marlowemuses | The Littlest Nie Heir

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The Littlest Nie Heir

Huaisang's desperate.

His brother's murderer seems to grow more powerful and prosperous with every passing year, and Huaisang has no proof, no progress, and no real defenses against the possibility of his own murder. All he can do is keep acting clueless, and even that defense has meant that his sect grows weaker and poorer as time goes on.

History had never been one of Huaisang's passions, but in reviewing old documents about the construction of Qinghe, he found some records that referenced even older documents. They claimed that more than two hundred years ago, while the deeper cellars and storage chambers had been built into the mountain, some of the Nie ancestors had bound a spirit to protect a weapon of great power. But the spirit would only allow its power to be used by someone worthy, and more than one generation had tried to use the spirit only to find themselves deemed unworthy, until the cavern where the spirit lived had been bricked up entirely.

Huaisang wasn't clear on why they needed to brick the spirit's cavern up like that, since it wasn't doing anything (it seemed like the whole problem was that it kept refusing to do anything), and he also couldn't imagine that there was any chance that he (the disappointment of his sect) would succeed at a measurement where his ancestors had failed. But maybe the spirit just really didn't like unyielding muscle-bound swordmen. Huaisang could be remarkably persuasive. And anyway, now he was curious.

The location of the spirit's cavern was quite straightforward, off a certain storage chamber, so it only took a pair of workmen a couple of hours to open the wall.

Huaisang went in alone, dismissing the workmen and telling his attendant to wait outside. He trusted his attendants, and knew that Toutong would worry, but if there was something dangerous in here, Huaisang didn't want anyone else put at risk for his curiosity. He'd learned that lesson once before.

The chamber was a simple round cave, with an intricate carved pattern on the floor made up of sigils that Huaisang didn't recognize. At the center was a short pillar with a little jade statuette.

Huaisang strode up to it, only a little bit wary, and picked up the statuette. It was solid jade, heavy in his hand and larger than both his fists together (not that he had particularly large hands). "Tiangou," he murmured, recognizing the stylized carving as representative of a monstrous dog-spirit. He tapped the little statuette on its nose, wondering why the eyes had been painted with some old and flaking red-brown paint.

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Nearly every detail of the ancient summoning array had been flawless. The statuette was exquisite and ornate, sigils had been drawn with nothing but perfection, and the magic that was spun here long ago was one of the most complex in all the land. The original crafter had intended this binding to last for generations; an entire bloodline would benefit from this spirit. It had taken layers upon layers of complicated wards and seals to ensure that the summoning could be performed at any point in the future, without further ritual needed, and by any descendent of the Nie line. The clever crafter had thought of almost everything.

Funny how one little missing arcane symbol can throw off the whole phrase.

The unfortunate truth is that creating a ritual that is able to be triggered by any member of the family does not necessarily mean that individual will be the one holding the reins. Without the sigil that might have handed that responsibility down through the generations, true ownership had never left the ritual's original creator. So, while the family has believed for two centuries that the spirit of the hound would only obey those who it deemed worthy... it would be more accurate to say that it would only follow those who could hold its attention long enough.

In either case, the (almost) artfully-crafted ritual snaps to life with only the smallest nudge needed by the next Nie to try their hand at it. Hearing the utterance of its name, feeling the touch of a descendant, the Tiangou immediately responds.

The air around Huisang shudders and the smallness of the round cave feels suddenly cavernous, as some void invisibly connects to this space. Then comes the light--sizzling and sparking--as every sigil flares to life across the floor. Reality itself seems to buckle in the middle of the room, where smokeless flame begins to rise and gather into a stretching, moving, breathing shape.

Huaisang's breath catches as the air begins to shift around him. He hugs the statuette to his chest, more because he wants to cling to something than because he wants to protect it.

His mind goes immediately to Toutong outside, his trusted attendant and advisor, who is probably straining out of his skin with the urge to rush in and protect him. But Huaisang isn't willing to let anyone get hurt for his sake. He's terrified, but he will deal with this.

"Um," Huaisang says, voice squeaky with fear. His shoulders hunch, eyes wide and scared, but he stays where he is, clutching the little statue. "Hello."

The hollow sound that echoes from whatever infinitely deep space is connected here, coalesces until it becomes a rumbling growl. At the same time, the tangle of flames separate and peel out into four tall legs and a toothy maw... which turns in Huisang's direction, regarding him.

Then, all at once, the invisible door snaps shut. Reality reverberates back into place. All light snuffs out. Like water being thrown onto live coals, the fiery shape sizzles and darkens to black.

Tiangou--devourer of the moon; guardian to the gates of heaven--stands before this latest Nie as a black dog the size of a horse, eyes burning like cinders, watching.

Huaisang's hyperventilating, breath coming in panicky little gasps, fear radiating off him in waves. He keeps the statuette clutched against his breastbone, though really he's forgotten he's even holding it. But for all his terror, he stays where he is, doing nothing to retreat or flee, no matter how much he might like to do so.

Worthy, he thinks, wondering how his ancestors would deal with this creature. How his older brother would deal with it, or his genius friend Wei Wuxian. Are there binding charms he should be using? He never paid attention to these things, and anyway he's here on the entire premise that maybe his ancestors--with all their knowledge of binding charms and how to handle spirits--didn't go about this the right way.

"I wasn't even sure you were real," Huaisang tells the enormous, terrifying shadow, feeling like he might collapse at any moment. "Do you even understand language? I am Nie Huaisang."

Does it understand language? Seemingly in response to his question, the monstrous dog lets out a low 'grummmm' and wags its tail lazily back and forth a few times... as it steps forward.

Claws click on stone. It smells of smoke and ash and animal fur. Even with its head held low, level with its shoulders, it is nearly at eye-level with Huisang as it gazes at him.

Looming there, the dog's muzzle swings in to nudge the statuette clutched to Huisang's chest with its nose.

Huaisang winces as the thing approaches, shutting one eye and only barely peeking through the other. He squeaks as it gives him a little nudge.

Full-body trembling with fear, Huaisang unfurls one hand from around the statuette and carefully holds it out. He can't figure out what the creature wants, and his brain is too numb with fright to process thoughts. "I ... it's yours? It's ... you? I mean, I kind of figured, I ... Have you been trapped down here the whole time? I'm very sorry about that. You're probably very hungry. Please don't eat me, but I can see about bringing you some food, if that would help?"

With the statuette held out away from Huaisang, the monster can sniff all over it exactly as an eager dog might, tail wagging a little more. When it lifts its muzzle to sniff Huaisang's face, however, its demeanor begins to change.

The beast's ears come forward--in an expression of either curiosity or surprise--and the wagging of its tail slows to a stop. It stares for long seconds at this little Nie standing before it. As it does so, the line of its mouth begins to slide backward as if melting, its maw lengthening back down through its throat. Numerous new teeth become visible in a horrifying mouth that now reaches down the length of its neck, nearly to its shoulders. New, confused eyes blink open in random places all around its skull, each staring at Huaisang until he has more than half a dozen fixed on him. It's almost as if the dog is having trouble holding a believable dog-shape as it mulls over some puzzle in its head.

After a few moments of this, the dog melts apart completely into flame. With a flicker of heat and light, the fiery dog-shape condenses and reforms vertically. When the light douses again, the dog is entirely gone, and a man stands in its place.

And just like the dog had, he immediately leans forward to sniff very closely to Huaisang's face.

Fear overcomes him as the monsther's shape begins to shift like that, shedding any pretense of being a thing that belongs in this reality, and Huaisang wonders if it really will eat him, if he only gave it the idea. He throws one hand up to hide his face, though he keeps the statuette where it is, fingers gripping so tightly that the tendons strain. He's determined not to drop it, fearful that doing so might really prompt the creature to eat him.

When things are quiet again, after that flare of heat and light, Huaisang peeks between his fingers, looking scared and puzzled as he sees a new form, strange and foreign but at least humanoid now. "Um?" he says, uncertain about how to proceed.

Though a few features set him apart as not-quite-human, (pointed ears, sharp teeth, and fire-colored eyes that are casually welling up with what alarmingly seems like blood instead of tears,) the Tiangou is definitely man-shaped now. If one didn't look too closely at him, he could almost pass as a simple foreigner. He would still definitely stand out in a crowd, but less so than a giant, shapeshifting hound would.

The man takes one more animalistic sniff--almost brushing against the side of Huaisang's nervous face with his own--before finally straightening up into his own space again. His mouth flattens into a light frown.

"...Huh. You smell weird."

He's immensely reassured when the creature speaks. Huaisang knew he had no hope of dealing with a feral, savage monster, and he doubted that his soldiers could handle such a creature without significant cost. But Huaisang feels much better about his chances being able to deal with something that talks.

"Do I?" he asks, puzzled, because he's not sure what that signifies or what he's supposed to do about it. He's bathed this morning, so he knows he's plenty clean. Maybe the tiangou doesn't like his soap. "I hope it's not unpleasant for you. It's, um. Nice to meet you. I think. Is there something you like to be called?"

In a strangely human-looking gesture, the spirit thoughtfully scratches the side of his face.

"Not unpleasant. Just... weird."

Then, in a strangely canine-looking gesture, a shrug quickly turns into a full body shake. As if he's physically rustling the whole matter off of him. He's able to put on a suddenly cheery and laid-back grin after that.

"I was last called 'Dirk,' but you can call me whatever you want. And what do you want me to call you?" Some guys like honorifics, some prefer first names, some demand 'master' or nothing...

"Die-ke," Huaisang attempts to repeat, struggling with the rk phoneme but deciding that he likes Dieke well enough as a name. "You may call me Huaisang."

The spirit looks human enough, now, and certainly far less frightening. Huaisang still wants to try to get answers to some of his questions, however, and he's only getting more questions as things progress. "Are you hungry? Thirsty? Is there something else you need?"

With his attention finally shifting away from trying to puzzle-out Huaisang, and being further prompted by Huaisang's questions, the demon's focus finally goes to the rest of the situation at hand. For the first time, he finally turns his head to look around at the rest of the little room, as if noticing it for the first time, and he lifts his chin to smell the air.

"Something that I need? Usually, the first order of business is announcing what you need. Or... want, I guess." Not that he's complaining about not having demands immediately shouted at him. It's kind of refreshing to have a minute to breathe and get his bearings before needing to rush out into battle or something.

Huaisang shrugs, looking a little distant and sad as he thinks about what he wants. "What I need is complicated and probably impossible. And there's no use asking you for help with it until I have some idea what you can do. So, um. All right."

He calls for Toutong, then, finally, because he knows his attendant is probably stressed out of his mind with worry. The man appears promptly in the entryway, looking skittish and wary at the sight of the spirit.

"It's all right," Huaisang tells his attendant. "This is Dieke. I don't think he's going to eat me."

He gives Dieke a shy pout, hoping that's true. "Well, we should at least have tea or liquor while we talk. Which would you prefer? Do you like it down here or would you rather be somewhere more comfortable?"

After giving the attendant a sharp-toothed smile and a wave, his attention returns to his (supposed) summoner. An eager look clearly lights in his eyes at one of those suggestions.

"I mean, if you're offering... I wouldn't say no to liquor."

As for the second question, his shoulders hunch up a little uncomfortably while he glances around the cave again. He has been summoned into all sorts of surroundings over the centuries, but the ones that feel a little like tombs or jail cells have always been his least favorite. He might not have been trapped here as these people seem to assume, but it still makes him feel a little claustrophobic.

"Fresh air sounds great. Lead the way."

Huaisang nods his agreement, and does indeed lead the way, heading back out of the little cavern and back into the storage rooms. "It'll take a while to get back up to fresh air. We're pretty far down."

And Huaisang is not looking forward to all those stairs. But he can take care of one request, at least.

He tucks the little statuette into the pouch at his waist, and then draws a bottle of liquor out of that same pouch. It's a clay jar with a pretty cloth tied over the cap, simple but artful. He hands it over to Dieke, then continues on his way down the hall and up the stairs.

Qinghe was built on top of and then deep into a mountain, the cave system already extensive even before the Nies started making use of it for their various purposes. These hallways are mostly empty, rarely-used, so they don't run into anyone as they start winding their way up a tall, tall stairwell.

Huaisang makes it about five flights up before he's breathing heavily and has to stop and sit on a bench along one wall. There's still half a mountain to go, and he gives a whine as he looks up at the next few flights of stairs.

He takes the jar gratefully, though his eagerness is distracted by the vessel itself. He takes a moment to inspect it, turning it curiously around in his hands before he opens it. Huh... he can't remember the last time he'd seen anything like this. It makes him even more curious about whatever lies out there beyond this cave.

Speaking of which... Huaisang only rests for a few moments before the demon pauses in his drinking to consider him as he sits there. Hmm.

He hadn't been given an order, but he's feeling uncommonly generous. This little Nie has been agreeable enough, even going to far as to ask about his needs. That doesn't happen often. It doesn't take him long to decide that doing something nice in return seems worthwhile.

Besides, if he helps, it will get them out of these boring caves sooner rather than later.

After setting the jar beside Huaisang again, he moves a polite step backward before shrugging off his physical form once more. Hellfire flares out and the air warps, before quickly snapping back into place a second later. A big, black hound now stands in his place again.

Stepping close to Huaisang, he lowers his head and dips his shoulders down. Climb on, new friend.

Huaisang's surprised by how the spirit seems to bow before him. The dog form is a surprise, but it's not quite as alarming as the first appearance of the monster dog, and there are currently a manageable amount of teeth and eyes. Smiling as he realizes the offer that is being given to him, Huaisang tucks the liquor away again and rises.

"Thank you," he murmurs, gently scratching behind the spirit's ears for a moment, appreciative.

He settles carefully onto those shoulders, sitting side-saddle because of his long, layered robes. Huaisang's never liked horses, and is scared of them more often than not, but no horse has ever volunteered itself to be ridden like this.

Tangling his hands into the dog's fur, Huaisang holds on securely, trying not to be too scared. "All right. Let's go."

It is still so far up, and Huaisang's attendant slows a couple of times but continues without ever stopping. Huaisang finally tugs his mount to guide him out onto a beautiful pavilion with a wide balcony, looking out across his mountain city. He slides down, gesturing toward the balcony for the spirit to go and appreciate his fresh air while he sends his attendant off to fetch them some food.

Once they're finally up in open air and Huaisang is standing on his own feet again, the dog shakes out its pelt--and the motion continues through the transformation back into a man, shrugging his shoulders and shaking his arms out a couple times as he moves toward the balcony.

He might not have been trapped in that particular cave for two hundred years, but it had been what felt like ages since he'd last been able to walk around this plane at all. And he can't remember the last time he'd seen a view like this. It causes the same glimmer of confusion to run through him that he'd felt when looking at that clay jar.

"Wow..." A good few moments spent being awestruck, before something suddenly clicks in his head, and he shoots a glance over toward Huaisang. "--Hang on, where am I? Or... maybe, when am I?"

"Qinghe," Huaisang says, confused about what answers he's looking for. He comes over to stand by Dierke, leaning on the rail as he looks out across his lands. "We're ... effectively a self-governing province within Zhonguo, in the 20th year of the reign of Emperor Xuanzheng, though the emperor's control over the great sects is mostly nominal. I'm the Sect Leader of the QingheNie sect."

He's not sure if any of that will help his tiangou, but it's the best he can think to offer in order to give him some context.

"Dierke" nods along as if all of this makes sense to him, despite the fact that it absolutely does not. Every word that Huaisang adds onto his explanation further perplexes the demon. He'd really been expecting some of that to ring as familiar.

Some part of him seriously considers the fact that he might have accomplished the impossible by being knocked off the proper track of Time. His luck has always been off-kilter. After a minute more of consideration, however, he has to wonder how much it would actually matter one way or the other if it was true.

"...Huh." Drumming his fingers once on the railing, he ultimately offers a shrug. It's not like he'd been excited to see the future anyway. Maybe starting over a couple centuries back could be fun.

It does make him think, though. Glancing down at himself--furred collar and a lot of dark leather--and then taking a closer look at the others as if really seeing them for the first time, he laughs a little to himself. It has been a while since he has stood out this much in a crowd.

It makes him grin. "So... what now?"

"Lunch," Huaisang says, looking up at him with a completely guileless blink. "And I'd like to know more about you."

He goes to one of the tables in the room, taking a seat in front of it and then taking the clay jar back out. He pours some of the liquor into two cups, then sets the jar down on the table within reach. "The old records that led me to you said something about you guarding some great weapon. Is that true? Or are you the weapon?"

The demon's ears perk up along with the rest of his expression, at that. Despite marveling a little over how much this whole encounter continued to differ from the norm, he obediently follows Huaisang to the table.

Lunch? When was the last time that anybody--let alone his summoner--had invited him to lunch? It's an effort not to laugh to himself over it.

He manages to just stick to a crooked grin as he settles down, propping his elbows on the table and lazily leaning his weight forward on them as if he had never heard of propriety.

"Good question. There might be some big weapon down there, but... my money is on those records being about me."

Huaisang's definitely not surprised, considering that at this point it's clear that he's dealing with some shape-changing demon, who is at the very least terrifying, built like a massive direwolf out of legend. The lack of table manners doesn't surprise him either, and Huaisang's never been a stickler for rules or propriety. He already knows better than to bring this creature in front of anyone who is, unless he intentionally wants them offended.

He sips at his own liquor, grateful for it. Despite feeling good about how his handling of the creature is going so far, he's still terrified. He's pretty sure only someone very stupid would fail to be terrified by Dieke.

"What can you do?" Huaisang asks next. It's important for him to understand his weapon, after all, if it's going to be of any use to him.

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