Chapter 5 - Elm

Deep in the makeshift tents and houses of the Southern Frontier City, there was a house or what appeared like a house cramped in between different buildings of the same nature, making them seem like one. If Arno saw this house he would have taken back his early remake about the Southern Frontier City. Because compared to this place, the city was like a normal town. Not the best but far better than this shithole.

And underneath said shithole, sat a man in a fully furnished office. Looking at the paperwork he needed to get through while another man was kneeling, which would have been the weirdest thing but what was weirder was that the man kneeling was kneeling on the ceiling of this office.

"Milord, the mission has failed, the Sala's life monitor has switched off. The other agents' life monitors are still active, however they are not responding. We fear they have been captured and that their capturers are somehow keeping them from ending their lives so that they can extract crucial information." The man on the ceiling reported, while not feeling any hint of discomfort from kneeling at his position.

" How?" the man not taking his eyes off the paperwork a second.

"We don't know how they did it, bu-" The man on the ceiling tried to give theories on their agents' capturers, but what was interrupted.

"NO FOOL!!, HOW DID A NOBLE GET A GREEN LIGHT ON THEIR HEAD?!?!" The man roared as he punch his table splitting it in half, and immediately stood up from his seat while his red eyes glared at his subordinate. "Do you understand the severity of what just happened C?"

The man said as his red eyes began to turn bronze and a red like energy exuded from his body. An energy that would have not been seen by any mortal but the pressure, they would certainly feel. 

Killing intent of at least 500 men. Causing C to look up, and start to sweat and tremble under the pressure.

"A NOBLE AND NOT JUST ANY NOBLE, BUT A ROYAL ONE AT THAT!!!So I am going to ask again C and I don't want your stupid explanation on how a royal noble was 'somehow' saved. I want to know who ordered the hit? Can you do that for me C? Can you?"

Seeing the intensity of his superior. He could only hang his head, from his perspective, low and say.

"No, Milord."

Hearing that the man's energy began to die down and he seemed to gradually calm down.

"How unfortunate C, how very unfortunate." He said calmly, maybe too calmly as he immediately disappeared from the spot he was in. Reappearing moments later, however he had a masked head in his hand.

"I actually liked you." 

-thub-

As a body hit the floor, and starting frantically moving causing more blood than would have normally sprayed out to paint the walls and ground red like a headless chicken.

Seeing all the broken furniture and body on the floor caused the man to roar.

"SOMEONE COME AND CLEAN UP THIS MESS!!!" As he then took a sit on his chair well looking at the headless body.

"So there is a mole in the organisation or maybe multiple." He thought to himself "Which means they finally started moving, and now they are trying to frame me. You'll clearly think I am the weakest link. Okay, Okay, I will play. Let's see who wins." He thought with the biggest shit-eating grin he could muster.

…

[*Ding* Congratulations Host on choosing 'Way Of Chi', please wait for further Information…]

"How about this System, I am not going to question how I can see this notification. If you tell me how to turn off the light-show."  Arno tried to negotiate with the System to stop the lights that were affecting his vision, but for some reason he could still see the System. Making ignoring it very hard. The ask was a long shot in his opinion but he had to try.

[*Ding*...]

"Yes." Arno celebrated his "negotiation" going through.

[*Ding* Now that the Host has received his necessary Rank Minor Victorys, you can proceed to choose your beginning Clan.] 

"Fuck!-" But his celebration was short lived " Wait No, yes, yes, show me, show me!" or maybe not.

The reason for his sudden change of mood was because while he was on the fence on whether to trust the System or even Guide for that matter. They have been keeping their end of the bargain, even if it has its surprises. However, the actual reason he was willing to throw caution out in the wind so easily was because he was seduced by the thought of meeting ancient Japanese strategists and warriors. 

Shit he already met a ninja, a real-life ninja. Sure he had a few run-ins with a few ninjas in his previous life but they were no different from your normal high-class assassins, they couldn't even wall walk. Arno was disappointed the day he found that out. 

But now he met an actual ninja and the System was offering to show him a samurai clan. 

"Either way even if this was a set up, it's not that easy to kill me."

[*Ding*...]

Just like that, multiple options for Clans appeared one besides the other giving Arno a clear view of their emblems (mon), a light description of who they are, and two things that caught Arno's attention immediately. 

"Guide, why didn't you tell me about this?" Arno asked in a calm tone however he was anything but calm, his lack of caution that somebody might hear him talking to Guide was evidence of that.

[ I tried, bu-] Guide tried to explain himself, but was interrupted by Arno.

"You tried? You tried? But did you, though? Did you really try Guide?" Arno rapidly fired multiple rhetorical questions, as his upper lip began to twitch. " Because from where I am standing it seems that you knowingly omitted necessary information from me, again." continuing to interrupt Guide. 

And the reason for his behaviour was simple. The options' Clan traits and their Clan info. A clear example of the gravity of this situation was the Takeda Clan.

[ Takeda :

Takeda warlords have ruled Kai, their home province, since the 12th Century, but they have known little peace. Clan infighting, a long series of struggles against repeated invasions from the neighbouring Shinano province, and wars against the Hojo and Imagawa clans, saw to that. They have, however, mastered diplomacy as well as horses, and have achieved peace on occasions. Now, under their daimyo, Takeda Shingen, the clan have opportunities and threats on all sides.

Clan traits :

Improved morale for cavalry

Can create superior cavalry.

Light Cavalry Genome 

Takeda Fire Cavalry Genome 

Yari Ashigaru Genome 

Yari Samurai Genome 

Bow Ashigaru Genome 

Clan starting info :

Generals – Takeda Shingen (Daimyo) and Takeda Nobushige (General as well as brother to Daimyo)

Admirals – None

Religion – Buddhism and Shinto

Military Units – 1x Yari Ashigaru, 1x Yari Samurai, 1x Bow Ashigaru, 1x Light Cavalry

Agents – Ninja Assassins

Clan members – 300        ]

Just Clan traits alone would have made Arno feel safer than he did a day ago. But now there was a possibility that he could get specific people from the Sengoku period, which changed everything. The thought of having a group incredibles warriors and brilliant minds such as Takeda Shingen or Uesugi Kenshin would make any strategists cautious of their motives but, more often than not, excited and happy to be working with them.

Something you should definitely inform someone who was almost stabbed to death, which is why Arno was not in the best of moods at the moment. However Guide did not care as he continued to say.

[ As I previously stated before Your Majesty. I tried, but just like now you interrupted me before I could provide you with any crucial Information. While your anger is warranted, I do believe it is directed at the wrong person.]

"'Directed at the wrong person' my foot!" Arno stated with a bit of a growl in his tone. "So you are smart enough to know when am angry, but you still think that me directing my anger towards you is unjustified!" Arno at this point was not able to lower his voice, shouting at the Guide. But Guide was having none of it. 

[ Your Majesty, I believe you misinterpreted my role in assisting you. I am your guide, and please pardon my language, but I am not your emotional support system for every time the System says no to you. I can only provide you with information that I am certain of and I am allowed to share.]

Arno paused for a moment and stood there in the room silent. A silence that was loud thanks to his previous shouting match and the thoughts that pinged in his head. 

" But that's my point, you are my guide. You are supposed to tell me when-" Arno eventually began to talk again but was interrupted by Guide.

[Am sorry to disturb you, Your Majesty. But it seems that your guest is awake.]

If this was any other time, Arno would have found a way to punch Guide in the face. Even if it meant him finding a way to create a face for Guide. But the moment he heard what Guide said, his stomach sank. 

"Fuck."  

…

As Elm worked up the first thing that she felt was a sharp pain, which prompted her to use her hands to investigate. But she did not have the strength to even move a muscle. Tormented by the pain in her vagina and the lack of strength in her body caused her mind to work on overdrive trying to remember what happened, and when she realised she was in a fancy room. 

That's when memories of yesterday hit her like a giant Topthorn lizard, memory after memory of all the times of her body was used and treated like a disposable sex slave. The slaps, the choking, the kicking, and him taking what she held most sacred. And the most frightening part of all was that her body moved on its own. As if she was craving it like a slut.

"Maybe they were right, maybe I am a slut." She thought to herself as the lack of strength and pain continued. "After all that I have done, maybe I deserve what happened to me. Yes, I deserve it."  A tear began to trickle down her face.

"I deserved it." As two its took place.

"I must have deserved it." After that the tears started pouring out. As she trembles at her memories. That kept on tormenting her, memories from last night, from the days coming up to last night, and from far in the distant past.

"Morning." And just like that she tensed up really quickly. She didn't know what to do. She did know whether or not to relay to him.

…

"Morning." Arno said with a smile.

[She tensed up, Your Majesty] Guide told Arno, who was blind at this point in time. Thanks to the different energy attacking his eyesight.

"F#ck, what do I do now?" Arno asked Guide, while his facial expression never changed from a smile that warmed the hearts of many suitors in the past.

[Your Majesty , I believe that you should not worry about your outburst from earlier. As our guest seems to be dealing with her own internal dilemma.]

" Yes, a dilemma caused by me." Arno said to Guide as he picked up his arms.

"I mean you no harm, malady." With his hands up, showing no intention of harming her. 

However, even the slightest movement from him seemed to do the opposite effect of what he intended as she got more tense.

[ Not necessarily Your Majesty, as it was to previous owners wrong doings not yours. He is the one that ingested a-] Guide tried to ease his master's worries, but he was cut off by him.

"Wait, ingested? The previous guy ingested something that caused this?" Arno, taken aback by this discovery, was trying to keep his poker face for Elm.

[ Yes, Your Majesty. He ingested an aphrodisiac of some kind, that did not affect you when you transmigrated. Which is something I am still assessing as I-] Guide tried to answer Arno, but was cut off again.

"So you have repeatedly failed to give me valuable information. Despite your self-proclaimed job as a 'guide', which makes me won-" Arno almost went into a rant about the credibility of the System and Guide, but was cut off by a knock on the door.

~knock,knock~

"F#ck."

"This is not over." Arno said to Guide as he then sighed to calm down his breathing."In which direction is the door?"

[As you wish, Your Majesty, it is to your right at a 90° turn. I will inform you when to stop.] Guide replied, to which Arno followed him to the tee.

[And stop.]

"Good, let the shit show begin." Arno said as he got into position.

"Come in." And with those words four Von Moore household guards came into the room, ran past Arno, and grabbed Elm by her hair and hands while placing a blade at her neck not allowing her to move a muscle. To which only made her eyes widen in fright, thanks to her trauma/fear induced paralysis going on hyper-drive.

"What is going on?" Arno roared at the Von Moore household guards in an attempt to understand what was happening around him because all he heard was the door opening and multiple footsteps surrounding him.

But the guards said nothing, which was odd as the The Von Moore Household guards are a branch of the Von Moore royal government's most loyal attack/guards dogs who would do anything that the family required.

Think of the US Secret Services if they merged with the CIA. Loyal and Unstable. 

But now they were ignoring a member of the noble royal family. Which would have raised multiple alarms for Arno, and maybe prompted him to call Hanzo's Shadows if he did not hear a familiar voice.

" My apologies Your Highness for having others touch your 'toy', however Sir Vas has requested an audience with you. And I have been ordered to keep your 'toy' for safe keeping." 

A woman whose walk was as seductive as they come. Got in the room and gave Arno an affectionate smile that was oddly amplified by her snake-like features from her goldfish-yellow eyes to her partly scaled brown skin. Coupled with her almost heart-warming voice. It was hard not to be seduced.

Which would have worked on Arno, however he was not in control of his senses at the moment. And thankfully that was the case, especially after he remembered who this woman was. Sekhmet. A slave given to him, since… Well that was the hard part as Arno could not remember, but he was certain that it was a long time ago. 

And yes there were slaves in this world. As a matter of fact the Southern Frontier City had a market dedicated just for the slave trade. Making slaves very common in the city.

"So, him requesting an audience with me permits you to enter my chambers with multiple men?" Arno asked, almost growling at this point. Which seemed to shake Sekhmet's confidence. As she paused her walk, not getting any closer to Arno.

"This loyal dog did not mean to offend you in any way, Your Highness." She said as she proceeded to get on her hands and knees, and then slowly began crawling closer to Arno. "It is just that Sir Vas said that it was a Royal-Level Safety Breach, and also said that I must secure the potential threat less she attempts something." 

Arno should be, at moment, thankful that he could not see because he felt a familial feeling when he thought about Sekhmet. Almost like a close friend. Someone who would hardly do him any harm.

But now that person he felt was a close friend was crawling like a high-end prostitute. Which would have had him wondering how fucked up was the previous owner of his body. 

"Please punish this dog however you see it fit." She continued to say, as she paused her crawling and then proceeded to rip her entari* apart with a show of amazing force. Revealing toned body that had all the men in the room dazed. Well expect Arno.

"Ah, I see." As he walked to Sekhmet and proceeded to say. "Then as punishment I want you to keep my toy safe. She is precious to me, even her shadow is precious to me. So don't break her. Am I clear?" 

As he then walked past her and got out of the room without even stopping to stare at her. But if he could see he would have seen how her demeanour changed the minute he got out of the room.

"So you are the one he brought home? 'Even her shadow is precious to me'" As she then began to walk closer to Elm and crouched down to her level. " You are either the most unlucky girl in the Frontier or the luckiest."

She said as she got closer to Elm's face to the point that she could smell her fear. 

"I wonder which one."

…

entari* : was the primary garment of indoor dress for women in the Ottoman Empire for several centuries.

Quite a serious chapter, huh😅. Thankfully I put the dark tag.😅

Okay am going to shut up now😓.

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Total War : Shogun in another world/ 5 chapters ahead👹👺