Chapter 30 - Stolen money pouch
Kui watched in horror as more and more corpses started to float up and were washed ashore. The cold wind by the cliff really gave him a chilling feeling. The beautiful creature that proposed to him just yesterday was most likely one of those corpses, and he wouldn't even know who.
"We should bury them," he mumbled, gazing back at Chao. Chao and the others were busy in their huts packing everything in a hurry. "Don't just stand in a daze. Go pack your stuff..." Chao strangely looked serious. His everlasting smile was gone. "Go!"
Kui ran to his hut and packed up a few essentials and some dried fish to eat along the way. In the corner of the trunk, he also dug out a small bag of money. He stuffed the small broken brush in it and tied it to his waist. "Where are we heading?"
"They are going to the hideout, and we are going to the market one last time before we go into hiding," Chao busily tied up all the bags on a mule that he got from God knows where. "What hideout? Why are we leaving in a hurry? Will we get implicated by whatever is going on underneath?"
Chao paused for a second and looked up at him impatiently. "Kui! The humans didn't attack us only because the Mers protected us. With a war going on underwater, they won't have time to look after us. So, we need to leave, stay hidden until the Mer problem has been sorted out."
Kui tightly hugged the bag he had hastily packed. "How will we know if the problem is over or not?"
"We won't know… we… we just have to survive for a while. It will be fine," Chao patted his back. "I've packed your bounty. With the money we get from selling them, make sure to buy as much nonperishable food as possible, okay?"
Kui silently nodded. This shit seemed serious. He has never seen Chao look so somber before. It was unsettling.
Kui left with the other men while the tribe women moved deeper into the forest in another direction. 'If I ask him where the hideout is he will get pissed… I'll be following them along anyway. It's okay. I will know eventually.' He didn't want to annoy Chao anymore with his intrusive questions. His curiosity can be quenched some other time.
Slowly they proceeded inwards deeper into the forest. Some strange animals poked their heads out of their nests, looking down at them curiously. Kui took it all in. This world was strange. It was like one from Avatar, except there were no glowing blue men, just half-mermaids living in the forest. The other creatures looked prehistoric. Especially birds. 'I think I saw a freaking flying dinosaur!' Eyes wide open, he hurriedly caught up with the others. He did not wish to be caught off guard and lost in this dangerous forest.
They traveled without stopping for a day. By the time they reached the town, Kui was panting and sweating like a pig. 'Fuck how are these men moving so fast!' He ran a bit to catch up to them. The others were standing in a line to enter the small village gate.
Chao wordlessly handed a gourd of water. "You look rough."
"I'm fine…" he gulped down the water. "How long will we be staying here?"
"Just an hour or so. Then we leave quickly before we are spotted or identified." Chao glanced at him seriously. "Don't leave the group. Things can get dangerous."
"Okay…"
They entered the city with their heads lowered, slowly beelining towards the crowded streets. Many humans were dressed in 80s-style dresses. Men wore simple shirts, and he actually saw some men wearing loose suits.
"Have you heard the Mer tribe of the east is in shambles? The new emperor had beheaded the royal tribe and had taken over the throne. It's so chaotic..."
A bunch of women whispered among themselves. Kui caught onto this conversation and slowed down slightly.
"I heard it was a coup."
"That's so bad. The Mer emperor was such a kind person. Why did he do that to his own brother… I heard he disperses the old emperor's corpses are everywhere..."
"Hmm, that's so bad. Some of those evil-hearted merchants are picking up these corpses and selling them as elixirs."
"Tsk, how cruel."
A frown marred his forehead. 'A coup, that explains the corpses.' Suddenly, he felt a hand touch his waist. A small boy zoomed past him with his money pouch. "Hey! Stop!" Without a second thought, he dashed after him. That pouch has his precious brush! 'I can't lose it here! No, I can't! I won't be able to return home!' The small boy wiggled his way through the heavy crowd running into alleys like a street rat.
"You stop right there!" Panting, Kui dashed into a small alley. Weirdly this one was deserted; the young child stopped by the dead end with five burly men. "He is a Mer. I brought you a live one, so give me the cash." Kui felt his heart sink. "Fuck!" Saving his life was more important right at that moment. He turned back to run away, but a few more men caged him in that small alley. "Looks like we've caught a live fish. Take him." The next second he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and everything went dark.