Chapter 6: The Scholar's Mercy
Ulfat stood on the high cliff and looked down at the beach. The fire was orange and bright. The mountain of dead Mongol soldiers was burning into ash. As the smoke went up into the dark sky, Ulfat's mind started to travel back in time.
He remembered the days when he was just a little boy in a cold, dark jail. He remembered the smell of the damp walls and the sound of the water dripping from the ceiling. Tap. Tap. Tap. Back then, he had nothing. He was weak. He was a slave. He used to sit in the corner of that jail and whisper three words over and over again. Kill. Kill. Kill. Back then, those words were just a dream. He was a broken child who wanted revenge. But now, as he stood over the burning bodies of his enemies, the dream was becoming real. He wasn't that weak boy anymore. He was the master of the fire. He was the one who planned the death of the elite 3rd Squad.
Ulfat started to climb down the rocky cliff. His boots hit the sand softly. As soon as his feet touched the ground, a shadow ran toward him. It was Uktai Khan.
The Great Khan looked like he was going crazy. His expensive armor was covered in black soot and dirt. His face was pale, and his hands were shaking. He grabbed Ulfat by the shoulders and looked into his eyes.
"ULFAT!" the Khan shouted. his voice was full of fear. "How are you alive? How did you survive that fire? The Ottomans... they turned the whole beach into a grave! My best men are gone!"
Ulfat didn't move. He didn't blink. He kept his face very calm. He put on his "mask" of a loyal student. "I was looking for Wasabi, Master," Ulfat lied. He said it so smoothly that nobody could tell it was a lie. "Wasabi was busy training the soldiers near the trees when the arrows started to fall from the sky. I stayed back to watch the Ottoman soldiers. By the time I ran back to the shore, the fire was already too big. I couldn't get close."
Uktai Khan let out a loud scream. It was the sound of a man losing his mind. He fell to his knees and started hitting his head against the hard ground. Thump. Thump. Thump. He did it over and over until his forehead started to bleed. The loss of his best warriors was breaking his spirit.
Finally, the Khan stood up. He looked at the ocean with angry eyes. "We will not stop!" he yelled. "I will not let those Samurai win! We will attack again! We will kill every person on that island tonight!"
Ulfat stepped closer to the Khan. He spoke in a very low and steady voice. "Not now, Master. You must listen to me. Look at your soldiers. They are tired. They are scared. Many of them are bleeding. If we go now, we are not strong enough. If we go now, we will all die. We must wait."
Before the Khan could say anything back, they heard a strange noise. It was a scratching sound coming from the water.
A man was crawling through the wet sand. It was Ningo Oba. He was the leader that Ulfat had hit with a headbutt just a few days ago. Oba was in a terrible condition. His skin was burnt and red. He was peeling, and he looked half-dead. But he was still breathing. He dragged his body toward the Khan, leaving a long trail of blood in the dirt.
"I know..." Oba coughed. His voice sounded like he had rocks in his throat. "I know who... who did this to us..."
The Khan's eyes turned red with anger. He ran to Oba and knelt down in the sand. "WHO?! Tell me the name! Was it a Samurai spy? Was it a traitor in my camp? GIVE ME THE NAME!"
Oba opened his mouth. He tried to speak. He looked up and saw Ulfat standing right behind the Khan. Ulfat was looking down at him. Ulfat didn't say anything, but his eyes were cold and scary. Oba was too weak to finish his sentence. His heart was beating too fast, and he fainted before he could say the name.
"Save him!" the Khan shouted to his guards. "Pick him up! Take him back to the camp right now! Use every medicine we have! I need him to stay alive! I need his words!"
The guards lifted the burnt man and ran toward the camp. Ulfat watched them go. Deep inside his mind, he was grinning." The Khan really thinks he has a choice", Ulfat thought. "But Khan, you should know something. The Ottomans are still here. They are waiting for me."
Suddenly, the air filled with a whistling sound. Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! A shower of thousands of arrows came flying from the dark hills. The real Ottoman army was attacking the Mongols while they were trying to retreat!
"Protect the Khan!" Wasabi shouted, pulling out his sword.
The retreat was a total mess. Arrows hit the Mongol soldiers in their necks and chests. Men fell into the sand and died instantly. The Khan was running, but he kept screaming, "SAVE OBA! DON'T LET HIM DIE! HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS THE TRUTH!"
By the time they reached the main Mongol camp, the situation was a disaster. The Great Khan had lost his pride. He had lost his power. He had lost half of his army in just one night.
The Medical Tent
Ningo Oba was lying on a wooden table inside a small tent. He was breathing very loudly. The camp doctors were busy helping hundreds of other men who were dying. Ulfat walked up to the Khan. He looked very worried and sad.
"Master, I have spent many years reading books about the human body. I know about medicine and how to fix wounds. Let me go to Oba. I can help him. I can make him strong enough to speak to you. I can cure him."
The Khan wiped the tears and blood off his face. "Go, Ulfat. You are the only person I trust in this whole world. Go and save him."
Ulfat entered the medical tent and closed the door. It was very quiet inside. The air smelled like burnt skin and blood. Ulfat walked over to Oba. The burnt man was slowly opening his eyes.
"Hi, Oba " Ulfat said softly, his voice carrying a quiet mockery.
Oba's eyes went wide. He tried to move his arms, but his body was too broken. "You... what are you doing here?! You are a traitor! I will tell the Khan everything! I will tell him you hit me... I will tell him you made the deal with the Ottomans!"
"I just want to talk, Oba," Ulfat said. He pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed. He leaned in very close to Oba's ear. "Do you know the men who died in that fire on the beach tonight? The men of your 3rd Squad?"
Oba growled like an animal. "My warriors... my brothers."
"No," Ulfat whispered. His voice was cold. "They were not just your warriors. They were your actual family. Your brothers. I made sure they were the ones at the front of the line. I made sure they were the ones wearing the Ottoman costumes first. They didn't die in a fair fight, Oba. They died screaming your name while the fire melted their skin."
Oba's heart felt like it stopped beating. His face turned a gray color. The shock was more painful than the burns on his body. "No... no, you are lying to me..."
Ulfat started to describe everything. He told Oba how the fire sounded. He told him how his brothers cried for help. He told him that right now, their bodies were just ash blowing in the wind.
"STOP! STOP! STOOOP!" Oba yelled. Tears were running down his burnt face. "I have nothing left! My family is gone! My friends are gone! I have no reason to live anymore! I just want to die! Please... let me die!"
Oba saw a small ritual sword sitting on a tray near the bed. He reached out with a shaking hand and grabbed it. He pointed the sharp tip at his own chest. But his hands were shaking too much. He couldn't do it. "I don't want to live... but I am scared! I want to die! Help me die!"
Ulfat raised his hand. His voice sounded like a kind friend. "Let me help you, Oba. You have suffered enough today."
Ulfat didn't wait. He took the sword from Oba's hand. With one fast and strong move, he cut Oba's stomach right through the middle. It was a very deep cut.
Oba gasped. His body jumped on the table. But he didn't try to fight back. He looked happy. "Yes... kill me... kill me... kill me!"
Ulfat leaned down and whispered into Oba's ear while the life was leaving the man's eyes. "As you wish. You know... I love the blood that comes from men like you. I loved seeing the blood of your brothers. I love all the blood in this world... except for the blood that was taken from my parents. That is the only blood I will never forgive."
Ulfat gave the sword one final twist. Oba went silent. His eyes stayed open, but he was dead.
The Hug of a Snake
A minute later, the tent door opened. Uktai Khan ran inside. He looked hopeful. "Ulfat! Is he okay? Is he ready to tell me the name of the traitor?"
Ulfat turned around quickly. He looked like he was going to cry. His hands were covered in Oba's blood. "Khan! Khan!" Ulfat shouted. He fell to his knees on the floor. "He was too weak! The guilt of losing his brothers was too much for him! He grabbed the knife and... he killed himself! I tried to grab the sword, but I was too slow! He is gone!"
The Khan looked at the dead body of his last loyal leader. This was the final blow. The Great Uktai Khan, the man who conquered many lands, sat down on the floor and started to cry like a child. "What will I do now? My army is dead... my leaders are gone... I have nothing left in this world!"
Ulfat walked over to the Khan. He reached out and wrapped his arms around him. He gave the Khan a big, warm hug.
"I am here, Master," Ulfat said softly into the Khan's ear. "You still have me. I am your scholar. I will help you build a new army. I will never leave you."
On the side where the Khan couldn't see, Ulfat was smiling. It was a very wide and scary smile. The revenge was not over yet, but the first part was perfect. The Khan was now a broken man, and the broken man was now completely controlled by Ulfat.