what was going on, I immediately froze once I stood over them.

Su Ren was deathly pale and unmoving.

Chu Ren looked up at me with tears in his eyes. “She’s gone…”

A moment later De Fan ran into the room in a flusher. “What was that scream?”

He then looked down at Su Ren. “Oh… She has succumbed to the heaviness of this world. My condolences to you.”

He bowed to Chu Ren and Lo Ren.

“Another one?” a deep voice said.

We turned about and saw the white robe of Yun Jen the Adept Tribute standing in the doorway.

“You two,” Yun Jen said to Chu Ren and Lo Ren. “Dump the body in the cemetery with the others.”

Anger abruptly flared from Lo Ren as he stood to glare at Yun Jun. “This was our mother, you bas—!”

A ringing backhand from Yun Jen cut his words short and Lo Ren went tumbling to the floor, holding his face. Chu Ren looked like he wanted to do something in response, but read the situation much quicker than his more impulsive brother and did nothing.

“I will forgive that outburst of disrespect as a temporary lapse in judgement due to your grieving,” Yun Jen said, his voice deep, his tone measured and calm. “I will give you an hour to bury her and mourn. The first assembling starts at dawn. Do not be late for it.”

* * *

I helped move Su Ren to spare Chu Ren and Lo Ren the task. As De Fan led us to the cemetery, I saw we were not the only ones performing burials. At least five others from our cohort of brown robes had ‘succumbed to the heaviness’ as De Fan had described it. Crushed in their sleep by the dense gravity of the planet.

“This world is not fit for all,” De Fan said. “Or perhaps, the other way around may be true. I am so sorry.”

What he said was true.

Poor Su Ren had broken both legs on just arriving to this world. A world seemingly designed to separate the weak from the strong from the very beginning. For all my efforts, perhaps I’d only been prolonging the inevitable.

A heaviness filled me as I looked down at Su Ren, now wrapped in the blankets of the cot. My promise of keeping the Ren family alive had been cut in half already.

The cemetery was a plot of land adjacent to the orchards. It was still dark by the time we reached and the land was painted red with the fading rays of the setting Bloodmoon. With the aid of a shovel, I dug the grave and placed Su Ren inside.

Chu Ren and Lo Ren both said solemn prayers and then sat by the edge of the grave.

“Perhaps this is for the best,” Chu Ren said.

Lo Ren stared at his brother in disbelief. “How can you say that? Both our parents are now dead!”

“We were all dead as soon as the magistrate condemned us to this fate. It is only by the strength of the Iron Bull that we are both still alive. At least this way mother and father are free to find one another again in the next life.”

“Well put,” De Fan said, clasping his hands together. “May they reunite in the next life.”

I looked out at the thousands of headstones that littered the burial grounds.

This place was well acquainted with death.

I’d have to get used to the idea that even with all my efforts that people could still die.

I clasped my palms and joined the example of De Fan.

“May they reunite in the next life.”

* * *

It was a mad rush to get back to the barracks and prepare for the morning assembly. We had a scarce chance to grab a few bowlfuls of plain congee from the mess hall before being corralled with the other brown robes and pushed towards the courtyard.

“Maintain formation! Especially you new lot!” Yun Jen shouted as he led us in rank and file into the courtyard. It was deathly quiet, save for the shuffling of feet across the cobblestones. When we finally seemed to consolidate, I gauged there had to be at least a thousand brown robes including our small cohort that had just arrived.

I recognized none of the others of course, save that a good proportion of them, more than half in fact, were Sullied. The same race as Threja and Jakra. The gray skinned giants looked completely at ease here, like perhaps they had come from a heavy worlds like this one. Which probably made sense. The rest of the brown robes were a mix of varying races­, a veritable cross section of the empire, considering each one of us were natives from our home worlds.

The white robes filed in next, their number perhaps half that of the brown robes, again dominated by Sullied. Their ranks were neater, their footsteps in unison sounding like a march compared to how we brown robes had shuffled in.

Their leader, a black robe, stood at the front the same way Yun Jen stood in front of us.

A few more minutes passed and a contingent of black-robes about a hundred strong filed in. Their discipline was even more noteworthy and at their head was a black-robe with a jade trim, like Yora. Once they had filed in Yora herself then appeared taking a position at the head of the assembly.

A gong then sounded and the music of the imperial anthem began to play.

I mouthed the words as per normal and the sound of over a thousand voices filled the courtyard, our praises singing the glory of his imperial majesty, the great Soul Emperor Yin Yee. When the anthem ended, a man in black robes with purple and gold trim entered the courtyard from the back, inspecting each set of robes as he made his way slowly to the front.

Hushed whispers when through the group of brown robes.

There was no question as to who the man was.

This was the academy president—the High Marshall Tzu Li Zen.

As he passed by our platoon, I caught a glimpse of his face. It was hardened with a stone-cold grimace, filled with scars, including one that cut straight across his left eye. His hair was long and white and plaited in a single braid. His beard was trimmed short and dyed red in contrast to his hair but matched his olive-skinned complexion. He was Dharmian, the same race as the Dong family’s barrister Lui Wi, but aside from the slightly pointed ears, dyed beards and looking slightly Middle Eastern, there was nothing similar about the two.

Unlike the mousey barrister, Tzu Li Zen had the body of a seasoned warrior, his near seven-foot height accompanied by a thick muscular build that could rival my own. He paused for a moment as he reached our row full of the new cohorts and studying us for a moment, took note before moving on.

He repeated this several times, almost as if memorizing the faces he saw and in which row he saw them. By the time he reached the front of the courtyard to join Yora, nearly ten minutes had passed in dead silence. He stood at the head of the assembly with his hands behind his back and then lifted his voice, loud enough for all to hear.

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“For our new arrivals, I welcome you to Du Gok Bhong,” he said. “And for those of you who were once gray robes, I congratulate you on your first ascension within the academy. My name is Tzu Li Zen, High Marshal and president of the Imperial Legionnaire’s Academy. Your first lesson is to understand that the world outside these walls no longer exists. Not to you. Here, there is no sect, nor clan, nor prisoner, nor freed. Only the color of your robes defines you and only you define the color of your robes. Work hard and you will advance.”

He paused a moment to let the last part sink in perhaps.

“There are many rumors of what transpires at this academy,” he continued. “Rumors because only those who are Tributes are truly privileged to know what happens within these walls. Like it or not, there are only two ways that you now leave this facility. Either ascension through the ranks or death.

“For over 5,000 years this institution has withstood the test of time and has prepared those who will defend the empire against the scourge of the demonic realms. Those who prepare and sacrifice are now you. You, as tributes, as representatives of your various planets, you alone are what stands between the glory of civilization and cultivation and the dark forces of chaos and destruction that seek to invade our worlds. Count yourselves worthy to be numbered amongst the few to be bestowed such an honor as this.”

The High Marshal then nodded to Yora and she turned to the side and waved her hand in a beckoning motion. Six tributes in Black robes came forward, some of them limping with one clearly missing a leg and another an arm. They stood in a line before the High Marshal and they bowed to him.

“Tributes,” Tzu Li Zen said. “As is our custom, on every second week, we hold this assembly to not only welcome our new cohorts, but to welcome home those who have served their final tours as fully-blooded Legionnaires. Legionnaires of the 2nd Deployment of the 5,073rd campaign, give report!”

The legionnaire at the front, a woman with short red hair, bowed deeply before the High Marshal. “High Marshal, the 2nd Deployment gives this report of our endeavors on the Hell World of I’zoth N’hin. One gate destroyed and another severely damaged, with 12,925 taels of Aetherite crystal recovered.”

“Well done, 2nd Deployment,” Tzu Li Zen said. “Assembly! Congratulate them on their success!”

A measured round of applause was given and a couple of the legionnaires looked ready to break down into tears. Their discipline kept them on their feet however and the High Marshal then stepped forward to acknowledge each of them while Yora placed a jade ribbon about their necks.

“These who have survived the unspeakable trials of the hell worlds stand before you now as full-blooded, Jade Legionnaires. High ranking citizens of the empire and freed men and women once again. To each of you I grant your Phalanx and freedom. Your service to the empire is complete.”

More black robes stepped forward, two for each of the new Legionnaires. Most were Sullied and all of them had a shiny new Phalanx Glaive strapped to their backs. As the new Legionnaires joined with them, they stood to the side and more than half of them began weeping openly now. I couldn’t tell if it was joy or relief they felt or perhaps some combination of both, but then I sensed something familiar.

Dark Frenzy…

They reeked of it.

Not that they were producing tins of it, mind you, but like they were covered in it. Like dog shit someone had stepped in a while back and everyone was just now smelling it.

Or at least I was.

But it was more than just that. I sensed fear. These people had seen what I had seen. Glimpsed the unknown secrets of the Stars. Who knew what that had done to their psyches? Or if they even had defenses at all.

“May the 3rd Deployment step forward,” Tzu Li Zen said and twenty Tributes from the front row advanced a step. “Assembly, hail the 3rd Deployment of the 5073rd Campaign. Give them your praise, respect and honor!”

Everyone in the assembly then thrusted their right fist into the air and we all looked about bewildered before being compelled to do the same. The assembly then began shouting all as one.

“To those who now face the Hell Worlds of the Cursed Stars, we the assembly of Tributes salute you! May we too one day tread the path of death and sacrifice ourselves for the glory of the Empire. Go a mortal and return a god!”

The affirmation was powerful filled with conviction. The twenty Black Robes then bowed to the High Marshall and the assembly was dismissed. As the ranks began to peel away, Yun Jen quickly stopped us from doing the same.

“You new cohorts stay put,” he said. “As promised you will have the honor of being addressed by the High Marshal directly.”

I wasn’t a big fan of pomp and circumstance, but somehow the thought of addressed by the High Marshal excited me. Like with Threja, maybe it was the fact that I had genuine respect for someone who had faced the hell worlds five times over and still had his shit together to tell about it.

Yun Jen warned us to stay firmly at attention and to speak only when spoken to. A half dozen black robes suddenly joined us as well. Before I could fathom as to why, the High Marshal arrived, followed closely by Yora.”

“Once again I welcome you,” he said. “You will note that while you all stand before me as new Tributes, you are not equal in status. You who have come as volunteers have already been tested as Gold Bracket contenders. Your training will thus consist of rigors that will take you beyond your mortal limits and prepare you for becoming a Legionnaire.”

I glanced across at the six people I should have been counted with.

But fate was fate.

At least Lo Ren and Chu Ren were now alive because of the choices I’d made.

“You who have come as prisoners, remember you are prisoners no more. By arriving here alive, your debt to the empire is now paid as a Tribute. Your path may even take you to as high as these Black Robes next to you or even higher. Your ability to cross the wastes has proven you have the potential to do that.”

He then cleared his throat and then addressed both groups as a whole.

“There are things you should know of this world. Things you will have already experienced. It is a heavy world, both in gravity and Qi density. Things here may be far stronger than you may be accustomed to on your home worlds. Be certain to consult an upperclassmen if you encounter something you are not familiar with. Secondly you will notice that while the Qi is here is dense, there is little of it. Cultivating on this world is futile.”

That got a few murmurs, not that I cared.

I couldn’t sense the shit anyway.

“Thousands of years ago, this planet was once thriving with the life essence of Qi. There were vast cities with millions of cultivators. But on the appearance of the Bloodmoon, the demons of the Cursed Stars invaded this world and destroyed it, consuming all life and corrupting it. What you see in the wastelands is the future of all worlds if our task is not met.”

Holy shit… I thought. Was the Earth destined to turn into a hell hole like this?

“Advancement on this world is still possible however, and in fact essential for you to gain strength. Shipments of staples from the core worlds also come with pills and elixirs of concentrated Qi. Moreover, as Second and Third year Tributes, part of your duties will be to harvest the cores of monster and spirit beasts so that our own alchemists can make elixirs and pills to advance. Contests are held weekly to determine who is most worthy within your cohort of advancement and will receive pills and elixirs as rewards. Work hard at your duties and you will advance swiftly.” He then smiled at us. “Even as brown robes.”

I chuckled inwardly.

This didn’t sound too bad at all.

It was like everything I was used to doing back home, only on hard mode, I supposed.

“Advancement exams between robes are held every two weeks,” Yora said. “Some of you I know may have abilities that far exceed your present station. But be sure to equip yourself fully before attempting. The exams are not easy and will test your limits.”

“I wish you well on your journeys,” Tzu Li Zen said with a final bow and we all returned it deeply. “Good luck.”

A murmur of excitement erupted through the ranks as the Yora and the High Marshal departed. But Yun Jen quickly silenced us with a shout.

“Hey! Listen up!” he said. “Martial advancement is for White and Black robes. If you want to get to that stage, you need to perform your Brown Robe duties to my satisfaction first. We are the core of Du Gok Bhong. We provide the services all the other depend on. While we have our staples transported from the core world, all of the fresh food you have enjoyed thus far is grown by our hands. Cleaning and cooking also fall to us. So if you have skills. Let them be known now.”

“I can cook!” someone shot heir hand into the air.

“Me as well!” two more joined him.

“My brother and I are farmers!” Chu Ren said.

“I’m a smith!”

Yun Jen began separating us into groups and directing people to their work places until all that was left was myself, Blue Rose and that annoying bastard whose name I still hadn’t learned. Yun Jen stood before us frowning.

“So you three are all good for nothing then? What can you do?”

“I’m a soldier,” the cocky bastard said. “I don’t belong in these robes.”

Yun Jen harrumphed. “That’s yet to be seen. What’s your name?”

“Ho Chin,” he said. “I was a general before this.”

Yun Jen raised his brows. “Well, that’s quite impressive. A general, huh?”

I squinted at the guy. He was clearly full of shit. “What kind of general says it every man for himself on a battlefield?”

He glared at me, perhaps shocked that I’d remember exactly what he’d said. “You don’t know shit about me, Iron Bitch!”

My anger flared and I snatched him by the collar with [Fear the Flame]. “Hey, I’m not stuck in here with you, you know? You’re stuck in here with me…”

It was a borrowed line from one of Kelsey’s comics, but damn it if it didn’t fit perfectly right now. I cycled my Frenzy with [Devil’s Shadow] to let him feel the full strength of my core.

Fear welled up in Ho Chin and some came from Blue Rose as well.

Yun Jen however remained nonplussed. “Alright, enough of that. I can tell you’re all killers so there’s probably only one place for you. You’re all working the abattoir. Follow me.”

I shoved Ho Chin away and resisted the urge to kick him in the ass as we followed after Yun Jen. We travelled across the fields where the stench of pig and chicken shit hit us long before we saw the pens holding the animals.

“Feed is in there,” Yun Jen said pointed to a barn close by. “Haul the manure to the fields for the farmers.”

“What?” Blue Rose said. “I thought we were to kill the animals.”

“When it’s needed,” Yun Jen said. “Until that time, you have to take care of them. And since you seem the most leveled headed of you three, you’re in charge for the first day.”

“Me?” she said.

“Cleaned, fed and watered by sundown,” Yun Jen said as he walked away. “Do a good job and you may earn yourself a pill.”

Her eyes narrowed with hunger and conviction.

“Both of you! Move your asses! Let’s go!”

A huge shouting match then broke out between Blue Rose and Ho Chin.

All I could do was sigh.

Two weeks until I can pass an exam to get to the next rank.

And not a moment too soon, I thought.

Until then, it was back to the shitty life of being a low rank sect member indeed.

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