Interlude: With the Thunder

~~~

“It seems I will be going to the Dead Plains.”

The words are so plainly spoken it takes a while for Lei Kong’s brain to fully grasp their meaning. It takes some more time to confirm his Lord is not making a joke and more time still to realize he cannot convince his Lord to flee the Eternal Flame Clan and look elsewhere for ways to accomplish his goals.

Days later, the roar of thunder echoes across a valley.

It is a sure sign Lei Kong is not executing Thousand Steps of the Thunder God properly. Sacrificing too much control in exchange for distance and speed. That does not matter. Thousand Steps of the Thunder God is not a technique made for combat. The technique’s purpose has always been to cover vast stretches of land as quickly as possible.

The early forms of Thousand Steps of the Thunder God were developed back when the Storm Dragon Empire was healthy and strong, and border skirmishes with the Crimson Cloud Empire were common. The Lei Clan distinguished themselves as scouts and messengers, gradually rising through the ranks until they became known as stalwart defenders of the Storm Dragon Empire. All manner of honors were given to the Lei Clan for their service, including ownership of the Thunder Blade Fortress.

Those days are long gone.

Whether there was any truth to his accusations mattered little. The Black Storm Dragon killed most of their men, took their riches, and left them the Thunder Blade Fortress only because he knew it cost more to maintain than what they had. The civil wars that followed the Black Storm Dragon’s disappearance only worsened things. The enemies of the Lei Clan did not fail to take advantage of their weakened state.

However, there was hope.

Lei Kong was that hope.

Lei Kong was the greatest talent the Lei Clan had seen in generations. He was a prodigy child that would surely overturn their fortune and restore the clan to its former glory. That is what he was raised to believe. Every day, he heard it, and every day, he trained to make that goal a reality.

To restore the Lei Clan was his reason for being.

The roar of thunder echoes up in the mountain.

A bitter smile appears on Lei Kong’s face. His metal arm suddenly feels heavy. A training accident, they called it. Unfortunate, they said. Utterly tragic.

What tripe.

Even back then, he knew the truth. Certainly, horrible accidents can happen during heated sparring matches, but the way in which Lei Kong’s meridians were damaged is nothing short of deliberate. To this day, Lei Kong is in the Seventh Level of the True Realm due to the wounds he suffered back then.

By all accounts, it makes no sense. They should all have banded together for the good of the Lei Clan. Surely, that should have been the path to success? All must be done for the sake of the Lei Clan. It is what Lei Kong was raised to believe. Yet, when the time came, some were too attached to their meager scraps of power. They would rather see the clan stay in its decaying shape than ever give it up.

The roar of thunder echoes across the plains.

No one would have blamed Lei Kong for leaving. Overnight, he was reduced to little more than a servant without friends or allies to call his own.

Lei Kong didn’t flee.

He was raised to serve at the pleasure of the Lei Clan. What else was there for him to do? A life outside the Lei Clan was not one he had ever considered. Lei Kong stayed and what followed were days of suffering and humiliation, though even that was pleasant compared to what came next.

Murong Bang.

Lei Kong shivers. Even in the safety of his own mind, the name still has power over him.

Lacking any prospects, the Lei Clan accepted Murong Bang’s offer of protection in exchange for supporting him with men and weapons.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Lei Yu was given to Murong Bang as a token trust.

Lei Kong was sent so that he might die in battle.

He was resigned to his fate back then. Serving Murong Bang was the only thing he could do for the Lei Clan. Those had been his thoughts. The arrangement even worked out for the Lei Clan. The mighty specter of Murong Bang allowed them to bully their neighbors, who had once taken advantage of their weakened stage, and devour them.

The clan prospered. For a certain definition of the word.

Lei Kong hated every second of it.

The taunts and jeers from his cousin, he could live with. Menial and demeaning tasks were something he had long gotten used to. Dangerous missions evoked no fear from him. The possibility of dying in battle was one he had long since accepted.

But Murong Bang… that man was a monster.

It was all for the sake of the Lei Clan.