Exoplanet

Chapter 1: A Mercenary and Two Travelers

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Huang Zitao sighed as he crawled through the thick underbrush. Scratches from twigs littered his face and hands, some of them swelling despite not bleeding. Zitao – or Tao, as he preferred – swore when his sleeve got caught on a bush, the tip of the thin branch scraping another cut on his hand. Reaching over with his other hand, he tried to tug the cloth free, only to be granted the sight of his beloved shirt being torn.

Grumbling about how he needed a better job than being a mercenary, Tao gave the sleeve a strong yank. The cloth reluctantly detached itself from the bush, and Tao continued crawling after mourning his ruined sleeve.

He dragged himself across the ground for a few more yards, coming across a small clearing. With great difficulty, Tao reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment, unfurling it to reveal messy handwriting. He squinted at it, double-checking his position before crushing the note in his fist and tossing it away. Shifting on the dusty ground until he was comfortable, Tao rested his chin on the hands and waited.

Just like his client had said, Tao didn’t have to wait long. There were footsteps, rustling, and voices heading in his general direction. Soon, three people stepped into the clearing, stopping a few feet away from Tao’s hiding place. The young mercenary tilted his head, peering through the bushes to get a good glimpse of the trio.

He recognized his target immediately. The hooked nose and tanned skin were easy to spot when the other two had light skin and straight noses. Being careful not to produce any sounds, Tao laid still and listened in on their conversation.

“…so three days?” One of the light-skinned men was asking.

Tao saw his target nod. “Three days at dusk. We meet here with everyone who will help us. Lord Jung won’t know what hit him.”

“Once the current lord is dead, we can put our chief up there and make those weak peasants our slaves,” the third man chortled, obviously anticipating the day they carry out their plan.

Tao, however, had heard what he needed to hear. His client had given him specific instructions to kill the target if he showed signs of malicious intent towards the lord, and Tao intended to obey.

Unsheathing his dagger, Tao slowly raised himself to a crouch, the bushes around him rustling and attracting the attention of the three men.

“What was that?” The three placed their hands on their weapons, warily scanning the area around Tao but failing to see the mercenary hidden in the bushes.

Like a snake lashing out, Tao leaped from his hiding spot, charging for the closest man. The blade of his dagger easily sank into the man’s stomach. Blood gushed from the wound as Tao tugged his weapon out and the man staggered backward, falling to the ground with a bellow of pain.

The second light-skinned man charged at Tao with a furious cry, sword held high above his head. Unfazed, Tao spun around and landed a powerful kick to the attacker’s stomach, sending him flying back. The man landed on the ground with a thud, sword flying out of his hands and breath leaving his lungs.

A shuffling sound to his left made Tao whip around. His target was running away, fleeing into the woods with his back to Tao. Without hesitation, Tao threw his dagger at the retreating back, watching with satisfaction as the blade found its mark. The dark-skinned man went down easily.

Suddenly, a force knocked into Tao’s right cheek, sending his head whipping to the left. Tao’s staggered, nearly losing his balance, but recovered quickly and launched a roundhouse kick at the man’s head. There was a nasty crunching sound and the other dropped to the ground and didn’t get up again.

After checking that the two light-skinned men were dead, Tao stalked over to where the third one had fallen. There were specks of blood, crushed vegetation, and scuffed dirt.

There was no body.

Tao cursed out loud, turning this way and that. The third man was nowhere to be seen. Tao dropped to the ground, searching for blood spots in hopes of tracking down the target. There was a faint trail for him to follow for a few yards, but it soon disappeared. Even the earth became free of footprints. Tao had to concede defeat in this chase.

Mentally chastising himself for his carelessness, Tao turned back towards the village. This was the first time he had messed up this badly. Not only did he let one of the targets escape, but he also lost his dagger, which was – sadly – the only weapon he had on him. He had enough money on him to buy a new dagger, but it would mean having to cut down on food and pass on a few dinners.

Well, Tao could also forget getting another dagger and keep the money for food. Years of wushu training meant that Tao was a deadly opponent even without a weapon. Daggers were only a back-up and something that made eliminating his targets an easier task.

Running a hand through his hair to clear out the leaves and twigs, Tao decided to leave the decision for after he received his payment. He bypassed the markets, where merchants were yelling for potential customers and customers tried to haggle for lower prices. He trudged through the neighborhood, where children ran around in the streets as their watchful mothers sat in front of the houses.

The Lord's mansion was at the end of the neighborhood. There was a roundabout in the road for carriages to pull up, and a large garden sat between the road and the front doors. The guards at the gate nodded at Tao as he walked past them, aware of the deal Tao had with one of their masters. The smell of peonies greeted the mercenary immediately after he stepped past the gates and into the garden and followed him all the way to the front door.

The door creaked open a few moments after Tao knocked. A well-dressed, middle-aged man greeted him, bowing as Tao stepped over the threshold. “Welcome back, sir. Are you looking for the lady?”

“Yes, is she here?”

“I will be sure to let her know you are back. Please follow me into the living room.” The butler bowed again and gestured towards a room off to the right. Tao tailed him as he led the way into the grand living room and settled on one of the couches when the butler asked him to rest. Tao leaned back on the comfortable sofa, nodding as the other took his leave.

It wasn’t long before voices and light footsteps approached the room. Tao sat up straighter, eyes focused on the doorway.

The lacy edge of the dress appeared first, followed by a feminine figure. Long, brown tresses framed the kind, heart-shaped face, and hazel eyes scanned the room, finding Tao almost immediately. The mercenary stood up, bowing to the woman in greeting, who curtsied back.

“Lady Jung,” Tao murmured respectfully to the lady of the house.

“Master Tao,” Lady Jung replied, offering him a sweet smile. “I’m glad to see you back alive and in one piece.” She sat down across from Tao and accepted the tea her butler offered. “You bring good news, yes?”

“Good and bad.” Tao took a sip from his tea, wincing slightly as the hot liquid burned his tongue. “I found the target, and he had two companions with him. They were plotting to assassinate your husband in three days.”

He paused, and Lady Jung nodded, indicating for him to finish his story.

“I managed to take care of his companions, but the original target escaped and took my weapon with him. I tried to track him, but I lost the trail. I apologize for my carelessness.” Tao lowered his head, hoping that Lady Jung wouldn’t be too harsh on him.

“I see,” Lady Jung said thoughtfully, “Please raise your head, Master Tao. I should be bowing to you for doing more than you needed to.” She inclined her head slightly. “Thank you for eliminating his companions when I only hired you to eliminate him.”

“You’re too kind.” Tao smiled, relieved that she wasn’t angry. “I will be sure to find and kill the target as soon as possible.”

“I’m sure you will.” Lady Jung set her teacup on the table gently. “In the meantime, I would like to invite you to stay here.”

Tao opened his mouth to protest, but Lady Jung held up a hand, signaling that she was not finished. “Since you’ve foiled his plans, I’m afraid that the traitor might attack soon, and I would like it if you were nearby to defend us. Please, Master Tao, the bandits are cruel and ruthless. The people do not deserve leaders like them,” she begged.

Tao hesitated for a moment more before his shoulders slumped in resignation. “Alright, ma’am. If that will put your heart at ease.”

A bright smile spread across Lady Jung’s face. “Thank you so much!” she cried and beckoned to the butler. “Hiro, show Master Tao to one of the guest rooms. Make sure he gets settled in and comfortable.”

“Understood.” Hiro bowed.

Lady Jung stood and curtsied to Tao. “I must go back to my husband now. Please do not be afraid to speak with Hiro if you have any concerns. I shall see you at dinner.” She headed for the doorway, stopping just inside of it and faced Tao again. “I almost forgot to tell you. Two of my acquaintances will be visiting this evening and will be eating with us. I would like you to meet them. Is that alright with you?”

“I would love to meet them,” Tao lied slightly. He never liked meeting strangers that much, but since these people knew Lady Jung, he figured it couldn’t hurt.

Tao followed Hiro to the guest room Lady Jung had provided, placing his meager belongings on the small table in the middle of the room. He dismissed Hiro, and the moment the door shut behind the butler, Tao flung himself on the bed with a sigh, relishing in the soft mattress and thick covers. He didn’t even realize that he had fallen asleep until Hiro was shaking him awake.

“It’s time for dinner, Master Tao. The Lady and her other guests are waiting for you downstairs,” the butler reminded.

Tao groaned and sat up, stretching his stiff back. “How long was I asleep?”

“About four hours, sir.”

Four pairs of eyes zeroed in on Tao when he arrived in the dining room. Tao recognized Lady Jung and her husband, greeting them immediately. The two strangers were both men and seemed to be shorter than Tao. They seemed friendly enough, both offering him polite smiles, which Tao returned.

“I’m sorry for oversleeping.”

“Do not worry about it. Please, sit.” Lady Jung gestured to the last open chair, which was across from one of the strangers. Once Tao was settled, she began to introduce the guests.

“The person across from you is Junmyeon.”

Junmyeon smiled at him, revealing a row of perfect teeth. “It’s nice to meet you.” Tao noticed that he was very handsome. Platinum blond hair was parted messily, and Junmyeon’s eyes became little crescents whenever the corner of his lips lifted. Tao thought he looked like a kind person.

Junmyeon’s companion was introduced as Luhan. Like Junmyeon, Luhan was handsome, but in a softer way. In contrast with Junmyeon’s, Luhan’s hair was a dark brown, and his eyes were slightly larger. A dark-blue headband ran underneath Luhan’s hair and across his forehead, preventing any pale skin from peeking out beneath the bangs.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Tao.” Tao rose from his seat slightly, giving both Junmyeon and Luhan a slight bow.

Once introductions were over, Hiro and two other servants brought out platters of food. Tao eyed the roasted pig hungrily, trying to breathe in as much of the heavenly smell as possible without seeming too obvious. He waited for Lady and Lord Jung to begin eating before reaching for a piece of pork.

Luhan seemed to have had the same idea because his chopsticks collided with Tao’s in midair. Both men backed off with a surprised noise and small smiles.

Tao gestured at the pork with his chopsticks, but Luhan laughed, mimicking the motion with his own chopsticks. “You first.”

Suddenly, a third pair of chopsticks appeared and grabbed the slice of pork Luhan and Tao were debating over. The two of them looked up with flabbergasted expressions to see Junmyeon chewing on the meat with a playful smirk.

Lady Jung burst into a fit of giggles, covering with her hand. Beside her, Lord Jung muffled a chuckle in his sleeve. Even Hiro, who was standing by Lord Jung’s chair, pressed his lips together to hide a grin.

A little embarrassed, but also amused, Tao reached for another piece of pork while Luhan lightly hit Junmyeon on the arm.

Dinner continued smoothly as Lady Jung made small talk with the guests. By listening in on the conversations, Tao learned that Junmyeon and Luhan had visited the Jungs four years ago and that they traveled a lot, but the two didn’t classify themselves as mercenaries.

“We nearly ran into a group of bandits on our way here. There seem to be a lot of them these days.” Luhan’s comment snapped Tao out of his musing, and the mercenary groaned to himself.

“Yes, Master Tao discovered that they’re planning to assassinate my husband,” Lady Jung said seriously. “Did the bandits look like they were preparing for an attack?”

Junmyeon and Luhan shared a look. “Unfortunately, yes,” Junmyeon answered honestly, “They were headed in this direction, and almost every bandit had an extra sword on him.”

Silence settled at the table, broken only by the sound of Hiro refilling Lord Jung’s tea. Lady Jung looked to be deep in thought, no doubt thinking of ways to protect her husband.

Luhan cleared his throat. “If you’d like, Lady Jung, Junmyeon and I would be happy to help you deal with the bandits.”

Lady Jung looked conflicted. “Are you sure, Luhan? I know you and Junmyeon just arrived, so–”

“It’s perfectly alright. We would be glad to help. It’s the least we could do to repay you for your hospitality,” Junmyeon reassured.

“In that case, as long as Master Tao doesn’t mind…”

“Of course not,” Tao said quickly. He was a good fighter but would be no match against three clans of bandits alone. “But will the three of us be enough?”

“More than enough.” Luhan grinned. Tao didn’t believe him, but then again, he didn’t know the other two. Maybe they were secretly werewolves or something. He chose not to argue and settled for a hesitant nod.

Immediately after the servants cleared away the empty plates, Luhan and Junmyeon dragged Tao to the market, searching for weapons merchant. The two of them squished Tao between them, unintentionally making the mercenary slightly uncomfortable.

“Do you travel a lot, Tao? Can I call you Tao?” Luhan asked, smiling hopefully.

“Yeah, sure, and no, the only country I’ve ever been in is Halwen.” Tao tried to inconspicuously lean away from the shorter, only to start a little when he accidentally bumped shoulders with Junmyeon. He quickly moved away, ready to apologize, but Junmyeon shot him a relaxed smile.

“Oh, I see. Were you born here?”

Tao stiffened at the innocent question. The poor couple that raised him had always told him that they weren’t his real parents. Instead, they had found him on their doorstep one morning, wailing at the top of his lungs and pale from the cold. They nursed him back to health and then went around asking for his mother and father. In the end, nobody stepped forward as Tao’s parents, and their search proved fruitless.

Luckily, Tao was saved from answering by Junmyeon, who snickered and said, “He must have been born in Halwen. He said it’s the only country he’s been in!”

“Oh, right!” Luhan laughed sheepishly. “Oops?”

Tao saw an opportunity to steer the conversation away from himself. “Where are you two from?”

He swore he saw their smiles falter a bit, but Luhan and Junmyeon quickly recovered. “Moltuva,” they said in unison. “The country far in the east,” Junmyeon added.

The name sounded familiar. “I think I’ve heard of Moltuva before. Secretive people?”

“Yeah, most of the people there don’t like to talk,” Luhan admitted as they walked up to the weapon stand.

Tao eyed the daggers, swords, and maces on display. He was tempted to buy one, but he considered getting his old one back from the escaped bandit. It was definitely possible since he had Luhan and Junmyeon helping him, but there was still one issue.

“So, how do you guys propose taking down three bandit clans with just us three?”

Luhan and Junmyeon exchanged knowing glances. “Let’s just say that we have our own special talents, and we heard from Lady Jung that you’re an excellent swordsman as well as a wushu master. We’re confident we can take care of the bandits.”

“What do you mean by ‘special talents’?” Tao tried to ask, but Luhan chose that moment to ask the merchant for the price of a dagger. Still confused, Tao turned to Junmyeon, who had just finished paying for a sword.

“I know it’s a bit of a stretch for me to say this, but trust us.” Junmyeon’s eyes gleamed. “We won’t let you get hurt.”

Tao still wasn’t convinced. He had enough experience to know that having only three people – two of them with their ‘special talents’ – could not possibly be enough against so many bandits. However, a sudden calm washed over him, all questions escaping his mind and leaving him relaxed and confident. “Y-Yeah, okay.”

In the end, Tao got roped into buying a weapon. He chose a small knife – one that was meant to be used as back-up – and paid. As he turned away from the stall, he noticed Junmyeon and Luhan staring at him with wide eyes, identically shocked expressions on their faces. Thinking there was something on the back of his head, Tao reached over and brushed his hand through his hair. He felt nothing.

“Is there something stuck to my back?” he asked, awkwardly stretching his arm over his shoulder, patting the back of his shirt.

The two travelers seemed to realize they were staring. “Oh, no, no,” Junmyeon said quickly, shaking his head, “It’s nothing. Sorry. Let’s go.”

With that, Junmyeon turned and hurried away. Luhan followed him after shooting one last unreadable expression at Tao. Perplexed, Tao jogged to catch up, still thinking that there was something stuck to the back of his shirt.

The mercenary was about to give the two a piece of his mind when Junmyeon stopped in the middle of the road, looking at something. Tao scanned the crowd, eyes landing on the pair of men huddled together next to a wall. He strained his ears, catching some of the conversation.

“Did you hear? Leilan has been wiped out.”

“No way. That country may have been small, but their army is pretty strong.”

“It’s true. Word traveled from Thesius. They think Moltuva had something to do with it.”

Tao’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He didn’t know a country called Leilan, but he knew from the men's tones that whatever happened wasn’t good. Why in the name of the planet would Moltuva destroy an entire country?

He was snapped from his musings by a sharp shake of his shoulder. Tao started, looking down to see Luhan trying to get his attention. The traveler raised an eyebrow.

“You coming or are you just going to stand here all day?”

Tao nodded and followed Luhan and Junmyeon towards the edge of the village, pushing the issue with Moltuva out of his mind. He had more important things to take care of at the moment.

A/N: This chapter has been betaed, but if you happen to see any mistakes, please point them out ^^

Anyway, I said in my last A/N that I would create a map for this story. Well, I found my drawing tablet and here it is: (Exoplanet Map) I think it will be useful so that locations and stuff won't be so confusing.

'Til next chapter! <3