He despised himself for being here, but he had no choice.
He finally reached the tavern the guild called home. He took a deep breath. Just because he wasn't there to fight, did not mean the Lin Kuei wouldn't attack him. He kept his kunai hidden in his sleeve as he pushed the doors open. The second he stepped in, all conversation and chatter came to a pause, leaving only an uneasy silence as the patrons glared him down. He ignored the twisting in his gut and continued to walk further inside.
"Well, well, well," a snide and familiar voice finally spoke. From the crowd emerged Bi-Han, trying his best to appear affable but the contempt in his eyes betrayed him. "Hanzo Hasashi. You have some nerve showing your face here."
"I am here to hire the Lin Kuei's services." This announcement was met with a loud resounding laugh from the entire room. "This is serious, the fate of the realms rests on this."
"I fail to see how that is our problem," another voice added, Bi-Han now joined by Sektor. Hanzo hissed, he had hoped the man who helped ocestrait his order's demise would not be present. But when did Hanzo ever get his way? If he did, his clan and family would still be here.
"Given that this threatens to end all life as we know it, I would assume it's everyone's problem." Hanzo pushed the thoughts of what happened behind him. Instead he reaching into a pouch pulling out the amulet and holding it up to Bi-Han.
Bi-Han's eyes widened as he stared at it, "is that Shinnok's amulet?"
"It is," Hanzo answered, snatching the amulet back as Bi-Han reached for it. "Lord Raiden has tasked me with taking it to a temple in the mountains where it will not be found by Shinnok's worshippers." He tried to gauge Bi-Han's interest, but the man was unnervingly good as hiding his emotions. He always had been. "The temple is fraught with traps however, and I need someone skilled at sneaking and lock-picking."
Bi-Han put his hand on his chin, mockingly acting like he was considering it. He then gave a dark smirk, "then you'd better hope you find someone."
"You know damn well this is the only thieves guild within this realm," Hanzo hissed, and Bi-Han laughed cruelly.
"You'd better get going then, hadn't you?" Hanzo's eyes flicked to Sektor, who was looking at him with an equally dark grin.
"But-"
"You really think, after everything, anyone here would want to help you, Hasashi?" Bi-Han chided. Hanzo bit back his anger, he knew the Lin Kuei were awful but he believed even they could put aside their prejudices for the greater good of the world. "Now, I suggest you run out of here with your tail between your legs, before we decide to put an end to your order once and for all."
Hanzo considered staying and arguing his case more, but he was also aware he was horrifically outnumbered. Instead he huffed, "you had better prey to the elder god this choice doesn't come to bite your clan in the ass." Before turning to leave, ignoring the jeers to the surrounding Lin Kuei.
Once outside he pulled on his hair and gave a frustrated whine. He guessed he would have to find someone else with the skills he needed. He started off down the street, hoping to find an inn where he could spend the night and reassess his plans.
"That was pretty rough, huh?" A voice suddenly called to him from behind. He turned around to look at the person who'd said it. A half elf, if the pointed ears were anything to go by, as well as possessing the Lin Kuei's emblem on his belt. Hanzo glared as the half elf approached him. "Then again, I suppose as much is to be expected when a Shirai Ryu walks into Lin Kuei territory."
"If you are here to mock me further, then I suggest you back off before I cut you down," Hanzo snarled. The Lin Kuei laughed lightly.
"I'm not here to mock you, I am here to offer you my services," he replied, as he reached Hanzo he placed a hand on his arm. "My name is Kuai Liang. You are looking for someone with skills in sneaking and lock-picking correct?"
"Forgive me if I am not quick to jump on that offer, given what just happened," Hanzo spat. He wasn't sure why he was suddenly being so defensive, but he didn't trust Kuai Liang's intentions at all.
Kuai pouted, "how you wound me sir." His hand trailed along Hanzo's shoulders, before resting on his shoulder blades. "I am just a humble rogue, seeking to help someone in need."
"Not if you are Lin Kuei you're not," Hanzo huffed, jerking himself away from Kuai. "Your clan has already dismissed me, I suggest you do the same." He began to walk away. "I will do this quest alone."
Hanzo was a fair way away when he heard Kuai Liang shout, "you might have better luck if you actually had the amulet."
Hanzo spun on his heels to glare at the other man, but his anger dissipated into shock when he saw the amulet dangling from Kuai's fingers. He patted at the pocket he'd left the amulet, somehow not believing his eyes. Inevitably the amulet wasn't there. How did he steal it from me without me even noticing? His eyes narrowed at the thief.
"Give it back," he snarled, taking a few paces towards Kuai Liang.
"Only if you hire my services," Kuai replied, walking backwards to maintain the distance between them. "Otherwise, hm, I think I could get a pretty penny for this on the black market."
"Don't even think about it," Hanzo warned.
"Hm, that doesn't sound like you're agreeing to hire me," Kuai whined while pursing his lips, twirling the amulet between his fingers.
Hanzo gave a frustrated scream and ran forward fist clenched. He decked the other man as hard as he could, but was surprised when instead of soft flesh he hit something more brittle. There was a loud crack, and Hanzo jumped back. Instead of Kuai Liang, there was instead a replica of him made of ice. He stared at it as he watched it break, leaving only some chunks of ice on the floor.
Ice. Bi-Han used ice magic, very much in a similar way. Could they be related? He was fairly sure that Bi-Han was fully human, but that didn't mean they couldn't share the same bloodline.
He heard a whistle to his right, and his head snapped over. There was Kuai Liang standing with his hands on his hips and a grin on his face. He lazily waved before taking off running. Hanzo wasted no time sprinting after him. I need to get the amulet back.
Kuai was alarmingly fast. Hanzo let his kunai drop from his sleeve to his hand, throwing it as hard as he could while screaming "get over here!"
Kuai ducked out of the way of the kunai just in time before hopping over a small stone wall. When Hanzo finally caught up, he found that beyond the wall was a cliff. Kuai was standing at the edge, dangling the amulet over and above the sea, waves crashing at the base of the cliff down below. Hanzo crawled over the wall, holding a hand out as if to pacify the other man.
"Don't," Hanzo all but begged. I can't loose it! I can't fail this quest. It is my one chance at redemption!
Kuai held his head high, "you have two choices Hasashi, either hire me and let me help you, or the amulet will join the fishes. Which will it be?"
"Why are you so insistent on me hiring you?" Hanzo asked, this made no sense to him. Kuai's eyes twitched slightly, and he let the chain of the amulet slip from his hand slightly. "Wait!" Hanzo held his hand out again and the amulet stilled. "What exactly do you want in exchange for your services?"
Kuai considered the question, "50000 gold."
"What? Thats absolutely ridicu- No!" Hanzo's rant was cut short when Kuai let the amulet slip a little further. There was a chance Kuai was bluffing but Hanzo was starting to realise he couldn't take the risk. "50000 gold? Is that all?"
Kuai's face dropped a little, he glanced around, as if checking that no one else was listening. "50000 gold and you help me get the hell out of here."
"Get the hell out of here?" Hanzo asked, preying that the question wasn't taken as a reason to drop the amulet. It thankfully stayed within Kuai's firm grasp. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, I don't want to be with the Lin Kuei any more," Kuai said in a hushed tone, clearly paranoid of people overhearing. "I help you with your quest, you give me the money and then you help me fake my death so I never have to return here."
"Fake your death? That's a little extreme, isn't it?" Hanzo's eyes were darting between the amulet and Kuai's face. There was a strange anguish in Kuai's features that wasn't there before.
"No one leaves the Lin Kuei, those that try are either executed or tortured back into compliance." Kuai's knuckles were turning white from how tightly he was holding the amulet. "My brother is too high ranking for them to just kill me." His brother? Bi-Han was a high ranking member, maybe they really were related. That would make hiring the man even more risky than it already was, as if Bi-Han needed any more reasons to want to take Hanzo's head. "If I'm caught trying to escape they will torture me, I can't go through that again!"
"Again?" Hanzo wondered aloud. Kuai looked away from him. "You've tried to leave before?"
"Yes." Kuai kept his gaze off Hanzo, just stared down the drop of the cliff. "What they do to deserters... I would not wish on my worst enemy." He blinked a few times, hand now shaking as he looked back towards Hanzo with a pleading look. "Please. I help you and you help me, you get to complete your quest and I get to start a new life. We both get what he want."
Hanzo wondered if this was part of why Kuai was asking for such an absurd amount of money. 50000 gold would be enough to live securely for a long while. He admittedly had more than enough to pay the man, all be it in a bank somewhere in another city. And he hated to admit it but Kuai's plight was a sympathetic one. His own past made him a sucker for a sob story, hard to refuse a plea for help from someone who needed it. From how desperate Kuai's actions were and how scared he seemed, it was undeniable that he needed the help he was requesting.
He sighed, rubbing his face with the palm of his hand, "okay. Help me take the amulet to the temple and you have my word that I'll help you escape."
Kuai Liang retracted his hand, holding the amulet to his chest as he walked towards Hanzo. Hanzo went to grab the amulet but Kuai jerked it away from him.
"Shake on it, first," he demanded, holding his hand out.
Hanzo sighed, reaching to meet it. They shook, and finally Kuai offered the amulet back to Hanzo. He took it eagerly and replaced it back in it's proper place.
"We should probably get out of here as soon as possible," Kuai added, the tone of his voice finally lightening up. "Even if I'm not technically deserting yet, I doubt anyone's going to be too happy about me offering to assist you on this job."
"Somehow I doubt it too," Hanzo tutted. "Where's the nearest inn that isn't in town?"
"About four miles north west," Kuai said, pointing roughly in that direction.
"Right, that's our first destination then. Once we're there we'll come up with a concrete plan for the temple." Kuai nodded in agreement. Hanzo gestured with his hand, "lead the way."
"It would be my pleasure, handsome." Hanzo just about suppressed a surprised splutter as Kuai began walking off and giggling to himself.
Hanzo followed him despite the creeping feeling of regret coming over him. This is going to be a long quest.
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