Path of the Berserker

As I peered out the view port of the drop skiff, the twisted spires of Du Gok Bhong came into view and a sense of relief and nostalgia washed over me. I smiled.

Who would have thought I’d be so happy to see a damn prison again.

But here I was.

My final pitstop before being able to return to Earth, fight for my freedom and see Fia and my newborn son again. But a fight was waiting for me here as well. As we touched down and the doors to the skiff opened, the familiar stench of sulphur greeted me.

But that wasn’t all.

On deck were a cluster of people awaiting our arrival and when I saw who they were, I was filled with elation and chagrin, both. I gave a bow of respect towards President Tzu Li Zen, Chief Yora and Master Eiji, all of whom looked more than happy to see me.

Less so were the cluster of people standing next to them.

There was a tall man with a full white beard and bald head that I didn’t know, but whom I assumed was the magistrate judging by his imperial robes and funky hat. Joining him was none other than Governor Tai Su Long himself as well as a group of three men who wore barrister’s robes.

That was to be expected, I supposed, but most surprising was the last figure, whom I recognized but couldn’t quite believe was standing there. It was Princess Lunalah’s aide, the one who had accompanied me on the skiff to the prison transport.

Before I had a chance to think further, Jei Su Long was pushed off the skiff by my soon to be brother-in-law, Hein. Jei Su Long still had his hands bound and when Tai Su Long saw him, he immediately went into a tirade.

“What is the meaning of this!” he screamed. “Release my nephew at once!”

A chuckle came from behind me, and I looked over my shoulder to see Blue Rose shaking her head. “And so it starts, right? What bullshit.”

I merely smiled at her, holding a façade of [Indifference].

Blue Rose knew as well as I, the fight that lay ahead. Clearing my name from the accusation of that prick Jei Su Long, who would now be backed by his uncle and a team of barristers it seemed. But I didn’t care. I couldn’t give a shit how the court case actually went. So long as it ended in an eventual trial by combat, I was all in.

General Gong stepped off the skiff next and quickly issued a command to Hein.

“Release him to the custody of President Tzu Li Zen,” he said and then turned to Tai Su Long. “Governor, as per my communication, your nephew stands accused. It is fit that he remains—”

“And crippled!” Jei Su Long suddenly cried out, cutting him off. He then turned to me. “That man! The Iron Bull crippled my Dantian! He is a liar and a savage. He survived my killing blow somehow and now he seeks to—”

“That will be enough, young master!” one of the three barristers with Tai Su Long said. He then bowed to Master Tzu Li Zen. “President, I would demand that Young Master Jei Su Long be released to the custody of his uncle.”

“That decision will be mine,” the tall man in the magistrate’s robes said, stepping forward. “President Tzu Li Zen, I will remand both the Iron Bull and Young Master Jei Su Long into your custody pending the outcome of this trial. As far as I understand it, this is a highly complicated matter, with claims being launched from both sides. As I am yet to hear official opening arguments from either side, I want both under the care of a neutral party.”

Tzu Li Zen bowed. “It will be done, your honor. Both the Iron Bull and Jei Su Long will be confined to private quarters.”

He nodded to Yora and with a snap of her fingers a set of legionnaires took Jei Su Long away, kicking and screaming. Chief Yora herself came to do the honors for me personally, giving me a smile as she gently took hold of my arm.

“It’s good to have you still in the flesh, Iron Bull,” she whispered to me. “Your friend Blue Rose shared everything with us. This court case will be but a formality.”

“Thanks, Chief,” I said. “It’s good to be back.”

“I don’t suppose you had time to focus on your artwork?”

I grinned at her. “Trust me. What I have to show you, will literally blow your mind.”

Her smile widened as she led me away and President Tzu Li Zen gave me a swift nod as we passed by him, but nothing else, perhaps to not to seem biased in front of the magistrate, but the lemonade in his soul spoke volumes. As I passed by Governor Tai Su Long, he shot me a nasty snare.

“You will pay for what you have done to my nephew,” he said with hatred and anger in his heart. “You have crippled a member of the Su Long family, a very influential family within the Twin River Clan. We have the favor of our princess! You will pay with your very life, Iron Bull!”

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“I would not be so certain of that,” a voice said.

The interjection came from Ling Ling or whoever she was. She approached Tai Su Long with an air of confidence that seemed unreal, hands behind her back and all. She then gave him a polite bow.

“Who the hell are you?” Tai Su Long spat.

“This One is Ling Wei,” she said, and instantly I recalled her correct name. “I am personal aide to Third Princess Lunalah of Terra and the appointed legal representative of the Iron Bull.”

Tai Su Long harrumphed. “A barrister, eh? Good. He’ll need it.”

He gave me the stink eye as he departed with the three barristers of his own.

Ling Wei then gave me a bow. “It is a great relief to see you again, Master Iron Bull.”

“Yeah, you too,” I said. “Didn’t think I was going to have a barrister for this, but you’re more than welcome to represent. So, you’ve come to extract me from this mess?”

She smiled. “In all hopes. But there is much we need to discuss.”

“You can do that once he is confined,” the magistrate said. “I will give both parties an hour to confer with their respective counsel. After that the trial will begin.” He then frowned. “I wish to be away from this stinking place as soon as possible.”

* * *

Out of the sight of the magistrate, Chief Yora pulled me to the side and allowed me to have a brief reunion with my friends. There was the towering sullied Tu’lok as well as the Ren brothers Ku Ren and Lo Ren. They all embraced me like madmen, tears in their eyes with being so happy to see me alive again. Blue Rose shared in the reunion as well, enduring a crushing hug from Tu’lok. Master Eiji greeted both of us with slaps on the back, staring at us as if we were both returned from the dead.

And for all intents and purposes, I suppose we were.

We fell into quick conversation then, all of them eager to hear how we had survived the horrors of the hell world for weeks. Before I could even get going however, our conversation was cut short by a clearing of the throat from Ling Wei, who then reminded us of the one-hour time constraint.

Chief Yora then hurried them to speed things along and I said quick goodbyes to my friends before Yora took me to my old room and led me inside with Ling Wei.

“I’ll forgo the lock,” Chief Yora said with a smile. “But I trust you to behave, Iron Bull. I leave now to have the assembly for the return of the 30th deployment. After the trial, hopefully we can have the same for you and what remains of the 29th.”

She left then and Ling We immediately began diving inside a satchel, pulling forth documents.

“We don’t have much time to prepare,” Ling Wei said. “Tell me exactly now what transpired upon the hell world.”

I sat down and prepared to give her the full story, albeit the quick version considering the time. “That prick left us down on the surface for dead,” I said. “He even killed a handful of my men before he did it. I did attack him, that much is true, but he used one of my legionnaires as a shield.”

I paused for a moment, considering Dim Wei and how horribly she had died.

Screaming for me to kill her while she transformed into a demon.

“They suffered horribly because of what he did,” I said. “I was lucky enough to use one of the tunnels we had dug for shelter, which led to a cavern below. That cavern is why I and the rest of the 29th are still alive.”

“So what happened when you saw Jei Su Long again?”

“I nearly killed the bastard of course. My companion Blue Rose stopped me just short of that. But knowing the prick he is, I couldn’t risk him pulling something while we waited for the next transport, so I pulled out his fangs instead.”

“So you did cripple his Dantian.”

“Yup,” I said proudly. “I hope it never recovers too.”

Ling Wei scribbled some notes down. “And his version of events?”

“He told everyone he killed my ass after he witnessed me killing everyone else.”

“What did he say about the letter?”

“You mean the one from the Princess?”

“Yes, I mean… no, there was no letter from the Princess. But what did he claim?”

I eyed her warily. “He said he found it on my body, but that’s bullshit because he snatched it out of my hands months before. I didn’t realize he hung onto it all that time. What the hell are you talking about there was no letter?”

A bit of fear bubbled up inside of her. “Well… we have reason to believe that the letter itself was a fraud. Written by perhaps the Governor and sent to Du Gok Bhong under the guise of the princess.”

I studied her and watched her melt like wax under my gaze. “You expect me to believe that shit?”

I emphasized my words with [Struggler’s Resolve] causing Ling Wei to shift uncomfortably in her seat.

“Well, it is a theory that somehow—”

“Let me spare you,” I said, cutting her off. “No way the contents of that letter came from anyone besides the princess.” Even now I could recall the cringy inuendo dripping from each word. “Either that, or the Governor has one sick ass imagination.”

Ling Wei finally blew out a sigh. “Fine, I knew you would never believe it, but I had to try.”

“Had to try what? What are you even saying?”

“Iron Bull, the contents of that letter are damning to the princess.”

“Yeah, no shit,” I said. “It was like she was begging me to bang her or something.”

“Not that part!” she said covering her ears. “By the heavens your words are so vulgar!”

“Sorry.”

“Did you not recall where she requested you return alone?”

I shrugged. “Yeah, of course. That’s probably where the dumb prick got the idea.”

“Well, in a certain perspective, something like that could be considered treasonous.”

“Treasonous?” That got my attention 100 percent. “Like the princess can be accused of treason?”

“If it is not proven a fake, yes,” Ling Wei said.

I leaned back in my chair and let out a whistle. “Hot damn.”

Did I just stumble on a jackpot here? I thought. I knew the request was jacked up, but treason?

This could be the leverage I needed to oust the princess eventually.

Or at least force her to do perhaps whatever I say.

“Master Iron Bull,” she said. “It’s imperative that you deny the authenticity of this letter. The safety of our princess and by extension, your world, depends on it.”

I thought on that a moment. “How am I supposed to do that? Other people saw it too, you know?”

“Did they?”

“Look, I don’t know how you think this is going to work, but I’m honestly more concerned about clearing my name at the moment. That bastard Jei Su Long had me pegged for murdering my own platoon, and I ain’t going to lie down for that.”

“So we are in agreement then,” Ling Wei said. “The idea of murdering your platoon must remain a fabrication by the Su Longs.”

“Yeah, but his previous story of finding the letter on my body is where he messed up. That’s like my whole defense. Kinda…”

“You being alive is proof,” she said.

“Yeah, but you heard that prick just now. He’s trying to say I merely survived the attack. The letter is the clincher.”

Ling Wei sighed. “I need a moment to think. I have only minutes to prepare an argument.” She then paused a moment before looking back at me. “What was it you said just now about Jei Su Long lying about the letter?”

“He said he found it on my body. Which is bullshit. He took it off me weeks prior.”

Ling Wei stared at the ground while she rocked back and forth in her chair.

“I may have an idea that will clear your name,” she said eventually. “But you will need to deny that letter while on the stand.”