Tittle-tattle

The next morning was quite the struggle for me. Although I didn't dream of anything at all, I was quite groggy and lazy. While also enjoying the warmth that Ruka's body produced...

Quickly sitting up and moving my hands to my self, I didn't look back and get up on my feets.

Unfortunately, my sudden movement made Ruka stir up and I felt her gaze on my back.

Looking towards the place where the door was supposed to be, I saw a few rays of sun shyly peeking through the canopy. Letting out a yawn, I walked towards the arc, where I spotted Syntax reigniting the fireplace.

Hearing my footsteps he quickly looked towards my direction and then continue his job, greeting me "Good morning Ryuuji, how was your sleep?"

Taking a quick glance at Toro that was sitting on the grass beside the house, I greet him back "Morning, I sleep well thank you, how was the watch?"

Sitting up on a log that was left around in the fireplace from the previous night, I squeeze my elbows after feeling the chilling breeze of the morning.

"There was some movement but it was strange, I reckon they were some animals, but it seemed that Toro's smell made them think twice before getting more closer. It's a shame since I would have prepared for you all some supper or something." He said while sitting back on another log after finishing reigniting the fire.

*GRW GRW*

Hearing him talk about food seemed to stir my own appetite, as he chuckled and I moved towards Toro's Backpack that was left in front of the house, just sight of were the rest of us were sleeping and Syntax watch spot.

Taking a few rations and smoked fish, I went back to sit while filling back my energy.

"I didn't spotted any kind of rock that would enable us to work with, there's so much forest that honestly made me a little bit mad." Syntax started reporting while taking advantage that I was eating and the rest of the squad sleeping.

"So we'll have to do with wood for the meantime. I don't know if you're planning to settle here for a long time, however I recommend against such idea. We'll need more materials in any case. We have to build the rest of the equipment and tools for just prevent our current weapons to go to waste." I nodded at his words as I agree with his judgement.

Gulping down the food on my mouth I said to him while signaling with my hands to wait for me.

"This place is for the meantime, it doesn't matter what happened to us, we don't have a way to return back. So we need to ensure our standing in this place. After we gather enough info we'll see how to proceed, but I'll give us a deadline before I'll force the squad to move somewhere else where we can at least work with our previous plan." I said to him with a firm expression on my face, somewhat recalling what we were planning to do.

Syntax seemed to relax after hearing my words as I heard him humming.

"That's a good idea, we haven't seen anything yet so I guess I'll also help a little bit with Manin and Beep looking at that village. I reckon I would be able to recognize more things" As he said this with a arrogant tone, I saw him patting on his waist at a piece of tin that he called his 'First Memory'.

Letting my gaze rest on his memory, I said to him "If all you said it's true, then that memory of yours would be really helpful here. Just make sure to not lose it." I warned him while moving my gaze towards the door where I saw the rest of the squad slowly getting up.

"Don't worry Ryuuji, I've been through many things before and I didn't lost this thing hehe." I heard Syntax saying before we started greeting the rest of the group as they slowly make their way around the campfire and started eating their breakfast.

It was after a couple of minutes when I asked Manin, who came way past the midnight, to start telling us whatever he might have gathered.

"Well, the kids didn't appear after a few hours longer, when the vast majority of those human females and elders told them that it was safe for them to play... Oh yeah I also forgot to say that they really looked around, they almost spotted me twice! That blonde human surely is annoying." Said Mannin while we chuckled at his words.

He then continue "But they seemed to struggle with the food, I heard a few human adults complaining about how they would do with the kids in a few days, since it seemed they don't have much any longer. They were talking about a guy called Otto and where hoping for him to come quickly. It seemed like that guy would bring some of it."

He paussed briefly as he munched his smoke fish, I was struggling to contain my frown at his words.

"oh yeah, also a lot of kids seemed to be orphans too, it was quite weird to heard them crying. Hehe, it made me remember those kids from the slave camp we release a while ago. But at least these kids weren't flogged upon." His voice turned somber, as I didn't need to see Masaru and Stenn to know they were pissed off.

They were prisoners of the Holy Nation after all, and no one but them knows well what Mannin was talking about. We saw a lot of kids on the slave camp where they were hold.

It was Syntax that broke the somber mood around while saying "Well I guess that's explain why they were so hostile to you, they don't even have food to offer and it seemed like a lot of those kids parents were either victims of bandits, or something among those lines."

Hearing his words I hummed in agreement while still maintaining my frown.

I wasn't a hero or something, never put myself in those shoes since the quickest way to day in Kenshi was trying to act like a hero. A lot of these kind of people died in their first day outside the cities.

But I wouldn't deny that hearing what these people were going through didn't make myself feel a little bit worried. It wasn't uncommon for our group to help other people, so I knew the majority of them were thinking among the lines of me.

"Manin you're going to keep looking at them and gathering whatever information you can get. We'll need to know a little bit more of this place. Before any of you try to do something." I said to them well knowing what they would like to say.

"We have to think first in our own survival, and put a strong base before any of you think of something risky. There's so much we need to do and so little we know. " I said this while patting my thigh, moving my gaze away from their pressing gaze and looking towards our equipment and clothes that we left hanging after cleaning them of blood.

"Manin and Beep, I want to both of you use that straw hat all the time, while also covering your lower faces, same goes to all of you, for all we know, there's only humans here and we don't want another witch hunt just because you scared someone else." I reminded them while moving towards Toro's backpack and taking out some hats and lower masks.

"At the minimum sign of something strange, I want you to report back here. We're only twenty minutes away, so we'll make sure of use both of you" I said that while pointing at Manin and Beep, both being way more faster than the rest of us, even Toro.

"Are we going to help these people?" Asked Seto with a dubious voice.

She was the last one to unite our squad, and she was someone that was too deep into the Shek culture to probably understand why the majority of our group was a little bit disgusted with those kids situation.

Sighing deeply I turned around and said to her "We're not, we ... Need those people alive so we can get info. We don't know where that road led to, so it's best to use those people that we're certainly can handle and get all the info we can."

Hearing my words she looked at me skeptical. Probably guessing that's not all we're going to do.

"Why would you help them? I mean, there's no reason for it, isn't it?" She asked while looking at the rest of the group.

Although her words irked the likes of Masaru and Stenn, they didn't said anything to her, it wasn't her fault for being just like anyone else in Kenshi.

"It's not our style to give them our food or something Seto, so you don't need worry, we're just going to make sure that no bandits get near this village." Answered Syntax after an uncomfortable silence.

She sighed after hearing his answer, she may not be kind to help kids, but she was kind enough to joyfully deliver some people to their death.

That's a Shek for you.

"Either way, don't get to familiar with those humans, we're probably going to move away from here soon since we need resources that aren't nearby." Syntax monotonous voice resounded while making the rest of the group sigh in resignation.

"Okay enough of talking, we need to work. We'll finish this house floor and door. While the rest of you continue with your task. Kang, try looking for any kind of animal, we're going to make Toro taste them and see if they're edible." With my words, everyone scattered away and started working.

It would be a long morning after all.

....

A couple of hours later, we were able to finish putting the floor and we're now eating the lunch, with the sun hanging in the air with a couple of clouds around, we enjoyed our resting time the most we could.

I however wasn't able to enjoy that much. Throughout the morning I started to notice a serious problem with me. A side effect of what I went through and had to excuse myself at least twelve times during the morning. And it was becoming somewhat unpleasant and unbearable.

'I hope this doesn't affect me too much, and more than anything, they don't notice me acting like this.' I thought to myself while lowering my head in shame.

Although I tried to continue and maintain a strong front with my squad, I knew that what happened to me wouldn't just simply go away and I would somewhat return to normalcy. But I was really hoping for a bearable life in the near future, I was given a second chance after all.

Taking me away from my thoughts and concern, I saw Mannin and Beep returning back with clear haste. With worry and a frown I asked them before they could talk "What happened?"

It was Mannin that answered me with clear worry on his voice "We spotted that guy that probably bring food to the village, well it's an old guy, but that's not the reason we came here, he's being chased by a lot of bandits, lots of them! What should we do boss?"

When the group heard the word 'Bandits' everyone went to pick their weapons.

"How far are they from the village?" I asked while touching my katana.

"A mile or so, they are trailing behind him for a good amount of distance." Answered Mannin while looking towards his bolts on his backpack.

"What kind of weapons and armor are they wearing? How many of them? Did you spotted archers or crossbowmen?" While asking this questions I looked towards the rest of my team that was almost finishing with their preparations.

Meanwhile Beep took a basket and put on his head, after noticing he won't be seeing, he cut a few holes on it and put it again. Nodding to himself seemingly content.

"A handful of them looked like they had some sort of laminar armor that reassemble the ones used in the united cities, but the rest of them were just wearing rags, kimonos and loose leather armor. There are around thirty of them or so, with no signs of crossbowmen or archers." He finished and went towards his bolts, realizing that we're going to fight them.

Although I didn't wanted to fight right now, mostly because I didn't know what to expect from the foreign environment, I knew they wouldn't sit idle after getting this information.

Caressing one last time my katana, I ordered my squad "Okay here's what's we're going to do, Mannin, Syntax, you're going to shot first at those that wear armor, most likely they are the leaders or the big dogs, after that, you're going to keep an eye on the sides in search for anyone else that could surprise us."

Both of them nodded I my words as I continue "If someone tries to slip from us, kill them. The rest of you, you know the deal, Masaru and Stenn on the sides while holding their place, Kang on the middle while Ruka, Seto, Beep and I assist at however might need help from any of our three spears, any questions?"

I looked at everyone from head to toes, checking they were wearing the armor and covers that I requested them. Nodding to myself after seeing them doing so.

"We're going to left Toro here?" Asked Syntax while pointing at Toro's body that was sleeping.

I nodded at his words while explaining "Yes, we don't know what kind of animals they have here, for all we know he might be a strange beast from them. So let him rest." As I said this, he went to put a rope around his horns, with enough length to let him eat and drink.

I didn't want any longer and ordered Mannin "Lead the way!" And we quickly darted away from our base.

••••••••••

Matsui Otto was returning back from Black Fire Town after a long and tiring week. While accustomed to the machinations that sellers and merchants use to get revenue, it didn't meant that it didn't put a mental toll on him.

Sage's knows how many years he has been doing the same business to maintain his family, arguing and going from one place to another to get the best products to sell, wasn't something that your regular farmer was accustomed.

But then again, he himself knew that he wasn't also accustomed to the hard physical labour that those men did everyday.

Yet after so many years he thought that it would finally be his time to rest, after teaching his oldest son the ins and outs of the business, he started to enjoy taking a more pronounced role on his granddaughter life. While also enjoying the money he hard earned all these years.

His village wasn't the biggest, nor the wealthiest, but he has enjoyed so much peace and happiness in that place. Something that sadly has been lost recently.

The Daimyo Saku, the local lord of this small nation, if that's can be called, was a ambitious person. Although he wasn't a cruel tyrant, as he heard many people talking about others, his ambitions led to force a lot of people under his rule towards poverty, grief and struggle.

His last round of 'conscription' was a hard hit to take for his village, where the entirety of the males at age, were forced to take arms and dragged away from their home.

Aware that this was a common occurrence throughout the country, Otto and the villagers had no choice but to accept the coin they were dealt with. Forcing many kids from the village to see their last departing family in some cases.

But that wasn't the worst from this forced conscription, if the bodied males weren't enough, they took half of their food too. Thus, leaving the village in the following months with little to feed the remaining population. What was even worse, the majority of the males were the one's that provided food, leaving a severe crysis on the village that forced him to return on his job.

Using what he had, he has been doing rounds towards the town, buying food for those children's that weren't lucky enough to have someone to look after them, which sadly was a big amount in the village.

After the majority of the males were taken away, they were victims of various thief's and kidnapping, something that during his travels he learned to be a common spread tragedy happening throughout the nearby villages.

Luckily, the Tsumate Village was a united one, everyone looked at each other's back. So the remaining adults took on their hands and tried to fill what the males left behind, although not as efficient and surely with many struggles, they were starting to slowly improve.

Still, the void that left the departure from the father's and husband of many in the village was hard to conceal. Many of the orphans didn't wanted to sleep on their houses and banded with each other to sleep together. Although they tried to prevent them from sleeping outside, it was a lost cause.

Remembering the last time he saw those poor children, with that lost look and full of sadness, made his heart squeeze.

Looking at the flowers around the road, he smiled to himself, this time around he brought with himself a couple of toys that the children could share and play with, he couldn't bear anymore seeing them crying so much.

They brought them food, clothes, and help them with their daily life, but after all even Otto knew that they could only help so much those poor kids, more so when everyone else has to look after their own family members.

"...huh, but Asa would surely try to console them heh..." Otto muttered to himself with a chuckle, remembering the last time he saw the village Chief's lady and how she spent hours trying to hug every kid.

His smile suddenly disappeared, as he saw a figure slowly walking from the tree line. He couldn't distinguish his face as it was covered with a basket.

"Hou" Otto's voiced harrumphed, ordering the horses to stop. The mysterious man standing now in front of the carriage.

'He has a katana.' Otto furrowed his eyebrows. He felt a heavy feeling on his gut.

"How can I help you young man?"Forcing a smile Otto raised his voice and asked with uncertainty

The mysterious swordman seemed to raise his head and with a joyful voice said "Beep is here to advice you to seek some kind of shelter! Bandits were trailing you! But don't worry, we're going to take care of them, just make sure to pay us with lots of fishes! BEEEEP!"

Hearing the mysterious swordman beeping, Otto couldn't help but frown deeply and feel shivers down his spine.

'Bandits! And this man said they would take care of them? He's not alone!' He quickly looked around but his attention turned back towards the swordman figure that seemed to dash away in great speed towards the road the came.

With his heart beating loudly on his chest, he widened his eyes at the scenery on his back while feeling his entire body froze in cold sweat.

"... Impossible..."