Jinx

We interrupt the regularly scheduled weekly dose of dark events to bring you Suwan's lackadaisical adventures.

< She still alright? > Suwan sends into the paired communication talisman while walking through the street alongside her disciples.

< Affirmative. Disciple Zhi is unharmed. > Twelve confirms from the other end. Suwan barely stops herself from loudly exhaling in relief. No need to let the others know that little factoid just yet after all. When they finally arrive at the location Twelve indicated she can’t help but admire the ingenuity of it even as she swears to burn the entire place to the ground.

Before them stands an unassuming tavern, the wood rickety and the floor creaking as they walk in. Situated at the edge of the city just beyond the walls and on the road to a myriad of smaller towns and farming villages in the province the inn sits less than a hundred meters outside of the gate. The ideal place to host traveling merchants, villagers seeking to peddle their wares and travelers alike, as the large stables and storehouses adjacent to the inn readily confirm. More importantly however, the perfect spot to smuggle resources into an underground hideout. Whether material or otherwise. 

Lone travelers can vanish for many reasons after all and even those housed within the city oft stay the night in taverns or inns outside the walls. Many amongst common folk oft find themselves drinking off their hardships long past curfew and trapped on the wrong side of a shut gate, in fact, nearly a quarter of the rooms in any inn close to the boundaries of a city tend to be reserved for its citizens. An intriguing fact that truly makes Suwan wonder how and why Twelve bothered to learn it. 

But she digresses, with a brief shake of her head to rid herself of the distraction she continues her train of thought. The forest just beyond the road provides yet another source of resources, the cover of the trees trivializing transporting animals and spiritual beasts alike into the inn’s back entrance. As for the more mundane supplies needed to maintain operations in a vast underground facility, the road has plenty of caravans and carriages stopping at inns just like this one. 

To think the source of hundreds if not thousands of horrifying deaths is simply hidden in plain sight. Had Suwan not seen far worse already she would balk at the mere thought.

Given the tavern's usual crowd many conversations die down and much rubbernecking is done the moment not one but three supernatural beauties enter while the child following in their wake hardly even registers to their minds. All but one of them being visibly armed certainly does not help them blend in either.

"This lowly Kang greets Venerable Cultivators, how might this humble one be of assistance." The barkeep says demurely while keeping his head bowed. A convincing act of groveling politeness yet one not nearly convincing enough to fool Suwan. 

"We're here for the basement."

"T- the basement, Honorable Master?"

"The place you've taken one of my disciples." Suwan replies casually and flares her killing intent. Every patron in the bar freezes in fear yet it is only when she creates a tuft of soulfire atop her palm that the barkeep himself reacts.

His eyes widen quite literally, the eyeballs threatening to spill out of their lengthening sockets as they grow and the whites yellow. Thin spikes begin to grow out of his cheeks facing the sides. Before he can get further Suwan breaks the silence with a single word that cracks like a whip.

"Mu."

The petite pugilist leaps into action as a shock runs through the man, his limbs lengthening and hardening as his fingers merge. Before they can change further Mu flips over the bar, restrains his arms behind his back and pushes his head down on the counter.

"Yield or I will have to kill you."

Suwan shakes her head, the girl is still far too naive. Tai Yating has no such problem. Mu can barely pull her hand back in time before the white haired beauty's halberd separates the man's head from his shoulders. The move sets off a stampede as the crowd of frightened patrons scream and barrel for the exit, practically trampling each other on the way there. Before long only the four of them and the beheaded corpse remain in the main room. 

"Hey, what was that for! I had him, there was no need to kill him! How are we gonna find Zhi now?!" Mu angrily speaks up while shakily pointing with the hand she'd nearly lost.

“Mu.” Suwan repeats to catch her attention. “That was no longer a human. The moment a demon possessing a mortal body begins to transform you can be absolutely certain the person is gone. Do not consider them human, the only thing you are permitted to see them as is an enemy. None of you are capable of facing a demon. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you’re facing a demon without me present there is but one thing you can do: Run.”

“I understand, Master.” Gao Mu replies with a gulp. “I shall endeavor to finish my opponents as fast as possible in the future. I promise I will not be caught off guard like this anymore. Next time I will not aim to restrai-”

“Mu.” Suwan says once more and pats the girl’s head. “Close your eyes and take a deep breath.” She adds and waits for a moment before continuing. “Better?”

“Yes, Master.” Mu answers with flushed cheeks.

“Good, you and An will search the building and locate all entrances leading to the basement. Be sure to check the surroundings as well, we don’t want to let anyone escape.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Understood, Grand Master.”

Both of them bow before leaving the room through different exits. With them gone Suwan turns to face Yating.

“Take a deep breath. Your constitution is becoming unbalanced. You hear me, Yating. Slow, deep breaths. That’s it.” Suwan commands gently while holding the white haired woman’s cheeks. Yating being troubled by the demonic aura comes as no surprise to Suwan. Many tend to react very badly when coming into contact with it for the first time after all. With how in control the woman usually is however she couldn’t help but be surprised her reaction skewed towards the ‘fight’ reaction of ‘fight, freeze or flight’.

Her surprise about Yating’s reaction is nothing compared to her surprise over Mu’s however. For someone without a core to show no special reaction at all upon first encountering a demon is impossible which leaves exactly two possibilities. Either Mu is once more casually achieving the impossible or she has encountered a demon before. Quite frankly Suwan isn’t sure which of the two she’d balk at the most.

She courteously ignores that An fled. The girl didn’t even go far after all, merely slipping into a corner to blend into the shadows. Well, even with just that Suwan is sure she’s beating herself up. She briefly considers talking her through the experience but figures An would not appreciate it right now and instead decides to continue focusing on Yating. At least until the shadow-attuned girl is done hyperventilating. Not talking to her at all feels like a mistake she would have made in the past and she has no interest in staying at that level of mentorship. A wry smile slips onto her face. Where have the days gone she’d simply smash through her problems without worrying about the rest?

Putting the matter aside she smashes the wall behind the bar, revealing a hidden entrance leading to a long staircase down into the cult’s base. She takes a swig from her bottomless gourd while waiting, one arm still wrapped around Yating. Yating’s eyes remain closed and her breathing struggles to even out as she guides Suwan’s fiery qi through her veins in the brief moments they have before the others return. All too quickly they are back and Yating reluctantly separates from her mentor, focusing on her movements instead of her current state to refrain from further unbalancing her cultivation.

"All right everyone." Suwan begins with a clap to draw everyone's attention. "Mu and Yating, you two'll take turns dealing with whoever we come across. An, you'll be on the lookout for anything that is interesting, valuable or could contain information. I won't intervene unless it is absolutely necessary. You'll each be in charge of preserving your own lives. Good luck."

All three of them nod and wait for Suwan to lead them in. The blonde scratches her head in confusion before her eyes widen and she slams her fist down on her palm. "Oh right, try to find Zhi, that's why we're here."

For a moment silence reigns until Mu hesitantly raises her hand.

"M-master?"

"Yeah?"

"You won't be coming with us?"

"Of course not." Suwan replies with a laugh and a shake of her head. "Who else is gonna watch the exit if I go in? Good luck, I'm sure you all can handle it."

Punctuating her words with another swig from her gourd she drags a chair and a stool over to the fire place, sits down on one and places her legs on the other.

"Well, what are y'all waiting for?"