PROLOGUE - SUYIN

[Komuna]

image [https://i.imgur.com/tZUpHlh.png]

All in a Day's Work

4-4-107 P.I. 5:56 PM

"I should kill you where you stand!” the chieftain of Charklik snarled, his seething fury directed in full to the man bracing on Suyin’s shoulder.

“And you may still have your chance yet, Chieftain…” chuckled the owlman in his coy way, “… but before you do, I believe you would want to see this.”

North shifted further onto Suyin—his newly disciplined and obedient crutch. With the bottom half of his mask still removed, he raised his fingers to his lips. The sharp, ear ringing whistle was a staccato of three rising notes, its high-pitched echo bouncing off the surrounding town square, back up the steps, and towards the bank’s entrance. The gathered crowd of armed enforcer’s—rifles pointing at the sole vetala and his human shield standing before them—wavered behind their barricade of stacked hay bales. Some glanced at those beside them, while others anxiously readjusted their aim. The chieftain did so as well—if for but a split second—before his attention returned even more intently to the injured vetala standing before him.

Behind, Suyin heard the familiar heft of duffle bags as they were carried down the steps. Then… a pause, followed quickly by the thunk of one of the bags being dropped.

West emerged into view on the other side of North’s half-masked figure. Holding out the remaining bag before the onlookers, he unzipped it and poured its contents onto the roadside for all to see. Hundreds of marko spilled forth, the plastic casings of currency clattering towards the chieftain’s feet.

“Are you bribing me, vetala?” he sneered red-faced, carefully eyeing the scattered money. “I’m afraid it’s going to cost you a lot more than that.”

It was North’s turn to laugh, the scent of tobacco heavily coating his words. “Not exactly.”

In an eloquent motion, North lifted the arm he’d draped over Suyin’s shoulders and, for a moment, managed to stand tall on his own as he pointed to the clouding sky. Then, he fell back onto his unwilling helper.

The strange gesture brought on a murmur amongst the crowd of gunmen, a murmur that quickly devolved into a state of alarm.

As Suyin felt North’s weight lean back in, a far-off boom came from beyond the square, only to be immediately followed by a bang and burst of heat as something exploded behind them. Embers and smoke choked the air, the pillar of black toxic gas rising towards the clouds as it further added to the gathering gray. Its heat licked the back of Suyin’s neck, sending a sudden swell of warmth and goosebumps down her body. Everyone had turned towards the commotion, the pyre on the steps of the bank now all that remained of the second duffle bag, its shredded, burning entrails scattered in all directions.

“That was nine hundred kuohos worth of unuopa batteries,” North coolly stated as the rifles aimed back at him, his accomplices, and their hostage. “Ah ah,” he wagged his finger. “I’d be careful if I were you. My other coworkers along with Miss South, who’s fine marksmanship you’ve just witnessed, have their fingers on more than one trigger, if you understand my implication. If anything happens to me or my people,” he pointed over his shoulder and back to the bank, “or anyone attempts to go inside before I allow them to do so… well,” he chuckled softly again, flashing his open palms. “Boom.”

The chieftain’s scowled face had become as red as the odorous fire flickering before him, his hand now firmly placed on his pistol. Lips thinly pursed, he bore daggers into the vetala leader. “Who sent you?” he asked through gritted teeth. “Bhima? Belig? Hao Yi? You know what? It doesn’t matter. Tell whoever—”

“Not affiliated, I’m afraid,” North interrupted “This is a private affair, or as private as an affair can be for entrepreneurs such as we. And one, I might add…” he gestured to the chieftain’s men, “… that has not gone as smoothly as expected. Nevertheless, here we all are. I have your people, you have your men, so let us negotiate.”

The chieftain pulled his gun, and Suyin flinched at the sight of yet another barrel pointed in her direction.

She wasn’t one of them. They knew that, right? She wanted the vetala dead just as much as anyone! They deserved to die!

“We do not barter with the damned!” proclaimed the chieftain, his pistol clicking as he armed it. “You chose your fate when you murdered whoever owned those masks before you. Death is the only thing that awaits your kind. Whether now, or with his Konkerilumo's reinforcements, makes no difference to me. I am a patient man. I can wait.”

North adjusted himself over Suyin’s shoulders, coughing dryly into his elbow, a few specks of blood speckling the inner side of his sleeve. “Sorry to disappoint,” he said, setting himself back up straight, “but if those men get here, and we are still here, we will have no choice but to take you bastards with us.” He laughed again, but there was no amusement in his voice. “No one wins; everyone loses.”

“You think I’m afraid to die? Venkay pregin!” challenged the chieftain, his men resettling back into a proper firing configuration.

North fell quiet.

He looked at the surrounding soldiers.

He looked at West, still standing beside him, the strange vetala’s trembling having returned once more.

He looked at Suyin, his eyes barely visible behind the tinted spectacles of his mask.

North dwelled on her for a bit longer, his lashes flickering as he observed her face now inches from his. Behind his exposed scruffy beard, a frown grew, and his breathing hinted at an unseen pain beyond his wounded shoulder.

The thought he could be suffering at least brought some comfort.

“Sorry,” North whispered before taking in three deep breaths and returning to his previous bravado. “Take me closer,” he ordered Suyin, his words now back to their familiar eloquent, arrogant form.

As Suyin complied, West moved to follow in tandem

“Stay,” his leader ordered with a raised hand.

West obeyed.

The six meters standing between the opposing sides were reduced to three, then two, then one as Suyin brought the unarmed vetala directly in front of the chieftain’s firing squad. Then, speaking in a tone so low only they could hear, North addressed the man standing before him, whose pistol pointed directly at his skull.

“I think there has been a misunderstanding,” said North.

“Oh?” bemused the chieftain, trigger finger ready to pull at a moment's notice.

North nodded, “We will kill them,” he gestured to every person present, seen or otherwise, with a twirling finger. “But not you.” His finger dropped to the chieftain. “You see, I know of Altynbek Konkerilumo. I mean… who doesn’t? His victories are acclaimed across the Taklamakan Lawless. His ruthlessness, wit, and love for peace are legendary… along with his knack for torture.”

The chieftain’s face, which had once harbored an increasing expression of confusion, flipped in an instant.

“Ah, you pick up quicker than expected,” North praised.

“I WILL SHOOT YOU WHERE YOU STAND!” the chieftain erupted as he shoved his pistol between the large, round tinted spectacles of North’s owl-like mask.

Immediately, Suyin recoiled at the expected gunfire, the many voices of the chieftain’s men shouting over one another as they threatened to do the same.

But triggers were never pulled, and bullets never fired.

“Then do it,” challenged North as the calls dwindled. “As I said, we won’t kill you, just your men and the hostages. You have the power here. You can do whatever you want, Chieftain. Sure, innocents will die, but think of the celebrations for the hero that stopped the evil vetala. How wonderful for you!”

“Don’t you fuck with me!”

“I don’t believe I am?” North weighed his words. “Well, maybe just a bit, but I highly doubt the Konkerilumo will see it that way. Remind me again, Chieftain, what is his motto? Wait, you do know it, don’t you? Ah, it doesn’t matter as I’ve seemed to have remembered. Curious, isn’t that? In fact, it’s almost as curious as the words of the man who holds your leash. ‘Civility for those forgotten,’ wasn’t it? Now that’s a noble cause! He must be a great man your Konkerilumo, and great men tend to have a habit of hating the senseless slaughter of their people. Especially when responsibility of such horrific events lie in the hands of one so usurious and suppuratiously bumptious, but nevertheless presumably competent, as you, Chieftain.”

North shrugged as he forced Suyin to turn their backs to the horde of soldiers and their now ghostly pale leader.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Then again,” he added, “I did hear that the chieftain before you of this fine town was flayed, in this very plaza no less; skin from muscle, muscle from bone. Now that indeed sounds unimaginably painful. But… I’m sure you know what you are doing, so you should have nothing to worry about. Should you, Chieftain?”

The last words were spoken for all to hear, and a silence befell the swarmed plaza at the base of the bank’s steps. A few distant exchanges could be heard here and there, but Suyin did little to pay them mind. She was in shock. The Lawless was harsh and cruel, but this? Talking about the slaughter of dozens as if they were a second thought. To have been reduced to nothing more than a madman's pawn. To be exposed in the growing cold winds, barefoot and powerless, with more guns than she’d ever seen aimed in her direction. Yes, the time for sane thoughts had long since passed.

She hurt.

She hungered.

She drew weary from the constant surges of adrenaline.

She wished it to be over.

“What do you want?” called out the chieftain, his words more growl than human.

Midstep, North paused in his retreat, halting Suyin along with him.

“It is simple, really,” he said with mild interest, “Nothing too drastic to be of much inconvenience. We want a vehicle with enough room for four, what’s left in this duffle bag…” he gestured to the half empty bag of marko in West’s hands “...and this woman. One life in exchange for the rest.

“What?” Suyin exclaimed as her stomach dropped, but there was barely a moment to protest.

“Fine,” the chieftain agreed with a grimace, avoiding Suyin's dazed expression.

He had done it so easily!

Her life sold without a moment spared for consideration.

The trembling returned, this time of her own making, and Suyin found herself struggling to remain on her feet, let alone be strong enough to prop up the evil man still draped over her shoulders.

“WAIT!”

The outburst had come from one of the chieftain’s men, his rifle abandoned, his arms held high above his head as he separated himself from his baffled compatriots.

The vetala looked to him.

And so did Suyin.

He was young, maybe not even in his twenties, with both his beard and collection of scars still yet to fully take hold. Tall, well built, and holding a steeled determination in his eyes, he stepped into the lines of fire.

“Please wait,” said the boy showcasing his empty hands as he made no attempt to attack or flee. “Please… let me take the woman’s place. She is innocent, and has no part in any of this. Whatever happens should stay between you and—UUUUUGHghghg…”

The boy hadn’t even finished his sentence when West walked over and headbutted him straight on. His nose broke instantly, blood gushing everywhere as he collapsed where he stood. By the time his face hit the bank’s steps, he was already out cold.

“We are no longer accepting volunteers, I’m afraid,” North emphasized as West returned to his side with now every stunned rifleman staring at him.

He’d knocked out the chieftain’s soldier in a single blow! With his head no less! Revolver empty or not, the strange vetala was dangerous. Exceedingly so.

The thought of running crossed Suyin’s mind.

She was close enough to the chieftain and his men that if she could do so for only a couple seconds, she was bound to reach safety.

They would protect her then.

Right?

The press of a cold hard barrel against Suyin’s back rejected the notion. Ripped away from North’s side by West, the demon-vetala named East slipped under to take her place. Blood speckled West’s black and white mask as it collected around his opticals before streaming down his chin and dripping off as if he were crying. Holding Suyin close against his chest, he directed her away from the blockading officers and back up the steps.

In time, a car was provided. A rusted dreadful thing that creaked and moaned as it pulled up before the bank. The terozeno met all the requirements of the demanded transportation… but only by a bare minimum.

North, who’d been waiting patiently with his partners in crime, bowed before climbing into the driver's seat.

“May we never meet again,” he called to their dejected onlookers.

As the vetala leader’s extravagant performance came to a close, West directed Suyin to the other side of the terozeno, whereupon he opened the rear door and shoved her inside, slamming it behind her. The car’s interior was a grimy, ill cared for dump, the remnants of what seemed to be more than a few meals scattered about beneath the moth-eaten seats. There was also a distinct aroma of sweat, and several collections of dark blotches were visible along the lower back of each of the upholsteries.

A second later both West and East climbed inside, the doors yet to fully close as the car sped into motion.

Reality blurred.

As the downtown gravel streets of Charklik gave way to the sparse housing of the surrounding fields of millet and barley, the intense rumbling of the car and the weight of the remaining duffle bag—now only a third full and unwillingly placed atop her lap—brought Suyin into a trance of sorts. She expected to die at any moment as East now held her at gun point from the seat beside her.

Would the vetala abandon her body alongside the road for the vultures and foxes to scavenge? Or would they dispose of her discreetly, with Suyin never to be seen again?

You are going to die, came the little voice dwelling at the back of her mind. Suyin knew that this time it spoke the truth.

To vanish amongst the dune seas and rocky canyons was a common enough occurrence. Most of the time a child or woman would go missing, but every so often even the sturdiest and fittest of men were plucked from the comfort of their beds. The lucky ones were sold into slavery, the rest left for their bodies to be found in whatever gruesome state they’d been abandoned.

To her own surprise, Suyin found herself praying for death. She had never thought herself to be that brave, or stupid, but even as a woman of the night, she knew a life in chains was a fate worse than death.

She was lawless.

She was—

The terozeno came to a screeching halt as the car shook and rumbled under the sudden stop. Duffle bag still in her lap, Suyin was tossed straight into the back of the driver seat’s headrest, her nose smashing hard against the soft material and bringing with it the sudden need to sneeze. Before she could recover, the door on her left swung open. Light flooded the inside of the car as a hand grasped her wrist and yanked her out onto the dirt in a single effortless motion.

Bewildered, Suyin’s vision spun within the dust scattered from the car’s sudden stop.

This was it.

In the end, she was useless to them.

She shut her eyes and waited for the bang of the pistol, hoping that the deed would at least be painless.

Her life had been a miserable one, perhaps her next would fare better.

But instead of a gunshot, there came the familiar thud of a bag filled with marko being tossed onto the ground.

“I am afraid this is where we part ways, beviri,” North called from inside the car.

Suyin opened her eyes.

Before her, West stood at her feet, looming blankly over her as his leader spoke out from the driver seat’s rolled down window. The bag of marko she’d been forced to carry had been tossed in her direction.

“It is not much I am afraid,” North gestured to the duffle bag. “Even for a troupe of our size, there is only about enough for a single person to live off of for about… oh, I don’t know… a month? Or invest.” He shrugged from the driver's seat, “Oh well, you win some, you lose some. Right, Miss Suyin?”

Suyin stared dumbfounded at the man who, up until moments ago, had held her hostage.

“Right…” was all she managed to say as she looked to North, then West, to the bag, and then back to North.

“Exactly,” proclaimed a satisfied North, the lower half of his mask slipping back on as the dirty driver-side window raised and the electric engine of the terozeno was put back into action.

It was impossible to believe, but it seemed they were leaving her. With the money?!

Suyin's train of thought was severed yet again as West crouched before her, just as he had done when he’d come across her hiding beneath the desk.

The vetala removed his blood-stained mask.

“Take the bag and hide it somewhere close,” he instructed. “The soldiers will be following us and will come across you sooner or later if you stay on this road. Do not tell them about the money. They will take it from you, and most likely, they won’t be as forgiving as we were.”

Suyin nodded, for that was all she could manage.

She had heard the words but found her voice too weak to respond.

West, a man she had assumed to be a netushita, was a horror unlike anything she’d ever seen. Under the shadows of the desk, she thought it had been an illusion, but with the golden rays of dusk there was no mistaking it now.

His pink beanie had been pulled back, further exposing more of his silver-white hair, which, in the evening light, almost appeared translucent. His vile scarless skin pristine, neither flushed, or sweaty, or displaying any other effects of physical exertion.

And his eyes.

His eyes—if that’s even what they were—were black pupil-less marbles, devoid of any life or humanity to speak of. Somehow, no matter how the rest of him appeared, something in Suyin instinctively knew that the man before her was truly too far gone. A cursed vessel already consumed by his mask.

West watched her for a moment longer, black eyes unrelenting in their cold examination. Then, he made his way to the passenger’s side, pausing one last time as he turned to Suyin from over the car’s roof.

“Oh, and if you tell a single person—anyone at all—about what we did for you, or which direction we left in…” He raised his bloodied black-and-white mask so it faced Suyin directly, giving it a little shake for emphasis. “Or what you saw behind this… I will know. I will tell them,” he pointed to the other vetala in the terozeno. “They will find you, and no one will ever hear from you again.”

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Unuopa: A fist sized standard 15kwh battery (also known as a single) that formed the economic foundation for the Lawless societies of Asia. Impossible to manufacture from within, the relatively mundane item found new purpose in the technologically starved Lawless, leading to it being often smuggled in through the border towns of neighboring sovereign nations.

Venkay pregin: Komuna idiom with no direct one-to-one translation, roughly meaning “Come and take it.”

Terozeno: A compact four door car (often repurposed from the many scavenge wreckages of the Lawless, or illegally traded Sovereign models) that superficially resembled an off-roader variant of a turn-of-the-millennium A.D. hatchback.