It wasn’t hard to track down Fae Fae’s Brother.
The man literally left a trail of bread crumbs in silver and gold coins, tips worth 50s and 100s wherever he went. So it was very easy for everyone to point fingers into the right direction. An establishment offering fancy rooms for the rich and luxurious.
It made Inspector Lee’s job simpler.
However, he wasn’t expecting the horror that was at the end of this bread trail.
“Wh-what the hell happened!? Did the man owe money to a hurricane!?”
Inspector Lee and his Constables barged into Fae Fae’s room. An entire presidential suite just trashed and totaled. The best tables money could buy split into expensive kindling, silk curtains costing thousands in silver torn up like a dog’s chew toy, and every bit of exotic vase and furniture just smashed recklessly across the floor and wall.
It was completely empty. Not a body or corpse in sight.
“Search the damn place, my gods!” Inspector Lee barked. He set his men to fan out across the large suite, checking everywhere. All the while the Inspector muttered to himself. “This is too much! Dead ends after dead ends, now this. Gods damn it all, does this man just fart trouble wherever he goes!?”
Inspector Lee kicked a broken chair into the wall to vent his frustrations. All he could do was grumble and lean against a wardrobe to try and sort his mind.
He didn’t realize even the wardrobe had it worse. One of the doors fell off the hinges and flopped forward across the ground like a stiff corpse.
Revealing a man tucked inside the cramped closet: Fae Fae’s Brother, hugging a rich looking flower vase.
“...THERE YOU ARE, RAT BASTARD!”
“SUCK IT COPPER!”
The Brother smashed the vase across the Inspector’s face and just booked it. He bounded out of the room, down the flight of stairs of the inn, leaving behind a trail of screaming women.
Because the man was stripped completely naked.
Fae Fae’s Brother was too impatient and ended up leaping down one flight of stairs after another. He was no martial artist so his landing was never as light or as graceful, but he had enough experience to bail out of high windows and leap over rooftops from chasing debts and cuckolded husbands to keep moving even with bare feet.
By the time he tackled through the exit of the building, he could hear Inspector Lee’s roar chasing ringing above him.
Fae Fae’s Brother didn’t want to be mean – but desperate times call for desperate measures.
So he ran, as far and as fast as he could. Where? He didn’t know. Although he knew the city streets like the veins on the back of his hand, he really didn’t have a clear destination in mind. He never bothered to buy a house before hand and he was the type to keep changing addresses whenever he felt the loan shark got his scent.
No sanctuary. And not like he could seek asylum in a Monk temple as a nudist!
So by the time he couldn’t run any more with his bruised and bloodied feet, it was already nightfall. Everyone went home earlier, that or they were not interested in seeing an ugly naked man running around being proud of his mess.
Alone...cold...maybe it was for the better, being alone that is. Cold though? Yeah no, he would very much like a coat or perhaps some fire to warm up to.
“Just my luck.” Fae Fae’s Brother cursed while chattering his teeth. “Just my god damn luck...Where’s my sister when you need her. Damn it girl, why did you have to go and get killed.”
Knowing Fae Fae, no matter how strict or tongue lashing she was – she always left a window to her brothel room open. In case her brother ever needed an escape from hard times like this.
A lump of sadness lodged in his throat, but he swallowed it down.
The cold was getting worse. Maybe he’ll just find a corner in the street or a beggar’s ground to stay for the night and survive. Then he’ll figure out what to do tomorrow. He thinks better after a good sleep...wine...and of course women...
“...Oh crap.” Just when he thoughts things were turning up, the last of his hopes were stolen at the sight of men and women suddenly surrounding him in the empty streets. They all approached him as he tried to weave out of the way or backed up. When he failed to walk away, the brother just groaned. “Okay look! Guys! Guys! I can explain! I know I’m overdue. Just give me a bit more time you, know I’m good for it! Give me two days and all the money problem would be over and you can all just...guys?”
Fae Fae’s Brother realized something.
These loans harks blend awfully well in the dark...Especially their masks....Oh crap.
“...LEE! INSPECTOR LEE! WHERE ARE YOU! HELP! HELP! HEEEEEEEEEEELP!!”
Fae Fae’s Brother ran away once more – this time pursued by several assassins! They drew their blades and chased him, like flying hawks to a stumbling pig. It didn't’ take them long to catch up to the ugly naked man and carve him up with their swords. Even with all his wits and cunning, he was no martial artists to dodge every attacks unscathed.
With a kick to the chest, his bloodied body fell into a puddle fill ditched and turn the mud water a dark red. He flailed as frantic as a dying fish out of a barrel, trying to save whatever life he had left.
“WAIT! WAIT! GUYS HOLD IT! I CAN PAY YOU TRIPLE TO KILL WHOEVER PUT THE HIT ON ME! I’M REALLY GOOD FOR IT! SPARE ME! SPARE ME!”
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
As the blade dropped onto the brother, he cried out, “FAE FAE! SAVE ME! PLEAAAASE!”
A dart made of snow shot through the night. It struck into the executing blade, deflecting it perfectly away from Fae Fae’s Brother. All eyes then turn to look to the rooftop, as a new voice called out!
“Pardon the intrusion!”
Martial Kim and Martial Yellow Sister arrived onto the scene! They dashed across the rooftops of the building before kicking off into the air and flying into the battlefield! They struck out, showering the field with exploding clouds of snow and dancing snakes of animated cloth to drive the enemy back!
The moment they landed, Martial Yellow Sister used her cloth to grab at Fae Fae’s Brother and reel him out of the fight like a fish from a pond. With a wave of her hands, she had her cloth bound and gag the man to the tree – safe and sound.
“Was that necessary my dear?” Martial Kim could not help a chirp.
“His voice gives me a migraine,” Martial Yellow Sister mumbled.
The assassins trapped in the cloud of snow and snake cloth quickly sheathed their blade. They gave their hilts a few methodical twists, as if twisting a dial on a combination lock, and drew their swords again.
A mechanism in their scabbard covered the blades in oil and sparks igniting ROARING flames across the metal edge. With a few coordinated slashes in the air, they melted off the snow and cloth around them to clear their vision.
“Stand down Fire Monkeys!” Martial Kim commanded in a booming voice. “This is the Capital and under the protection of Moon Tavern. Walk away now and we will not pursue you. You have my word!”
“Apologies, Moon Tavern,” The head of the assassins called out in a cold tone. “Once the gold is in our hands, there is no turning back. May the best warrior win.”
“...Very well. You have my full attention!” Martial Kim then summoned a sword made of magical snow and dashed forward with the flight of a swallow!
“Leave some for me!” Martial Yellow Sister bounded after her employer on her magical cloth like springs coils.
She tossed up her cane into the air to let some cloth and robes to wrap around it, extending and reinforcing it. By the time it caught in her open palm, she held onto a 10 meter long quarterstaff!
[Soul Silk Construct Formation – Miraculous Cloth Stick!]
“SHAAA!” Martial Yellow Sister brought down her 10 meter staff to strike into the ground. With all the combined magical weight, mass, and momentum, she ripped up the streets and split the earth in two.
This forced the Fire Monkey assassins to split up into two uneven teams.
It was enough for Martial Kim to fly in on jets of snow under his feet to take them out one by one. Even when they had the advantage of fire, melting his snow formations and attacks, the incredible speed and precision was beyond the reflexes of the Fire Monkey assassins to keep up.
Martial Kim flew through their ranks to slash at their wrist to disarm them, blast a cloud of snow to freeze them at the ankles and spin around to knock them out with a kick, and producing various snow tigers to block and cancel out flaming explosions around him.
In four moves, he was able to take down six of the assassins.
The other six got smarter. They quickly formed up into a tight group to avoid being split up. With a complex array of coordinated swordplay, they used [Flaming Cage 10 Blade Style] technique to make a burning defensive. The combined heat from their flames were well above the temperature of an iron furnace at full blast, thus it caused any snow attacks to disappear within 5 paces of them.
A force field of inferno.
Even so, Martial Kim continued his assault and dove down into a downward strike! His sword made of snow would evaporate on contact, but he pooled in his inner energy into his hands to keep rebuilding his sword over and over! Still no matter how much energy he had reinforcing his blade, he clearly was at an elemental disadvantage!
“Any time now, Martial Yellow Sister!” The young master smirked.
...CRAP! IT’S A DIVERSION!
“Watch your feet!” Martial Yellow Sister charged, driving her 10 meter cloth stick into the flaming forcefield!
Was she a fool as well? Her cloth would incinerate like cotton in an oven—OW! OW OW!
To their shock, the flammable cloth was able to penetrate their defensive! She struck at their feet and toes, causing them to stumble around in pain! But how!?
Martial Yellow Sister laughed as she withdraw her cloth stick, so she could dip the ends into the nearby puddles of water like a brush in a pot of ink.
Wet blanket bitches!
The blonde hair disciple continued her counter attack, smashing at their shins and ankles in to throw them off balance. It was enough for the assassins to lose their rhythm and drop their flaming defenses.
Just when they were prepared to counter a snow attack – they got ran over by a stampede of Constables.
“GET EM!” Inspector Lee and his crew arrived onto the scene in time to tackle the Fire Monkeys from behind. They trampled and dog piled them while twisting their swords out of their wrists to incapacitate them. “Hah! Not so high and mighty now eh, you damn rat monkeys!”
Inspector Lee grabbed on up by the collar and barked, “Alright talk! Were you the same guys who framed the Palanquin Bearers!? Come on, spit it out!”
Crack.
The sound of glass crunching could be heard. At first, Inspector Lee thought he stepped on glass, but after checking his clean shoes he was confused.
It was in this moment, Martial Kim realized what the sound was......too late.
By the time he checked the assassin held by the Inspector, the enemy was already bleeding from the mouth, eyes, and ears, skin turning blue and dark.
“Wh-what the hell!?” Inspector Lee gasped, “I-I swear I didn’t snap his neck!”
“Quick!” Martial Kim turned to the other Constables, “Tie their mouths before—”
Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack.
“NO!”
A series of crunching glass filled the air...One by one, the assassins subdued by the Constables slowly slumped over dead, bleeding all over the face. Some of them had broken pieces of glass shards falling out of their mouth.
Inspector Lee gasped at the sight, “Di-did they just eat poison!? A-are they crazy!?”
Martial Kim felt remorse filling his gut, “Fire Monkey Group are notable zealots to their cause. The one reason why they’ve never been caught, is times like this.” He eyes all the dead assassins who gave up their lives in exchange for perfect silence.
Martial Yellow Sister stared at it all. It wasn’t the first time she has been this close to death, but this...just made her sick to the stomach.
The Inspector dropped the dead assassin from his grip as he slapped a hand to his face, “All this? For a damn gambler?”
“Or,” Martial Kim uttered as he turned away from the all the dead bodies, “All this for an important client.” Seeing Martial Yellow Sister distraught, he would walk over and put an arm around her frail shoulders to console her, even covering her eyes to block out the rest of the sight to make her feel better.
“YOU!” Inspector Lee marched right over at the boar on the spit that was Fae Fae’s Brother bound and gagged to a tree. To start off the conversation, he punched the pig in the stomach with a beautiful right hook. “THAT was for smashing my head in! And this—”
And he added a hearty slap to the brother’s face. “—is for Fae Fae, you lazy piece of garbage!”