The woman shoved me back into the hovel. She was surprisingly strong given how slight and short she was. Or maybe this body was just weak. Either way I stumbled backward, and winced as pain flared in my ribs.

  "Don't you dare try to sneak away." Her voice was a hiss and she pushed me again even as she shut the door behind her. "I pulled every string I had to get you this position at the warehouse. Every. Single. One."

  I blinked, it appeared that I had a job. That was useful, I suppose. Although I was used to having people work for me rather than the other way round, a way of servicing the needs of this mortal frame would be helpful in the short term.

  "You promised me Taros. You promised me that this time would be different." The woman's face was flushed with anger, but beneath it I thought I detected concern. Whoever she was, she appeared to care about the owner of this body. That was helpful, but I didn't really want to stay here.

  "Show up sober. Do the work. Bring home the coin." She jabbed a finger at my chest. "Simple enough even for you to understand. Then maybe we can start to get something more than this to eat." The woman shook the parcel in my face as she spoke.

  From the hammock came a groan, followed by a curse. The thug from last night stirred, rubbing his face with one massive hand.

  I cursed internally. This was exactly what I had been afraid of. I looked around for a weapon. Nothing.

  "Why are you squawking at this hour, Sarei?" With a smooth action the man swung his legs over the side of the hammock and dropped to the floor.

  "Our idiot brother. He was trying to slink off." The woman, Sarei, walked over to the table as she spoke and unwrapped what appeared to be bread and dried fish.

  Wait, what? Brother? Really? Not my attacker but my family? And, by extension, this woman was his, our, sister?

  The man scratched his beard and yawned as he looked over at me. "Head still hurting from last night huh? "

  He chuckled. "I have to confess that when I came in and saw you lying on the floor I thought you were dead. Then you turned on me as well after I laid the last of those sailors out who were going through your pockets." He wagged his finger in my direction. "I'll give you your dues though, you did manage to land one good punch on me before I had to drag your sorry hide home."

  I stared at the breakfast Sarei laid out. The dried fish looked like it had been salvaged from scraps, and the bread was hard enough to crack teeth. Yet they both dove in like it was a feast.

  "Eat." Sarei poured me water from a clay jug and pushed some food toward me. "You need something in your stomach before work."

  My stomach growled, but shame flooded through me as I noticed how much smaller their portions were compared to mine even as I started to eat. The food was bad, but my borrowed stomach growled for more. Even the brackish water from the clay cup seemed like nectar to this body's parched throat. How quickly the mighty fall. From dining on delicacies on golden platters to fighting the urge to lick crumbs from a splintered table.

  "Master Wei said you start at dawn," Sarei continued, her voice softening slightly. "I vouched for you Taros. Don't make me regret it."

  The man tore off a chunk of bread with his teeth. "Took me three hours to find you last night. Three hours I could've been sleeping after being at sea for a week. If it wasn't for Yanzi telling me that he had seen you going into that tavern, it would have taken me even longer." He pointed at me with the bread. "What were you thinking going drinking in a place like that anyway? It's got a reputation for a reason."

  Sarei's eyes narrowed. "Wait. Hold on. What did you just say Kaelen? Don't tell me that he was drinking again"

  My brother, Kaelen as she had called him, chuckled. "Oh he was definitely drinking. He was passed out on the floor being robbed blind when I found him."

  "Dammit Taros, where did you even get money for drinks? Wait. No." Sarei dropped her food and rushed over to the corner of the room where she pulled up a floorboard and scrabbled underneath.

  "I had budgeted what was left from my wages after I paid Yin Chi and…" She stood with a battered leather purse in her hand and her face fell. "You took it, didn't you? Again."

  The accusation hung in the air. I said nothing, but my silence confirmed her suspicion.

  "Why Taros?" Her voice cracked and I could see tears in her eyes. "That was for food for the rest of the week."

  Kaelen sighed heavily. "This is why you can't keep a job. Last month it was the tannery, before that the stables. Every time, the same story: too drunk, too late, or just didn't show."

  "And we're the fools who keep covering for you." Sarei's voice was broken. It was worse than if she had shouted.

  I looked between them: A woman who had secured this Taros employment despite his history; a man who had fought my assailants and dragged me home rather than leaving me to my deserved fate. Poor, hardworking people saddled with a worthless brother.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  For seven hundred years, I had commanded respect and fear. I had embodied a particular brand of honor. Now I sat in this pathetic body, a parasite feeding off others.

  Well. Thank the Gods that this Taros was gone. Where he had gone I had no idea but this body was mine now. If nothing else, I would make sure that the kindness these two had shown would be thoroughly repaid.

  Sarei put the purse away and stood, with her shoulder's slumped. Then she squared back up and turned around. "I've lost my appetite. Let's go Taros. I can't wait to see how you are going to mess things up this time."

  Well, I guess restarting my cultivation would have to wait. This job, whatever it was, would provide the stability I needed to begin rebuilding. I had a year, so I could spare a few days to getting my bearings. The humiliation of being a servant rather than the master would be one I would bear. It might even be educational. For now, I would play the part of the reformed drunkard.

  * * *

  I followed Sarei through the cramped doorway and into the morning light. My head throbbed with each step, but the food had helped ease my headache and the fresh air, if you can call the fishy, salt-laden breeze fresh, cleared it the rest of the way.

  I cleared my throat. "So, about this job..."

  Sarei shot me a withering look over her shoulder and quickened her pace. Too soon? Message received. I shut my mouth and focused on keeping up.

  As we wound through the maze-like streets, I took stock of my surroundings. The slums were a warren linked by muddy lanes. People huddled around small fires, cooking whatever they had scrounged. Even at this hour, children with hollow cheeks darted between buildings, playing games that invariably involved much shouting.

  I clamped down on the anger that started to rise in me. Who was in charge here? I had ruled an empire that covered both land and sea. I will freely admit that not all of my subjects led lives of luxury but I ensured that even the least of them had lives better than this.

  I put that anger to one side. To fix these outrages I would need to be alive. Survival was my priority.

  As we walked, my largely non-existent spiritual senses allowed me to sense faint wisps of ki even here in the slums. Once I would have drawn them into my meridians without a thought, but now they slipped through my grasp. I needed to rebuild my cultivation as if I were a raw ensign. The knowledge was maddening, but seven centuries had taught me patience if nothing else.

  The sun was starting to peek over the horizon as we descended toward the harbor. With the slight slope, I could see that the city had an inner sector further inland that that housed sprawling estates and large homes and shops all linked by wide streets. The inner city was separated from the part of the city that we were in by a solidly built wall. I assume it was designed to keep the likes of me out. Once the city itself petered out, it turned into farms and small villages. Beyond that I could see a forest that extended as far as the eyes in this body could see. We turned a corner and I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face. In front of us the harbor sprawled before us and then there was the sea, and my soul soared.

  My eyes drank in the blue that reached to the horizon. The sea was my real home and I could see the signs of shoals of fish and those larger predators that fed on them glinting in the early morning sun.

  Simple fishing boats with patched sails and weathered crews bobbed closest to shore. Beyond them floated merchant sloops, their decks stacked with crates and barrels. My smile grew as I spotted the telltale signs of smugglers, their ships rode suspiciously low in the water, while their crews were far too alert for simple traders.

  And there, at the edges of the harbor where deeper waters began, sleek ships with reinforced hulls, too many sails and too many guns. Pirates. Not bothering to hide their nature in whatever this port was called.

  Around the curve of the bay I could see naval docks in the distance. It appeared that this was a military base as well. Orderly, and heavily guarded while the flags for whatever realm this was snapped in the breeze above their warships.

  Pirates and the navy living cheek by jowl. What an intriguing place.

  Despite my weak body, my lost power, and my poverty I felt a stirring of interest. This city housed both danger and opportunity. I could make something of myself in this place.

  Even as I was starting to feel positive, Mistress Fate decided to rein in my pride.

  I froze mid-step as I spotted them. Five men swaggering up the dock, their clothes a mismatched collection of stolen finery and practical garments. Pirates, without question. The leader wore a finely made set of robes that had clearly originally been tailored for someone else, and all of them carried blades at their hips with the casual confidence of men accustomed to violence.

  "Sarei." I kept my voice low to avoid drawing attention. "Let's take another route."

  She glanced at me with irritation. "We're already late. Stop dawdling."

  I reached for her, but my reflexes were embarrassingly slow. Before I could get out of the line of fire, the pirates spotted us and changed course to intercept us.

  "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The leader grinned, revealing a gold tooth that glinted in the morning sun. His gaze fixed on Sarei, ignoring me entirely. "A pretty little flower wandering the docks."

  The pirates formed a loose circle around us. In my former glory, I would have killed them all without breaking my stride. Now, I felt the unfamiliar sensation of fear crawling up my spine.

  Sarei's posture stiffened. "We're just passing through." I saw her eyes flicker towards an urchin who sat on the edge of the dock. He gave her a small nod and then sped off. I had no time to think further on that as the leader spoke again.

  "Well," he eyed me dismissively, "why doesn't this fine young boy carry on passing through. Then you can come and have a drink with some real men?"

  The leader stepped closer to Sarei, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact. "What do you say, pretty one? We've just come into port with full purses, and a thirst for some fun. We could show you a fine time."

  "No thank you." Sarei's voice was tight but controlled. "I have to go to work."

  The pirate's smile vanished. His hand shot out, grabbing Sarei's wrist. "No need to worry about that. I know how you can earn some coin."

  I stepped forward. "Let her go."

  In my past life, I would have already separated this man's head from his shoulders and been cleaning my blade before his companions realized that they were also dead.

  In this life the pirates erupted in laughter. The leader didn't even bother looking at me, his eyes still fixed on Sarei as his grip tightened.

  "Or what, dock rat?"

  He finally turned to me with contempt in his eyes. "What are you going to do about it?"