The caravan's "Mortal Guild" posting was telling. It was a euphemism for "desperate."
Merchant Guo was a short, round man whose silk robes were frayed at the cuffs. He was
sweating, despite the cool morning air, as he looked over his "hires." There were three others
besides Kael. Two were men, brothers, named Jin and Bo. They were cultivators, 3rd-level Qi
Condensation, and they made no secret of their disdain. They carried new-looking spears and
wore the smug, confident air of men who knew they were better than everyone else.
The third was a woman, a 4th-level cultivator named Meilin, who was clearly the group's leader.
She was all business, her face set in a permanent frown, a long-scarred saber at her hip.
Then there was Kael.
"You," Jin, the louder of the brothers, sneered, poking Kael's plain steel sword with his spear-tip.
"Is this a joke, merchant? He has no Qi. He's dead-weight. He'll just be an extra mouth to feed
before a Shadow-Cat eats him."
"He... comes recommended," Merchant Guo stammered, clearly intimidated. "The guild said he
was... sturdy."
"Sturdy!" Bo laughed. "So is the wagon. Can it fight?"
Kael said nothing. He simply stood, his pack at his feet, his hand resting on his sword's hilt. He'd
been in the city for two months, grinding his skills every night. His [Guardian's Stance] was now
Lvl 2, and his [Aura of Protection] was Lvl 3. He was still Level 3 in stats, but he felt more solid.
His [Iron Will] had also leveled to 2, and their scorn felt... distant. It was just noise.
Meilin silenced them with a sharp look. "Enough. The merchant paid for four. We have four. The
'mortal' can take the first watch and hold the horses. If he runs, the beast will take him first. Now,
let's move out."
She had acknowledged his existence only as bait. Kael just nodded, picked up his pack, and
secured it to the lead wagon.
The caravan was small—three wagons piled high with bolts of silk, herbs, and (judging by the
smell) salted fish. They were headed for the coastal city of Lin-An, a journey of three weeks,
and the only path was through the notorious Bloody Thorn Pass.
For the first week, the journey was agonizingly dull. Jin and Bo made Kael do all the menial
work—tending the fire, mucking out the horses, taking the double-watch at night. Kael did it all
without complaint. At night, while they slept, he would sit, facing the darkness, and activate
[Guardian's Stance].
He'd focus on the sounds of the night—the chirp of a Qi-infused cricket, the distant howl of a
mountain wolf. He'd practice controlling his breathing, sinking into the stance, letting his stamina
drain and refill. It was a meditative, lonely practice.
He'd also begun to notice the "passenger."
Merchant Guo had a "niece" traveling with him. She was young, perhaps nineteen or twenty,
and she kept herself bundled in a heavy, plain-looking cloak, her face often obscured by a
traveler's veil. She was introduced as "Yue." She never spoke to the guards. She ate her meals Jin and Bo would sometimes make lewd jokes about her, quiet enough so Meilin wouldn't hear,
but Kael saw a deeper truth. He saw the way her eyes, when she thought no one was looking,
would scan the horizon. They weren't the fearful eyes of a passenger; they were the sharp,
assessing eyes of a hawk. He saw how, despite her "frailty," her balance was perfect, even
when the wagon jolted over a deep rut.
He recognized a part of himself in her: she was hiding. He said nothing. It was not his business.
His Vow was to the village he'd left behind. His job was to protect this caravan. That's all.
On the eighth day, they entered the Bloody Thorn Pass. The air grew cold. The trees were
black, twisted things, with thorns as long as daggers. The path narrowed, the cliffs on either side
rising like jagged teeth.
"This is it," Meilin said, her hand resting on her saber. "No fires tonight. Everyone, eyes open.
Jin, Bo, you're on point. Kael... you watch the rear. And try not to die."
The tension was so thick Kael could taste it. This was the place. He could feel it. A conflict was
coming.
His system, which had been silent for weeks, suddenly felt... awake.