Sin: Path of Poison

Chapter 36 Part 1

"I'd like to stay with Torch until dinner?" Lei asked softly, as if I might say no. I simply nodded. He turned back and returned to Torch's side, which was still surrounded by dozens of staring eyes.

Blake looked down the mountain, towards the store fronts near the gate. He looked curious as he watched normal looking people walking around as if unaware a group of killers were just above them. With his eyebrows scrunched in concern, he turned to look at me, he was startled that I was watching him.

"What are they doing?" He asked.

"They're mostly merchants, traders, and shopkeepers. People that have previously lost everything or maybe been through something horrendous. Either way they lost their previous life and came here. It's more convenient for us to have our own supply chain so these people bring goods in and out, we've created stores for them to sell to us. It's a mutual partnership, some of our younger recruits gain experience by protecting the supply runs. Nearby, we also have workshops and storage areas. Similar to the palace, there are departments that the guild uses. A sewing department, cooking department, maids.. they're all paid to help keep the guild running. There's also a supply area where disciples can get basic needs. Anything standard is gathered from up here, anything specialty is purchased with earnings down below." I summarized.

"These robes?" He asked.

"Standard issue once a recruit reaches a certain rank. The first set is given, additional sets are extra." I explained.

"Are there any restricted areas?" Blake asked.

"Other than personal living spaces there are none, most stores will have a sign that says open or closed. The workshops are open from sunrise to sunset, with various shifts working throughout the day, you can recognize them by their signage above the door. So long as you don't walk into someone's house everyone is free to come and go as they please, although the majority of people avoid the top." I smiled, whispering the last part secretly to him.

"I'm going to walk around a bit." He said to the Crown Prince, who nodded in return.

"If you want to buy anything tell them to put it on my tab." I replied.

"They'd believe me?" Blake asked curiously.

"Who would be bold enough to lie?" I laughed at his comment. "Don't be shy, you may be surprised what you find. Angst shouldn't cause any trouble today, Silver will likely negate him if he tries." I added.

Blake would surely walk into the weapons store below, which stocked some brilliantly crafted swords, daggers, and throwing knives. Some of the daggers were forged by Ruby long ago but her stamp was removed from her creations, thus they came from an unknown source. Only a very select few were able to recognize her work, which was superior in quality. Many of the current recruits preferred to buy items that were signed, a way to show off their prestige despite the overall performance. Naive. As Blake wandered away I turned to face the Crown Prince.

"Is there anything you'd like to see?" I asked.

"Will they be okay?" The Crown Prince looked worried.

"Mm. I've made my message clear enough, nobody will mess with them even if they've been egged on to do so." I smiled at his troubled expression. "Anytime you want to check in on them, just ask and I'll find them." I smiled. He nodded in agreement.

"What do you do while you're here?" He asked. I laughed, my life was not as interesting as one would think.

"When I return I usually stay in my own compound, processing medicine or poison, reading and sometimes writing letters to a few acquaintances. Sometimes I'll play music or practice martial arts in the garden. Further up the path in my garden is a smaller version of the training ground for my personal use. We can go on a walk below?" I suggested, suddenly remembering I sometimes walked down to a lake not far away.

The mountain sloped downwards and below a steep drop off on one side revealed a small lake below. When it rained heavily the cliff became a waterfall that cascaded into the lake, when the lake overfilled it would run off to the far side, which created small temporary streams. We walked slowly side by side, enjoying the day which cast ever moving shadows from the canopy of trees above. The scene was a perfect representation of our walk, both the light and the dark existing as one, but kept apart. The gray area where the two met was imperceptible.

"Do you stay out often?" He asked.

"I take a lot of contracts, more than anyone else in the guild. I'm notorious for it." I replied honestly.

"Because you enjoy it?" He questioned. I laughed out loud, he really thought highly of my thirst for blood.

"I'm not one to over explain. To put it simply, where would the money to support the infrastructure of the capital come from if the citizens weren't taxed?" I asked.

"You're the backer behind all of this?" He waved in the direction of the city. Smiling, I nodded.

"It's best to keep that information to yourself though." I added, a fact I meticulously covered up over the many years. I worked behind the scenes with many heads of departments and a select few merchants to achieve the results we needed.

"Why do you cover up something like that?" He asked. I smiled, a complicated question.

"It's hard to explain. To have somewhere like this to live, it was something we needed. While the three of us are highly educated in some things, we lack in others. Angst is unable to worry of things such as these, his focus is on strengthening our holding instead. He's too impulsive. Silver, well he's... He's too set in his beliefs. Unwilling to bend even in the slightest, sometimes I think he should be General Bai's son." I laughed. "Anyways, he can't always accept what's in front of him and in order to make this work, well, there's a lot of strong personalities here. Negotiating contracts has to be flexible, which none of us are. I have a team that can do just that." I tried explaining.

"Where do they think the money comes from?" He asked curiously. I laughed.

"The books are fake. Angst never bothers to look at them anyways, he spends what he wants to spend and I try to cover the deficits. Silver looks at them, accepting everything without question. He's oblivious to the true cost of some of the expenses and the profit margin on the sold goods, it all works out in the end." I smiled.

"That's why you said it was complicated to come back with me.." He trailed off. I nodded in agreement. "Why do you tolerate them?" He asked, referring to Angst and Silver, he'd witnessed first hand my relationships with them. I tilted my head thoughtfully and smiled.

"Another complicated question. There were times when they were the only thing that kept me going. I could have easily died time and time again, but I'd wonder, what would happen to them if I died? When I stood alone, they were there, in this twisted relationship of fate they were the only consistency throughout it all." I dropped my head slightly and stared at the ground. "You turn on the light in a room and all the shadows scatter, but in one corner sometimes you'll see a few gathered together, cast from the same object, only from different appendages of that thing. That's how we are, extensions of the same source, our shadows are different and flawed but connected."

"I don't think they think of you the same way though.." He trailed off. I laughed again.

"Like I said, we're all flawed. Despite years of training, I'm too sentimental." I continued to laugh at myself. "It's okay though, I've already come to terms with this."

I looked at the water and smiled, it was crystal clear. The sky reflected perfectly on the calm surface. I could see several fat fish swimming down below, my stomach growled. I removed my outer robes, the Crown Prince quickly turned his back to me, startled by the sudden action.