Taking Action

"What is the situation, Zhèngyi?" asked Kiyu.

The days of intense training and also meditating on her behavior and that of the surrounding people had helped her solidify her decision on how to proceed.

"Jarifa is still in tension, but it is loosening. People suspect that you have long since left the city, fearing Tānlán's wrath."

"I understand," Kiyu replied.

No laughter escaped her lips and no words of rage escaped her mouth. She despised this man's actions, but she couldn't let herself get too caught up in it. "And what about him?" she inquired in a controlled manner.

"Goes about his usual business, shows up in the marketplace... and always has his protectors with him."

Everyone in the small group knew who Zhèngyi meant. Siwang. So since the incident, Tānlán had not dared to go out without an escort. But this did not bother Kiyu so much as it benefited her. This way, she could take care of everything in one fell swoop, instead of tackling the problems at different places in the city.

"And you want to go through with this?", Zhèngyi inquired.

"I've seen the way he's been acting. He's pissed off and is still trying to kill you. He is happy to take his anger out on the slaves."

"Oh, don't worry. He's yet to see how pissed off I can get over what he's doing to the townspeople," Kiyu hissed, glaring in Laki's direction.

"And what he did to my girlfriend, I haven't forgotten that either."

Keeping anger in check was far from easy for her with loved ones, but she knew she had to hold on to it when the chips were down. If anger got the better of her, she was no better than the one she would hunt down.

Both Laki and Zhèngyi gulped as they saw the convinced expression on their friend's face before them, already engaged in battle with their enemies in her mind.

"Sorry." she whispered, leaving her anger behind.

"I didn't want you guys to worry. So then.... are you ready?"

They all nodded and stood up together with her. Kiyu and Laki had gotten cloaks from Zhèngyi so they could hide themselves from the folks. Although two figures with hoods pulled low over their faces were still looking conspicuous, it was better than walking around with their faces already familiar to the city and presenting themselves.

Their path led from the park to the marketplace, where the city governor Tānlán should be right now, according to Zhèngyi's report. Kiyu had cut herself off from the group somewhat, however, as she wanted to get right into the action while the others remained in the background for emergencies.

<And you're ready for what awaits you? > Cheryu echoed as she made her way to the marketplace.

'I think. I can't say for sure, but I'll try my best.' she confessed.

Not letting emotions get the best of her was the hardest exercise that would await her today, no matter the outcome of the fight. Whether it was fear, anger or something else, she had to remain calm and not let it limit her.

Her entire plan was one contradiction within a contradiction. She would have to use violence to stop violence. One crime to stop another crime against others forever. Few humans ever thought these thoughts that she was about to face.

No matter how it turned out, there would be consequences and she would have to face those consequences. So it was as Cheryu had told her. Standards like right or wrong couldn't measure such a thing'. This was all about her. About her standards of herself for justice, which contradicted hundreds and thousands of other standards.

'No matter how it turns out..... I'll live with it!'

A few minutes had passed, and she reached the marketplace, which still showed some of the devastation. The effects of the battle between Kiyu and the city guards and against Siwang were still visible. The well she had destroyed to use as a signal for Zhèngyi got somewhat repaired and cordoned off.

Now there were far more guards standing there than there had been when she arrived, and they all looked grim as soon as one got anywhere near it.

All the splintered pieces of stone had gone. The guards must have moved them aside as a precaution so that people could walk on the somewhat damaged ground. The air was fresh again, and Siwang's poisonous fog was no longer a threat.

If Kiyu was not the most wanted person in Jarifa by now, this could have been the day of her arrival. Everything seemed so peaceful and carefree if one didn't know the sickness of this city.

"How dare you!" bellowed a voice all too familiar to her.

'Tānlán! She would recognize that voice anywhere by now. It had burned itself into her mind. She could never forget the images of this predator executing a poor man in the open street with no one intervening.

Soon after, this vile being had tried to buy Laki as if she were an object that he could possess. Never would Kiyu forget even one of these memories.

This man had managed that out of fear no one intervened and some had even accepted it as a normal circumstance! In her eyes, Tānlán was like a disease that had spread throughout the city of Jarifa.

She searched for the body that belonged to the voice and found it, surrounded by its personal escort comprising the protector and the Spiritformer Siwang, with Siwang being a little further away and more concerned with some merchandise she had her eye on.

"You filthy, lowly failure!" As Kiyu stepped closer through the loose crowd that had gathered around the action, she spotted Tānlán kicking a young boy who was lying on the ground in front of him.

As the first time, people had gathered to look, but no one stepped in. The boy on the ground did not resist, but the tears running down his reddened eyes spoke volumes.

"You incompetent piece of shit ruined my clothes! How dare you!" he raged, kicking at the boy's torso as he clenched and whimpered, enduring the pain his master was inflicting on him.

Kiyu first looked at the faces of the people around. The pity was greater than towards the man when she arrived, but it was of no use. Not a single one dared to do anything.

"I should kill you here and now!" shouted Tānlán and had his protector hand him a sword.

Some people in the crowd gasped in shock when they saw Tānlán getting ready to strike down the little boy in front of him with no qualms.

Without a blink of an eye, Kiyu took one step after another, walking straight toward the scene before them.

'They're scared. I understand that,' she explained to herself as she continued without an expression of emotion. 'They fear for their lives, for their families. But the fear of suffering holds us back more than all suffering itself!'

"Now pay the penalty for your incompetent behavior!"

For once, Tānlán had picked up the sword himself and held it high above the boy's head.

Shocked cries, which broke off as quickly as they appeared, spread through the crowd. The first ones also noticed Kiyu approaching the whole spectacle and wondered what she was up to. For that moment, she had sharpened her sense of hearing and sight very much.

"Is he tired of living?" she even heard some people around her whisper.

"Die!" the town administrator shouted, and was about to bring the sword down on the boy when Kiyu, without hesitation, grabbed his sword arm and held it in such a tight grip that Tānlán could not move it forward one bit.

"What do you think you're... AAAH!". His angry shout towards Kiyu, who had interrupted him, turned into one of pain as she took his wrist and broke it in an instant, causing the sword to slip from his hand.

There was complete silence in the entire marketplace for a moment. The people watching had fallen into a state of shock, and no one could process what had just happened. Time felt like it froze in that moment. She was aware of every second and absorbed it.

Even Tānlán needed a few moments to realize that Kiyu had just broken his wrist without effort. His cry of pain faded into a pained tearful whimper and it almost seemed as if he would sink to the ground.

Still clasping the city administrator's hand, she pulled back her hood with her free hand so that her face was visible.

"Y.... You?" screamed Tānlán as he recognized Kiyu's face.

"What I am doing?", Kiyu asked him, letting his arm go, only to give him a punch into his chest with full force moments later, "I'm just getting rid of vermin here."