“Ramona Esmeralda Angelina Valentina Cassandra Morales … long time no see!” One of the men took of his hood and Alex immediately recognized the crooked nose of Cesar Perez, “Did you really think you could run away after the stunt you pulled back then?”
Cesar had aged a bit, but similar to the other Qi masters he didn’t crumble under the weight of years – exactly the opposite – even here, after traversing hundreds of kilometers he looked energetic and fresh. The bad news were the other seven men seemed as easy as him signaling they were also Qi masters.
“You look good, Cesar.” Alex spoke while smiling back and trying to think of a best way out of this predicament, “What brings you to these parts?”
“Hahaha! You seriously have a nerve to ask that!” Cesar dryly laughed, “There is no place in the world you could hide from me for what you have done!”
“You give me too much credit.” Alex shook his head, “Jacobo already knew you were traitors and it was only a matter of time till your heads rolled. I didn’t do anything special.”
“I see your tongue is as glib as back then.” Cesar laughed again, “But there is no chance for you to talk your way out of this, little girl!”
The two brothers were curiously listening to the conversation, but after Cesar’s last words they froze in shock. ‘Little girl’? They haven’t seen real females after their escape and knew of them only from Alex’s stories, but to think he also was one! Alex, to avoid unnecessary complications, all these years didn’t tell his real gender and since he thought like a guy it was easy to fake being a male.
“But I must say, if I didn’t know for sure you were here and if you didn’t speak, I wouldn’t recognize you.” Cesar spoke again. The three people in the cave were cornered rats and there was no rush – he had waited for this moment for a long time.
“How the hell did you become such an ugly f*ck?” He asked.
While Alex was not bothered with such provocation, Cash almost jumped at the man, but luckily Tango guessed his intention and held him back.
“Oh? I see you got a couple of kids!” Cesar was not upset his taunt didn’t work and continued to tease, “I thought you were against the marriage. And how did you actually have them? Did you rape someone? I doubt anyone willingly f*cked you with that ugly visage of yours.”
“You seem to be really worked up.” Alex smiled back a hideous smile, “Back then you were calm and collected, but now bicker like an old lady. Hard to believe a Qi master of your status could behave like this.”
“Hahaha! My status? You don’t know sh*t, little b*tch!” Cesar laughed back in a sullen tone. In fact, with every next sentence his laughter became increasingly bitter.
Alex had no idea why, but for now he had no clue how to escape thus played along, “Why don’t you tell me? It’s not like we are in a rush, right?”
“Right … right …” Cesar suddenly calmed down and Alex’s heart even skipped a beat feeling an ominous premonition, “We’ll have weeks, no – months to talk. I’ll do my best to keep you alive for as long as it’s possible.”
“Mhm.” Alex nodded still outwardly calm, “I guessed as much. But from what it looks like you are still waiting for someone. Someone who’s not a Qi master, right? Or they are, but a weak one?”
Brothers looked at Alex in surprise and so did Cesar.
“I see you’ve become smarter than you were a decade ago.” The latter said, “Well, I guess it’s no wonder … even though you had a knack for scheming, you were really stupid back then.”
“How so?” Alex smiled again.
His brain was working in overdrive, but no matter what scenarios he thought of, none ended good for him thus the only thing he could do was to drag time.
To not become an animal again, he didn’t want to commit suicide by destroying his own heart and even if he did, there was a slim chance the man Cesar was waiting for had the ability to restore it. In fact, he read of a such miraculous Qi healers when he worked for Gael. In addition, he didn’t want for the boys to suffer even in case his own suicide was a success.
“You know, Ramona? You could’ve become the queen!” Cesar said and took a step towards the trio, but Alex and the two brothers similarly took a step back at the same time, “Hallancia kingdom was to be ruled by the Perez family!”
Alex, obviously, was inwardly shocked by the statement, but it didn’t show on his scarred face, “You’re pulling my leg, Cesar! There are no strangers here, you don’t have to pretend to be all high and mighty, you know? Perez family had always been country bumpkins from a backwater province.”
“Hahaha!” Cesar was not so easily provoked, only his bitter laugh suddenly returned, “That is why I’m telling you – you don’t know sh*t! Hundred and fifty years ago Bautistas usurped the throne while wiping out the royal family, or so they thought. The few remaining ones, our ancestors, managed to escape and settled in the mountains. Later we officially came into being as the Perez family.”
“So you revolted and took what you thought was rightfully yours.” Alex nodded in understanding, “But explain me one thing – why in the world you had to kill tens if not hundreds of thousands of citizens, including women and children? Doesn’t your kingdom need taxpayers?”
“It’s simple – we didn’t need anyone who could remember the event and we acted just like Bautistas hundred and fifty years ago. Of course, we just cleansed the region around the capital since it is as you say, the kingdom needs its people.” Cesar nonchalantly shrugged, but Alex felt the temperature in the cave dropping from the killing intent the two kids radiated.
To divert their attention, he quickly spoke, “Alright, although it’s completely moronic, there is some kind of logic behind it. But tell me – who are we waiting for? Who’s the ninth man in your group?”
As expected, Tango immediately focused his attention at the entrance, while Cash took few deep breaths, calming himself gown. Alex inwardly nodded – the two boys had learned well – the many drills during the past years had not been for naught.
“Oh? You really are a nosy one!” Cesar grinned, “But that’s to be expected from a girl – for some reason I keep forgetting you are a woman looking at that ugly face of yours. Alright, I’ll tell you – but first you’ll have to satisfy my curiosity and tell me in detail how you lost your beautiful looks – I want the full story!”
“Sure!” Alex plainly said, “In fact, there is nothing much to tell – during my escape from the capital I bumped into a burning wall and got badly burned. That’s it.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“But you’ve worked with Gael for many months! Don’t tell me you didn’t know any methods on how to heal your wounds without … well … becoming an ugly f*ck?” Cesar asked, but then laughed, “Hahaha, it can’t be you thought it would change your appearance enough and no one would find you?”
“Nah.” Alex waved him off, “I just didn’t bother. Since when the looks mattered to a Qi master?”
“Hmpf! So what if you’re Qi master?! You’ll still …” Cesar began saying something, but then abruptly stopped and turned towards the cave’s entrance.
Simultaneously Tango whispered, “Ninth!”
Indeed, a minute later another man with a larger shoulder bag arrived. Alex didn’t recognize him, but the medicinal aroma from the bag was very distinct. Apparently the person responsible for finding them arrived. Also, he probably will be responsible for keeping Alex alive during the upcoming months. He definitely had to die.
“So this is the man who found me?” Alex asked Cesar with a smile.
“Why do you think it wasn’t me?” Cesar grinned back.
Alex shrugged and said, “It’s just a common sense. You are a strong Qi master, but only in regards to combat. That guy, over there is a Qi master of different sorts.”
“Sigh … you’ve would’ve been a good queen!” Cesar sighed and shook his head in disappointment, “You have sharp eyes.”
Before Alex could interject that it was only a logical conclusion, Cesar continued, “This is our royal clairvoyant. Indeed, his Qi abilities are very unique. Luckily, as the prime minister, I was able to employ him with this task that was bugging me for years. Do you want to know how he found you?”
“Not really.” Alex shook his head. He finally formulated the plan and didn’t need to drag the things out anymore.
During the conversation the sun was already behind the horizon and it was dark enough for the two boys to escape. He, on the other hand, will have to stay here. In addition, he really wasn’t interested in the clairvoyant’s skills since no one would actually teach him any, but he knew some people had those – just like cardinal Theodor in his last life.
“Alright!” Cesar also had spoken enough. He gave a plain command Alex was waiting for “Tie her up and kill the kids.”
Immediately four hooded men who until now stood motionlessly, took a step forward, but in the next instant appeared in front of the trio.
If this was five years ago, Alex would’ve been completely helpless against them, but now the bamboo stalk from his back disappeared and in the next moment penetrated the eye of one of the attackers and drilled deep into his skull. Alex didn’t stop and managed to kill another one in a similar fashion, while the remaining one evaded Tango’s thrust and jumped few steps back.
Alex smiled at the boy and said, “Nice one!”
Indeed, the oldest brother managed to kill one of the attackers who currently was convulsing in agony at his feet, but Tango was not satisfied with his performance.
“One got away!” He hissed through his teeth.
From Cash’s perspective everything happened too fast and the only thing he could do was to grind his teeth in anger at his own weakness.
“Calm!” Alex commanded and the younger brother immediately took a deep breath calming himself down, at least outwardly.
“Clap, clap, clap!” Cesar suddenly clapped his hands, applauding the performance, “Amazing! You have grown a lot, I must say. Where did you learn such move? I studied Qi techniques for decades and never seen anything like this. Nah … it doesn’t matter … what matter’s is – can you do anything else?”
After saying this, Cesar drew his sword as did the rest of the men, except for the one who came last.
“Change of plans.” Cesar said, “You can chop off her hands or legs – I don’t need her in one piece. If she tries to kill herself – Flavio, you know what to do!”
“Code ‘red’!” Alex softly said with a smile, “Take a good care of him, Tango!”
Cash froze hearing his words, but his brother grabbed him and in a lightning speed pulled in the depths of the cave. Although he hoped it wouldn’t come to this, he already expected such outcome.
In fact, when he became a Qi master, Alex had a long ‘man to man’ talk with him, explaining that one day someone really strong might come looking for him and brothers would have to leave and survive on their own. That was when to the codes ‘yellow’ and ‘orange’, the code ‘red’ was added.
“Two of you, after them!” Although momentarily surprised, Cesar quickly recovered and commanded.
Except for the clairvoyant, the remaining five men, including Cesar, jumped at Alex. He had no clue which two were feigning their attacks intending to chase brothers, but he didn’t intend to stop them anyway. His months of working as a poisoner’s apprentice would’ve been for naught if he didn’t prepare for this day.
Only he and the boys knew the only safe route through the cave system and even that was filled with poisonous traps. Of course, Tango will maneuver through quickly and safely – they have drilled this exercise quite a few times. Cash didn’t really enjoy those drills, but hopefully he will finally appreciate them.
While the five men targeted different parts of Alex’s body, not only he didn’t try to stop them from advancing deeper in the cave, he didn’t even try two block any of the thrusts and slashes. Fully focusing on his footwork, he revolved Qi in his legs directly dashing towards the ninth man, the clairvoyant who leisurely observed the fight from the entrance.
One of the attacking swords penetrated Alex’s abdomen while another directly cut off his left hand, but before the attackers realized his true intent, Alex already stabbed the clairvoyant in the neck. The man spasmed few times and lifelessly dropped on the ground.
“You! B*tch!” Not only his assistants, even Cesar froze in shock seeing Alex’s decisiveness. His actions didn’t make any sense to them since not only he just got grievously crippled and thus had no more hopes to escape, he opened the path for them to catch the two boys as well!
“All of you! What are you gawking at?! Get them! And bring them back alive! I’ll skin the two and make her watch it!” Cesar hissed in anger at his subordinates and when they instantly disappeared in the depths of the cave, he turned to Alex again, “You little b*tch! You just can’t help yourself, can you? You just have to create trouble everywhere you go?”
“Hahaha! What exactly did you did you expect me to do?” Alex laughed back.
The burning pain in the abdomen was excruciating and his vision already swam from the blood loss, but there was one more thing he had to do before leaving.
“Just how stupid are you?” Alex continued while putting the bamboo stalk on his back and bending knees again – he obviously was getting in the attacking position again, “My guess is … dumb as a wood … would be a compliment! If you’re still able, in a few moments you’ll hear the screams of your men!”
With the last words he dashed towards the Cesar who parried his slash only to receive a spray of blood in his face. For some reason Alex didn’t have his bamboo weapon in the hand and Cesar’s parry cut off his remaining one. But just before that Alex managed to break some kind of a leather ball filled with a foul smelling substance inside and the contents together with Alex’s blood washed over him.
“Hahaha! Moron!” Even though his trick drained every last bit of his strength, Alex still managed to laugh in the Cesar’s face, “I was poisoners apprentice! … river hemlock … we have plenty of it in these parts … to extract the essence … is not that hard …”
Cesar saw Alex collapsing, but his vision turned black as well. He dropped on his knees, but couldn’t move a muscle. Even when he heard the agonizing screams of his men, he couldn’t shout for help or to command them to return.
Was he really a moron? He had no idea how he lost this trivial battle, in fact, he questioned himself if it was already lost from the start when he arrived at this damned place, obviously overconfident. What baffled him the most was the ugly smile on Alex’s dying face and his last words: ‘I really hope I will finally able to learn some real Qi applications!’. Wasn’t the b*tch dying? Or were those hallucinations of a dying woman?
But Alex indeed had this wish. He was not worried about Tango and Cash – he taught the two boys well. Whether they would seek revenge at the current king of Hallancia kingdom was their own choice. It would be against his advice anyway.
Feeling his consciousness fading away he made the last-ditch effort to concentrate on the prospects of his next life – to be born in the world with more advanced Qi techniques so he could learn those.
He had this idea after being born in Morales castle. When cardinal Theodor executed him last time, he wished to be born in a more influential family to have a better starting point in the next life. Even though his mother was not much brighter than the previous one, he was born as a noble and it didn’t take long for him to connect the dots – it was highly likely that ones thoughts or effort at the end of the road could paint the setting for the following life!
Wasn’t this obvious? If the cycle of rebirth was unending, then every next life was the continuation of the previous! And if he could somehow influence the next incarnation before dying, why wouldn’t he? That was the reason for the smile on Alex’s face before death that baffled Cesar so much – Alex was only expectant to see the result of his experiment!