Vera slipped through bushes in silence. His eyes scanned through a makeshift camp. Around fifty beggars moved in a hurry.
Younger members disassembled tents and cooking stations. The elders picked up the items and loaded them into carriages.
A camp extending over half a li was closing in a single day's time.
Posted at the northern end of the camp, Vera counted the number of people in the area. His gaze sharpened as he noticed...
No slaves in the area. Are they cutting them loose to speed up?
Considering that the slaves knew their location, it was unlikely that they were only 'cut loose'. Nonetheless, he kept moving.
Fewer innocents will suffer if I finish them off quickly.
It had been a week since they had returned to the sixth branch. Since their arrival, Vera started clearing out camps led by One Law coalition members.
Having scanned through the entire camp and confirmed there were only hostiles, he hid a third of a li away from their caravans.
A devious smile grew on his face. No slaves meant no hostages.
You've made my day a lot easier.
Nearly an hour passed. The sun had now sunk beneath the horizon; all the coalition members joined the caravan.
One of the third-rank members turned to the camp lead.
"Senior brother, should we have seen signs of a Blade Master sect squad by this point? The scouts have found no signs."
The camp lead patted his junior on the back and walked up to the main carriage.
"Let's just be happy they haven't found us yet. Haven't you seen what they did to nearby camps?"
The young beggar shivered at the leader's words. Over the past week he had personally seen five camps burnt to ash.
Only carbonised bones were proof that the coalition members didn't escape.
He quickly caught up with the lead, preparing to enter the carriage.
"Get moving. We are setting out right now!"
The camp lead extended his hand from the carriage, pulling the young member in. A golden yellow condensed over Vera's palm.
Ignorant to what was coming, the lead continued barking orders.
"That's right! Listen to your junior brother. We are leaving now—"
Just then, a voice not far from a mumble sounded. Only a single word was spoken, a betrayal to the grim fate it heralded.
Dense flames flooded toward the caravan.
The world slowed down for just a moment. The camp lead stared at the path out; a yellow shine obscured his vision.
His breath hitched; air scorched the inside of his throat.
As his eyes turned to ash, one thought persisted.
Didn't the sun set already?
The wind boomed through the outskirts of the sixth sector. Mud paths turned to baked bricks.
What was a coalition of over fifty men became an ashen grave. The cause, Vera, walked out from a bush; as he dusted the ash off from his robes, he made sure there were no survivors.
He looked to the carriage at the front and winced. Dense strings of blood stretched from bone to earth.
Did he use qi fortification?
Caught off guard, even a One-Law practitioner would turn to ash without feeling a thing. Unfortunately, the camp lead realised a moment too late.
I'd feel bad for you if you weren't what you were.
After a few more rounds, he confirmed that there were no survivors.
Vera looked at the ground, laden with charred corpses. His gaze ran cold, as though he only burnt waste.
Cold winds brushed against what was left of them; their ashes dispersed into the sky. Only Vera's footsteps could be heard, thinning as he drew further from the grave.
A shard of each beggar's jaw stuffed in a sack as proof for the sect enforcers, Vera held onto the sack by a thin string.
It's quicker this way; without proof, scouts will have to check it out.
He tapped the side of the bag a few times, dreaming of the gold he would get for this amount.
He halted his advance a few hundred paces away from the camp, his expression contorted as he realised what he had just done.
An exasperated sigh escaped him. His gaze fell to the ground.
"It's getting worse... I need to continue my training."
The day's coalition hunting had come to an end.
***
Vera squatted down as he lathered Sword Dog's fur. Tufts of blood and mud pooled up over the drain.
A barrage of barks sounded in the bathroom as Vera tried cleaning between Sword Dog's nails. Vera slipped his arm under Sword Dog's belly and turned him over. He grinned deviously.
"Got you!"
Unable to resist, Sword Dog whined helplessly.
Unbothered by his companion's wincing, Vera continued cleaning his paws.
"Who told you to kill the coalition members with your sword? Projectiles should've been enough to finish them all off."
Having been together for nearly two years now, Vera could understand most of what Sword Dog had to say without much trouble.
Not being a humanoid species, Sword Dog couldn't speak even if he understood language. For now whining was all the resistance he could put up.
Vera carried Sword Dog up and walked over to the bathtub. Water sploshed out of the tub as Vera dumped him in.
"Happy? We're done with your bath. And get better at qi manipulation; it's high time you learned how to talk."
His gaze grew dull as he wrung his robes dry.
I need to start training for the day.
Just as Vera turned away to leave, he felt a tug on his robe. Sword Dog bit onto the back of his robe. Revenge is a dish served best with a tug.
Water pooled up over the tub as Sword Dog pulled Vera in. Now the devious grin was worn by Sword Dog.
Followed by a triumphant bark, he shook the water off his fur, leaving Vera half covered in soap.
Vera lay in the water silently. He stared into the white ceiling without a thought. A thought seeped into his head.
It looks just like their bones after I...
Slumped over the tub, he leant onto Sword Dog's back.
His cold gaze, which pierced the ashen grave of his creation, now stared back at him.
Was that really me?
Cold indifference to violence. Not even a pull at his chest. As though it were just any other day. The tips of his fingers pressed into his chest, calm at first but growing in strength.
His nails began cutting through flesh; the sensation was far away as he stared blankly at the ceiling.
At the moment he was about to draw blood, Sword Dog bit his hand, pulling it away from Vera's chest.
Vera stared at Sword Dog with widened eyes.
"I wasn't going to do—"
A barrage of tail whips struck Vera's face.
At first he failed to understand what was going on. However, being closer than anyone to Sword Dog, the intent became clear. The blank expression on his lips slanted into a smile.
You're worried about me.
Cold water, coupled with Sword Dog's furry tail, washed the gloom away.
A chorus of laughs filled the room as the two wrestled in the tub.
Chun stood outside observing the scene, with a frown on his face. He leapt into the tub shouting.
"Why are you playing without me?!"
***
Vera and Aspartese met in the Mian mountain range. However, today wasn't just another day.
Aspartese stared at Vera with a conflicted expression; his tone was almost foreboding.
"Are you sure?"
Despite his warnings, Vera stood resolute. He nodded at Aspartese without a second thought.
A long sigh followed as Aspartese set down his rucksack. He gestured at Vera to follow.
"Let's go a bit further out. We will wake the city up if we spar here."
The ground beneath his feet caved in. He turned back to face Vera once again.
"Remember, I won't let you skip Law training even if you puke blood."
A dull thud sounded as Aspartese shot into the sky; rings of compressed air boomed in his wake. Without much consideration, Vera followed.
The Mian range blurred into a green stain as they blew past its entirety. Within a few moments of travel, the two of them landed at a barren forest at the western edge of the sixth sector.
Aspartese looked around with qi sense to make sure there was no life nearby. After a few breaths he rolled up his sleeves and dusted off his robe.
"There is no one around. The rules are simple: no flashy attacks. I'm talking about that matchstick of yours. Qi will only be used for fortification and physical attacks. Got it?"
Vera removed the top half of his robe and set it away as he listened. Qi seeped through every fibre of his muscles, slowly warming him up.
"Hm. I got it. Let's start."
A vein bulged over Aspartese's temple. He cracked his knuckles while stifling his annoyance.
"You seem too casual for the beating you're about to get."
His arms stretched out to his sides. His torso left completely open, he grinned at Vera.
"Come at me, boy."
Qi seared through Vera's legs and shoulder; the sheer heat from his body caused the air to contort.
Without a moment of preamble Vera burst toward Aspartese. His fist cleaved through the air like a fang; the ground behind him burst into debris.
Despite the powerful strike that was about to strike, Aspartese stood unmoved, his grin no different from a moment ago.
Is he unable to dodge?
Ten paces were covered in a single moment. Vera's fist slammed into Aspartese's chest, only flesh and bones guarding his heart.
Vera stood expectant; he waited for the sound of shattering bones. However, only the sound of stricken iron reached him.
Shocks ran through his wrist, rampaging up till his shoulder. The skin over his knuckles was crushed to a paste; his pearly white bones were left exposed.
Aspartese smirked at him. The muscles in his right arm tightened. The sound of taut braided metal pierced his ears.
"Did you think I was going to dodge?"
Aspartese brought his hand to Vera's chest; his thumb pulled his index finger back.
"Don't worry, I'll do just enough for you to stay awake."
Vera's breath halted midway.
Splinters grew through his sternum. His body hurtled into a canopy of withered trees, each barely softening the impact.
The momentum of his crash halted as the wind's howling did. Blown away by over seventy paces, Vera crouched over the barren earth.
Thick strings of blood seeped through lips as he gripped his chest. Aspartese's footsteps resounded through the forest; each movement covered ten paces in one.
He stood in front of Vera; his gaze turned mocking.
"Do you want to stop now?"
At his words, Vera pressed against the ground. He stumbled up, his mouth covered in blood tinged with spit, and looked to Aspartese.
"No. This is perfect."
He leant over and wrapped his shoulders around Aspartese's waist; his feet dug into the ground as he pushed forward.
A laugh escaped Aspartese as his fist rose into the air.
"As expected, you have some guts."
The fibers over his back rippled as his fist shot toward Vera's back. Just as it was about to make contact with Vera, he felt a tug at his waist.
Vera's left leg swung over to his right. The sheer force of the movement lifted Aspartese off the ground
In one swift motion, the ground rattled.
Vera's shoulder dug into Aspartese's guts. The weight of his body, fueled by qi, pinned the branch master on the floor.
Nonetheless, the only thing the maneuver did was dirty the back of Aspartese's clothes. Pinned into the ground Aspartese laughed in surprise.
"You always use these weird movements. If I were a Second Synergy master, you might have hurt me."
His right arm swung into the flesh over Vera's liver.
A pained groan permeated the air. The muscles around his liver convulsed in pain. Of course, this didn't stop Vera.
The tip of his canines bit into Aspartese's pelvis. Each tooth attempted at carving the flesh around his hip, though it only left an indent.
Unfazed by Vera's animalistic movements, Aspartese continued laughing. His thick arm wrapped around Vera's neck, holding his body in place.
"What tenacity! Is everyone in your home town like this?"
Aspartese curled into his chest, giving him the leverage to repeatedly hammer at Vera's back.
Each strike sounded like the beat of a drum.
The two continued striking at each other. The concept of defence became folklore.
Barren earth split into shallow ravines. Withered foliage turned to mere firewood. The morning sun peered over the horizon.
Aspartese slung the half-passed out Vera over his shoulder and walked back to the Mian range. His face was filled with satisfaction.
"You better wake up by the time we get to the mountain range. We still have to work on the Compression Law."
Vera's body was bruised till purple. His swollen face covered with strings of blood and his dinner.
"Shut... up. You damn coot. I can start now!..."