"This is the spot, we should have the freedom to properly plan our moves from here."

Li Mei Yen raised her arm as she spoke, the slightly tense voice seizing up the limbs of the rest of the group. Now, the time for relaxation had ended and the time to earn their rewards had come. Li Mei Yen’s group was as aware of this as Yin Long was, the tips of their fingers quivering softly as they held themselves back. Greed was building inside them like steam, desires waiting to burst out in a magnificent and depraved rupture.

"Those buildings there, the odd circular ones, do you see them? Those are the Resting Stations, and the one closest to the south-eastern gate will be our target."

Li Mei Yen did her best to control herself, but Yin Long could still spot the faint vibrations that permeated her outstretched arm. He could practically see the murky black liquid drop out of her every pore, each drop glistening with waste. What stained him came from the world, so how could the world not be stained by it as well?

His eyes eventually slid away from the wastewater that would eventually be his, settling on the city that Li Mei Yen had set as their target. The city itself was located inside a sizable basin, stretching up along the incline on one side of it. Their group was currently atop the incline on the opposite side so they could see practically the entire city, it truly was an excellent place to plan their moves.

As for the city itself…

"It’s smaller than I expected."

The first populated place they had visited after falling down here was massive, it felt like it stretched out further no matter how far you went. This city however… it just felt normal. A normal size, normal buildings, normal roads. The only buildings that looked a bit out of place were the Resting Stations, completely circular buildings with a flat top, a single door for entry and not a single window. They were prisons, tombs more so than beds.

"Well duh, that’s just obvious."

Li Mei Yen pulled back her arm with a light scoff, it was probably the first time since they met that Yin Long had seen her do something that could be classified as rude. It seems as if she too was aware of this slip, quickly correcting herself with a subdued cough.

"Hmph, forgive me, I seem to have lost myself for a second. What I meant to say was that this city isn’t like Dawn’s Grace where anyone can settle down and make a living. It is far more common for cities to only allow the capable inside their walls, at least for permanent residency. Hence, most of them will naturally end up smaller by comparison."

She tried to smooth over her small slip, but the corners of her lips still held a small crease. Sometimes visible, sometimes gone, it seemed like she was still working on holding herself back. Each time the crease rose again, it was desire taking another step forward, each time it showed itself she was that much closer to getting swallowed by the darkness that swirled within.

For but a moment, her eyes drew Yin Long’s attention more than the city ahead of them. Within them, he still saw himself, fractured pieces shifting and morphing into the vague image she dreamt of. But at the same time, the her that was reflected in his own murky eyes appeared within her pupils. Swirling and churning, tossed about like a leaf during a storm, just barely managing to stay above the dark ocean beneath. But the fate of all leaves was to fall, so the clutches of the darkness were already nipping at the edges of the lonely leaf.

For a second, Yin Long felt himself drift away again within that sight, one leaf becoming hundreds as they scattered like dust. But just as his thoughts were about to fully drift away, an oh-so gentle voice crept into his ears and slithered down his spine, anchoring him to his painful reality.

"Sounds horrible, doesn’t it, Young Master? This is where all those abandoned by the world are tossed away, their second and last chance at life. But even here, they get tossed away. Only those who display worth are kept around, only those who can be abused are worthy. The rest are just fodder, trash to be thrown aside and stepped on. Think about how sad they must be, think about how miserable their lives are. And then us… Think about us, Young Master."

The voice was pulled straight from his memories, dredged up the past directly from his soul.

He knew. Truthfully, he did. Those cities and him… They were more similar than he would like to admit. He had never been abandoned when he stopped being useful, no, he was the one who did the abandoning. When a partner stopped being able to teach him anything, when an institution ran out of sparring partners, when an enemy ran out of moves, he abandoned them one by one and moved on.

They met. He left. They never met again.

Now that Lan Yun had brought it up, dredged the memories and ideas to the forefront of his mind, he couldn’t help but question himself. Would he do the same to Fang Yau? Would he do the same to Xiao Yin Yu? What about Jin Wang and Lan Yun? What about his sisters? In the end, would he abandon them too and truly become a solitary wanderer, a lone blade without a sheath?

"We… Must be better."

The voice slithered down his spine and coiled around his feet, each word becoming a chain that shackled him to the earth. His gaze slid down, his lips parting slightly as he looked upon the shackles that only he could see. He couldn’t even say that he felt anything about them… They were simply there, an anchor holding down an empty shell.

"Yes, we must be better."

The words rose from his throat like a curse and fell from his lips like wastewater, each drop becoming a mark on the chains. He was already praying for the lost and the suffering, a shackle to stop him from abandoning them was just right for him, wasn’t it?

"…Long? Focus, focus, we need you here. So focus and get a grip."

A voice tugged at him as he gazed upon his shackles, it seemed that not even these chains had been able to keep his mind from quietly shutting out the surroundings. If he kept it up then perhaps he too might end up like those Resting Stations, more tomb than man.

The chains faded away and his gaze rose, meeting Li Mei Yen’s eyes, a swirling reflection on the verge of breaking greeting him. Slight creases had popped up just beyond the edges of her eyes, a slight squint adorning them both. A small sweep of the others revealed that they were quite the same, albeit somewhat less adept at hiding it. His own eyes narrowed slightly to match them, his lips arching to match his eyes.

"Sorry, it seems I got lost in thought for a moment. I’m focused now, so please go ahead with the planning."

Li Mei Yen observed his gaze for a bit, but there was practically nothing she could read from those murky black eyes. The only thing she felt as she looked at them was a slight stinging sensation in the pit of her stomach, as if she was about to cry. But that sensation was quickly swallowed when she thought about the rewards they would get from pulling off this heist so she turned away to point at the Resting Station that would be their target.

"As previously stated, that one will be our target. It’s the one closest to any of the Spatial Arrays so a quick escape will be easy should they get the time to call for aid."

Li Mei Yen traced the air as she spoke, gesturing towards a small plaza tucked between some of the neatly arranged buildings. Apparently, even this place could be patched together by spatial arrays, linking both cities and people.

"Now, the inside will be a bit more… uncertain. The total number of guards will be uncertain, but they’re a decently large group so if we compare them to our own court then I believe that we can expect at least 25 guards, five by the entrance and then ten on each floor. Moving all the bodies is supposed to be impossible so I doubt that any of the guards will be terribly strong, we’ll take advantage of that to kill them as quickly as possible. Then, Yin Long, it’ll be up to you to turn the impossible into the possible. Once it’s cleared out, we dip, escaping should be easy enough."

Li Mei Yen spoke quite confidently, but in the end, she only spoke of uncertainties. Shouldn’t be too many. Shouldn’t be too powerful. Should be easy enough to escape. In truth, she knew nothing, she simply desired. The others in the group didn’t raise any objections, they too desired more than they feared. As for Yin Long, he did the same he had started doing for all that suffered and desired, he smiled and offered his hand.

"Yes, that certainly sounds like it can work. Let us go save the suffering souls."

The outstretched hand was grasped and the smile was returned, an empty facade and a distorted mockery temporarily facing each other.

"Alright, the plan’s settled on so we’ll start right away. Capes, hide them."

Li Mei Yen sprung into action immediately, hastily removing the white cape that was strapped to her back. The rest of the group quickly did the same, it would be far too easy to identify them if they wore it after all.

Once they were properly ‘dressed’ they made their way down the basin and towards the walled city, the south-eastern gate looming above them before long. Unlike the first city they visited, there were guards stationed here, keeping an eye on everyone that entered. Well, rather than saying that they kept an eye on them, it was more apt to say that they handed things over.

"Take one each. They’ll rupture in five days time and activate the traces of Qi that they leave on you so that we can find you, if you wish to extend their duration then you must seek the approval of the guard captain or the city lord."

Each person in the group had a stone forced on them, a glowing mark resembling a tick carved into each one. Yin Long felt a slight tingling the moment he touched it, that small moment of contact alone was enough for the stone to leave its mark for when it eventually ruptured.

"So this is how they keep track of those who enter. It’s quite sick, don’t you think, Young Master? Marked like sheep, the sickly and wounded get picked out of the flock and thrown to the wolves."

Lan Yun walked at Yin Long’s side as they entered the city, prodding the stone that he was still holding. She… had not gotten a stone. He had expected it, he had known it. But seeing it… seeing it made her figure shimmer and turn transparent for a short second before he rubbed his eyes to return things to normal.

"We’re close now. Get ready for anything."

Li Mei Yen’s voice tugged him away from Lan Yun, her voice so tense and heavy that it felt as if it would fall to the ground like stones. The Resting Station loomed only a short distance away, the shadow it cast felt almost pitch black as it stretched out, clinging to Yin Long’s feet like mud.

The door was closed and the entire area was silent, if there were any cards then they were probably on the inside so that they could ambush intruders. Li Mei Yen’s group checked the surroundings for a moment before stealthily drawing their weapons and creeping towards the door, so tense that none of them seemed to dare be the one to open it.

Compared to them, Yin Long was far calmer, or perhaps somber was the correct word. The building radiated solemnity and pain, it was as if the air around it was drenched in tears and ringing with screams. He could hear them, the cries of those within. Eyes that couldn’t see were looking right at him, screams that couldn’t be heard were calling to him.

This building was miserable. This building was suffering. This building was pain. And he, he had come to pray for it.

His gaze slid down after he finished looking at the quiet tomb, settling on a section that was a bit below his eye-level. He could feel it beyond there, he could see it. But this time it wasn’t because of Yin or pain or anything like that, it was simply space.

He lowered his hand and clutched the hilt of his blade, drawing it out as he sheathed the entire length of it with his Qi. Just bursting in and going wild, he would have liked to do that, it would have been a good learning opportunity. But when he looked at the girl standing next to him, prodding the stone she had never gotten, his guilt trumped his desire.

So he placed the tip of his sword against the cold stone exterior of the building and drew in a cold breath.

He pushed out the breath, his arm moving forward in tune with the air.

Metal scraped against stone as the tip sank into the building, piercing through it until it encountered something similar to mud. The Qi that coated the blade slid forward and vanished into the building, a subdued popping sound quickly following it.

Then, he simply drew back his blade, a bit more blood added to the already stained weapon.

The others looked at him quizzically, impatiently. So he stepped forward and placed his hand on the door handle, putting on a smile that wasn’t meant for Li Mei Yen’s group.

"There were seven, not five."

He pushed open the door as he spoke, the smell of blood rushing out to sting his nose, voiceless screams assaulting him. A bit of blood had already pooled on the ground from the fresh corpses, one with a hole in its neck and the others with blood that had ruptured out from their heads, It was for them that he smiled, and it was for them that he now prayed.

"Visrama."