end of first story
well, the first story arc anyway because I flat refuse to write them travelling slooooowly across Koryo to the capital.
complete text here.
Also, I spent all last night kicking Hyun-Woo for his whining about filial piety and Sung-Min for attempting to be Sei-chan2, the latter of which I managed to pay back, at least. Which is to say, Sung-Min, foot, meet mouth.
I still think he's obnoxiously overpowered and munchkinish and really I suspect him in my heart of being a Marty-Stu but I can now at least make him twitch.
He stared blankly at the stranger, waiting. For him to attack, for him to say something, he didn't know and found he no longer really cared. He felt something soft nudging against his hand and looked down to see the creature pushing its head against him. He stared at it for a moment and then put his hand on the creature's head; the fur felt silken but he could feel the mass of the creature's skull beneath it. It looked like the guardian spirit in the temple, he thought stupidly. He should go see if the statue was still there. He took a step forward and swayed on his feet. "You're not going to kill me," he said, speaking carefully. "I'm not going to die. I'm not --"
He collapsed.
---
When he woke up there was a crackling sound, like a fire, and something was against his back, warm and very solid. He opened his eyes slowly and saw he was back in the temple, in nearly the same place he had spent the night before. He turned his head and saw that the pedestal that had held the statue of the tiger was empty.
The thing he was lying against was purring.
He tried to sit up with a gasp, but his head took a long, slow spin and the world tipped and danced unnervingly.
"Don't try to get up," said a voice.
Hyun-Woo managed to crane his head enough to see a large black-furred face eyeing him interestedly and his body attempted to scramble away, even as his head begged for it to stay still.
"There, what did I tell you," said the voice, amused now.
"I don't want to die," said Hyun-Woo sincerely. "I'll go to the Hell of Filial Unpiety and they'll say to me, Why didn't you light your father's pyre and I'll have to admit that I wasn't even there." He thought for a second, which was hard because his head was beginning to throb,. a slow insistent beat that was like someone methodically smashing a hammer into his skull. "And they'll say, You couldn't even do that for the man who raised you after you lost your real parents? You're staying here for a very long time, bastard, and I won't be able to do anything but be tortured by demons."
"Your theology fascinates me," said the voice, politely. "Lie down." Hyun-Woo collapsed on the floor instead, but the voice didn't object. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
Hyun-Woo squinted. "Fifteen?" He tried to think. "I don't remember being hit on the head. Did you hit me on the head?"
"No, you just had a reaction to the blood being spilled on holy ground," said the voice. "You'll be all right. Eventually."
"There is a cat-demon waiting to take me to the hells of filial unpiety and you tell me I'll be all right?"
"He isn't a cat-demon," said the voice patiently. "Here, I'm going to help you sit up." There was a rustling sound and Hyun-Woo saw the man from earlier in the day. He lifted Hyun-Woo up despite Hyun-Woo's instinctive stiffening. "How's that?"
"You're going to kill me and steal Queenslayer, aren't you."
"Are you always this paranoid or will you recover once you feel better?" said the man. "I wouldn't worry about your master any more."
"What do you mean?" demanded Hyun-Woo. Somewhere in the back of his mind a foolish hope that his master was all right unfolded.
":He lit his own pyre," said the man. "I, er, owed him a favor."
Hyun-Woo looked blank. "Lit his own -- he burned himself to death? Committed suicide? Master Jin wouldn't --"
"I wouldn't say he committed suicide," said the man thoughtfully. "Being on your deathbed and having men attack you seems to be fairly close to being dead to me. No, I wouldn't call dropping a fireball on the floor committing suicide. More like, er, bringing along an honor guard."
For some reason the man's words made Hyun-Woo feel slightly better, assuming he was telling the truth. He looked at the other man and tried to pretend he could move on his own. "I'm not going to let you have Queenslayer."
"Obviously you have had a very bad month," said the man patiently, "and you're still very upset. But believe me when I say I don't want your pretty heirloom." He reached over Hyun-Woo and lifted a cup up. He settled Hyun-Woo against the cat-thing and ladled something out of a pot bubbling gently over a small fire that was burning without fuel. "Drink this."
Hyun-Woo hesitated.
"You're a very annoying boy, did you know that?" said the man, without anger, and took a swallow from the cup. He waited for a minute and then handed it to Hyun-Woo. "And there is no mysterious slow-acting poison in it, either."
Hyun-Woo took the cup and sipped. It was some sort of thick, rich broth, salty and comforting.
"I don't think I've ever found an effective slow-acting poison," added the man. "In theory it's possible but really I've never found one that took more than twenty-four hours to show effects."
Hyun-Woo choked on the broth. The cat-thing made an annoyed noise. Hyun-Woo looked back at it and it squeezed its eyes shut. "If it's not a demon what is it?" demanded Hyun-Woo. The thing flicked its tail at him, as if to say, Excuse me, manners?
"It's the temple guardian, I believe," said the man. "Drink your broth."
"The temple guardian is a statue," insisted Hyun-Woo. He was still a little dazed and confused and that always made him stubborn. He took another cautious drink of the broth. "What's in this?"
"Things," said the man, vaguely. "It balances your humors and strengthens your chi. Was a statue. Is now lying behind you."
Hyun-Woo looked at the empty pedestal and had to concede the point. "But if it's the temple guardian why is it letting me use it as a backrest?" He set the cup down and rubbed his eyes. "Who are you, anyway? Did you know Master Jin?"
"Slightly," said the man. "Before he left the capital."
Hyun-Woo blinked. Master Jin had never left the village since he moved there with Hyun-Woo, which would have been fifteen years before. "When you were ten?"
"No," said the man shortly. "I believe it would be easier to hide you in the capital if you appeared to be my boy."
Hyun-Woo ran through a number of possible interpretations, thought about it for a second, and then, since he couldn't get up, threw the rest of the broth in the cup in the man's face.
"It was just a suggestion," said the man, broth dripping off his face.
"You sick fuck," said Hyun-Woo, shaking with fury. "Do I look like --"
"You look like a very attractive youth," said the man clinically. "I imagine I could get five thousand ryo for you from the right customer. Would you like more broth?"
"No," said Hyun-Woo. "In fact, I think I'll eat my own food, thank you."
"Suit yourself," said the man placidly.
"Who the hell are you, anyway?" demanded Hyun-Woo.
"My name here is Lee Sung-Min," said the man. "I'm an exorcist. A yin-yang sorcerer." He shrugged. "I do a little of this and that."
Hyun-Woo thought, 'My name here'? and then, How can anybody talk that much and not say anything? and finally -- "Where's Queenslayer?"
"The temple guardian has it under his paw," said Lee Sung-Min. "He wouldn't let me touch it."
Hyun-Woo moved enough to see that the big cat did have Queenslayer under his paw. He relaxed a little. "I don't even know why they're trying to get her," he said, half to himself.
"She kills ghosts," said Lee Sung-Min unexpectedly. "In the right hands, she's a very powerful ghost-killer. Jin Tae-Yoon ... well, there are those who would kill for her." He looked at Hyun-Woo and smiled rather unpleasantly. "Jin Tae-Yoon didn't steal her. You could say he was holding her in trust."
Hyun-Woo's headache was getting worse and he knew that there was things he was missing. But the important thing was that Lee Sung-Min hadn't taken Queenslayer. He reached toward Queenslayer, his eye on the great black cat. It studied him for a long second before it lifted his paw and allowed him to take Queenslayer.
"What's his name?" he said, staring at the temple guardian.
"How should I know?" said Lee Sung-Min. "It might be on the pedestal." He got up and knelt beside the pedestal, cupping his hand and producing a small globe of white light. "This says Ha-Neul."
"Is that your name?" said Hyun-Woo to the black tiger.
The thing squeezed its eyes lazily. Yes.
"I believe he's adopted you," said Lee Sung-Min.
"Wonderful," said Hyun-Woo wearily. "Why do you think I'm going to the capital?"
"Because that's the only place where you can find out about Jin Tae-Yoon's death," said Lee Sung-Min. He shrugged. "We weren't friends but we got along well enough. I owe him anyway."
"And because you owe Master Jin you're offering to help me," said Hyun-Woo suspiciously.
"Oh no," said Lee Sung-Min calmly. "I need Queenslayer, you see."
Hyun-Woo snarled.
"But I can't use her myself," continued Lee Sung-Min. "I need her and someone who can use her. In return ..." He lifted his eyebrow. "I think I can help you a little."
Hyun-Woo relaxed slightly. "What makes you think I can use Queenslayer as a ghost-killing sword?"
"Believe me," said Lee Sung-Min, "If you couldn't use Queenslayer you wouldn't be alive to refuse my broth." He glanced over at Ha-Neul. "And temple guardians don't wake for people who can't use ghost-killing swords."
It wasn't as if he had anything else he could do, thought Hyun-Woo. "I'll come," he said.
--30--
complete text here.
Also, I spent all last night kicking Hyun-Woo for his whining about filial piety and Sung-Min for attempting to be Sei-chan2, the latter of which I managed to pay back, at least. Which is to say, Sung-Min, foot, meet mouth.
I still think he's obnoxiously overpowered and munchkinish and really I suspect him in my heart of being a Marty-Stu but I can now at least make him twitch.
He stared blankly at the stranger, waiting. For him to attack, for him to say something, he didn't know and found he no longer really cared. He felt something soft nudging against his hand and looked down to see the creature pushing its head against him. He stared at it for a moment and then put his hand on the creature's head; the fur felt silken but he could feel the mass of the creature's skull beneath it. It looked like the guardian spirit in the temple, he thought stupidly. He should go see if the statue was still there. He took a step forward and swayed on his feet. "You're not going to kill me," he said, speaking carefully. "I'm not going to die. I'm not --"
He collapsed.
---
When he woke up there was a crackling sound, like a fire, and something was against his back, warm and very solid. He opened his eyes slowly and saw he was back in the temple, in nearly the same place he had spent the night before. He turned his head and saw that the pedestal that had held the statue of the tiger was empty.
The thing he was lying against was purring.
He tried to sit up with a gasp, but his head took a long, slow spin and the world tipped and danced unnervingly.
"Don't try to get up," said a voice.
Hyun-Woo managed to crane his head enough to see a large black-furred face eyeing him interestedly and his body attempted to scramble away, even as his head begged for it to stay still.
"There, what did I tell you," said the voice, amused now.
"I don't want to die," said Hyun-Woo sincerely. "I'll go to the Hell of Filial Unpiety and they'll say to me, Why didn't you light your father's pyre and I'll have to admit that I wasn't even there." He thought for a second, which was hard because his head was beginning to throb,. a slow insistent beat that was like someone methodically smashing a hammer into his skull. "And they'll say, You couldn't even do that for the man who raised you after you lost your real parents? You're staying here for a very long time, bastard, and I won't be able to do anything but be tortured by demons."
"Your theology fascinates me," said the voice, politely. "Lie down." Hyun-Woo collapsed on the floor instead, but the voice didn't object. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
Hyun-Woo squinted. "Fifteen?" He tried to think. "I don't remember being hit on the head. Did you hit me on the head?"
"No, you just had a reaction to the blood being spilled on holy ground," said the voice. "You'll be all right. Eventually."
"There is a cat-demon waiting to take me to the hells of filial unpiety and you tell me I'll be all right?"
"He isn't a cat-demon," said the voice patiently. "Here, I'm going to help you sit up." There was a rustling sound and Hyun-Woo saw the man from earlier in the day. He lifted Hyun-Woo up despite Hyun-Woo's instinctive stiffening. "How's that?"
"You're going to kill me and steal Queenslayer, aren't you."
"Are you always this paranoid or will you recover once you feel better?" said the man. "I wouldn't worry about your master any more."
"What do you mean?" demanded Hyun-Woo. Somewhere in the back of his mind a foolish hope that his master was all right unfolded.
":He lit his own pyre," said the man. "I, er, owed him a favor."
Hyun-Woo looked blank. "Lit his own -- he burned himself to death? Committed suicide? Master Jin wouldn't --"
"I wouldn't say he committed suicide," said the man thoughtfully. "Being on your deathbed and having men attack you seems to be fairly close to being dead to me. No, I wouldn't call dropping a fireball on the floor committing suicide. More like, er, bringing along an honor guard."
For some reason the man's words made Hyun-Woo feel slightly better, assuming he was telling the truth. He looked at the other man and tried to pretend he could move on his own. "I'm not going to let you have Queenslayer."
"Obviously you have had a very bad month," said the man patiently, "and you're still very upset. But believe me when I say I don't want your pretty heirloom." He reached over Hyun-Woo and lifted a cup up. He settled Hyun-Woo against the cat-thing and ladled something out of a pot bubbling gently over a small fire that was burning without fuel. "Drink this."
Hyun-Woo hesitated.
"You're a very annoying boy, did you know that?" said the man, without anger, and took a swallow from the cup. He waited for a minute and then handed it to Hyun-Woo. "And there is no mysterious slow-acting poison in it, either."
Hyun-Woo took the cup and sipped. It was some sort of thick, rich broth, salty and comforting.
"I don't think I've ever found an effective slow-acting poison," added the man. "In theory it's possible but really I've never found one that took more than twenty-four hours to show effects."
Hyun-Woo choked on the broth. The cat-thing made an annoyed noise. Hyun-Woo looked back at it and it squeezed its eyes shut. "If it's not a demon what is it?" demanded Hyun-Woo. The thing flicked its tail at him, as if to say, Excuse me, manners?
"It's the temple guardian, I believe," said the man. "Drink your broth."
"The temple guardian is a statue," insisted Hyun-Woo. He was still a little dazed and confused and that always made him stubborn. He took another cautious drink of the broth. "What's in this?"
"Things," said the man, vaguely. "It balances your humors and strengthens your chi. Was a statue. Is now lying behind you."
Hyun-Woo looked at the empty pedestal and had to concede the point. "But if it's the temple guardian why is it letting me use it as a backrest?" He set the cup down and rubbed his eyes. "Who are you, anyway? Did you know Master Jin?"
"Slightly," said the man. "Before he left the capital."
Hyun-Woo blinked. Master Jin had never left the village since he moved there with Hyun-Woo, which would have been fifteen years before. "When you were ten?"
"No," said the man shortly. "I believe it would be easier to hide you in the capital if you appeared to be my boy."
Hyun-Woo ran through a number of possible interpretations, thought about it for a second, and then, since he couldn't get up, threw the rest of the broth in the cup in the man's face.
"It was just a suggestion," said the man, broth dripping off his face.
"You sick fuck," said Hyun-Woo, shaking with fury. "Do I look like --"
"You look like a very attractive youth," said the man clinically. "I imagine I could get five thousand ryo for you from the right customer. Would you like more broth?"
"No," said Hyun-Woo. "In fact, I think I'll eat my own food, thank you."
"Suit yourself," said the man placidly.
"Who the hell are you, anyway?" demanded Hyun-Woo.
"My name here is Lee Sung-Min," said the man. "I'm an exorcist. A yin-yang sorcerer." He shrugged. "I do a little of this and that."
Hyun-Woo thought, 'My name here'? and then, How can anybody talk that much and not say anything? and finally -- "Where's Queenslayer?"
"The temple guardian has it under his paw," said Lee Sung-Min. "He wouldn't let me touch it."
Hyun-Woo moved enough to see that the big cat did have Queenslayer under his paw. He relaxed a little. "I don't even know why they're trying to get her," he said, half to himself.
"She kills ghosts," said Lee Sung-Min unexpectedly. "In the right hands, she's a very powerful ghost-killer. Jin Tae-Yoon ... well, there are those who would kill for her." He looked at Hyun-Woo and smiled rather unpleasantly. "Jin Tae-Yoon didn't steal her. You could say he was holding her in trust."
Hyun-Woo's headache was getting worse and he knew that there was things he was missing. But the important thing was that Lee Sung-Min hadn't taken Queenslayer. He reached toward Queenslayer, his eye on the great black cat. It studied him for a long second before it lifted his paw and allowed him to take Queenslayer.
"What's his name?" he said, staring at the temple guardian.
"How should I know?" said Lee Sung-Min. "It might be on the pedestal." He got up and knelt beside the pedestal, cupping his hand and producing a small globe of white light. "This says Ha-Neul."
"Is that your name?" said Hyun-Woo to the black tiger.
The thing squeezed its eyes lazily. Yes.
"I believe he's adopted you," said Lee Sung-Min.
"Wonderful," said Hyun-Woo wearily. "Why do you think I'm going to the capital?"
"Because that's the only place where you can find out about Jin Tae-Yoon's death," said Lee Sung-Min. He shrugged. "We weren't friends but we got along well enough. I owe him anyway."
"And because you owe Master Jin you're offering to help me," said Hyun-Woo suspiciously.
"Oh no," said Lee Sung-Min calmly. "I need Queenslayer, you see."
Hyun-Woo snarled.
"But I can't use her myself," continued Lee Sung-Min. "I need her and someone who can use her. In return ..." He lifted his eyebrow. "I think I can help you a little."
Hyun-Woo relaxed slightly. "What makes you think I can use Queenslayer as a ghost-killing sword?"
"Believe me," said Lee Sung-Min, "If you couldn't use Queenslayer you wouldn't be alive to refuse my broth." He glanced over at Ha-Neul. "And temple guardians don't wake for people who can't use ghost-killing swords."
It wasn't as if he had anything else he could do, thought Hyun-Woo. "I'll come," he said.
--30--