A plate clanked loudly. I glanced over at the cart, and Jennifer, and she froze upon my look.

She gave me a tiny, sheepish, smile as she lifted the cup to her lips.

Looking away from her, I sighed as I stared down at the naked man.

He was on the ground, pinned. I had stuck the end of the shaft of my spear into his mouth, and throat. He was nearly choking to death as he wiggled around, trying to grab the shaft and free himself.

He couldn’t, of course. He hadn’t the strength to make it even budge, and he was quickly realizing it.

I pushed ever so gently on the spear. I ground it against the back of his throat for a few moments, and then lifted it a tad as to keep him alive. He coughed loudly, sounding as if he was about to throw up. Likely would in a moment. That was my plan, after all.

Breaking men like him was easy. Thanks to their status, their power, they rarely if ever experienced what it was like to be manhandled and abused.

I had killed his guards. Closed the doors, and locked them with one of the spears from the knights. I had already killed the woman he had been sleeping with. She was still in bed, sprawled out in a wild fashion. A thin sheet, that had originally been white, now covered her. It was red now, from her blood. I had thrown the other knight’s spear into her chest. It had almost gone all the way through her.

To give the man credit… he had responded rather quickly. When I had turned around, after pulling both of the fallen knights into the room, I had found him hurrying off the bed. He had run towards one of the balconies, likely to grab one of the weapons hanging on the nearby wall.

I’d not given him the opportunity of course. I had caught him, spun him around and slammed him into the ground within mere moments.

He let out a familiar groan of a scream. I lifted the spear, removing it from his mouth, and he immediately rolled over and hurled.

Jennifer groaned in disgust as we watched the naked king throw up. He had tried to sit up enough to escape the mess, but had only gotten to his knees and elbows.

The man hurled with such furor he had no chance to say anything, or scream for help. I even noticed some blood in the gunk he spewed, though I wasn’t sure if it was from my shoving the spear into his throat or from something else. If his bulbous belly was any indication, he likely had ulcers and stuff.

“My name is Vim,” I said as I stepped forward, and stepped onto the man’s back.

I sent him back to the ground. He let out a guffaw as he sprawled outward thanks to the force. His face, and upper body, got covered in his own mess as I applied enough pressure to his back to hurt him.

“Wait…! Wait!” he shouted in pain.

Although I didn’t continue to push down, I did stop increasing the pressure.

“Yes?” I asked.

“Please… please. I’ll pay. I’ll give you anything, just name it!” he shouted.

Ah. Typical. He thought I was a mere assassin, sent by his enemies.

Here I had thought by saying my name he’d recognize me. Maybe he knew of the Society, but nothing more.

“You think you’re rich enough to pay me?” I asked him.

He tried to put his arms under him, as to push himself upward… but I didn’t allow it. I kept enough pressure on his back to keep him firmly against the floor.

“Wait… wait…” he groaned, likely trying to think through the pain and shame.

Shame indeed.

“It’s smaller than you’d think, huh maid?” I asked Jennifer.

“Wha…!” she startled at being addressed, and the man twitched beneath my foot.

“Though I’m not being fair. Not many men can stay hard while about to die,” I said a little loudly.

His fists clenched as he tried to push my foot off again.

Smiling, I nodded.

Yes. Kings were always the same. Their great pride was always so easy to insult.

Insult his appearance was usually not enough… but here? Right now?

While lying naked in his own vomit and shame…?

I bet every word I spoke cut deep.

“Who are you…?” he said through clenched teeth.

“As I said. I am Vim.”

“I don’t know who you are…!” he shouted.

Although he was loud, I didn’t worry. The doors were thick and heavy. No one was nearby. The servants knew better than to bother their king during the night. I knew eventually the guards making the rounds would notice the two missing at the door, but I had time. Even if they noticed right now, they’d not be able to break down the doors quickly or easily. They had been made to be defensible as it was, let alone with me wrapping an iron spear around the handles.

“Well, someone does. It seems you pissed off someone important. Enough so that they’d hire me of all people,” I said with a sneer.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Oh…!” Jennifer made a tiny noise. She likely just realized what I was doing.

“Who? Who hired you? I swear I can make a better offer!” he said angrily.

“Likely not. You see they’re not necessarily normal. They don’t play by human rules,” I said, trying again to fish for what he knew and what he didn’t.

The king froze under my foot. All of his attempts at freeing himself ended as he turned his head enough for me to see his wide eyes.

“The Society…!” he whispered in shock.

Glad to have confirmation finally, I smirked as I pushed a tad harder. He flinched and groaned.

“It’s what they call themselves, occasionally, I suppose,” I said with a nod.

“Wait! Wait! Please! It’s not what you think!” he suddenly became very desperate.

“How so?” I asked.

The king let out a tiny whimper. It actually startled me a tad, and made me wonder if I had pushed a little too hard. My foot was upon his spine, maybe I had broken something. That whimper had been more than fear and shame, but genuine pain.

“Please… I thought it but a rumor. I didn’t mean anything by it, I swear,” he sobbed.

I leaned back a tad, but kept my foot upon him. The man had suddenly begun to weep. It made me feel bad, as if I was abusing a child.

“Huh…” Jennifer hummed as she watched. She looked absolutely fascinated.

“And what did you do then? They seemed rather furious,” I said, trying to get more information out of him.

“I just wanted to know…! Beastmen! I would have paid greatly for one of them, is all! I didn’t mean to get any of them killed or…!” he spoke quickly, and I quickly understood what had happened, and was happening.

The perverted king had just wanted a new toy to indulge himself with.

Keeping a sigh from escaping, I glanced over to the bed. To the woman I had killed.

So many deaths. For such a stupid reason. Why was it always for such ridiculous things? What happened to people killing for momentous reasons, such as the fate of the world and stuff? At least back then it had all made some sense.

“Please… Please I’ll never do it again, I swear…!” the king begged. He had covered his head and face with his arms. It was disgusting, since they were covered in his vomit.

“Where’d you hear about them?” I asked.

“Huh…?” he sniffed as he lifted his head ever so slightly.

Lifting my foot off him, I stepped back a single step. The man at first didn’t move at all… and then slowly turned. Upon realizing I really had lifted my foot off him, and wasn’t about to kill him, he very slowly sat up.

Remaining on the ground, the naked and nasty man remained seated as he stared up at me.

“Where’d you learn about them? These beast men?” I asked.

He sniffed. “My nephew. He said a mercenary band had captured one in the south… He asked if I wanted to buy her,” he said.

Her…? “Why didn’t you?” I asked.

“I tried…! She died on the trip up here. I think my nephew killed her, the bastard, to spite me,” he said.

It took all I had to not kill him here and now, but I kept my cool as I crossed my arms and glared down at him. “Where’s your nephew?” I asked.

“Dead. He died in battle last month,” he said as he sat up straighter.

I studied the naked king, and wondered if he was lying or not. He didn’t seem like he was, at all, but that was what bothered me. He sounded too honest.

“He really is…! We just buried him, we could dig his grave up if you doubt me!” the man quickly said, likely noticing my doubt.

“Um… he did, Vim. They buried him next to his mother,” Jennifer then spoke up.

The king turned and gaped at Jennifer… likely surprised upon realizing she was even here. Did he not remember me insulting him through her?

“Who else was involved? Any of his men?” I asked.

“I… I think so. The mercenary band… well… the one who caught her, well…” he stammered as he rambled, still staring at Jennifer.

“What you want me to kill her too? Will another death make you more honest with me?” I asked him with a cold voice.

He sat up straighter again and shook his head at me quickly, yet said nothing more.

Jennifer glared at me from the corner of my eye, and I ignored her as I studied the man.

I believed him, regretfully.

It was usually how it happened after all. One of our kind got caught, and then rumors began to spread because of it.

But… who had it been? A woman from the south… It could be one of hundreds. The best I could do was hunt down this mercenary band. But how to get their name? This man didn’t know, likely because he didn’t care to. He had been dealing with them through his nephew. A man who was now dead.

“Who was your nephew’s direct assistant? His knight or accountant?” I asked.

“Oh! Right! Yes. Barrows. A knight of good standing, from a long standing family. He’ll know! Surely!” the king said, happy to remember for me.

I glanced at Jennifer, who perked up and quickly nodded. She knew of him.

Good. He’ll be my next target then.

“I’ve not told anyone else…! I hired some mercenaries to search for more, but nothing more. I swear. And I’ve not heard from them in months! I’ll not pay them another coin, I swear!” he told me.

Hm. Funny. I bet it was the same band Yangli and I had tracked down to that mountain.

“Their band name?” I asked.

“Crescent Light,” he answered.

Huh. It was.

Hilarious, in a way. He had hired a mercenary band with non-human within it to hunt other non-humans… had they known…? Had it all just been happenstance? If they had known Gribs and his crew had been non-humans too, why had they not captured them? As to sell them to this man? Gribs’s daughter had been beautiful. A perfect ticket to riches for them. This slimy man would have paid a king’s ransom for her.

“Please… please! I didn’t know. I thought it all a rumor. A joke by my nephew. I didn’t mean anything by it,” the man then said as he leaned forward, to grab at my legs.

I allowed him to grab onto my pants, even with his filthy hands.

He had likely noticed my thoughts. Or rather, where they had been leading. Thinking of Gribs and his family being slaughtered as they had was infuriating. Whether by his design or not, he was involved.

Odds are the man was being genuine with me. He was being a typical human. A typical man with power and wealth.

He had heard a rumor that tickled his fancy… and as such threw some money at it. Even if he doubted it, he was wealthy so it really didn’t cost him anything.

Yet whether he believed it or not, didn’t matter. He had done it. He had tried to find my people.

And if in the off chance he had succeeded… well…

The king looked up at me with a pleading look far below his station. “Please, sir. I’ll pay you, or them, anything they want. I’ll make it right. I can do that,” he said.

Staring down at him, I glanced over at the bed. To the woman.

In another scenario… that wouldn’t have been his cousin, but one of my own people.

“You know what…?” I said.

His eyes went wide.

“I believe you. I really do,” I said.

Those wide eyes became blurry.

Lifting the spear, I frowned at the king at my feet.

“But unluckily for you, I don’t believe coins can pay off sin.”