Fae Fae’s Murderers have been arrested...or so it was told.

Martial Kim and Inspector Lee did not know if this was a twist of luck, or another detour along the road they are to travel. Regardless, they head over to where the murderers are being held, in order to the place in question to find the answers.

North Cloud City.

One of the top 10 major cities across the Jade Empire, if not a critical tourist attraction. It had all forms of entertainment, commerce, and power any rich person could ask for. A city that thrived off of armies of small and big businesses and operated by various influential clan and family names.

They always boasted they were the safest, if not cleanest, city in the Jade Empire. That it was even impossible to spot a single beggar loitering about in the fair streets!

In saying that, many call North Cloud City as a beautiful hive of vice and sin. Anything exhilarating in life could be found, touched, and bought in even the smallest of shadowed corners. There were also many services that were ‘supposed to shy away from the law’, kept well out of the honest eyes of the Emperor – but of course many major names would deny those allegations.

A city of dreams...or a city of nightmares. It all depends on who is visiting, and why.

Martial Kim and Inspector Lee raced on horses from the Capital to North Cloud City as fast as they could. What may have been a weeks travel cut down to less than a half, with very little sleep in between. Ignoring all the brilliant glitz and glamour the city was selling, they made a beeline for one location.

North Cloud Policing Station. One of the many constabularies that ruled the streets.

As Inspector Lee was a recognized member of the Imperial Justice System, Martial Kim let him take the lead in cutting through any red tape and point of access.

The young master in question was, after all, a regular owner of a tavern. A civilian.

Or in the eyes of the Imperial Law – a vigilante.

Martial Kim was among the many wandering martial arts hero who travelled the lands as knight-errants, riding on their own form of Code of Chivalry: to redress wrongs, bring justice to greed and corruption, punish the wicked, and avenge the innocent. Men and women like him operate in and out of the law without any legal affiliations to do what they believe is right without being yanked on a leash or anchored by red tape.

Mercenaries; bounty hunters; sell swords; ronins; or just free spirited heroes.

Given the fact such heroes can be Chaotic and Reckless at times, it is only obvious members of Law and Order would never give these vigilantes the time of day.

Martial Kim was used to such treatment, that is why he kept any friends within the law close at heart and with great respect. For only a few of them have open minds and ears to heed his suggestions, much like Inspector Lee or the Judge that deputized the young master.

Anyhow, the mentioned young master was too preoccupied to care about the glares and leers from the North City Police. He started to wonder many things such as: were the true killers really captured? Could it be a mistake in the system, or wrong profiling? Perhaps there had been a bit of a Butterfly Effect and the actions of the killer ended up being locked up?

Was it really that simple?

“Thanks a million friend,” Inspector Lee nodded to a North Cloud Detective before joining Martial Kim while on their way into the prison cell, “The crew here said they caught them early morning the other day, burning evidence. Once they found out about their connection to Fae Fae’s case, they sent us the message.”

Martial Kim nodded, “Did they say anything else?”

“Hah. Why don’t we get it straight from the horse’s mouth! Well at least one of them. The other bugger has a hanging jaw from the arrest. If you can believe it.”

Inspector Lee guided Martial Kim into the prison cell of the North Cloud Policing Station. If the world outside was heaven, then this place was definitely the hell of all hells.

Dust and smoke filled the room. Everything was made with ragged stone walls and rusted iron bars. Chains rattle on the wrists and ankles of the prisoners, many cut throats and the rotten of the rotten who work in the shadows of the city operation. Why, there were even some people who DARED to try their luck to become beggars locked up! They all made noise of displeasure, taunting, and screaming – just to make the guards life as miserable as theirs.

After walking through a maze of stone and iron cells, they were able to find the one they were looking for.

Two young men.

In fact, they wore a pair of uniforms that belonged to a well known Palanquin Taxi service that should be in the Capital City. They were all shackled up and tossed across the floor in a slump. They barely moved, making everyone wondered if they just died. Like twitching shrimps out of water.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Once they reach the iron bar, Inspector Lee tapped the rusted iron with the hilt of his scimitar, making a clang clang noise, “Hey, you two. Fae Fae. Ring a bell?”

The Palanquin Bearers thought to be dead – sprung to life! They lunged at the bars, not to attack anyone, but to scream for help and mercy. It was at this distance, the investigators could see their face clearly under the dim light.

Bruises filled their face. Cut lip, swelling eyes, punches and kicks staining their body with dust and blood. Even their uniforms got torn up. They were covered in leaves, straws, and other things. Both of them cling to the bars, screaming.

“Please! Let us go!” One of the Palanquin Bearers hollered, the one who didn’t have a broken jaw, “W-we’ve done nothing wrong! W-we’re not the murders! We’re innocent! Innocent!”

The investigators from the Capital exchanged glances, more concerned by how beaten up they were. Still, they could be the culprits. Otherwise, why else arrest them out of the blue? So Inspector Lee put on his bad cop face to make sure no one was lying to him.

“Hey, hey, HEY! Pipe down!” He barked, putting on a sneer, “It’s already loud enough with all this noise in the background, so don’t make me deaf!” He adjusted his belt to lean in towards the jail cell doorway. “Alright, spit it out. How did you kill Fae Fae?”

“I-it wasn’t us!” The Palanquin Bearer screamed on behalf of his partner, “We swear, we had nothing to do with her death!”

Inspector Lee snorted, “Is that so? Well I got news flash for you. I got the scoop from my buddies in this station. They found you at the border of Green Lion Valley. What were you both doing? You guys were burning up a Palanquin – YOUR Palanquin! No doubt erasing the evidence involved in killing Fae Fae! And when the North City Police tried to stop you – you both ran like rabbits! Tell me: how can I not take either of you as suspicious!”

The Palanquin Bearers shook their head and waved their hands around in objection. “No! It’s not true! We kept telling them, thousands and thousands of times, we didn’t set our Palanquin on fire! H-how could we!? I-it’s the only thing that could give us a living!”

“Hah! You say its not true, but a lot of people back home in the Capital all be pointing fingers at you lot! How you are smitten with Fae Fae, always saving yourselves to pick her up to and fro! Not to mention you guys were last seen with her BEFORE SHE DIED! So tell me – where in that logic screams you guys are hands free of all this!”

“Please! Sirs! Officers!” The Palanquin Bearers propped on their knees to kowtow over and over, “W-we’ve never done a terrible thing in our lives! We’re framed! Framed! You got to believe us! You got to listen to us! D-don’t just beat us around and force us to admit it like the others! We could never kill Miss Fae Fae! Never!”

The two Palanquin Bearers gripped at the iron bars, breaking down in sobs. Even in the dim light, Martial Kim could see their injuries were not only genuine – but excessive. A thousand thoughts came and go into his mind. Then he made a decision and whispered it to his partner. “Inspector Lee, could you ask the guards to let us in?”

“Wh-what are you serious!?”

After a bit of back and forth, Inspector Lee begrudgingly complied. After a North Cloud City prison guard opened the cell to the Palanquin Bearers, the Capital investigators walked in and let the door close up behind them.

It seems the cell where the Palanquin Brothers were shoved into had a couple of people. A con artist with a crippled hand, a drunkard slumped in the corner with vomit dripping out of his mouth, and this old geezer who sang about how much fun it was to evade taxes. Fortunately, they were the types to pay no mind to what was happening around them. They were in their own little world.

Martial Kim would kneel down to meet with the Palanquin Bearers, while Inspector Lee kept standing – poised to strike if any funny business were to happen.

The young master asked the two prisoners, “May I see your hands please?”

The Palanquin Bearers were shocked by this and gave each other confused looks. After some hesitation, they held up their hands.

“AH-HA!” Inspector Lee snapped with a laugh, “I knew it! Your hands are bigger than a pig knuckle! You touched that Dead Beat whatever! You’re the murderers!”

The prisoner’s hands were both swollen, a beet red, caked in blood, blackened across their fingers and wrists. Before the Palanquin Bearers could object, Martial Kim held up a hand to stop the allegations for a moment. He gave the prisoner’s hands a quick look over, inspecting it with medical eyes.

He then tugged on Inspector Lee’s pant leg, so both could lean in and whisper to each other.

Martial Kim uttered, “It’s not an allergic reaction.”

“What do you mean!? It’s red and big!”

“They’re swollen from being physically punished, to the point where every blood vessel in their palms and fingers have been destroyed and left blackened.”

“They’re prisoners!” mumbled Inspector Lee under his breath, “It’s only natural they get roughed around, especially fleeing arrest!...In...saying that.” He looks at the Palanquin Bearers, their bruises from head to toe “... Their wounds do look a little excessive, even for my standards. They don’t look THAT hard to pin down, you know what I mean?”

Martial Kim nodded, adding, “Keep an open eye and mind, good friend,” before he switched to the Palanquin Bearers.

“My name is Martial Kim.” He greeted, “I hail from Moon Tavern, back in the Capital. This gentlemen here is my companion, Inspector Lee. We are investigating Fae Fae’s murder.”

The Palanquin Bearers have this look of hope flashing across their gaze. They tried to reach out, to grab at Martial Kim’s sleeves, but their fingers were so injured they winced in pain just curling them.

It’s like their entire hands were stomped under the hooves of horses.

While Martial Kim had sympathy, he kept on a straight face, “You say you are innocent. However, I need you to tell me, word for word, what happened to Miss Fae Fae the time she was reported missing... And what lead you to this situation.”

The Palanquin Bearers quickly tried to express as many answers as they could, fearing they would be beaten up a second later. Martial Kim held up a hand and calmly said. “I promise, while we are present you will receive no further punishment... In fact, let me tend to your injuries. You must have suffered a lot.”

Was the truth buried under all the tears and wounds? Or else where?