While Ki and her group went further into hiding to avoid being found after setting up the temporary camp, in a small town not too far away was a sight much like everywhere else within the land where the floods had caused damage to.
Many victims outside of the walls were crying out for help but many guards on the walls turned their heads away so that they could hide their shame.
Among them was a tall and muscular man with a set of light armour on his body and a large glaive on his back.
He had slight hesitation in his eyes but did the same as his men as he looked away from the many victims who he had no power to protect.
His duty was to protect the city walls from invaders, his job description or the orders from above did not allow him to abandon his post and allow people inside of the walls.
Many of the higher nobles and the city lord were very fearful of riots happening after letting everyone inside but also there were worries that some if their enemies would take this chance to mix in with the survivors of the flood and stage a surprise attack upon the city.
No matter how strong the city guard captain was, his status was limited and all he could do was follow the orders or lose his current position that he had worked hard for.
Even in the eyes of an unrestrained martial artist things like wealth, influence and power may seem like trivial in front of their own strength but they still needed a safe place to sleep, eat and earn money otherwise they would just be like those other unrestrained martial artists who have been hunted down for the crimes they have committed and become a part of the Unorthodox Alliance or other places in order to seek shelter.
He wasn't smart enough to become someone important and his family background and teachings did not allow him a stable life but what he did have was his talent for martial arts which let him reach this stage after many years of life and death battles and some lucky encounters.
Nearing his sixties, he has already rose up to become a captain of the city guard and his sole duty is to protect the walls and the citizens within.
Taking one final look at the desperate looks on the survivors faces, he sighed before leaving the wall after finishing his daily duty.
Like usual, he went to drink with his companions after work before heading home while pondering over the increasingly dangerous situation that was forming.
Arriving in his home, he entered his secluded home that he had been able to purchase after many years of hard work.
Around this time many of the family that he had would be sleeping peacefully.
His daughter and wife would have long gone to bed and the workers managing his home were usually finishing up any last minute chores before greeting him.
As per usual, the head butler of the house greeted him with a smile.
This man was someone who he had known for many years and had been old friends with, he was smart and skilled in a different area so was able to handle things that he couldn't like the management of the household and money unlike himself who had not been so well educated.
He, his wife and this man had been friends for a long time and were very close, as he started to show his talent and finally began to earn a stable amount of wealth to support his life, he asked his wife to marry him.
She accepted happily but as his situation improved for them, their friend was having a hard time so they discussed it between themselves and decided to get him to help out with the household affairs in exchange for payment and a roof over his head.
His friend had been living in his home for a long time and had become a central figure in the household.
While he was working, his friend would handle the problems that would arise while he was away so this arrangement worked for him.
As usual, his friend greeted him with a smile and handed him some sobering soup, knowing that he had been forced by his men to drink again.
His friend watched him drink it calmly and then tapped his finger on the table repeatedly until suddenly the look on his face changed.
A confident smile appeared on his lips and a hateful look appeared in his eyes. "Finally. It is all over."
He had long been tired of this facade of being the member of the trio who was down on his luck and had to receive sympathy from his friends and given handouts.
Even if he had willingly accepted the tasks, he still had his pride damaged.
He always believed himself to be better than the fool opposite him and was frustrated every time he had to watch his two old friends happily in love along with their daughter who had later been born.
He would or could not leave because he never had a better opportunity but there was also a twisted desire in his heart.
He believed he deserved his friends life, as a member of the trio he was the smartest and most sociable so naturally if there was going to be a relationship develop, it would be him who would become a couple with her and not his dumb friend.
Many years of putting up a smile and maintaining his facade, he had to endure silently with his twisted way of thinking until someone finally appeared to let him see the light.
If his friend suddenly disappeared then the wife would gain every of his friends possessions and wealth, he would still remain within the household and could slowly work his charms on her until she accepts him after she has had enough time to grieve over the disappearance of her husband.
As for the daughter, he could easily deal with her since she had reached the proper age to be married off to another family.
It would not be long before he married her and had complete control of everything his friend had earned over his long life of struggle.
He knew that someone with that kind of strength was highly valued so he must have a lot if hidden wealth somewhere.
The captain position may be lost after his disappearance but his wealth wouldn't be so he would be able to live a long life spending it as he pleases without any worries.
Tempted by such things, he readily agreed to particulate in such a plan and waited for the opportune time to make a move once he had been instructed to do so.
Like the usual routine, he prepared everything so that the workers went home early and also put something into the mother and daughters meals so that they would go to sleep earlier and not wake up.
The soup was prepared and he put in what was given to him by those mysterious people.
Upon seeing his old friend taking the soup and swallowing it all, he watched as his energy seemed to have been sapped from him and his consciousness began to fade.
After poking and prodding him a couple of times to check, he laughed. "This is almost too easy. Ahahaha."
He no longer had any guilt in his heart as he had succeeded, instead it was filled with relief and excitement.
Now he no longer would be the loser among their group of three, he would be the one to live with his head held up high even if it meant resorting to dirty tactics and colluding with unknown people.
He carried the city guard captain outside into the carriage and closed it securely before getting onto the front of the carriage to travel towards the city gates.
Upon arriving at the gates, he maintained a composed look on his face and took out the captains token greeted the man at the gate. "Hello, the captain wishes to leave the city for a little while. He said that he wishes to scout the surrounding area once again to check in case of any dangerous groups forming in the surroundings that may need to be dealt with."
The man at the wall looked at him and asked. "Oh so it is the captain! Does he need any men to come with him?"
A slight look of annoyance was on his face as he relied. "No need, he said that it was something that would be over quickly and something he could handle alone. He just didn't want to alert anyone."
The man at the gate didn't seem to have much of a ranking so he had to accept the words as true since they were supposedly from the captain and the token was shown.
He opened the gate and allowed them to leave not thinking to check the inside of the carriage since it would be rude to offend his captain.