“Why the fuck did you lead them there?!”

  Old Man Sid stormed toward Wong Ka Fei, jerking on his collar.

  “I explicitly ordered you not to go through the wadi! It’s full of quicksand! If not because of Frank, I might have lost four good men!”

  Ka Fei, however, wasn’t perturbed. He grabbed Old Man Sid’s arm like peeling candy from a baby. The veteran Cleaner yelped in pain.

  “Fuck off! Or do you want me to fuck you off into the quick-“

  Ka Fei’s words hung in mid-sentence. Jin’s thread coiled around the man’s throat, tightening until it bit into his skin.

  “Let him go before I lopped your head off, Ka Fei!”

  Jin’s cold voice unsettled those around them. Every second that Ka Fei delayed, his thread dug deeper. Until it finally bled.

  “Kill me and my clan will come after you, bastard.”

  Jin shot a cold smile. “And I’ll kill them all the same. Or die trying. But do you want to be the one who brings the downfall of the Wong Clan?”

  Ka Fei froze, his hands slowly releasing Old Man Sid’s wrist. “What do you know?!”

  “I know everything. How your clan is nothing more than a glorified thug group. And your patriarch has no balls to even change.”

  Ka Fei saw red. He turned around and lunged at Jin. But the man was more than ready. A quick one-two to his gut then face, keeled the attacker over in an instant.

  “That’s it? You’re done? Thought you’re much stronger than this. 40k CP? Berserker?” Jin scoffed, amused by his own words. “Are you not embarrassed losing to an Herbalist with zero CP? Wong Clan might end with you, after all. A clan of empty threats crumbles like sand touched by a breeze. Poetic, isn’t it?”

  Ka Fei struggled to stand, but Jin didn’t allow him to. A kick to the face sent the man reeling backwards, his lips chafed and bloodied. It was a one-sided affair. Jin pummelled Ka Fei without mercy, each strike landing with sickening thuds.

  Even Eustace hid behind Old Man Sid, fearful of Jin’s actions. The rest of the Cleaners watched in horror, even though they had reasons to feel aggrieved by Ka Fei’s insubordination, endangering their crew members, and threatening their leader.

  But it was Emilia who spoke next. “Stop it, Frank! You’re killing him!”

  “You have no right to talk to me!” Jin’s voice thundered across the desert wind. “You nearly killed your own crew members yourself! Hypocrites! Nothing but hypocrites!”

  He kicked Ka Fei over and over, till he rolled on the ground, gasping for air. Then Jin straddled him, his hands ready to rain punches. One landed on Ka Fei’s face, forcing him to vomit blood.

  “That is for the Cleaners you put in danger!”

  Another punch followed, and Ka Fei’s head snapped into the sand.

  “That’s for insubordination.”

  And the third punch turned his face black and blue.

  “And this is for using your power on an unawakened. Who happens to be a friend of mine!”

  Ka Fei lay unconscious, his breathing ragged. All the other Cleaners watched in satisfied silence. Eustace trembled behind Old Man Sid, whose face remained calm.

  Jin stood up, wiped the bloodied fist, then rolled Ka Fei to the side with the sole of his boot and walked away.

  His gaze met Emilia, who was standing in his path, her eyes now lined with tears. But he wasn’t going to leave without speaking his mind.

  “You know you’ll pass no matter what. Pedigree and all that shit you got without working a sweat for it. But hell will have to freeze over if I don’t teach people like you the importance of life. What you did yesterday… you came this close to end up like Ka Fei.”

  “Y-You wouldn’t…” Emilia’s voice trembled, her bravado all gone after witnessing the brutal display.

  “Try me,” Jin said before he walked away to the Cleaners he rescued earlier.

  All of them suffered severe injuries. One had a broken leg, the other broke five ribs, while two more, judging from the way they were coughing, suffered visceral trauma from the sand ingestion and inhalation. Jin could fix a broken leg, but the rest needed medical attention immediately. With no healer in their group, he had no choice but to send all four back.

  It all started when Wong Ka Fei ignored Old Man Sid’s warning not to go through the wadi. The dried riverbed might be the shortest route to the pyramid, but it had hidden dangers. Desert Burrowers, a type of sandworm, was one. Quicksand was the other.

  In trying to escape from the chasing sandworms, the Cleaners found themselves trapped in quicksand. Ka Fei, who was supposed to help them out, decided to play the hero. Instead of rescuing those he had put in danger in the first place, he charged at the enemies instead.

  Jin, amalgamated with Fenrir, arrived in the nick of time. Left with no choice, he had to dive into the quicksand to rescue the Cleaners before the desert became their tomb. Only after Jin treated them did Old Man Sid and the others arrive. Wong Ka Fei remained missing in action.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  But when he did eventually return, claiming how well he did kill off monsters most ran away from, Old Man Sid lost his mind.

  ***

  “We've got to send them back tonight, Sid. Two for one, so that will leave us with two Cleaners fit for work. Forget mapping the pyramid’s interior. It’s not even enough to map Chairman Heihachi’s backyard.”

  The veteran Cleaner knelt beside Jin, who was still inspecting the condition of the four Cleaners put under Ka Fei’s so-called protection and leadership.

  “Rank-F RIFT and it's already proving too much trouble,” Old Man Sid whispered. “Wonder how they will survive in higher difficulty?”

  “I don’t care. Not my problem.”

  “But must you really go that far?”

  “I could go further and kill him,” came the quick yet cold reply. “I can tolerate many things, but if anyone ever touches my friends and family… you can see for yourself what will happen.”

  “Oh? That’s reassuring. But I’m no damsel in distress, you know,” Old Man Sid said, almost laughing at his own joke. “I know my way around arrogant Players like him. I’m the Bloodless Butcher, after all.”

  Jin cracked a small smile. “You’re no damsel, Sid. You’re old and bald. Instead of a damsel, you might be a witch in disguise.”

  “Fuck you.” Old Man Sid stood and patted Jin’s shoulder. “But thanks, anyway. If you’re looking for one, though, look no further than that red-haired princess over there. She had been shell-shocked after seeing you turn that bastard into a mush.”

  “She’s a noble brat.”

  “The kind you married into?” Old Man Sid laughed. “You might be right, but she’s still a damsel, too. In a way. Trapped within an ivory tower, waiting for her white knight to rescue her from the predicament.”

  “I’m no knight, Sid.”

  “But you’re my knight.” The veteran Cleaner paused, his face turned serious for a moment. “A word, please?”

  “Go on.”

  “Try not to be too hard on her. She’s a pain in the arse for sure, but don’t tell me with your good looks and all, you can’t charm her over to your side. She’s a fair game, you know.”

  “Please, no.” Despite what he said, Jin's lips curled up. “I’ll try to charm her in another way. But no promises. She still needs to learn her lessons.”

  “Lessons, eh?” Old Man Sid crossed his arms, eyeing Jin with a curious expression. “What kind of lesson do you have in mind?”

  “No idea yet. But if I don’t, she’d die young. Despite her mouthy and shitty attitude, she’s still promising.” Jin straightened up, having done with the first aid. “Anyway, what’s next on the menu?”

  “After we send them back, we move,” Old Man Sid replied after receiving a message through Cryscomm. “Ironshield’s group is waiting ahead for us.”

  “And that fucker?”

  “We’ll drag his sorry arse alongside. Can’t leave him to die a dog’s death here, right?”

  “If you say so.” Jin glanced toward the unconscious brute. “But I’m sure Ironshield and the others will be surprised to know what happened to him.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not.” Old Man Sid shrugged. “That bastard doesn’t seem like the type to whine, especially if he got his arse handed to him. And the others? After what they see how relentless you can be, I reckon they’ll have tighter lips.”

  “Even Eustace and Emilia?”

  “That boy adores you. So, I doubt he’ll say anything to compromise you. But the girl? I don’t know.” Old Man Sid gave Jin a pointed, mischievous look. “Like I said, why don’t you become her knight? Charm her off her knockers. Then she might open herself up more than you realise. If you know what I mean.”

  “You fucking lecher,” Jin muttered, though there was no real heat in the insult.

  The two men laughed before going about their work.

  After making sure everyone was treated and those who needed to leave had left – Eustace volunteered to carry Ka Fei on his shoulder – the group continued on forward. The next destination was the pyramid where Ironshield and the others were waiting for them.

  ***

  “What in god’s name happened to you guys?”

  Ironshield, together with the other instructors, came and greeted Jin and his group at the oasis by the feet of the pyramid.

  “Things happened, Ironshield,” Jin said before he took a rest under the shade of a palm tree. “I’m sure Sid has told you, right?”

  “But this bad? Damn.” Ironshield glanced at Eustace, Emilia and lastly Ka Fei. “Your way or highway, huh?”

  Jin nodded. “So, our plans stay?”

  “My plan stays. Yours, I don’t know.” Then he called to Old Man Sid, who was by the pond with his remaining Cleaners. “Think you and your boys can go on?”

  “The fuck you think we are? Of course, yes. As long as you’re not acting like those fools in Jin’s group.”

  Ironshield didn’t reply. He turned and discussed with all the other instructors before walking towards Eustace. “I’m putting you at the head of the group, alongside Lila and myself. Think you can do it?”

  The blond beamed. “Yes, Sir Ironshield! I can!”

  “Good. We will provide you with all the assistance and support needed.”

  “What about me? I’m a Sage. I can-“

  “We don’t need you involved. Keep your powers to yourself, princess.”

  Ironshield’s words stung Emilia; the girl’s shoulder slumped. He left her all alone, as she held herself in embrace, her body slightly shaking.

  The others watched in silence. Even Jin didn’t bother to reach out. His words were nothing more than static noise to her anyway. But Ironshield’s? His voice might be the wake-up call the Lowenhald princess finally needed.

  Besides, there was another pressing issue – the changes in their formation. Following the recent fallout, the expedition leader had been forced to absorb Jin’s group entirely. The original plan of dividing the workload to maximise coverage was shelved. With their current numbers, they would be lucky to map even a quarter of the pyramid’s interior.

  Jin alongside Old Man Sid and his Cleaner crew would now be tucked into the centre of Ironshield’s ranks with Emilia and Ka Fei at the rear having no prominent roles.

  “Did you go inside, Ironshield?” Jin asked as they took a rest before starting the next part of their journey. The two sat together under the palm’s shade, discussing their next steps.

  “Cho and Hanma did. Reached where the other lots were.”

  Jin raised his eyebrow. “Still not cleared? Ninety per cent, was it?”

  “Ninety-five, they said. Inching closer.”

  “Bullshit,” Jin replied, shaking his head. “And you and I know it. Either you clear it, or you don’t. Nothing about this per cent or whatever.”

  “But we can’t just jump in and take over someone’s work,” Ironshield said. “Puzzles or boss fights, it’s the same. Our unspoken rules.”

  “To hell with unspoken rules.” Jin’s voice was low, not wanting others to eavesdrop. “You’re risking Sid’s crew. If shits happen, how would they protect themselves? They’re still, by right, civilians. His twenty crew members have become three.”

  “But he agreed to it.”

  “That’s his ego speaking.” Jin crossed his arms. “I know that old man better than anyone else.” He heaved a deep, long sigh. “Then again, he wouldn’t survive this long if he didn’t know what he’s doing.”

  “So, we go with my plan?”

  “Your plan and then some.” Jin stood and patted his robe off the sand. “I’m not going to risk anything letting some arseholes try to solve puzzles for days while we’re dying out here.”

  Ironshield’s eyes widened as he watched the man leave. “What will you do?”

  Jin stopped in his tracks and grinned. “If they’re not done by the time we reach the upper sanctum, I’ll jump in.”

  “And if you cannot solve it?”

  “Maybe a pudgy lizard can. Feed him a bag or two of cinnamon croissant, and he’ll even move the goddamn pyramid away.”

  It was Ironshield’s turn to laugh. “You really have a creative mind, Frank. Crazy, but somehow, I don’t doubt you. Except for the part about the pudgy lizard and moving the pyramid away.”

  Once everyone recovered their energy – including Ka Fei, who had Instructor Lila and Emilia tending to him – it was time to start the second half of their journey.

  Toward the upper sanctum of the pyramid.

  Thank you once again for reading.

  Cheers

  - IceMelonTea.

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