A Korobokuru Tale

A Korobokuru Tale

By Laura Mumma

 

Maggot slowly struggled in the muddy ditch along the road built for humans by human and slaves of other races including his own. A road for those so privileged to be free and able to use it. Hidden underneath his purposefully applied grime was his green jade skin which when clean gleamed like jade stone. The grime, his purposeful slow shuffle, and limp all helped him to appear older than he actually was. Most humans were a poor judge of Little-Men ages unless they had been around those few enslaved Dwarfs that lived to an old age. His people called themselves the Jade People in their native tongue, humans called them Half-Men, Dung-Men and other insulting names. Maggot reflected on his true name which translated into the human language meant Shinning Stone.  He had been stopped many times by guards, some guards were cruel pushing his small child like body to the ground and spitting on him, others indifferent or repulsed by his lack of hygiene were less interested in abusing him, being more determined to send him on his way and a precious few had even shown him some sort of small kindness such as food.  Maggot however in the end was always allowed to pass as he carried something very few Korobokuru possessed or could hope to possess in a human kingdom an Imperial travel seal, an Imperial order declaring his freedom and rights as not a peasant but a titled noble. Even the most bigoted and shocked humans rightfully feared angering the Imperial family and so despite some minor inconveniences of human disdain and occasional abuse he was allowed to proceed onwards toward his destination. Mostly he never had to produce proof beyond the Imperial travel seal as the guards simply assumed he was on his way to perform some unpleasant minor task beneath even a human slave’s dignity for one of the many Imperial family members. He was on a grand mission not just for the Zhou Imperial household but his own people. 

 

As he trudged along headed for a village the humans called Dung Hill situated on marginal unwanted wasteland of the kingdom he reflected on his life. He had as all free born Korobokuru been born into a Clan, and had once been the youngest child of a family in the village named Crystal Caves. He had proven to be an exceptionally gifted student and was well advanced in his studies for his age when raiders came. The village’s soldiers and adult civilians fought valiantly but the raiders were a mix band of very experienced warriors and slave hunters of Humans, Half Beast-Men, and Bakemono. They used specially trained beasts to find all the hiding spots of survivors and in the end the beautiful peaceful village of Crystal Caves was pillaged, utterly destroyed, it’s inhabitants either slaughtered or ferreted out and captured. The Bakemono took half of the village’s younger women as payment, his beautiful sister was taken away by them. Her crying and screams still tugged at his heart after all these years. His older brothers, mother and father had all been slain. The Half Beast-Men mostly wanted a cut of the loot and like the Humans a cut of the sale of survivors. The rest of the survivors were forced marched bound in a line to a port city from the kingdom these foul men had come. Many of the elderly died on the way including his elderly Great Aunt. His family name going back centuries effectively ended with the death and abduction of all his female relatives despite his survival. Humans he would learn in time pass the family name through the male line while Korobokuru passed through their women. Up until the forced march he had always thought the worst thing that could happen to a Korobokuru women was to be taken captive by the Bakemono but after witnessing how the humans treated some of the women he wondered if the girls some too young to march a great distance had actually been spared a slow painful death by being taken by the Bakemono instead. The human kingdom Maggot originally found himself in was not the Zhou Empire he now traveled across. What happened to all the survivors of his village he knew in his heart he would probably never know as many were bought like himself by slave dealers who then crammed the various exotic wild slave peoples and human slaves on ships who set sail for distant human lands where they would fetch a much higher price. 

 

His first real master was a rather cruel lesser noble who named him Maggot who took great pleasure in burning a symbol into his shoulder’s back designating him a slave. The offish lord assumed Maggot was dull half witted tiny child creature and assigned Maggot as the whipping boy for his son. Thus Maggot found himself in school watching and learning beside the human boy while being punished physically for each of the dim witted human child’s mistakes. The other slave Korobokuru had warned him the dumber and more cowardly he appeared the better it was for all the slaves, even the human and half beast-men. Slaves in this kingdom were not allowed to learn to read or write the tongue of Men, only speak it. Only human slaves of noble descent were not executed for being educated. Maggot thus pretended to be the most stupid Korobokuru ever under the watchful eyes of his captures. He however did everything he could to memorize every new human lesson on any subject, and constantly reminded himself about the teachings of his people especially since many of the Korobokuru fellow slaves had the only vaguest remembrances of their own cultures, villages, and ways. He did his best to learn such information of their origins as well, any thing Korobokuru and memorize it all like the great sages of his ancestors did before the art of writing had been taught to his people. He learned the Pigeon used amongst the Korobokuru and even managed to become friends with a disabled slave blue skinned Bakemono male named Wort the elder. Wort had been named by their master who had also ordered Wort’s wings cut off, his tusk like fangs pulled out and a cloven foot cut off soon after Wort’s purchase. To Maggot’s horror none of the cruelty was punishment but motivated by a combination of desires to make him less hideous to gaze upon and sell the body parts to a local apothecary for a huge sum of money. Some humans in the capital covet certain body parts of the wild peoples for healing or magic the Bakemono had explained. The slaves called him the elder, as he was the oldest slave at the Lee residence, even human slaves treated him with respect as he often procured necessities for any slave in desperate need, even the human ones. Old Wort  taught Maggot the Bakemono tongue, much of why the two peoples were often at odds, traditions  and many useful new skills, enemies they would normally be but here everyone was a slave. His hatred for the Bakemono subsided as the maimed elder Wort taught him he even gave Maggot some small measure of hope that his sister now lost to the Bakemono would be treated well as it was not their custom to willfully be cruel to their wives, even abducted ones. Secretly Wort the elder taught many skills hoping that one day little Maggot could gain freedom. Why the Bakemono chose to think he could ever be more than a slave he had once asked and the strange allie responded “Even the tiniest can seize his Destiny if prepared to do so. I will prepare you.” He resolved himself to observing and learning all he could from humans and his fellow captives while playing the idiot to his masters and suffering their abuses. When the human child was in his 13^th year the lord hired a new harsh task master teacher Sage Fuchow from the Empire of Zhou to teach his son the courtly necessities of Zhou. The Sage when not teaching spent a surprising amount of time painting the various slave races on the Lee lands.

 

He still remembered clearly the first time he saw a Korobokuru women after his long captivity, they visited his first master lord Lee. All of his owner’s Korobokuru slaves were male. It was the occasion of a visiting female guest, a lady Tang who arrived with two Half-Women as servants as a display of wealth. They were finally dressed in smaller versions of human fine garments with one major difference their faces were veiled and their arms and hands covered by fine long armed silk gloves. They were finally trained servants never making a mistake, graceful, delicate and it was sickening to him to see them as slave play things. The guest explained in the course of the tea with the mistress, her son, the invited teacher sage, and the master  “Korobokuru women are very rare and thus a wonderful way to raise one’s social status amongst ones peers. However ones taken from “uncooked” (wild) tribes are usually covered in the most hideous markings it is simply good manners to cover such grotesque markings, it is now customary to cover all these dung people women regardless of markings or not.” The master observed “None of my male slaves have tattoos or marks except for their slave markings I burn onto them.” Lady Tang continued “I don’t know why Korobokuru men never bare such tattoos. Even amongst the beastly Bakemono this savage fashion of covering their women bodies with disfiguring markings exists. You really can’t tell the two beastly not human women apart underneath the clothing. Naturally laws forbid any such custom being continued by Korobokuru or Bakemono on any daughters born in our enlightened realm, such a primitive and beastly practice.”  My mistress gasped “The beasts must think all women are but non people (slaves) as I have heard some human nations do in the interior of the great “Ice Island!” “Yes.” Continued Lady Tang “I think it must be so.” My mistress went on an inquired “Has not away been found to remove such marks?” Mrs. Tang answered in a voice that sounded thrilled to pass every detail along. “That is the most frustrating and perplexing matter. Many fine healers, priest and magicians of renown have tried both on Korobokuru and Bakemono animals to remove them safely. All have failed. I have toured the university of healing arts at the capital and they have a room full of surgically removed preserved skins of Korobokuru and Bakemono women’s hides as that is the only way to remove the markings they have found that works. I hear it was done while each creatures were alive. Naturally they all died.” For a moment she almost sounded remorseful “Poor beasts that even magic will not work.” Then a wicked smile crossed her face and she giggled “Silly grotesque people such as these should be glad of our intervention to civilize them to Half-Man status.” Maggot wanted to heave listening to them calmly and glibly discuss the flailing and skinning of his people and even his natural enemies the Bakemono in agonizing detail. The master’s son chuckled “Why keep such ugly beast skins of such a stupid races?” Maggot could feel his anger rising and truly felt a coward as a child, as he sat bowed listening knowing there was nothing he could do to shut their mouths. “Well young master” the disgusting human creature that called herself a Lady continued “The Crown Prince is interested in studying all the peoples his father rules and peoples from far off lands. So these experiments have allowed the crown to learn so much. I hear they even ordered breedings of various sorts to learn more about these beasts and that is why the healers know the girl children are not born thus marked amongst many other interesting things.” “Scandalous!” My mistress decreed. “What think you great sage?” asked elder master Lee. The sage had politely not said a word during the disgusting conversation, he had merely sipped his tea very slowly and seemed to be observing all three Korobokuru. Maggot remembered the anguished fearful eyes of the Half Women peaking out through their veils. Most likely terrified of being sold for experimentation. Then the Sage spoke “Well they are rather dumb creatures and so small. I am sure the crown wishes to discover how to better improve their lot in life for the good of all Civilization.” The master burst out laughing “Maggot-Men are so stupid and weak, you are of course right Great Sage anything we do to them even killing them improves their lot in life!” The master bellowed “Maggot! Come!” Maggot got to his feet and stumbled, shuffled quickly towards his master. “Look at this clumsy fool! The mud child can barely walk let alone think! I do believe he is the most stupid creature we own!” The master’s son laughed out loud at his father’s proclamation. “Father he’s so stupid I think he enjoys being punished by my teacher!” “Is that so Maggot?” Asked the father. With his head bowed Maggot did not respond. It was a small desperate act of resistance but the father chuckled out “Natural cowards these creatures, natural slaves.” A consciousness of agreement circled about except from the Sage who calmly sipped his tea and the two dwarf maidens who eyed the floor. The master continued “I would beat this child for not speaking if I did not already know he is almost to dumb to speak! I have never heard him make a sentence that is fully understandable and no amount of switching him can improve his tongue.” The sage then spoke “It wise you chose him to attend school with your son as I do believe he is incapable of learning and thus a better choice than a human slave who might accidentally learn.” The sage’s eyes seem to bore into Maggot’s mind saying I know you have learned it all. “Back in your corner dung child.” Dismissed the master with a wave. As Maggot scuttled back groveling they way the humans so adored. The mistress suddenly asked if the Korobokuru girls could do anything interesting as Maggot is such a dunce. The fine lady smiled sweetly “As you know I run the entrainment house Tea Blossom, I could of course not bring any of the fine courtesan performers; because of their noble births; out of the confines of the House without breaching etiquette, traditions and law. However these servants of mine are mere ignoble Korobokuru so despite how much they are valued as status objects they can attend me, and they are fully trained performers. Girls.” The lady clapped her hand once and one maiden rose up very gracefully… the other produced an instrument and began playing it. The dance was a graceful, regal, alluring fan dance and the maiden sang with perfection, it was a truly mesmerizing performance. At the end of the performance the mistress remarked “How amazingly refined the train animals are a testimony to your elegant influence. Perhaps the females of the race are more intelligent or talented then their beastly men.” “Perhaps, Lady Lee.” Responded the Lady Tang. “As you can see these half people allow me to better service the needs of noble houses such as yours.” Her eyes fell on the young master. The elder master began to laugh and hit his son on the back “Tomorrow you turn 14, but tonight you become a man!” Young master Lee eyes widened. “Don’t worry young lord, my servants are fully trained, and there is no danger lord and lady Lee of producing a troublesome human illegitimate troublesome offspring.” “But you said they are grotesque.” Stammered young Lee. A smile crossed Lady Tangs face. “For every problem there is a solution.” With that statement the two maidens unclasped their veils, revealing faces heavily covered in makeup, obscuring any tattoos and concealing their non human Jade like skin. To Maggot they appeared like characterized face masks humans make for certain celebrations to wear, absolutely hideous, but much to his surprise the family approved. Mrs Lee even remarked how they appeared to be like fine dolls. Soon the Korobokuru girls and the young master were escorted out, by several human maids who had prepared the young master’s room according to Lady Tang’s instructions. While the vile humans continued to drink tea and discuss various subjects Maggot was dismissed to go to the slave quarters. As Maggot exited the Lord was thanking the Sage for his services and the Sage responded with thanks but Maggot was sure he had heard the Sage say “About Maggot”. Maggot remembered how he couldn’t sleep all night disgusted with the humans and stewing over what the Sage could have been going on about him. He kept telling himself there is no way any human would believe he was even remotely intelligent or had broken the law and learned to read and write the human language. 

 

The next morning the 3 guests of Mrs Lee departed for the Tea Blossom House and Maggot was ordered to report to the Sage. Various servants and slaves were rushing about putting the finishing touches on the residence for the young master’s birthday celebration and the anticipated guest arrivals in the evening. Maggot had assumed he had been summoned to help pack the Sage as he was also leaving as his short engagement of teaching the lord’s son was completed. When Maggot arrived he discovered the Sage had two bamboo frame back packs set and ready to go, one just right for his small child Korobokuru frame.  The Sage looked at Maggot “Put it on, you are coming with me.” With dull eyes “Me Lee slave.” The Sage chuckled “I bought you Maggot.” Maggot was shocked, he bought dumb dumb me! Why? The Sage continued “The Bakemono slave Wort made that for you and outfitted it.” Chuckling he continued “That old scamp did a fine job of preparing all you’ll need for the road. No doubt you have been outfitted at your ex master’s expense. I would have bought him too if he could walk but he is beyond the days of long distance foot travel and I doubt he would survive long on the road.” Unable to contain himself Maggot burst out “But me Dumb Dumb!” The Sage gave the young boy a sly eyed look and tapped his head “Yes, little Maggot but alas we all have our burdens.” As they left the Lee family residence Maggot saw elder Wort stop and smile the hugest missing teeth grin he had ever seen and his eyes sparkled with fire. He swore old Wort mouthed the word “Free” in Bakemono. 

 

Thus began young Maggots apprenticeship with Sage Fu Chow. Maggot at first had not trusted the Sage and truly believed his new master would kill him if he knew how much he actually had learned being the whipping boy for the Lee child since his purchase or  how much the Bakemono and other slaves had taught him. They traveled from island to island across the many islands lands of Jima. The Sage he quickly learned was perhaps a bigger trickster than old Wort. The Sage Fu Chow instructed him on everything he could as they traveled. The Sage never struck him again as punishment “Beating children only damages their minds, and produces cowards… I intend to raise a man.” The Sage was always making maps and writing about their travels. Maggot learned about so many trades it was almost mind boggling. Maggot played his part as a dullard grimy half person child servant in front of humans, the  Sage for his part appeared as a dignified learned man and their adventures were many. Maggot was often asked by Fu Chow to talk to the various non human citizens in the lands they traversed and collect their tales. From time to time they would go to the Zhou Empire’s ambassador residencies in some foreign land or even a ship with whom his master seemed to know everyone of the scoundrels on board. Master Fu Chow even made Maggot write reports, poetry, mathematics and learn art. One day Sage Fu Chow announced they were summoned to return to the Zhou Empire. On the voyage back he presented Maggot with formal clothing befitting his true rank, servant to the Imperial Court. Maggot now somewhat grown was shocked “You sold me?” Laughing the Fu Chow responded “No my boy! When I bought you, you were bought by the Imperial family.” A cat like grin cross Fu Chow’s face. “and because I bought you, your destiny in life changed.” Fu Chow snapped his fingers “Just like that, the Yin and Yang changed.” “You became a Citizen of Zhou even though you did not know it. This gave me the legal right to educate you as I pleased including all the higher education denied so many in the Barbarian human kingdoms we have visited. Furthermore because you are a member of the imperial household you needed extra education on all things of interest to the Emperor to better serve the court. In Zhou Imperial householders have rights, even non human ones, even slaves. We will review courtly etiquette and Zhou laws on the way back, my student.” The voyage was long and at times treacherous. Maggot reflected he wondered how old Wort was, most likely passed with old age, but how that poor old maimed Bakemono would have laughed to see a Korobokuru educated for the Imperial Court of the massive Island Empire of Zhou. He wondered if old Wort had known all along Sage Fu Chow was not just any Sage from Zhou.

 

Shortly before their arrival to the port city of Lung both Maggot and Sage Fu Chow changed. Maggot was not prepared for the shear size and magnificence of the city as they approached. He was even more shocked that as the ship docked a quickly assembled mounted escort guard had been dispatched to the ship complete with two extra mounts a quality war horse and a finely similarly decked out pony just Korobokuru sized. Sage Fu Chow was still giving instructions to the ship’s crew regarding cargo he had brought along from the foreign land we had left when a very nervous officer in the Zhou Calvary tried to get his attention. “Yes, yes” in a surprisingly dismissive voice “We are coming, I want to make sure the goods for the Emperor are handled correctly.” As we walked down the plank Fu Chow bent down “Remember what I taught you about horses on the Island of Van.” “Yes, honored Sage how could I forget that!” “Good, next week we will begin Camel riding lessons!” The escort was oddly stiff, at attention. Many ports we had visited indeed had guard units but rarely Calvary and usually port guard units did more intimidating and strong arming of bribes than looking some what concerned as if trying to pass some sort of military inspection. Maggot mounted small equine without grace. The Sage inspected the pony for a moment “Excellent mount, it is like a miniature of my fine steed.” He said patting its neck. The Sage then launched himself in a smooth motion into the saddle.  Two soldiers on foot took the bridals of our mounts and started leading our entourage. The Sage smiled “They know we are both capable of riding, it’s just etiquette.” 

 

Maggot whimsically smiled to himself his adventures had not ended with his master’s return to the Imperial Court. So much had transpired between his arrival and his current journey the Imperial record halls had many more books full of reports or rather their epic continued adventures. Or as Fu Chow preferred to describe them “Observations of The Yin and Yang.” He had even settled down for a while and tutored several of the young princes at the request of Fu Chow and the Empress. It was in the capacity of a tutor to 10^th son of the Emperor by one of his many consorts that Maggot had won the greatest gift a human Emperor could bestow the status of human not just for himself but all Korobokuru in the Zhou Empire. Sage Fu Chow, prince Zhou Fu Chow, retired general of the Eastern shores, uncle of the current Emperor Zhou Sun Lung had trained him well. The assassins never stood a chance of harming a hair on the 10^th princes head. Soon the whole of the Empire would be informed be Imperial decree of the change, but first the conspirators had to be dealt with and the Korobokuru village of Dung Hill would be pivotal in their plans.