A middle aged man sat straight on a war horse. The windy dust rolled across the open stretch of the Gray Zone as he reined his horse to a halt.
The animal snorted, hooves grinding against stone already darkened by blood. The man stayed mounted, his hammer-forged armor creaking as he leaned forward in the saddle, eyes scanning the wreckage spread across the wasted land.
"Report." he commanded.
A Krat scout dropped to one knee, breathing hard. "General Bai. 17 Dead count confirmed! No survivors except the mute soldier with Earth-bending abilities."
Bai's grip tightened. "Where?"
The scout pointed.
General Bai urged the horse forward. He then stopped, dismounting just when the metallic stench of blood hit his nose. The Soldiers bodies were all crumpled together, their torsos crushed, ribs split open. Some had been torn apart from the inside, organs exposed and dragged free unto the ground. The whole scene looked straight out of a battleground.
Bai strode toward the kneeling figure ahead, crushing an arrow under his boots.
The mute soldier shook violently when Bai stopped in front of him.
General Bai looked down on him, crouching, he lifted the mute Soldier's fingers close to his face. "Fellow Rain. Who did this to you? Who took your dignity and stripped you off your pride like this?"
His hand grazed where the mute soldier's fingers should be. All five fingers had been cleanly cut off, chopped even. Bai removed a handkerchief of his and gently pressed it around the fallen soldier's wound. The earth-bender winced, nevertheless, not one tear was shed.
"How will you live now? The very thing that made you whole had been taken from you." He pressed on the wound harder. "You should have killed yourself, or rather, be killed by him. What use is of a man without a voice and hands?"
A slow clap echoed behind them. It was insulting to say the least. General Bai glanced sideways to take a look at the speaker.
"How fascinating," the voice continued.
Bai straightened his back.
A dark haired young man in a black suit stood several steps away, shoes untouched by blood, his glasses perched low on his nose. However, heavy shadows sagged beneath his eyes, giving him the permanent look of someone who hadn't slept for days. Still, he had a polite smile plastered on his face.
"Hawks," Bai spat.
Bowing, the man smiled pleasantly. "General Bai. The second low-level Krat leader. A pleasure, as always."
"Why have you come here, Stolas?"
"Ah~ We had a reason." Stolas adjusted his cuffs. "Three bodies were reported two days ago. Lu Yuan's late father appeared to be one of them. According to our analysis, the killer was inconsistent with known skills. You, Bai, must know the conditions of the bodies found. 'Withered like leaves' was it?"
His smile widened just a bit. "Very… creative deaths. We could just have a new skill created by these partial Forces. The suspect had also been reported weeks ago for 'killing' his teammates in a game realm. You were not of much interest then."
Bai's eyes burned. "I see," he muttered, standing up and now face to face with Stolas.
"I fail to understand your purpose, back then and now. Nevertheless, I have been given orders to have his head and eyes on a platter."
"I'm afraid we want him breathing," Stolas replied. "At least long enough to explain how he turned human bodies into empty shells. Your master could find another pig for his 'trophy room' to fulfill his fetishes. As a suggestion, of course," he smiled.
Bai stepped forward. "Oftentimes, a man's pride leads to his downfall. Yet, it could be the only thing he owns. After so many years being an underdog, you have yet to be promoted?"
More suited figures approached from behind Stolas, forming a neat line behind him. Removing his glasses and wiping them clean, Stolas replied: "Ah. That hit skin-deep. Truly a demise, don't you think? However…" he cleared his throat.
"Three S-tier game cores," he continued. "You claimed them before our retrieval team arrived. We let it slide. Once. Even when we suffered great loss."
He slid his glasses back on. His middle finger rested longer on his nose bridge. "This is us taking back what you owe us."
Bai's hand twitched toward his weapon. "Y-you think I won't kill you right here?"
Stolas shrugged. "You can. I am very much replaceable."
He glanced around the massacre, unfazed by the gore. "But remember—we broke your border once. If you're caught stealing from us again…"
His eyes lifted, sharp now. "We won't spare you a second time."
General Bai turned to his Krat Soldiers. Letting out a sigh, shoulders dropping, his voice echoed loudly: "Continue the search for Sheng Fei Ming. He's a skilled and dangerous man. Do not underestimate him. Dead or alive, bring him to me."
He then turned back to Stolas. "As for you, underpaid office worker…" He raised a middle finger at the suited man.
"I wish you the outcome you deserve. For short, Go fuck yourself."
—
The ginger kitten sat on top of Fèi Míng's shoulder. "Hungry. Hungry. I… am— me. Hungry. Feed me…" He whined on and on, the pitch of his voice fraying at the edges.
Fèi Míng ignored him, squinting across the rooftops at the cluster of lantern-lit buildings below. The air smelled faintly of incense, of fried meat as many sweet aromas mixed up in the air.
His wound from his previous encounter had been roughly boundaged by a white cloth, stopping him from bleeding out.
His system's message popped right at his face.
[You are currently in the Qing's Brothel.]
The only place any hunters at his place wouldn't think to look. The Qing's brothel looked like a miniature dynasty city at night, its curved eaves and paper lanterns flickering softly in the wind as soft laughter and chatter filled the streets.
The kitten continued. "Feed…me. Are… we poor? Hungry. Food. F-food… Listen. Hiss! Ungrateful," he yowled, tugging at the fabric of his clothes with his tiny teeth.
Pushing the kitten back into his shirt, he looked forward at the dozens of lamp decorated buildings.
He hated that he needed a place like this.
But this wasn't the worst either.
No Krats would look for him here, of course, but blending meant not standing out. Money, though… Who would come into a brothel without any currency on them? He had managed to sneak in, but he still needed money.
'What if I meet up with Keres?' Quickly, he shook the thought off. 'No, I shouldn't.'
He vaulted silently to the next roof, landing softly on his feet.
He skirted around a small house. Down below, a handsome man in silk laughed, the smell of wine trailing him as three beautiful women orbited him, fluttering over him. "Ah~ Lu Tian. How very generous of you," said one of the women, laughing.
Rolling his eyes, Fèi Míng used his telekinesis skill, slightly levitating the man's loose bag as he fumbled a small pouch of coins from the man's pocket. It was filled with hard coins. It was lucky of him to meet a noble who carried hard coins in his pockets. Mostly also because the Qing's brothel only accepted hard coins as payment for their premium services.
Fèi Míng let the coins slip into his palm and slipped back into the shadows.
"...Thief." The orange kitten shook his head in disapproval.
"How very judgemental of you, kitty," he whispered back.
When he reached the brothel's entrance, the lanterns shone against lacquered wood, giving the whole atmosphere a warm soft look.
He stepped inside, ignoring a couple kissing just at the corner.
Soon, a dazzling woman approached him. She had lovely, brown hair glinting under the lamplight, her hazel eyes sharp and appraising, silk sleeves brushing against her hips. "Hǎo. A customer." Her voice was soft and pleasant to hear. Lowering her eyes, she spotted the ginger kitten. "Aah. With a cute little cat, too? How lovely!"
She smiled, though curiosity tugged at the edges. She studied the ginger kitten first, the way his little head tilted, claws resting harmlessly on Fèi Míng's shoulder. The kitten, in turn, kept one amber eye glued to the woman's cleavage. "Lovely…"
Fateless slapped a palm over the kitten's small face.
"Wha— What did you say?" The woman asked as she eyed Fateless, now wary of him. "Or are you one of those good-for-nothing men only here for the free view?"