Darkness of a Soul (Open)

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"I am a warrior serving with my utmost loyalty under Lord Liu Bei of Xinye," Ma Chao replied as he took a sip out of his cup of wine. And then Gan Ning spoke of his past. To be honest, Chao almost spat out his wine out of sudden shock, but showed only a slight sign of surprise and put down his cup. A pirate... In most cases, Ma Chao would have struck the pirate down. But one, he was a former brigand of the seas, not a current one. And second, after his revealed sympathizing incident, he wasn¡¯t really sure if being a pirate was always a sin. But either way, Gan Ning¡¯s crew was gone, his career ruined. "May I ask if you are intending to serve anyone, if it does not offend you?"

[Kang Ren]

Gan Ning silently listened. He nodded when he he spoke he was going to serve someone. But its really not because of leader he wants to join. It is because of Nohime. She asked him to join with her and he would. But he wondered how she would take his midnight departure from her. He lowered his head, his heart aching to be around her again, "Hmmm... I was planning on joining Sun Jian."

"Tell me Ma Chao and Ma Dai, what do you think is more important, love or revenge?" Gan Ning asked the men sitting across from him. It was something that was wearing on his mind since he left. Was it the right decision?

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"Well, if you do truly intend on joining Sun Jian, I suggest you do not waver from your decision," Ma Chao said as he took another sip out of his cup. Then Gan Ning asked the question of love or revenge. A question that quite a few men might ask, but then those who did were those that strived to choose whichever was more honorable, and Ma Chao of course had one answer for them. "Neither. I place justice above all else. But if you want a closer answer, I will say that oftentimes justice calls for revenge more than it requires love."

[Kang Ren]

Gan Ning nodded. He would join Sun Jian as it is what Nohime wants to do. He didn't know much about him, but he did know he was a stalwart leader. He nodded again and said, "I prefer to find someone who is similar to me. I wish to speak with him and find that out. I would hate to join someone who is opposite from me."

Gan Ning smiled when he said vengeance had a better place, "As do I Ma Chao. I can see we are similar in many ways. I can tell your the overly justice-e type. If you weren't like that you would make a fine pirate." Gan Ning said smiling.

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"A pirate? Maybe." For the first time, Ma Chao wasn't offended at all by these words from Gan Ning. Now that he came to think of it, some ways of life had to be accepted as they exist, whether he preferred to like them or not. Of course, he wouldn't stand to watch a group of innocents get robbed and beaten, but still, now that he thought of it, he himself was a man who had murdered more than any common person. "Do you miss your old way of life?"

[Kang Ren]

Gan Ning smiled as the man didn't deny it. There were aspects of him that could be considered pirate like, but he did not delve into this any further. He nodded however when the man asked him if he missed it, "In some ways I do. I miss the sea. The ocean air. The smell of the water. The on edge all the time attitude. The ability to do what I want how I want, not being bound by rules. I disliked killing, but hey, I love money and wine. If you got that and I can take it I will." Gan Ning said laughing, "I'm a menace. I was nicknamed the Menace of the Sea for a reason. I was a great pirate. The best if I say so myself."

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Ma Chao simply nodded as Gan Ning said this. Turning the gaze of his eyes toward the opening in the wall, the excuse for a window, for a short moment, he noticed that it was a new moon that night. No light whatsoever shone outside the tavern. Hmm, a nice choice for such a stealthy job, he thought before turning back to Ning. "So where do you plan to go after your short visit in this village, if I may ask? Unless you have more people to take revenge on in the local area?"

[Kang Ren]

Gan Ning shook his head, "No one left for me to kill. I will hold a grudge to the end of my life, but now the man is dead. Once again, thanks for your help. It probably would have been much harder and taken much longer to kill him if it wasn't for your ignorance of what was happening. Vengence is a bitter sweet fruit. Once again I stain my hands. The hands that I must touch my love..." Gan Ning said his face low. Nohime was always on his mind. Ever since he left her she has been in his mind. His heart, now with the burden of blackness off of it crys out for her.

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His love... Apparently, from what he had been talking a few minutes ago and what he had just said now, Ma Chao automatically assumed that Gan Ning had someone in his life that he desired to be with above all else, a woman whom he belonged to. Love was such a... strange yet enchanting thing, something that many men fell for and honestly found no need to escape from. It was one of the blessings of life, many said, a blessing that Ma Chao very rarely enjoyed. "Does your lady abide far from where we are now?"

[Kang Ren]

His mind traveled to Nohime, his heart ached. He couldn't get her off his mind. When he asked where she was Gan Ning smiled, "In Wu at the moment. I wish to get to her as soon as possible. I should actually probably leave this village soon. You... You are fine. Me however... I am not." Gan Ning said. He took out a small flask and started drinking. He decided to leave out that it was Nohime who wanted him to join Sun Jian.

A few moments later three guards walked in, they were in full gear and had their swords out and spears ready. Gan Ning smiled grimly. They spotted him and yelled out, "You are now under arrest for the murder of Tsi Hao."

Gan Ning stood up and smiled, "Ma Chao I am sorry that our conversation was so short." Gan Ning stood up and walked over to the men. But what they didn't realize was that Gan Ning had his daggers in his hand. He threw them out stabbing the ones at the sides, sliding into their stomachs and he pulled them out. The guard in the middle was shocked as he threw his daggers forward, one slicing his stomach and the other his throat.

Gan Ning turned to Ma Chao and Ma Dai, "Goodbye. I hope we meet again. Let it not be on the battlefield."

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Ma Chao stood up instinctively as the guards approached, but did not even hesitate to simply watch as Gan Ning immediately stabbed all three of them down with his daggers. Nice, clean killing... Surely the work of a talented warrior, former pirate or not. It was difficult to be so agile and of course so skilled at the art of the blade, yet this man did it. Hmm. Simply nodding in silence with a look of peer respect in his eyes, Ma Chao met Gan Ning's gaze as the latter began to leave.

"I'll clean up your mess."

The tavern was, of course, overturned in a heap of chaos, of innocents screaming in shock and surprise and the horrible sight of murder and death. Heh, noobs. They had never experienced blood or even being close to dying. Pulling up the three corpses, Ma Chao took the just barely bleeding bodies and put them in a nearby wheelbarrow while Ma Dai walked around in a quite successful attempt to calm the people or at least persuade them to be quiet.

Ma Chao stood, wheelbarrow in hand, ready to dump the people somewhere distant.

And as he stood there, he realized that he had been persuaded that day to change his philosophy. In a long, long time.