The wastelander wasn’t strong, but neither was he weak. In any normal outpost, Cloudhawk would be considered one of their elite fighters. In these times when women were weak and vulnerable, they would often attach themselves to strong men for protection. Yet, Cloudhawk was unsullied. It was a little difficult for her to believe.
Her curiosity was clear in her voice as she continued to question him, “You aren’t one of those fools who’s saving himself for someone, are you?”
“Stuff it. How about you pay attention to what you’re doing?”
In the fifteen years prior, Cloudhawk’s life had been a series of painful struggles – simultaneously tedious and uninteresting. As a scavenger picking through the ruins, his only goal day in and day out had been to find enough food to eat. He hadn’t had the time or opportunity to think about the opposite sex, so an appetite for women just wasn’t part of his life. In fact, he hardly thought about it at all.
That was until recently. After several months with the Bloodsoaked Queen, faced with her beauty every day, the hazy idea of attraction played in the back of his mind. However, the concepts of “attraction” and “romantic love” were foreign. As for the sort Hellflower was talking about, they were even rarer than a creature like Roste.
Hellflower was finding the young man more and more fascinating.
Eventually, her examination was completed, much to Cloudhawk’s relief.
After a moment of quiet thought, Hellflower gave her diagnosis. “There are no traces of mutation that I was able to feel. All of your internal structures, vessels, and bones are all normal. However… the toughness and activity of your surface muscles are several times stronger than average. It’s also too pretty for what one would expect from a wastelander.”
“Chimp had me in one of those tanks with the medicine for several hours. Could that be what’s caused the change?”
“Relax. The oddity won’t have any adverse effects. You’ll find that having thicker skin won’t be a detriment.” [1]
“Somehow, the way you explain it doesn’t make me feel better…”
“Don’t overthink it. I didn’t mean anything other than what I said. We only have a couple days left, anyway.” Her eyes lingered over him for a few moments before she went on, “I have one more thing to teach you, something that you’ll find very helpful in the future.”
Hellflower was a mysterious woman, but she was precise with her words and mature in her bearing. Whatever she had to teach him indeed had to be important.
“Alright!” Cloudhawk didn’t even question what she meant before agreeing.
When night fell, Hellflower found him, bringing with her several bottles of liquor. She said they were vintage bottles, treasures of the base that he couldn’t find anywhere else.
“You should be congratulated. There aren’t many wastelanders lucky enough to leave this place.” She lifted one of the bottles and clinked it against the one held by Cloudhawk. “But, you need to mentally prepare yourself.”
Cloudhawk thought the liquor was sweet and pleasing. Hellflower hadn’t exaggerated. This wine had to be a rare and special brew. “I can tell there’s more to what you’re saying. Just come out with it. There’s no point being secretive.”
Hellflower watched him drink but did not sip from her own bottle. “The people of Abrha, all of the Elysian lands, in fact, look down on wastelanders. They’ll treat you with prejudice and discrimination. Leaving the wastelands is one thing, but escaping the wastelands is something else entirely. Have you thought about that?”
“It won’t be a problem,” Cloudhawk answered her with confidence. “I’ve met a demon hunter, part of the upper class of Skycloud. The Governor is her family, so with her recommendation, there won’t be any issues.”
“Oh? I hope that’s true!”
“Let’s not talk about this. What did you want to teach me? Why don’t we just get started-"
Cloudhawk hadn’t even finished his sentence when suddenly, his vision doubled, and his mind grew hazy. The alcohol couldn’t be that strong, he thought, not enough for him to get so drunk so quickly. As he struggled to understand, his body heat soared, and his panting breaths became as hot as fire.
“You still don’t understand?” Hellflower draped her arms around him. She pressed her hot lips first against the flesh of his neck and then against his mouth as she hugged him tightly. “We’ve already started!”
Cloudhawk’s mind was a flurry of confusion like he’d suddenly lost the ability to think straight. Reason was eroded away in favor of instinct, and he reacted to what his body wanted.
A pair of guards who happened to be walking by heard the creaking of the metal bed inside the room and the moans of a woman. They made their rounds, but when they returned on their second patrol, the sounds were still there.
The second day.
Last night was like a dream. The details were fuzzy and hard to remember. Cloudhawk could remember a warm and tender body, pale white flesh…
Groggily, he awoke to find himself in Hellflower’s bedroom, more specifically in her bed. His first instinct was to spring out, but then he noticed the woman beside him, her silver hair disheveled and enticing. She was half-covered by the sheet like a perfect image from an ancient painting.
She had been fast asleep, but upon feeling Cloudhawk stir, her eyes fluttered open. She languidly pushed herself up and yawned before putting her lithe figure on display as she stretched.
“Awake?” Her long legs swung over the bed, and she stood. She grabbed some clothing and haphazardly flung it over herself. When she turned back and saw Cloudhawk’s slack-jawed expression, a sweet smile spread across her face. “Don’t think too much about it. You’re cute and you needed it, so it happened. Consider it payback for saving me.”
“You put something in the liquor?” Finally, he understood. “Why? You didn’t even ask me!”
“Heh, someone as thick as you is going to have a hard time making it in this world.” She chuckled. “This was a lesson to teach you that our bodies and emotions are both a weakness and a weapon. The more importance you attach to it, the more it chains you. It’ll be used against you, and stop you from growing up. On the other hand, if you learn to use it, they will become your tools. It’s an important lesson for your maturity, and you needed the practice. Please keep this in mind in your future life.”
“You forced yourself on me!”
“Don’t take it so hard, kid. Your future is going to be a tough one. I just wanted to leave you with a nice memory. When you think about it in the most profound way, I wanted to be part of your coming-of-age.” She walked over to him and placed a gentle kiss on Cloudhawk’s forehead. “You were much more tender than I expected. I enjoyed myself last night.”
To Hellflower, last night was little more than a pleasant distraction. But, to Cloudhawk, it was an unforgettable experience.
Cloudhawk didn’t understand why Hellflower did what she did, but last night opened a door. What they did would deeply influence him. If her intention was to educate him or leave an impression, she certainly succeeded.
For the next two days, the two of them spent most of their time together. The beautiful and mature woman was an ideal partner, one who filled Cloudhawk with many conflicting emotions. At first, their relationship was just about mutual benefit. There was no emotion there, and even “friendship” wasn’t a proper description of their association. It would never have occurred to him that their relationship would end this way, that they would be connected so physically.
“I have a feeling we’ll meet again.” She waved at him, clearly reluctant for them to part. “When we do, I hope to meet a stronger and more grown-up man!”
1. This may be in reference to the phrase 脸皮厚, ‘thick face skin’, which means being shameless or having an over-inflated ego.
131 The Skycloud Army
Hellflower watched as Cloudhawk disappeared out into the wastelands. She stared absently at the horizon for a time with a sense
of loss nagging at her. Teaching Cloudhawk as she had wasn’t about emotion or desire, but now that they were apart, she couldn’t help but feel something was absent.
“You went beyond what was needed.” The Caliph of the Sands’s raspy, unsettling voice whispered in her ear. He’d appeared behind her unnoticed, his own bloody red eyes following her gaze to where Cloudhawk had been. In fact, a demon’s eyes were far superior to that of a human, and they penetrated the dense fog and thick trees that hid the young wastelander from her. “I didn’t ask you to take him to bed.”
Her face scrunched in annoyance, and she slapped herself on the forehead. “Yeah. What the hell was I thinking? I feel like I’m starting to miss the kid. Maybe we should go bring’m back.”
“Skycloud’s forces will be here in two days,” the Caliph abruptly changed the subject. “You have a day to prepare.”
Hellflower furrowed her brows.
Skycloud’s soldiers were fast, too fast for her to move everything off the base. She’d only have time to escape with the most critical notes and data. Other than that, she had to concentrate on fleeing with the base’s most talented scientists.
Blackwater Base’s leader paid close attention to the evacuation plans. When she released the information, there were actually three separate routes, and each one was a decoy. Hellflower herself didn’t intend to follow any of the plans she publicly announced. Instead, she would use the base’s secret passage only a very few people knew about. Together with twenty or thirty scientists and about a hundred elite soldiers, they would escape in secret.
The moment Hellflower announced the escape, Blackwater Base exploded into shocked action. She had been leader only a few days, and already they had to abandon their homes? Unthinkable!
When people burst into the labs after news broke, they were dismayed to find them practically cleaned out. All of the most valuable data and medicines were gone. Even the scientists themselves had disappeared. It was like everything had vanished into nothing, leaving no trace.
Chaos enveloped Blackwater Base, and people quickly broke into two main camps. One group was already in a rush to go. After all, the danger had been great enough to scare off their leader. They had to escape the danger!
However, the others had called the base home for close to forty years. It was home, a place they had affection for. Most importantly, their defenses were among the best in the wastelands. How could anyone break through? No, now was the time to fill the power vacuum.
It was pandemonium.
A day later.
Out of the swamp and back in the deserts, the sound of marching descended as though from the clouds.
The sound rumbled down from heaven, shattering the shackles of space and time. With it came rays of holy light that spread across the desolate land, cleansing vast tracts. When the hunters of the wastes lifted their eyes to the horizon against the glare, they were met with a scene they never would have expected in their lifetime.
A small host of ships appeared in the sky. Each one was the image of holy purity encased in hundreds of intricate engravings. Every detail etched into it was rich in meaning, depicting scenes and phrases that when combined, created a mural stretching from mast to hull. Spotless, all of them. One could pick an inch at random and find a masterpiece created by what had to be the combined efforts of a whole school of artisans.
In the midst of a blinding holy light, four enormous ships were hovering in the air. Their lofty crowns were ringed in clouds, and they looked like carved jade. A melodious accompaniment of bells sprinkled over the land, mingled with the sounds of reverent prayer. Like a contingent of angels, they appeared from the heavens – god’s army, here to cleanse the wicked from the earth.
This refined, this beautiful, this precise, this outlandish, this magical, this noble… it was so out of place among the blasted landscaped of the barren desert as to be almost comical. All of a sudden, it was as though heaven and hell had collided. Shock was the only acceptable response.
A miracle! They were witnessing a miracle!
Who else in the wastelands had ever seen something so spectacular?
Especially surprised were the scavengers, who had no idea a place like the Elysian lands existed. How could they not immediately fall to their knees in worship towards jade ships wafting through the heavens as languidly as clouds? How could they not be in awe of the chorus of heavenly sounds that heralded their arrival? The sheer spectacle made them want to fall to their knees.
Hanging in the air, no parts of the ships actually moved. They appeared to simply float, projecting an air of nobility and authority that seemed to say the laws of man meant nothing. Science and its rules ceased to apply before the face of god. All of mankind’s achievements were laughable in comparison.
From a distance, their pace seemed slow, but in truth, the ships were racing across the sky. Marching determinedly overhead, their target was clear: a murky swamp surrounded by desert. They began their descent.
“Warriors of the Gods, take up your weapons! We fight for honor and to eradicate blasphemers!”
The holy light projected from the ships flooded the landscape, and from each, a single brilliant beam shot down. Like four jade suns exploding on the earth’s surface, a light so brilliant that one could not look directly at it choked the sky. Moments later, a ferocious wind roared out in all directions, bringing with it dust, debris, and the stench of the marsh.
When the light and winds eventually died, the ships had been safely stationed on the ground. About five hundred soldiers milled around each one. Their weapons and armor glimmered like polished jade, more priceless treasures than implements of war. Each piece of equipment was constructed to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
Soldiers from Skycloud, an army of the best holy warriors in service of the gods.
Equipment was uniformly the same among all the soldiers. It included an exquisite, handcrafted longbow that was tailor-made to match the size of its bearer. Both ends culminated in razor-sharp edges, resembling scimitars which glimmered like they were made from glass or jade. It was absolutely unique.
It was easy to see that the weapons were designed to allow its wielders to seamlessly switch between close combat and ranged attacks. Their design was successful in this capacity. The bows could just as easily pierce a man from many yards away as it could skewer him face to face.
In the midst of each of the five hundred-man battalions was a towering standard-bearer, who, in contrast to the others, was encased in resplendent and ornate armor. They carried no swords and were more spartanly equipped than the typical soldier. All they wore was the masterwork leather protection and a pure white cloak.
The soldiers knelt upon the ground, and from their number, fifteen hooded men stepped forward. With capes dancing in the wind, they approached the head of the troops. Besides the majesty of their capes, they projected an air of sublimity that was in stark contrast to their bleak surroundings.
It was a unit of demon hunters. Few in number but tremendously effective, each one was a warrior in possession of mysterious powers.
The man at the forefront was a middle-aged man, perhaps in his forties. Despite no longer being a young man, his skin was still fair and smooth, and nobility poured from him.
Differing from the younger demon hunters accompanying him, he did not have an exorcist rod or bow. It meant that he was above those low-tier tools, a leader.
A subordinate softly intruded, “Lord Augustus Cloude, the blasphemers have revealed themselves.”
A line of figures, having spotted the attackers approaching, emerged from Blackwater Base. They were armed with cannons and other artillery, creating a fortified defensive line.
The demon hunter commander, Augustus Cloude, nodded. “Cleanse them.”
The other soldiers arose from their prayers as the order was given. With firm resolve and indomitable demeanors, they marched forth towards Blackwater Base.
A formation like this was foreign to
wastelanders. One after another, the battalions fell into line, the sight of which quickly sapped the fighting spirit of Blackwater’s warriors. However, whatever wastelanders lacked, they made up for with the will to fight back, even though their enemies were a force two thousand strong. To have a chance, they had to find some way to rout the army.
“Attack! Fire!”
Blackwater Base’s defenders let loose with a loud volley from their weapons, among which were two heavy machineguns. Only, when the hail of gunfire struck the rapidly approaching soldiers, it did nothing. The holy light that hung over them protected the soldiers. Even after being sprayed with hundreds of rounds, none of them suffered so much as a scratch. Bullets ricocheted off of the holy aura as though it were made from steel.
The Skycloud soldiers all lifted their bows in tandem. Line upon line nocked pure white arrows and pointed them forty-five degrees skyward. Twang! The arrows were let loose and filled the air, forming a cloud as dense as a jungle canopy.
“Are they crazy?”
“Can they even shoot this far?”
The soldiers of Blackwater Base were completely confounded by this sight. They were almost a thousand feet away, and an average bow could only shoot a couple hundred. Even the best wastelands bow lost its lethality when the target was further than four hundred feet away, and the Blackwater defensive line was at least twice that distance. How could their arrows even reach them?
Skycloud bows were complicated and exquisite weapons that looked as though they were made from precious stone. It was power in pursuit of art, both beautiful and deadly. Their arrows were peculiar as well. They were plated in a holy brilliance like the blessed arrows of legend.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
The arrows shot through the air at incredible speed, descending on the defenders like a biblical plague!
A strange scene then emerged as arrows fell like hail, as fast as bullets. Strangely, they did not slow in the least when they were shot from the bow but flew faster instead. Under the holy light, neither gravity nor environment impeded them, allowing the arrows to maintain their lethality over a much longer range.
The Wastelander Page 90
