The quiet night was disturbed only by the sounds of seemingly unstoppable crickets.
The pale shine of the moon lit up the farms and landscape around the weakly lit town surrounded by high, steep cliffs acting as a wall. It's streets were mostly deserted except for the occasional drunkards or merchants arriving from their long journeys. A dim light flickered above two men sitting on the stairs of the building on the highest peak in the town. One of them had a large straw hat making his head barely visible. He was covered up to his neck by a black, long and finely crafted dustcoat. Occasional glimmers gave away the black chainmail shirt under his coat. His legs were just barely sticking out of the coat revealing thick samurai clothpants. However instead of proper samurai boots he just wore some simple wooden sandals. The other person next to him wore a slightly shabbier, but a similar red dustcoat. A black leather shirt and pants coupled with plated boots, revealed his position as a shinobi warrior.
The red warrior turned his head towards the black one.
"Man, this is quite an achievement, I never thought we would make it." he started.
The man in the black dustcoat smiled sincerely and looked at his surroundings.
"Indeed."
"You should be proud..."
"Oh I am!" the man in black laughed.
"It's amazing when you look back... how did it even start? You were a peasant or something, right?"
"Not quite, but close, a farmer of the holy empire."
"Holy empire, now that's a name I haven't heard in a while..."
"Yea... I am glad we got rid of them"
"Mhm! But, then, how did you become a shinobi? I mean the life of a farmer must have been pretty shit... and wasn't it kinda hard getting out of the empire's claws?"
"Oh, right, well actually life as a farmer was pretty good, you see, bandits didn't really dare going close to the farms because there were regular patrols."
"Oh, so you were in the heartlands?"
"Yes, and we got food, we had a job, and when you were itching for a fight, there were always those pesky river raptors to beat up."
"Hah! Yea, but damn, you went from a farmer to a king, quite the performance there."
"I wouldn't call it a king... more like a voted representative."
"You and your ideals. You know very well that no one will challenge that position anytime soon. Half of them are too scared and the other half is too lazy to handle all that administrative bullshit. I mean, I had to wait two days to get you to sit here with me! You have to get used to being called the Boss forever."
Both men laughed.
The man in black slowly turned his head towards his legs and sighed.
"Well the trade agreements won't sign themselves... But I would really appreciate being relieved of my duty, I feel like a couple more months of this and my hands will be so sore I won't even hold my sword properly."
The man in the red dustcoat turned his attention to a drunkard shouting something at the bar door close by.
"Well I am sure he would love to stab you in the back and take the position."
"Oh, you mean Wee? Hehe, he is quite the individual, but he means well."
"I'd rather have him mean well a few kilometres from me, he is crazy I tell you."
The man in the black dustcoat laughed some more.
"I am surprised he didn't do it during all that time..." the man in the red coat continued.
"Well, he owes me his life after all."
"Hmm, right, he is the... was it fourth?"
"Yea, that's right, the fourth shinobi... It's been quite a while!"
"Well considering we now have an entire town with hundreds of residents, it is a step up from a mere four men in the middle of nowhere."
"Well yes, but I wouldn't be able to reach this without you guys."
"Well we are the legendary twenty after all! Of course you wouldn't be able to do it without us!"
After both men had a laugh the red warrior paused for a second, lost in thought.
"Actually, who was the second?"
"Well Hobbs of course!"
"Oh, so that explains why you always seem to be stuck to him for some reason. How did you two meet?"
"Well, as I said, I was a holy farmer, but the job wasn't very... fulfilling. I worked my ass off training day and night to pay any debts and to prepare for the world outside. And let me tell you, by the end the raptors were actually running away before I left! On that fateful night I said my goodbyes and went on my way, leaving my past behind, excited for the future... :"
This... sword... is actually a lot heavier than I imagined it would be... And I really should have saved up for a shirt...
Well, no point in complaining now, but it itches so goddamn much. I am pretty sure I will have a bloody back soon from that rusted junk on my bare back.
Now where was I heading... right! To Bad Teeth! This is going to last a while... especially with this goddamn bite in my leg and a huge pack of animal skins hanging off my pants.
I returned my attention to the rotting corpse of a river raptor.
You just had to arrive just when I was leaving! Well... atleast that's more skins to sell. I should head out though, I don't want to be outside at night. Well, onwards!
Huh, there is actually a lot of traffic on this road... It almost feels safe. The mercenaries are as annoying as flies with their usual "Do you need protection?!" fifty centimeters off your face, but hey they gotta do what they gotta do... if there weren't 3 damn groups of them passing by every hour. I also think I already lost the sense of touch on my back, it might be torn off already for all I know. Atleast it doesn't itch anymore.
Alright this is waay worse than the heartlands. There is not a single piece of green foliage here. And the damn sun! How can people live here? Well, according to the map I am already halfway there, so I will find out soon enough...
There it is! Stuck in between cliffs, looking similar to a scrapyard. Bad Teeth. Atleast they have a gate, that's somewhat of an indication of the grade of this town.
There are two, very bored looking guards at the gate and about four behind them. Seems like the security is rather tight with the city being a border between the Holy Nation and the United Cities. Luckily I don't even have any proper clothing they can check for contraband. That said, I need to buy a shirt!
I gave a questioning look to the guard in front of me. He had the classic white attire of a Holy Nation paladin. They look really silly in that weird, unwieldy overall armor and bucket helmets, but they are fearsome opponents.
"Carry on." he said without much hesitation.
Huh, alright. Now, I need to find a shop to sell all these animal skins.
There! Near the gate!
A large, two story building higher than the walls was built into the town's outer defenses. A large wooden sign depicting a piece of armor revealed the type of the shop. The entrance was guarded by a single heavily armored mercenary.
Well that was quick.
The guard gave me a "tough guy" look as I went up the stairs towards the door. After opening it I entered a large room spanning the entire first floor filled to the brim with supplies and armor. Two more guards and a merchant stood inside. One guard was with the merchant behind the shop counter, the other one in a corner of the room with a view of the entire floor.
The shop merchant was an old guy. White hair was sticking out from under his plated helmet. He was clearly wearing the best of his armor, so none could steal his masterpieces. As soon as I entered, his wrinkly face turned in my direction.
"Welcome! How may I serve you sir?"
"I am... looking for a shirt."
The guard and the merchant exchanged looks as I continued after a pause.
"You also buy off animal skins, right?"
"Ah, right! There is actually a shortage currently, you're a god's send."
Right! Now we're talking. I might even be able to buy some more stuff for this.
I lifted my heavy pack of skins onto the table in front of me. The shopkeeper almost looked excited.
I was laughing inside my mind at how much money I might get.
"That's... let's see... 560 catuns."
The imaginary laugh stopped right it's tracks.
That's... not much. I killed 10 raptors to get this. I had to travel dozens of kilometres! What is this bullshit!
My face turned into somewhat of a twisted grin as I looked at the massive pile of skins I plopped on the merchant's table for a good 20 seconds.
"Um, so you take it?" The unsure merchant asked.
"Y-yes, just give me the money and a shirt."
"Alright that will be 300 more for the shirt."
My irises expanded from the frustration. I am pretty sure all the veins on my for head were visible at that point. I got... 200 catuns for a dozen kilometre trip, with a bad leg and being overweight with animal skins.
I took the shirt and barged out of the shop as I heard a "Thank you, come again!" fainting in the distance. Good thing there is a bar right opposite of the shop.
I entered a room filled with smoke and the smell of alcohol. Since I pretty much had it with the bullshit in this town, so I just quickly ordered a bed for another 100 to rest and heal up. I am pretty much back to where I was at start with my money.
But I am not okay with that trader. Also why is the bed outside?! Atleast it has a tent roof I guess...
I woke up.
The town was almost pitch black. Most of the artificial light was at the gate, and the rest of the town was lit up only by the half moon in the night sky.
Ahh maybe I went to sleep too soon.
Oh well I can have a little walk. No point in sitting around...
The main bar room was still rather populated. It would seem that the guards which rotated from their day shift headed straight for the bar.
The street outside was deserted. The only people I could see were the two guards outside the gate.
Actually there wasn't even a guard in front of that damn shop.
Wait, no I am not a criminal...
Nooo...
Actually I really hate that shop. This might be a good place to start...
sigh*
I am breaking in. That merchant can go screw himself. It's not like there aren't thousands of others stealing stuff around in this godforsaken desert.
I checked the street four maybe even five times, and quickly sneaked towards the door in a crouched position. I was no thief, but a friend of mine taught me how to work with a lock when we accidentally locked him inside a garru stable. Lucky me. The lock on the shop was really simple. I extremely carefully slid the door open. My heart was beating so loudly that I was scared that it could actually be heard by someone.
Yes! There is no one inside! Very well, what to take... I am not even going to try taking something from the chests... that would be too much noise.
A couple of shelves catched my attention. They were totally full with armour plating and chainmail sheets. Those sell for thousands.
Now to think of a way to take them with me without causing too much noise.
The chainmail went into my pockets easily enough, although I am weighing about 15 kilos more. The plates are a problem though... They don't really fit. But I need to take them... Ah, right!
A belt was hanging from the sides of one of the shelves. I slowly and carefully took it, a single sound here could make me an enemy to one of the most powerful factions in this region. I took the plates and secured them firmly to my waist with the belt.
Whoa! I look armored!
Anyway, I should go... quickly.
The door slid open once again easily enough. Although that was quite a bad thing since I totally forgot to check the street before I opened it. A cold sweat went down my forehead, adrenaline pumping into my heart
Phew! The street is still deserted.
Alright, I should leave this town before anyone notices anything. My best bet is the Hub, since it is filled with exiles and outlaws from the Holy Nation. I can probably sell everything there. Although my plan doesn't go any further than that.
Well, now I am officially a criminal. Good thing is that no one suspects anything though. I am pretty sure I still will be welcome in Holy Nation territory for the time being.
I should get a move on. Since no one really keeps a tab on arrivals and departures here I should be fine if I act as some sort of a drifter. Right?
I began my walk across the gate.
Let me through, let me through!
I made the best tough mercenary impression I could as I came into the view of one of the guards.
Their faces turned into some kind of a smirk. The kind that you do when you want to laugh but you have to stay profesional. Apparently my armored skirt was quite... unusual. Well, atleast the kind I have. Luckily, funny looks is as far as that went and they didn't seem to mind letting me through and I was soon on my way to the Hub. Through an even drier desert. I would say that it was a little more comfortable with the shirt, but I was atleast 30 kilos heavier. I would really love a proper break, but if I stopped walking for too long I would probably be mistaken for a corpse and eaten by the wildlife. My food is running low though, I should keep an eye for one of those dust farms that make money with that ridiculously expensive cactus alcohol that you can't even drink because it completely dries out your throat. Speaking of drinking, atleast I have tons of water, it should last all the way to Hub although it's quite a journey.
Last signs of foliage dissapeared on the horizon as endless amounts of dunes replaced them. The sun was close to twilight.
A slight bump appeared in the sand. It wasn't a stone, that's for sure.
I should check it out, might be something useful. I am probably not going to go any further today anyway.
I slowly approached the bump. It was relatively small, reaching just my knee height.
Time to get some lüt!
So I got digging. The sand was quickly dug away. A white object appeared under the sand, it had one circular hole, two... wait is that a nose?
Shit! It's a goddamn corpse!
Dirty rags covered the lower half of it's face. They stretched across the body of the corpse down to its legs, where ragged halfpants could be found. The clothing was well preserved in the sand, however the same could not be said for the dried rotten corpse inside. A rusted piece of steel was burried nearby, presumably a weapon belonging to the corpse. Its clothing and weapon was reminiscent of the equipment that the starving bandits wear. The smell of the corpse was very light, thanks to it being already dry. It was probably out on the sun for a very long time before being burried.
A single roll of bandage was stuck into one of the pockets of his halfpants.
Uuugh I shall try to not remember this... but that rag shirt could be a perfect piece of upper armor. I mean... it's not like that guy needs it anyway... but having to wear clothing of a dead, rotten corpse... I guess it's something you have to get used to in this world. Atleast it's not a fresh corpse.
Well, I shall close my eyes and try to not think about it.
Rest in peace bandit. Atleast you did some good, even if you were already dead.
I attached the steel rod and pants to my belt and continued on my route.
I am really packed, I don't think I can take any more than this without collapsing in the desert. I look like some kind of a walking bag of random clothing and plates, not to mention the awful weight of chainmail. I am really surprised none of the bandits has taken a liking in me yet.
Huh, a day and 10 hours in and still no sight of either civilisation or any form of life. It's like if some sort of disaster wiped this desert clean... as ironical as it may sound.
grumble*
Yeah yeah I know just a little more. I'm sure...
The dunes went on and on and on, not a single bush, nor any special landmark except a few stones.
This might not have been the best idea I've ever had, but since I already started, I might as well finish it. It's been just 3 days, It's not that bad. It would also seem that the ragged cloth and pants make a great sleeping bag! Who would have thought... Well I should get some sleep. I'm sure something will come up tomorrow.
Damn, this is awful, I am so damn tired... I thought there would be a desert village but nope... nothing, not a single one. That means I am travelling on fumes here, nothing to eat... atleast I still have some water with me.
Wait, there! One... two... thr- that' like 7 or 9 men! They don't look very military though. Actually they look like the... They're bandits, aren't they... Well, it would seem that my luck has finally ran out. Nowhere to hide either... Dammit think... think!
The bandits increased their tempo.
Shit! they saw me!
What do I do...!
Well...shit.
I drew my sabre and gripped it in both of my hands.
I will atleast die fighting if nothing else.
The bandits started running in my direction.
"Gaaaaaah!"
I took up a defensive stance and prepared for the first approaching bandit.
He swung his iron stick high above his head leaving his entire body totally exposed because of his slow, powerful attack. Clearly he was more desperate than skilled.
I gripped my sword, crouched and slipped under him, leaving a massive slice in his stomach.
Three more men, clearly angered by the injuries of their coleague, appeared in front of me
"Leave me alone, dicks!"
A heavy stick flew towards my head. It was quickly parried. Adrenaline was pumping into me like water. It was as if the world slowed down. This was so much different than training. My sword flew from the stick straight into the chest of one of the bandits.
"Shit!"
It's stuck!
"Raaargh!"
whack*