(Sorry for not posting yesterday. Hope you enjoy the new chapter. For new readers and regulars you may find my other works by following the link in my signature "Fanfics" )
Chapter 14: Chaos in the streets. An enemy that doesn't know how to quit.
The group went to the nearest town where the old fortress once stood, but has since fallen into decay. As we walked into the village square, we immediately knew something was wrong. The happy little farmers village always had somebody out in the streets. Not only that but the villagers have known us for years as we were the ones to go on errands. The streets were silent. We went to the shrine which provided food and bed for the poor. We would have to stay there until we were ready to move out to other villages. Though we have tried, the people of this village do not want to learn Ninshu, which I respected.
Though the priests and monks were there, they hardly made a peep, and nobody other than us even visited the shrine that day. We ate our fill and we gathered our funds to make sure we had enough to get food along the way to the next village, which a monk told us was only 7 miles south on the road at the opposite end of the village.
Suddenly, a scream shattered the eerie peace. A woman ran past us as a pair of men frantically chased her. I jumped to my feet and ran after them, trying to discover the problem. Though it took a moment, I realized that the two men wore a set of tattered armor remnants and carried swords at their sides.
"Imperial soldiers?" I thought aloud as I used my superior speed to get in front of the two soldiers. They were surprised as I seemed to appear from nowhere.
"Who the hell are you?" one of them asked. The smell of sake was strong on his breath.
"I might ask you the same thing," I replied, holding my ground.
"We are the g-great imper-Imperial soldiers of his majesty the great Emperor Itoku," the man managed to say between drunken hiccups.
"Hey, I know him. Yeah, I recognize that red hair and purple eyes anywhere. This guy is the kid who took down commander Yasutora and most of the army of Akiko town's imperial base," the other, (who seemed slightly more sober) commented.
"Y-you don't say. Well...If we kill him. We'll be he-heroes!" the first man said as he drew his sword.
I sighed as I lifted my hands, "You two are not even worth the effort of doing this, but I cannot allow you to harass this woman. Shinra tensei," I said as I flicked my wrist, sending a tiny force that sent the men sprawling to their backs. They managed to get up and run away. I turned my attention to the woman. She stood there watching the whole time. She ran up and hugged me.
"My savior," she said, "who knows what they would have done if you weren't here." Kaguya and Uzima ran up to see how everything went.
"What is happening in this town?" Kaguya asked, thinking of the same question that had been on my mind since we arrived.
"It is thugs like those two. Though there are not many forces of the empire nearby, those thugs decided to group together and terrorize our town. They take our food, our water, our homes, and even..." she trailed off.
"Where are they based out of?" I asked.
"They took the village elder's house and are holding him hostage. It is the only place big enough to hold them all," she replied.
"Do you know their leader's name?" Uzima asked.
"I'm afraid I do not," she replied with regret. We thanked her and allowed her to return home to safety.
"What do we do we do now, Tengen?" Kaguya asked. I thought for a moment.
"We need to diffuse the situation and save the elder. If all twenty or so of us go in there it might get messy. Only the most advanced of us will go in to save him," I replied.
"So should I get the other elite students?" Uzima asked.
"No, only bring Yuuki. This is a delicate matter and we need to be efficient. A group of four will allow us to fight effectively and get the job done. You two, Yuuki and myself will go in," I replied. Kaguya left to tell Yuuki. While a sinking feeling in my stomach served as a dark premonition for events to come.
Chapter 14: Chaos in the streets. An enemy that doesn't know how to quit.
The group went to the nearest town where the old fortress once stood, but has since fallen into decay. As we walked into the village square, we immediately knew something was wrong. The happy little farmers village always had somebody out in the streets. Not only that but the villagers have known us for years as we were the ones to go on errands. The streets were silent. We went to the shrine which provided food and bed for the poor. We would have to stay there until we were ready to move out to other villages. Though we have tried, the people of this village do not want to learn Ninshu, which I respected.
Though the priests and monks were there, they hardly made a peep, and nobody other than us even visited the shrine that day. We ate our fill and we gathered our funds to make sure we had enough to get food along the way to the next village, which a monk told us was only 7 miles south on the road at the opposite end of the village.
Suddenly, a scream shattered the eerie peace. A woman ran past us as a pair of men frantically chased her. I jumped to my feet and ran after them, trying to discover the problem. Though it took a moment, I realized that the two men wore a set of tattered armor remnants and carried swords at their sides.
"Imperial soldiers?" I thought aloud as I used my superior speed to get in front of the two soldiers. They were surprised as I seemed to appear from nowhere.
"Who the hell are you?" one of them asked. The smell of sake was strong on his breath.
"I might ask you the same thing," I replied, holding my ground.
"We are the g-great imper-Imperial soldiers of his majesty the great Emperor Itoku," the man managed to say between drunken hiccups.
"Hey, I know him. Yeah, I recognize that red hair and purple eyes anywhere. This guy is the kid who took down commander Yasutora and most of the army of Akiko town's imperial base," the other, (who seemed slightly more sober) commented.
"Y-you don't say. Well...If we kill him. We'll be he-heroes!" the first man said as he drew his sword.
I sighed as I lifted my hands, "You two are not even worth the effort of doing this, but I cannot allow you to harass this woman. Shinra tensei," I said as I flicked my wrist, sending a tiny force that sent the men sprawling to their backs. They managed to get up and run away. I turned my attention to the woman. She stood there watching the whole time. She ran up and hugged me.
"My savior," she said, "who knows what they would have done if you weren't here." Kaguya and Uzima ran up to see how everything went.
"What is happening in this town?" Kaguya asked, thinking of the same question that had been on my mind since we arrived.
"It is thugs like those two. Though there are not many forces of the empire nearby, those thugs decided to group together and terrorize our town. They take our food, our water, our homes, and even..." she trailed off.
"Where are they based out of?" I asked.
"They took the village elder's house and are holding him hostage. It is the only place big enough to hold them all," she replied.
"Do you know their leader's name?" Uzima asked.
"I'm afraid I do not," she replied with regret. We thanked her and allowed her to return home to safety.
"What do we do we do now, Tengen?" Kaguya asked. I thought for a moment.
"We need to diffuse the situation and save the elder. If all twenty or so of us go in there it might get messy. Only the most advanced of us will go in to save him," I replied.
"So should I get the other elite students?" Uzima asked.
"No, only bring Yuuki. This is a delicate matter and we need to be efficient. A group of four will allow us to fight effectively and get the job done. You two, Yuuki and myself will go in," I replied. Kaguya left to tell Yuuki. While a sinking feeling in my stomach served as a dark premonition for events to come.
