For a very brief time, Kai had hoped that the conflict might end without violence. But when he saw the behavior of the cultivators, he understood that they were playing by Zae Zin Nim's rules now. There would be no quarter given and begging for it would only lead to mockery before death.

When Zae Zin Nim cried out to him, begging for him to help, he knew what had to be done. More than anything, she wanted to stop her sect from informing her father. It might only buy them time, but it was better than the alternative... and it was her request, so he sprinted after the fleeing ship. She had come out of hiding to save him and he couldn't do any less for her.

The flying ship would have outpaced him over time, but Kai threw the remainder of his stamina into catching up. As soon as he was within range, he began drawing on Infernotoad's Burst. Not knowing how well-defended the ship was, he poured in every ounce of strength he had left.

It was more than enough: the vessel exploded in all directions and the cultivator's soul evaporated.

He fell back into a seated position to catch his breath. The battle against Omilaena, then her poisons, then the cultivators, then the chase... Behemoth's Heart could keep him moving through it all, but his body ached viciously. Worse, he had drained his reserves so thoroughly and those would take time to be restored. At least they had eliminated all their opponents, assuming Zae Zin Nim would win her fight.

"You killed them all, then?" Suortril hovered up beside him, his face absolutely blank.

"That's all of them." Kai wanted to shout out that Suortril didn't have anyone to betray him to anymore and managed to hold his tongue. He was at his weakest and couldn't afford the risk.

"This is nothing but trouble, but nothing new," Suortril said, not particularly looking at him.

Was he planning to act like the betrayal hadn't happened? Shifting sides that easily? Kai wanted to attack him, but knew the merchant's defense would make that useless. No, his best move would be to undermine Suortril in front of the other merchants. Explaining his betrayal probably wouldn't mean anything to them, but maybe he could turn the trouble with Cloudspire against him...

Yet the way Suortril was hovering there with his arrogant sneer, not even touched by the dust. Kai knew he should probably wait for Zae Zin Nim, but he couldn't leave it alone.

"I have to ask you a question." Kai ignored the pain and turned to face the merchant. "Is it true that there's a class of people forced to work in the mines their entire lives?"

Suortril stared at him, then gave an odd little smile. "Outsiders accuse us of that, but it isn't so simple. Some societies punish criminals by imprisoning them, others execute them... we send them away to work off their debt to society. A few are harmed, but you've seen the results. Can you deny that Krysal offers a better life to its citizens?"

Kai wanted to argue exactly that, but he was exhausted and it was true that he didn't have all the information. Suortril turned away from him to examine the wreckage. "As per usual, crystalliers are so inconvenient. It doesn't matter what land they come from or what they call themselves, they're always ruining well-laid plans with their impulsiveness. Shame that they're a necessary part of our world."

"Well, this is done for now. We got all four of the Brightwind cultivators."

"You misunderstand me."

Pain shot through Kai's shoulder and he was flung to the ground. He managed to twist to his back just in time to feel the wooden lance land on his chest and push him down. Terrible energy he couldn't identify flowed out of it, and in his current condition, there was nothing he could do to resist.

"I could have just executed you and appeased them," Suortril said mildly. "But you've ruined one of my most profitable business relationships. Now I'm afraid I'll have to do worse."

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"You don't have to do anything." Kai managed to grab the spear with both hands, but it was clearly another artifact and it resisted him. "You think that if you kill me, that will appease whoever comes next? It was all a setup in the first place and you know it."

"This has nothing to do with that. Oh, I'll need to deal with their superiors in time, and that will be a headache. Clearly you had nothing to do with the theft, but you did kill my contacts. Do you have any idea how much trouble I had to go through to build a business relationship with Cloudspire? All ruined thanks to your personal nonsense."

Kai opened his mouth, planning to bite the spear, when another wave of energy rushed into him. This time it made his entire body convulse and he threw his head back with a choked scream. Suortril smiled narrowly and pushed the spear a little harder into his chest.

"You might think you're the hero of some adventure, but you're just an inconvenience." The merchant shook his head slowly. "All you've accomplished is producing a very negative line in my ledger. That's going to annoy me for years to come, so... you should suffer those years as well."

With the last of his strength, Kai managed a claw... and it glanced off the glimmering prism.

Suortril reached into one of his cloth wraps and withdrew something that looked like a glowing blue coal. When he dropped it onto Kai's chest, the pain intensified. All his soul was locking up, the monsters within him roaring, as the coal began to sink inside him.

"I'll admit, this part is personal. I love seeing warriors realize that their strength means nothing in the end." Suortril leaned forward and his eyes lit up, glittering like coins. "What you're feeling is an expensive little item from Rosemount. It passes through your soul and destroys everything you've created, bit by bit. Tragically I can't use it on just anyone, since your souls usually defend themselves, but thankfully your type often exhausts themselves."

"I fought..." Kai gagged on blood and struggled to get out the next words. "For Yulthens..."

"You think I care about Yulthens? It's just an arena, just a resource. Your type is always fighting for these wild causes, not understanding anything of the real stakes." Suddenly Suortril's smile widened. "You complained about the workers in the mines? That's a suitable end for you, better than death. If you're so concerned about them, you can go see yourself."

The lance came down, and combined with the blue coal, Kai screamed out in agony. He could feel the power from the lance tearing through his body now, ripping apart his muscles. Suortril wasn't strong or even particularly dexterous, but all he needed to do was wave the lance and it shredded Kai.

"In my time, I've had a little practice with disabling crystalliers permanently. After this, you'll never cultivate again. Just walking will be agony, much less fighting. Every moment of suffering, every agonizing step, I want you to think of me and remember how meaningless you are."

Though the words continued, Kai couldn't hear them over his own screams. Eventually the pain became too great, yet the darkness contained no mercy.

.

..

.

For the first time in months, Kai dreamed of running through the wasteland. He was filled with that endless hunger, as if he wanted to eat the world. After drifting in those sensations for a time, his mind started to return. Zae Zin Nim had needed his help...

Despite the monstrous vision, he didn't think there was another incursion beginning. He was feeling a quieter and more subtle call within him, an echo of his fundamental monstrous essence. If he could work through it, he might be able to figure out something, because he had forgotten...

Suortril.

And agony.

The memories flooded back and Kai wanted to leap up, but he seemed entirely disconnected from his body. Once the vision faded he was drifting in pure darkness. He remembered the terrible damage that had been done to him and wondered how he could possibly have survived, or whether anything was left.

Since trying to push back to consciousness was useless, Kai began searching the darkness. He heard the thump faintly at first, then louder. Behemoth's Heart... his heart. Its power was pumping out, apparently disappearing into shadows, but it had to be going somewhere. Even if he couldn't feel his body, there were still strong connections.

Gradually he began to feel pain, and he welcomed it because he could locate it in his body. He still couldn't open his eyes, but sensations were returning... a hard surface under his back, hot still air around him, the light weight of a blanket.

When he tried to flex the muscles of his body, he could feel them respond. He ached a little, but they weren't torn apart as they should have been. Kai smiled as he realized that Suortril had made a fatal mistake: he treated all warriors as the same and had no idea that Kai would regenerate. His soul was intact as well, feral with monstrous energy. The agonizing coal had been swallowed whole.

Now, if he could just get himself up...

"Well fuck me, is he moving?"

"How is he alive?"

"Bring water! No, wait, maybe a spear!"

"That can't be the same man, can it?"

Kai finally sat up and opened his eyes. No nasty surprises greeted him: his body and soul were intact. But he found himself sitting on a ragged blanket in the middle of a dark cavern. All around him, Krysali men and women clad in rags stared back at him.