Nasty Surprise
"What happened to him? How did it end up here?" Enatsu interrupted, who was passionate about stories like that.
"Shinzo Nishiyama, the emperor who now rules the nation of Tentochu, accused Ryutaro of corrupting his father's mind with his fiendish thoughts, forcing him to provoke a war and leading him to death. Angered, the Emperor decided to exile him outside the nation's borders, but his mother, Empress Yoko, did not allow him."
As Takamori kept narrating, the gatekeeper opened the arena door. Behind it, dozens and dozens of warriors waited for his consent to enter the training area.
"Knowing that he could not contend with the will of his mother and his late father, Shinzo chose to confine Ryutaro within these four walls, thus making him the keeper of the sacred Dojo and the arena. From that day on, he decided to cover his face forever, to erase his memory from the inhabitants of the capital, honoring the will of Tatsui's family" concluded Takamori.
"But... was it true what Shinzo insinuated? Is Ryutaro really a wicked man?" Yoichi asked.
"I only had to look at him and I could feel the sense of anguish he carries on his shoulders" Enatsu added, supporting his friend's thesis.
"No one knows. What is known is that Ryutaro has always had a great influence on the Emperor's father. He played the most important role to aspire to and I am sure the Imperial Family has no secrets for him. However, he is no longer the valiant warrior he once was, but his wisdom and knowledge should not be underestimated," the guild leader remarked.
Those words made Yoichi reason. When he first met him at dawn, even Kenji had growled at that man. Within him, hatred and resentment towards the Emperor had grown to such a point that they turned into pure wickedness. Ryutaro oozed his dark feelings out of his body.
What am I supposed to do now? Being trained by a legendary warrior like him would only benefit me. Besides, if I will be able to go back to the Nightblades headquarter whenever I please, I wouldn't abandon my friend Enatsu. But Kenji... why does Kenji growl every time he looks at him? Yoichi wondered, referring to the gatekeeper.
"I think I'll take that offer," the young tamer affirmed with conviction. Enatsu looked at him puzzled, waiting for a worthy explanation. "I'm going to give it a try, and if I consider his meditation techniques risky or unsafe, I'll never set foot in that Dojo again," he explained.
"That sounds like a good answer, Yoichi. I'm sure..."
"Look who I found! Takamori, what an unexpected surprise!" a voice-over interrupted, breaking the speech between the Sensei and his pupil.
Takamori's gaze darkened as soon as the recognizable timbre of that voice reached his ears. Hiding a rictus of loathing beneath his mustache, the Nightblades guild chief turned to the man who had just greeted him.
"Yozo-sama, it's a pleasure to meet you again," he spoke, with a false smile printed on his lips and his head slightly bent forward.
Before him, just below the steps of the tatami, a tall, muscular man was flanked by dozens of warriors. Both he and his men wore shining red armor.
His chest and shoulders were covered with medium-weight armor, decorated with red and black drapes and small metal spikes. On his samurai helmet, two large black horns extended upwards, bending slightly forward.
At the back of the helmet, a long braid of hair black as night hung along his back. His piercing orange eyes, almost red, were pointed at Takamori.
The warriors of that man, who looked like a guild leader, wore armor similar to his, but more basic. On the front of their chests, the symbol of a tiger face with its jaws wide open was clearly visible.
The Emperor's Heralds. There is no doubt, that is the symbol of the Imperial Family. Yoichi thought, looking intently at the faces of the warriors arranged in neat rows behind their captain.
Suddenly, during the brief moments of silence between Yozo's and Takamori's greetings, someone in the crowd caught Yoichi's attention. The blue hair of Kato, the warrior he had defeated in front of the gates of Ambershire, sparkled in the sunlight.
The Emperor's Heralds, unlike their guild leader, wore no helmets. Their armor covered their entire body, except for the head. A slight thrill ran down Enatsu's back, who as soon as he identified Kato among the warriors of that guild, turned his worried gaze towards his friend.
Kato, along with all his guildmates, stood still like a statue. When his gaze crossed with Yoichi's, the air was imbued with strong tension, so intense that it was perceived even by those who knew nothing about the defeat of the blue-haired warrior.
"I thought you wouldn't set foot in this place anymore, Takamori. I'm glad I was wrong, your face puts me in a good mood," Yozo giggled. His face, fully shaven, was marked by dozens of scars.
The most noticeable of them was a deep cut that stretched from the left side of his forehead to the right cheek, crossing an eye and nose.
"Your smile will last little, then. We are leaving," Takamori answered, implicitly ordering his warriors to follow him out of the stone tatami. Without hesitation, they followed him in line.
"Ohi, ohi... what's the rush?" Yozo chuckled, resting his hand on his interlocutor's shoulder. Attentive to every detail, Yoichi for a moment looked away from Kato and noticed that the Heralds chief's hand was equipped with long dark red claws.
"Is that any way to greet an old friend? Don't you stop for a small talk either, Takamori-kun?" Yozo repeated, amicably slapping Takamori's shoulder and forcing him to stop.
"My warriors and I are done, for today. Your turn has arrived, so we take our leave. Our headquarters are a few meters away from each other, so if you feel like having a chat, I'll see you in the square", replied the mustached guild master, with his hands crossed behind his back.