Chapter 1
”Lastly, the workers in the Sector 13 have valiantly given their lives in the service of the Empire.” Faceless overseer’s voice echoed through the darkening evening.
Workers. Min Yon Sul shook his head. Slaves had more rights then the miserable bunch of fate’s rejects in this hell hole. Just don’t let it be Squad 256. Any god or be it some other deity, if you’re up there, don’t let it be Squad 256.
”The workforce in Sector 13 will be replaced by --” The overseer flipped through a notepad.
Not Squad 256. Just this one time. Please.
And just like the that, the hammer fell. ”-- Squad 256. Glory to the Empire!” The overseer finished.
Great, just fucking great. Min Yon Sul wanted to scream, laugh and hit something all at the same time. He’d been so close. He’d been so fucking close.
Just one more tour and he’d have had his freedom. Fate sure was a cruel mistress. He glanced at the other members of his squad. Around him shoulders drooped. He could see the last traces of life draining off their faces, flushed down to the bowels of the sewers of this shithole he’d had the misfortune of calling home.
Gripping his Adrantin pickaxe he swung around and stormed off to the Hotel. What twisted mind had ever come up with the idea to call the rotting hovel they slept in by that name, Min Yon Sul did not know. It was what it’d always been called.
Min Yon Sul knew he should’ve gone for the evening meal. He just didn’t care. What difference did it make to go one more night hungry or not. At least he wouldn’t have to suffer the slop even pigs would turn away from in disgust.
He made his way to the end of the barrack. The old familiar smell of week old hay and too many bodies in too small a room welcomed him. He threw his pickaxe under his rickety excuse of a bed. Min Yon Sul sat on the edge of the creaking bunk and pressed his head in his hands. Freedom. He’d almost had it. He was sure he could almost taste it. Not that he knew what it’d taste like.
It just wasn’t fair. He’d done everything that’d been asked of him just to be fucked in the ass by Fate. In mix of frustration and rage he shot up and grabbed the collar on his neck in both hands. Tearing at his lifelong companion and source of misery, he pulled. Instantly a spike of pain shot through his Core and send him to his knees.
After a time of lying in a heap on the floor he grit his teeth and climbed back on to his pallet. Pulling the almost see through blanket around his shoulders, he shut his eyes. Some time later he heard the door open but he didn’t care enough to see who it was.
Sound of steps grew closer and finally stopped next to his bunk ”Here.”
Yon Min Sul dragged his eyes open to see half a loaf of bread floating next to his face. He turned to see Wong Shuan holding out his hand to him. He scoffed and turned his back to Wong Shuan.
”Just take it.”
”What does it matter?” Yon Min Sul replied.
”No point in going hungry on top of everything else, right?”
”Tch, we’re all going to die anyway.”
”The next tour, was it gonna be your... you know, last?” Wong Shuan asked quietly.
”Yeah, last.”
”Shit...”
”You said it. It’s bullshit on the cosmic scale.”
Finally Yon Min Sul reached for the bread and started nibbling on the corner of the loaf. Maybe Wong Shuan had a point. If he was to to end up as food for the monsters lurking in the mines he might as well to do it moderately hungry instead of starving. Maybe he’d even get a bit of revenge and the monster that ate him would also die of some form of poisoning from the horrible food they were served. It sounded like something akin to justice.
”You know, maybe we’ll get lucky. There was a word going around in the mess hall that an additional force of cultivators are going to join for the next round into Sector 13.” Wong Shuan said.
”Hah, as if. Why would they bother?”
”Maybe they’ve finally reached a limit with all the deaths?”
”Sure, and the sun is also going to rise from the West tomorrow” Min Yon Sul replied.
”You’re probably right. Don’t give up though, there’s always hope.”
”There’s little to no hope to be had in this place and you know it.”
”Yet, it’s still there. Even if it’s only a little” Wong Shuan said.
”Bah, there’s that ugly, overly positive way of looking at things of yours again.”
”You know me, this place is enough of a shithole without us making it worse by ourselves.”
”On that, I’ll agree.” Min Yon Sul said, finishing the bread. He then grabbed the threadbare blanket and continued ”I think I’ll hit they hay.”
”That sounds like one of the better ideas I’ve head from you” Wong Shuan replied, tugging himself in his own bunk.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The next morning had yet to break, when the harsh clanging of the morning bell tore Min Yon Sul from his sleep. Groans and muttered curses filled the air of dark barrack.
”Every man up from their bunks! Assembly in the yard in five minutes!” Doang Heng yelled from the door. The little cunt bore the mark of assistant supervisor on his chest with a pride Min Yon Sul couldn’t understand. The Empire bootlicker lorded his position over the rest of them all for extra scrap of food and right to bathe twice a week. That, and the right to weasel out of work.
”I hope some one would mistake his head for a rock and sink a pickaxe in it” Min Yon Sul muttered to no one in particular.
”While I’m inclined to agree with you, you shouldn’t say that out loud or you’ll get in trouble” Wong Shuan said from behind him.
Min Yon Sul grabbed his own pick axe from under his bed replied ”In trouble? Hah, with the shit show that we’re about to be in I doubt it’d matter much. What more could they do.”
”You’re not completely wrong” Wong Shuan agreed half heartedly.
They followed the mass of people filtering through the barrack door to outside. The hue of early morning coloured the sky. Min Yon Sul welcomed the fresh air. It did wonders to lessen the smell of unwashed bodies milling around him.
The mass of underfed, dirt covered people slowly shifted to their squads and formed in front of the raised dais. One by one supervisors ordered squads to follow them and started moving towards their dedicated Sectors. Finally only Squad 256 remained standing on the yard.
”It’s your lucky day, you poor bastards. The commander of Istor Mines has deemed fit to request aid from the Empire regarding Sector 13. A pair of esteemed cultivators will be accompanying you on this tour. They are still on their way and thus you will wait here, ready to move the moment they arrive.” Overseer in charge said.
A wave of mutters passed through the yet remaining crowd. Wong Shuan had been right. Min Yon Sul shook his head, maybe they did have some small sliver of hope. With nothing better to do the members of Squad 256 sat down and did the only thing they could. They waited.
***
Rei Yang sat in the skycoach, fiddling with the hem of her robes. Sun was out in full and the temperature in the coach was starting to get annoyingly hot. ”Why do we have to bother with this?”
”You know as well as I do, my lady” Shin Yang said from across her.
The skycoach cut through the sky with unmatched swiftness. Rei Yang stared out of the clear glass window at the patchwork of farmland racing past, far below them. Of course she knew. That didn’t make it any less irritating.
”I’ve sparred for countless of hours back home. You know as well as I that not one of my peers is my match.” Rei Yang said.
”Be that as it may, real life and sparring are two different kinds of beasts” Shin Yang replied and giving Rei Yang a pointed look he continued ”Also, you’re the young lady of the house. Not one of your sparring partners is willing to harm you.”
”Excuse me, what? Are you saying they’re going easy on me?” Rei Yang said rising her brow.
”I wouldn’t say ’going easy’ per say. But none of them are willing to push all the way either. It’s regrettable but I also understand as it might end up with their head on a platter. A low ranked spirit beast is not going to show you any of that mercy.” Shin Yang said.
”Don’t worry, my lady. I’ll be there to protect you” Jun Chang said from next to Shin Yang, puffing his chest out and his pushing his chin in the air.
Rei Yang had to fight hard to stop her eyes rolling to the back of her skull. Her education barely won and she kept her composure. It wouldn’t do to insult the young master of their allied family. No matter how ridiculous the pompous ass sounded.
”Thank you for the offer, but I will manage on my own, young master Jun” Rei Yang said.
She noticed Shin Yang gave her the barest nod of approval. Jun Chang on the other hand didn’t seem to approve her remark the same way. At least, if his knitted eyebrows were any indicator. Good riddance. She’d had enough fools vying for her hand as it was.
Rei Yang turned to Shin Yang ”I still fail to see the point in this. I’m going to miss the tea ceremonies for the next two weeks. Do you have any idea how out of the loop I’ll be in the court’s social circles when we get back?”
Shin Yang hand twitched upwards. Rei Yang could’ve sworn Shin Yang was about to palm his face, but the man ended up shifting to fixing the lapel of his robe.
He drew in a deep breath and sighed ”My lady, you know this was a request made by the Empire for both of your families. It will be a great mark in your record in the future. As an additional benefit we will be able to get you real life combat training which is hard to come by in the more civilized areas closer to the capital.”
Rei Yang threw herself deeper in the cardinal red, overly plushy cushions of her side of the skycoach.
”You speak of real life combat training, yet you, a Martial King, are accompanying us. There is likely zero chance of us even getting injured while you clean up the spirit beasts in the mines.” She said.
”Oh, don’t worry. I’m only accompanying you as a guard. I will only step in should you be in mortal danger, but otherwise it’ll be you who does the work.” Shin Yang replied.
”Wait, what? You expect us to fight wild spirit beasts without your help?” Rei Yang said, feeling something else than irritation for the first time since the start of their journey.
”Hah, those dirty miners with their limited view of the world are probably just making it sound worse than it is. Imagine being so incompetent you need to ask help from the Empire itself. I’ll take care of the vermin in the mines myself in an evening and we can be on our way home by tomorrow, my lady” Jun Chang said leaning back to his own luxurious seat and spreading his arms on the armrests.
”While it is true the spirit beats in the mines are likely Silver ranked at most, take caution. All it takes is one slip.” Shin Yang said.
”Yes, of course, Master Shin. But we are both Gold already, I see no need to worry overly much” Jun Chang replied, bowing slightly to Shin Yang.
”Having confidence in one’s own abilities is good. It is an integral part in martial artist’s success. But like every coin, it also has another side. Overconfidence has been bane of countless martial artists, Bronze and Martial Emperor alike. You’d do well to remember that” Shin Yang lectured the two youths in the coach.
”Yes, yes whatever you say Master Shin” Jun Chang said, still slouching in his seat.
Shin Yang frowned, but to not turned to Rei Yang after a moment ”And my lady?”
”Yes, Master Shin” Rei Yang replied. She then reached for the glyph-carved container sitting between them, against the wall of the skycoach. The dark wooden lid gave way with a click and Rei Yang was greeted by a small puff of gray mist. She pulled an ice cold bottle of Zhianseng from the container, closed the lid and pulled a glass from a rack next to the container. After a moment’s thought, she turned to the other two in the coach and raised the bottle questioningly.
”Ah, with pleasure, my lady” Jun Chang said eagerly, rising from his slouch.
Shin Yang shook his head.
She poured two glasses and offered one to Jun Chang. Usually she wouldn’t lower herself like this and serve drinks to others, but Shin Yang had insisted this was part of her training to learn to fare by herself.
Jun Chung tipped the glass back straight away ”Ah, that really hits the spot.”
Rei Yang took a more moderate sip from her own glass. For once she could agree with the young man across her. The ice cold, mildly alcoholic drink slid down her throat like sweet nectar of the gods. The slight amount of ice Qi infused in the drink slowly released into her body, cooling he down from head to toe. She let out a content sigh.
As Rei Yang drained the last drops from her glass she felt a small shift in the skycoach. A quick look out of the window confirmed what she’d felt. They had started slowly descending. She was met with a sight of towering walls so dark grey they were almost black.
Squat watchtowers sat on each corner of the large pentagon. It was a fortress. The walls were easily three stories tall and thick enough to ride a wagon on top of them. As the skycoach banked around Rei Yang saw the plain wooden buildings dotting the grounds inside the walls.
The black theme continued on the tarred, thatch roofs. The buildings themselves were plain wood. Muddy tracks criss-crossed between the worn down buildings. Whoever had built this place had not had the aesthetics in mind. It looked like a place where hope came to die. It was bleak enough that a thought of spending even one night in this primitive outpost brought her mood down a notch. Great, just great.
A group of people in front of a raised platform caught Rei Yang’s eye. While they were still far up in the sky for a normal mortal, her Gold Body eyes got a clearer view of the men bunched there. The sight made her scrunch her nose. She’d never seen so many dirty people in one place.
Each and every one of the men below then was dressed in rags. Pickaxes lay against each man’s shoulder. Dust covered faces were staring up at her. No, at their skycoach, she corrected herself. The collared rabble below had no chance of seeing them from the distance.
”Look at them! How can they be so dirty? I think I can already smell them” Jun Chang exclaimed, staring out of the window.
”I reckon you will, at least in a moment. Take it as a learning experience in controlling the senses of your Gold Bodies.” Shin Yang said.
Jun Chang let out a mix of grunt and moan.
Rei Yang almost did the same, but it wouldn’t do for a lady of her status to behave like that. So instead, she just pushed down the shiver about to shook her and watched the men quietly. What deity had she offended to have to suffer this.
She hoped against hope that for once Jun Chang’s bragging would proven to be true and they’d be on their way back home before nightfall. She really didn’t want to spend a night sleeping in the hovels that looked increasingly ragged the closer they got.
The firemanes pulling the skycoach touched the ground and the skycoach followed softly in tow. Rei Yang took a deep breath and braced herself against what was to come. Cycling all the Qi she could away from her nose, she grabbed the skycoach’s door handle and pulled it open. The sooner they started the sooner they’d be on their way home.