Chương 16: “Haven't You Ever Heard That Weeds Must Be Pulled Out By the Roots?”

Ch 16 "Haven't You Ever Heard That Weeds Must Be Pulled Out By the Roots?"

"That's cute. I love the kitty with claws act," the bald man with the dragon tattoo laughed, as did the two men circling out around the girls' sides. Amber Fang clenched the handle of her obsidian knife as the blonde latched onto her sleeve in terror from behind.

"Me and my boys here, let's just say we've declawed a few cats ourselves. Some of those cats had Qi like yourselves. In the end, we still got what we wanted," he smiled as his eyebrows sunk.

"I know what you are," Amber said. She could feel the mark on her palm burning. By now she was fairly certain it meant they were demons.

"Lovely!" the man laughed again.

"Then let's make it easy for you and your friend. Give us everything you've got. Make sure you don't forget all those little cultivation goodies. Then, you two get to go home tonight. Now, aren't we nice guys? That sounds like a great deal to me."

"Amber! Let's just give it to them!" Lulu cried quietly through a shaky voice as she clutched her guard's shoulder. She just wanted this to be all over.

"Thatta girl. Blondie's got a brain in her head. Of course, we'll have to search you as well. To keep you honest," the bald man and his boys smiled in a way that sent chills down Lulu's spine.

"Drop that knife, girl. Last chance." Amber felt a bead of sweat run down the side of her face. Her golden eyes flashed back and forth between the two other men slowly circling around opposite sides of the girls. The situation wasn't looking good. Not to mention that although Lulu had unlocked her Qi, she was not exactly a warrior. Any fight meant Amber would be responsible for three attackers and protecting Lulu at the same time.

"Otherwise, don't blame us for being rough, since you wanted to play with knives," the bald man said as the other men each drew a gleaming dagger that reflected the golden sunset's light.

"Amber!" Lulu whispered with a terrified tone. The bald man could tell the young caravan guard clearly wasn't about to back down.

"Seems like that's that then. Time's up!" The man on the right lunged forward first, reaching for Amber with a cold knife. She reacted quickly by stepping into his reach, her step breaking the blonde's grip on her sleeve. Her dagger flashed upward in a wild arc. The obsidian blade caught her attacker's extended forearm, opening a deep gash to send blood spraying across the alley wall. The man's howl echoed off the city's stone architecture as he dropped his knife and staggered backward, clutching the wound.

"Bitch!" Amber's heart hammered against her ribs, but she was focused.

"Don't be an idiot! Get her!" The bald man yelled. The other attacker moved with surprising speed, his knife cutting through the air in a horizontal slash. Amber dropped low, feeling the blade's passage disturb the air above her hair. She thrust upward from her crouch, but her knife scraped harmlessly off leather armor as he twisted away with a back step.

"Amber!" Lulu's yell cut the air. The other wounded man had circled around, his blood slicked hand reaching for Lulu's arm. A hostage would end this quickly, he knew. Lulu stumbled backwards and fell hard as she tried to avoid the attacker, hurting her butt on the hard cobblestones as he she yelled in pain. Amber jumped with a half spin and lashed out with a kick that forced him to retreat back. The second attacker charged from behind with a yell. The wounded man pressed forward again.

They had Amber trapped between them. Amber took a deep breath using Burning Sun. Calm down, s he told herself. Her Qi was flowing well. She was faster than them. They seemed to have Qi, but their stage was definitely not higher than hers. Her mark was burning, but they hadn't seemed to have any demonic powers. Perhaps it was just the bald man? There was no time to think. The attacks came in rapid succession. A fist aimed at her temple. A knife thrust toward her ribs.

She deflected the first, and parried the second, defending with her blade and striking with her palm. Deep inside of her, heat bubbled up as she called up her flame of Saint Tiger Qi in her abdomen. With a half spin her leg cracked out in a fierce horizontal arc. The man screamed as her heel spun into his side, crunching rib bones and bruising organs. Raging Tiger! She was stronger than them too! Amber spun into the second attacker's guard. Her fist rocketed in a devastating hook towards his face. Prideful Tiger!

The impact traveled through his jaw with sickening pops as the bone dislocated. The two men were hollering in pain, one a relatively sadder sight as his cries came through his disabled mouth parts. Something primal surged through Amber's chest. The prey had become the predator. Those who came to hunt her would know the terror of being hunted. The familiar savage anger of the Saint Tiger Qi. The girl's eyes flashed in orange glowing anger. Her pupils had narrowed to become black slits.

Amber flicked her arm with her obsidian blade in a horizontal arc. The knife bit into the first man's throat, opening a crimson smile below his chin. It wasn't a bad cut, a bit shallower than she had meant, but it had done the job all the same. The bleeding man looked at her in horror as a bubbled cry came from his bloody mouth in a way that haunted Lulu. Amber flicked her other arm.

Terrifying streaks of orange Qi sliced the very air, leaving four jagged and searing wounds upon the other man with the disabled jaw that extended onto the ground. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. His final scream died in a wet gurgle. The growing pool of blood beneath him reflected the orange light of her Qi, almost like fire. Neither had stood a chance faced with these last two attacks.

"Shit!" The bald man's face went pale. He had thought the girls were weak looking. The humble robes had concealed a little tiger!

"You're lucky I can't use my true power here! That luck won't be with you next time!" He turned and ran. Amber stood in the carnage, her chest rising and falling deeply. Her fingers maintained their death grip on the knife's handle. The orange glow slowly faded from her eyes. She began to notice marbled swirls of black mixed into the crimson blood staining the stone streets of Golden Sea City. Were they really demons? Amber knew she wasn't the best at sensing Qi, but shouldn't demonic Qi feel more.... demonic-y?

Furthermore, would a demon really run and turn tail like that? And what had he meant by "true power?" Maybe he couldn't use demonic Qi in the city.

"Amber!" Lulu crashed into her, arms wrapping tight around her friend. Tears streamed down her face.

"I'm so glad…. we're alive!" The blonde girl's sobs came in great heaving gasps as her sense of crisis passed. Amber continued breathing deep, measured breaths with her Burning Sun technique. Not to recover her stamina, but to calm herself down. She felt the drive to protect, and the drive to kill. She wasn't sure which was stronger. Her heart still thundered in her ears. She hugged Lulu back. As Amber gained her composure back, she looked at the symbol on her burning palm. It began to fade.

Was it because she killed the two men, or because of the man who left? If one was a demon, all three must be... right? Demons were the enemy of humanity, so it would make no sense that they could work together. Her mind swirled with questions as the blonde girl sobbed into Amber's clothing. The pair had returned in a silent hustle, racing both the sunset and the appearance of city guards. They had both agreed to not stick around at a murder scene.

Even though the pair hailed from smaller villages, they knew that law enforcement was not particularly forgiving or understanding. They didn't feel like waiting for the guy who ran away shouting about revenge to come back with company either. The two had barely made it back to the caravan as the last bit of light was disappearing over the Western mountains. The encampment was abuzz with activity.

Merchants were trading stories of sales and deals, guards who had the day off were talking about women and restaurants, and the smell of booze was everywhere.

"Glad you made it back," Dante said upon seeing the girls' entrance.

"You cut it pretty close though."

"It was our first time in the city. There was a lot to see!" Amber said, half excitedly but visibly tired. Dante silently gazed from Amber to Lulu, who looked downright exhausted. A far cry from her usual bubbly demeanor, he observed.

"Anything to report?" The Guard Captain asked calmly. Amber stood shifting silently for a moment. She didn't want to get in trouble and mess up her very first job. Especially not when people believed in her.

"If there is a matter that concerns the caravan then report it. Otherwise, I won't ask," Dante spoke. Amber decided to tell him what happened, and how the attempted robbery turned bloody. She did not mention demons, her palm mark, or its reaction.

"Well, you made it. And I see Miss Sunrose is safe. Good job, keep it up," Dante said.

"You fulfilled your duties well today. Try to avoid so much blood if you can in the future. We're in the city for one more day. You are to stay within the camp until we leave."

"Yes, sir," Amber said, her back straightening as she clasped her fist. Dante's calmness was reassuring to her, and she enjoyed the unexpected praise. She thought she might get fired and tossed into the street on the spot!

"While we're in cities we usually eat much better than on the road. You two have arrived just in time to get a bowl."

"Thank you, Captain." Amber gave a small bow, as Lulu wordlessly followed suit. Dante nodded and left as the girls got in line to get a serving. The stew was thick and hearty, filled with chunks of tender meat and vegetables that had been simmered for hours. It was leagues better than the dried rations they'd been eating on the road. Amber ate eagerly, amazed at the quality of the food. Not since her mom had passed had she had such a meal!

She had bought dried meat provisions for her journey, but in Green Wood village they mostly ate only the vegetables they could grow. Between bites she had flashes of memories pass her eyes. The way her blade had opened that man's throat. The wet sounds. The spreading pools of blood. The smell reminded her of stabbing Wild Hog to death. She felt like it should be making her lose her appetite, but she was as hungry as ever.

"Amber…." Lulu spoke softly, breaking her black haired friend out of her trance. Amber swallowed her bite.

"Yes?" She noticed her blonde friend hadn't even touched her food.

"Thank you… for today." Amber sank her spoon into her food.

"Did it bother you?" She asked her blonde companion. Amber felt like she should say something, but the girl really didn't have experience comforting anyone.

"Did it bother you?" Lulu returned the question. Young Fang took another bite and chewed it thoughtfully.

"What would you say if I told you I've already killed 10 men?" Amber asked carefully after swallowing. Would her new friend think of her differently? As a killer? Maybe she would be rejected just as the villagers of Green Wood had done to her mother. Maybe she would get labeled as a demon again. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything. There was a moment of silence.

"Then I would advise their ghosts not to fuck with you in the next life!" Lulu said. They both smiled and began to laugh. Amber silently released the tension in her body, realizing perhaps she had made a friend she could trust. Their laughter was still fading when a shadow fell across their small fire.

"Hello Amber darling," Ember said walking up, her usual red fabric fan in action.

"I sense an exciting day. Care to share with your senior sister?" Amber paused. She had never been called someone's sister before.

"Oh, Lulu and I went into the city today. This is Lulu by the way, she's from Misty Hollow Village."

"Charmed," the girl in red smiled at the blonde girl.

"And this is Ember. From Red Sand Village," Amber finished her introduction.

"Likewise!" Lulu smiled at the girl.

"Please take a seat!"

"Of course," Ember said, sitting while continuing to fan herself.

"So, tell me about your interesting day."

"Well, it was our first time in a city! We saw so many new things and-""No no no," Ember smiled, "I mean, who did you kill today?" Amber and Lulu fell silent and looked at each other.

"Oh, was it a secret?" Ember looked genuinely surprised, although Amber didn't think that was the case. Her expression was a bit too… she didn't know how to put it.

"How did you know?" Amber asked cautiously.

"You're dripping with Blood Qi, my dear Amber," Ember looked amused though she covered half of her face with her fan.

"Blood Qi?" Lulu asked, glancing between the two black haired girls.

"Blood Qi is released when blood is spilled," the girl in red explained, her fan moving in lazy arcs.

"and it clings to those who have killed."

"So everyone can…" Amber's eyes grew wide.

"Out of this crowd?" Ember asked, "Guren. Maybe Dante and a few others. But, perhaps you should be worried about who else could sense it." Amber's stomach twisted. The realization hit her like a cold wave.

"Can it be tracked?"

"Maybe." Ember's smile was persistent.

"Tell me more." Amber explained the situation while the slightly older girl in red robes quietly contemplated. She left out the part about her palm mark and it's reaction.

"What should I do?" Amber asked, trying not to show outward weakness. She felt a bit lost, but she felt like she didn't want to show that to Ember. Ember's fan snapped closed with a sharp click.

"Blood Qi dissipates naturally over time. By tomorrow morning, it should be faint enough," she leaned forward slightly.

"So, someone might come looking tonight?" Lulu asked nervously.

"In that part of town I doubt the guards would care about a body. Common enough, I'm sure. But, if those fellows had any backers, they might be interested." Ember looked at the younger black haired girl, trying to examine her reaction.

"Plenty of gangs and business operations are backed by a cultivator." What about demons? Amber thought to herself.

"You also told them which caravan we were with…" Lulu said softly. Amber groaned at her big mouth while Ember started to laugh.

"Oh, my dear Amber, whatever is going on in that precious head of yours?" The girl laughed as she fanned herself.

"Well, Dante told me I'm to stay in the camp until we leave." Amber felt a mix of concern and irritation.

"A wise decision," Ember said, still smiling.

"And next time, remember to leave no witnesses, darling. And if you must, then don't let them know where to find you. Haven't you ever heard that weeds must be pulled out by the root?" The girl said, raising her fan to cover a giggle.