Yueliang was allowed time to rest and acclimate to her new home, but it wouldn’t be long before she would be called to fulfill her duty for which she had been appointed. In the chamber across from her, Aku lay awake in his bed glowering at the ceiling above. Before the Samurai had become such a thorn in his side, Aku had once enjoyed restful nights, days and even weeks of unbroken sleep with dreams full of darkness and conquest. But for the past decade or two, he’d been plagued with insomnia and a good night’s rest had become a distant dream itself. This, of course, irritated Aku to no end.
He rolled onto his side and was still for hardly a minute, then turned abruptly onto the other side beneath his billowing blanket. There, he fluffed his pillow and slammed his head upon it with a loud huff. But no matter what adjustments he made, he simply couldn’t get comfortable nor could he stop his mind from racing. Finally, he sat up in bed and resigned himself to his sleepless fate. But as he sat there staring into nothingness, his miserable expression soon shifted as he recalled the new addition to his lair.
Without warning, the fortress quaked in its foundation as Aku summoned his latest prized possession:
“YUELIANG!!”
The tremors woke her up and a small smile crossed her lips.
“It didn’t take that long.“
Yueliang wasn’t used to dressing herself since her servants did almost everything for her. She settled on a light blue hanfu and didn’t bother to tie her hair up, letting it fall behind her, brushing against her ankles.
She gently knocked at his door, waiting before he gave her the permission to enter. A mighty being such as Aku basks in the reverence of his subjects so she always came to him with her head bowed.
The maiden closed the door behind her before kneeling on the floor. It was a large change to have your captive not screaming that they want to leave or spiting rude remarks at you.
“You called for me, your highness. I apologize for my common appearance tonight. I wanted to be by your side at the sound of your voice calling me and I am not used to dressing up myself. May I know what I can do for you?“
The massive doors cracked open just enough to allow Yueliang access and promptly ground to a close behind her. Inside was Aku’s bedchamber, its stone walls emanating a fiery red-orange glow and its ceiling so high it seemed nonexistent. In the center of the room, Aku sat at the edge of his enormous bed glaring tiredly at the doorway. But when Yueliang arrived, his expression softened just slightly. She had not kept him waiting long, which pleased the impatient Shogun. Her ‘common appearance’ was of no concern to him—she was equally as stunning in her natural state without all her accessories.
“Yes,” came his gruff reply. “I am finding sleep difficult to grasp. But perhaps listening to your ethereal voice will soothe my nerves.”
Aku settled back into his bed and gestured to its edge. It was taller than the average bed but still low enough that a human could comfortably climb up to be seated. “Come, sit.”
Eclipse spotted the first item on her list when the commotion down the cobbled street drew her eye. An organized line of blue-clad minions demanded the crowd’s attention.
“Districts nineteen through eighty-five and two-hundred-seven through three-hundred-forty-six will be screened. Extracted members will be escorted directly to Aku City for an in-person audience with the Master. Proceed to your registry stations along the docks. You will be notified within four hours of your submission as to whether a summons is required of you at this time.”
The girl’s mind raced (and bumped into many things on its way to, well, absolutely nowhere).
I have to get out of town!
No, they’d know if someone left–such action has been punished with death in the past.
I’ve finished my piece, but is it enough? I wanted to go all perfectionist on it.
Fucking LIT! We are finally making our way toward Aku!
What if I am chosen?
I have several pieces across four of the mentioned districts; this is a good thing. If I fail, I die, and I get to check out of this world early.
I could also end up in a lot of pain for a very long time.
The Master probably just got bored and required a pick-me-up.
A pick-me-up to this scale, are you insane!?
That gorgeous alien is gonna be so shook when he sees what I made for him.
I have never, in my life, heard of a summons collecting members from over half an entire coastline before!
This can only be bad news…
Or just news.
She filed neatly and politely into the lines forming at canvas tents stationed at the docks. She reluctantly surrendered information about her recent residences and future travel plans before finishing her shopping and returning to her trees to await the consensus. I’ve dodged this before, I’ve dodged this before, I’ve signed up before and I’ve still dodged it.
As the sun began to sink into the inland-bound fog, three heavy knocks shattered the tense, stagnant silence of Eclipse’s cabin. Three minions, whose full height surpassed her doorway, stood vigilant. Their emissary’s tone was militant and straightforward. “Eclipse of the North, you are among three thousand fortuitous others who have been summoned to The Tower in Central Aku City for a direct audience with the Master on the third and final day of his extended summons. Here is your ticket–you and your tribute or tributes will be provided a one-way shuttle to the central gate. You must check in to your city registry tomorrow by noon; the shuttle will depart shortly afterward. No-shows will be tracked down and executed. Once you have entered the city, proceed until parties and independents are separated at the central gate. A second shuttle will elevate you and the two hundred other independents to the mouth of the tower once the groups from previous days have finished presenting. You will find yourselves at his mercy.”
Her door was shut for her; she looked numbly down at the embossed card held lightly between her fingers. Guess I’m an independent. Gotta count myself lucky that I wasn’t involved in a group project. I wonder if he’s waiting on us right now…
[ Three days earlier… ]
The time of summons was underway and Aku had just finished viewing the day’s final tribute at his towering citadel. It had come from a refugee colony known for their metal works. Built from precision and fear, it was a singular column of coal-black wrought iron in the shape of Aku’s fearsome silhouette. A pair of lit torches blazed at its top to symbolize his great eyebrows. The metalworkers cowered behind it on their knees, their heads bowed and hearts pounding in their ears as the Master’s judging gaze swept over them and the tribute they presented with the speed and weight of a continental glacier.
With eyes that could incinerate whole villages, Aku let his heavy gaze be felt by all who came before him. Not only did he judge their tribute but he judged their demeanor, their gestures, the looks in their eyes, their tone of voice and even their scent. The group before him radiated with the scent of fear and cold sweat that grew in intensity the longer his silence persisted. Their tense muscles had seemed almost to leap from beneath their skin when Aku’s thunderous voice shattered the silence: “Your tribute meets the approval of the almighty Aku. You may return to your village at once.”
After the metalworkers had made their exit, staggering on their feet in fear and cautious relief, Aku shrank himself to a more reasonable stature and returned to his throne. There waiting on the armrest for his perusal was a small stack of letters. Much of the mail he received was pre-sorted for him by his tireless secretary slaves based on their content and filed away or destroyed. Some were requests, others were offers, and most were junk. But there were a few that fit into no particular category which he often read himself. Settling into his throne, he began the tedious process of reading through each one and boredly burning those that did not hold his interest between ignited fingertips.
When he reached the final envelope with its wax seal and read the letter therein, a flicker of interest sparked in his eyes. He re-read the neatly written words and pondered the impossible suggestion they presented. What was this? A veiled joke? Some kind of insult? His eyes narrowed and snarly ridges creased his brow and nose.
“Pah!” the yokai scoffed aloud. His claw tips singed the bottom corner of the parchment as he prepared to send the letter up in smoke… but he stopped just short. What if there was truth in these words? Aku shifted on his throne and gave his fiery red beard a contemplative stroke. Then he brought the letter to his face and inhaled its scent, nostrils flaring as he received hints of moss, stone and forest. His eyes passed over the letter once more. ’Look for us among those who present tribute…’ After a moment of reflection, he summoned a minion to his throne and passed both the letter and its envelope into his hands with a singular order:
“Find me the author of this letter.”
“Yes, Lord Aku!” the minion bowed before taking his leave in a rush to fulfill his duty. Aku leaned into the arm of his throne, his claws curled around the base of his jaw. I will look for you.
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The Shogun of Sorrow 