NOVPUBThe setting sun had dripped like bright red cocoa into the darkening sky, leaving only a trace of afterglow in the western heavens. Bertade squatted beside Yuku’s gradually chilling corpse, silently staring for a long while. Familiar memories surged into his mind once more, filling his eyes, painting a layer of deeper profundity in the Head Warrior’s weathered pupils.
"Such is the fate of a Samurai, inescapable for anyone..."
Bertade gazed at the smile of the hound, murmuring softly. After a moment, he gently shook his head and reached out to close Yuku’s widely opened eyes. Then, the Head Warrior drew the sharp Obsidian Stone Dagger from his belt and slowly extended it, pressing it to the hound’s neck... He needed to bring back a token to report to His Highness.
"Haha! Dear respected Head Eagle Warrior, look who I have caught!!"
Loud laughter emanated from not far inside the forest, reaching them quickly. Bertade looked up to see Black Wolf Torc with his arms firmly interlocked, carrying a young warrior dressed in Imperial Guards attire on his shoulder, excitedly striding towards him.
By the last light on the horizon, the Head Warrior scrutinized carefully. The warrior’s hair was disheveled, his hands and feet firmly bound with hemp rope, and his mouth stuffed with cotton, "mmm-mmm"ing in struggle on Black Wolf’s shoulder. At that moment, he appeared like a deer caught by the Mexica Samurai!
"This is...?"
Bertade brushed back the young warrior’s disheveled hair, noted the fiery pride in his eyes; then, he pinched the warrior’s chin, forcing his mouth open to check his unblemished, white teeth; finally, he pulled open the warrior’s collar, scanned his pampered, pale neck, and the red bloodstains on it... Thinking back to the hound’s behavior before death... a look of incredulous shock finally appeared on the Head Warrior’s face.
"Could this be...?!"
"Yes, I recognized his face! This is the King of Tarasco, Prepetcha’s Cazonci, the most sacred hunt of my life, and the white deer specifically requested by His Highness, King Su’angua!"
Black Wolf Torc was radiant with excitement, his eyes nearly blazing. He carefully bent down, handing over the futilely struggling Su’angua to the Head Warrior.
"Dear respected Head Eagle Warrior, your teachings in Martial Arts, your endorsement of my talents, and saving my life today!... This sacred hunt, I offer it to you to present to His Highness!"
Upon hearing this, Bertade was slightly taken aback. He gazed at Torc’s sincere eyes for a while, then beamed with gratification.
"Torc, this is His Highness’s white deer, and also the most sacred Sacrifice of the entire western campaign! Once we deliver him to the Capital City in the Lake, all the Elder Priests, all the people of the Capital City, the entire Mexica Alliance, even the whole world, will be set ablaze! And you, you will become the most legendary, epic warrior known across the lands!... Torc, are you truly willing to forego this credit?"
Hearing about being known across the lands, a deep longing emerged on Torc’s face. He tugged at his hair, troubled and thinking for a good while before he hesitantly started to speak, embarrassedly stammering.
"Ah, this...honorable Head Eagle Warrior, could we possibly present this hunt together..."
Bertade laughed heartily. He watched the young man’s simple and resolute face, increasingly certain that this was indeed his most suitable successor... The Head Warrior’s mind raced, but he just smiled and said.
"Black Wolf, you personally captured Su’angua! This is your achievement, I surely won’t take it, nor do I need it... But indeed, you cannot keep all the credit for yourself. The Spear regiments of Kuluka and Ezpan suffered the greatest casualties, breaking the enemy lines head-on. According to His Highness’s considerations, the credit for capturing the King was initially reserved for them... Moreover, these two Great Generals, like us, also come from commoner backgrounds; you should get closer to them in the future..."
The whistling of the wind scattered the whispers in the forest, turning them into its moaning. Lying on the cold mud, Su’angua watched himself being deliberated over as a hunt, his heart swallowed by shameful rage. He arched his legs, struggling forcefully on the ground, emitting "mm-mmm" cries. Then, he saw the familiar head of the hound, hanging by another Mexica Samurai’s waist, still bearing the smile from before death.
"Mm! Mm-mm! Mm-mmm!!"
The King’s moaning cries had eventually stirred the two conversing men. Blood dripped from the King’s neck along with large, warm tears.
"Is his neck injured?"
"Just some skin broke. The Eagle of Tarasco does indeed have a fierce spirit, much more so than that cowardly Crocodile who resisted briefly when I approached him, and seeing himself overpowered, he immediately pulled out a Copper Dagger to commit suicide. It was just that his arm was injured, slowing his movements..."
"We need to bandage that. Such a sacred Sacrifice, never before seen in the history of the Alliance, must be kept alive to be delivered to the Capital City in the Lake!"
As Bertade spoke, he bent down. With a swift motion, the Head Warrior delivered a precise hook punch to Su’angua’s jaw. The intense pain signals transmitted by dense nerves and the imbalance in the cerebellum connected to the trigeminal nerve instantly made the young King roll his eyes back, fiercely stopping his struggles and completely passing out on the ground. The Head Warrior nodded in satisfaction, his skills in capturing still sharp. Then, the two of them quickly bandaged Su’angua’s wounds and cautiously carried the precious "white deer" out of the forest and into the open.
