Me: Alright some Chung action here! He's meeting Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and as a side character Ieyasu in this chapter!
Chung: Oh joy...ambitious Japanese daimyos...
Mario: Deal with it Chung I read the rest of the script. Enjoy these men while it lasts, and I DON'T mean it that way.
Crystal: Suuuuure you do.
Me: ...CHAPTER 2 BEFORE SOMETHING GOES WRONG, START!
Chapter 2: A Salute of Firearms
"So that's how you ended up in this land of ours?" A skinny general nodded after hearing a young gunslinger's story. The general watched in curiosity as the young blonde haired boy polished his "Silver Shooter" guns and fired a test shot in the air to make sure they aren't faulty.
Less convenient than my magic-powered shots but these specialized .32 caliber bullets should do the trick. The blue-eyed marksman manually reloaded a bullet he crafted inside the chamber of his revolver, as he called it with his new-found comrades without sounding too loony. "Yeah that sums it up right. Thanks for finding and saving me at that battle back at Okehazama, Hideyoshi."
"No problem." Hideyoshi, the general who grew amongst the ranks from a foot soldier to practically second-in-command, downplayed the boy's thanks. "I never expected such a young lad like you to be an expert marksman, how old are you Chung?" He asked the blond haired gunslinger.
"Sixteen." Chung admitted. "My friend is the same age as me and he's a really good Swordsman."
"Amazing, such young kids and already at a masterful skill." The friendly general admired Chung's skills. "It's a good thing our great daimyo, Nobunaga, managed to find your skills useful when we ambushed Imagawa back there. I thought we'd never behead him if you didn't stun him with one of your bullets.
"Well, I am called the Deadly Chaser back ho-"
"Kozaru!" Hideyoshi turned his head to find the cold eyes of the ambitious daimyo, Nobunaga, glare at him and Chung while saddled on his black horse. "I have a mission for you and your little friend here."
"Y-Yes sir!" With Hideyoshi's acknowledgment, the two patted themselves clean from the dirt and straightened up. "What is it my lord?"
"I need you and your friend here to bring Ieyasu to Kyoto half a day's journey away, I hear there's a new shipment of firearms coming from those Europeans who call themselves 'Portuguese'. I've been expecting new equipment for a long time and they only responded now. If need be, you may use the newly acquired weapons and kill them where they stand." Nobunaga rode away into his tent.
Sighing, the two stretched and made for Ieyasu's quarters. "Say Hideyoshi." Chung couldn't help but ask. "Who exactly is Nobunaga anyway, and why does he call you Kozaru?"
"Ah yes he told me all about himself." The general stroked his facial hair remembering fondly of how his lord was in the past. "Nobunaga came from a minor household but quickly rose to power, like how I became from a mere peasant to this honorable position as his right hand man. Also Kozaru means "little monkey", my appearance must've inspired him to call me that. I'd tell you more but that would ramble on for hours, plus I'll save that for when we make the trip to Kyoto."
"Sure I guess." Chung crossed his arms, holstering his twin Shooters. "But you think they'll actually show up, these Portuguese I mean? It'd be sunset by the time we arrive there."
"Who knows, either way we'll let him take care of the negotiations." Despite being the favored negotiator due to his excellent social skills, Hideyoshi didn't want to be solely relied on all the time. Chung nodded his agreement and the two peeked inside the tent. Ieyasu was looking over some documents when the sun's glare got into his eyes. He grumbled to himself and raised an eyebrow when he saw Hideyoshi and the young gunslinger Chung outside his tent.
"Yes? What is it General?" Unlike Nobunaga's other envious retainers of Hideyoshi's swift rise in the ranks, Ieyasu respects the friendly general's personality enough to call him by his formal rank.
"Our daimyo wishes for the three of us the acquire the newest shipment of firearms from the Portuguese by Kyoto." The two conversed like friends in a serious tone.
"Kyoto?! That's half a day's journey from horseback!"
"Yes so that's why we're heading out now, before the sun reaches its peak in the sky."
"Well okay I'm coming. I'm doing the negotiations right?"
"Of course. These Europeans listen more to brutes with a big build like you instead of some skinny man like me, no matter our rank."
"Ain't that the truth!" Ieyasu laughed. "Well young lad are you coming with us or not?" The two glanced at Chung, who stared off into space due to not taking part in the conversation. Hearing himself being called, the teenaged gunslinger snapped back and stumbled along the two older men.
"O-Oh coming!" Chung called after them, the trio saddling onto their horses. Riding out of camp on horseback, Chung couldn't help but act prideful at the scowling looks of the lower ranked men as they spot three white horses trotting out all with Nobunaga's trusted men.
"Hi-yah!" Once out of camp the three kick-started their horses into a swift yet steady gallop through Japan. During the journey to Kyoto, around the time the sun sets itself between its peaking point and its sinking point, Chung asked his more burly companion about himself. "Hey Ieyasu, why did you join Nobunaga?"
"Nobunaga? Weren't you at the Battle of Okehazama lad?" The buff retainer looked quizzically at Chung.
"Yes sir! I joined with him and Hideyoshi back there when I first came here from a portal!"
"Oh right you're from a foreign world, what's that like anyway?"
"I asked you first, why did you join him?"
"Well, I guess you can say his ambition inspired me to live on after serving Imagawa." The Tokugawa admitted.
"It's true Chung." Hideyoshi butted in. "If Nobunaga didn't convince him to come with us, Ieyasu might've committed senpukku, or samurai suicide, back then."
"Ah I see, are we there yet?" Chung couldn't help it. They've been traveling for several hours now without rest and despite traveling with his friends, the young teenager never traveled this much in a short span of time.
"No not yet!" Hideyoshi playfully answered, much to Chung's chagrin. Unfortunately for the older men, the young gunslinger went at it for the rest of the ride (and nearly made Ieyasu wish he did commit senpukku).
CLANG! CLANG! Finally the trio arrive at Kyoto hearing the rustle and bustle of crates unloading from the ship coming from a nearby port. With Hideyoshi's signal, the "monkey" general hide from plain sight while Chung accompanied Ieyasu to the strange looking men waiting with the gigantic crates.
So these Portuguese people have white skin like me as well? Brown hair and dark brown eyes, totally not like me at all. Whatever I'll let Ieyasu take care of it, but my Silver Shooters should come in handy just in case. Chung thought to himself as the duo walked up to the four men who held the cargo. Once the distance between the two groups closed, immediately the Portuguese gasped and pointed at Chung.
"A-A EUROPEAN?!" Chung tilted his head. They think I'm one of them? Because I have blonde hair and blue eyes? "W-WHY DO YOU HAVE A EUROPEAN WITH YOU?!"
"Calm down and don't mind the kid or I'll have to do something about it." The burly Tokugawa cracked his knuckles in the gunslinger's defense.
"...Tch, whatever." The leader of them, who had the most facial hair, simply dismissed his previous claim. Mouthing his silent thanks to Ieyasu, Chung listened to his companion's negotiation. "Anyway we have here cold hard shotguns, custom made for your liking." With his signal the man made the other three, his subordinates perhaps, open the crate by lifting the top. Peering inside, Chung and Ieyasu took in an eyeful of Tanegashimas as Nobunaga called it, long thin matchlock guns filled the crate to its top.
"Do they work?" Ieyasu raised an eyebrow and questioned.
"But of course, you may try one. Don't let the kid hold one though, he might accidentally blow his face off." He joked with his friends, much to Chung's rising anger.
"Now's the time to show them what you can do." Ieyasu whispered to Chung. Nodding his approval the gunslinger reached into the box and picked out the rustiest gun out of the batch, which didn't take much effort from all the other Tanegashimas in it. Slightly heavier than my Silver Shooters and I'd need to carry this with two hands. Chung noticed the heavier weight. Though my cannon back home, Destroyer, weighs at least two tons heavier than this little toy. Eying the small flock of birds above them flying over the sunset, the gunslinger aimed the matchlock at the widely spread flock and aimed carefully.
BANG! BANG! BANG! One by one, the teenager shot down each and every one of the dozen birds with perfect aim to boot. Each of the poor birds fell onto the sea, though that didn't compare to the extreme shock and awe the Portuguese traders felt during that mock shootout. "Heh heh, still think I'm just an amateur you clowns?" Chung taunted the four and placed the gun back inside the crate. "By the way it worked nicely despite rusting away."
"You-"
"Now now he tested the guns and they worked fine." Ieyasu interrupted the Portuguese man. "Now about the offer. How much for this?"
"Heh, I'm glad you asked." Chung didn't like the evil glint in their eyes. "I hear your daimyo or whatever ordered all this firepower right? Ask him if he's willing to convert into the one true religion, Christianity."
This is where the buff Tokugawa started to threaten them. "Lord Nobunaga doesn't listen to petty things such as God, you hear!" He growled at them. "Whatever he accomplishes is because of his own ambitious actions, not some divine prayer from the Almighty above!" With a grunt, he turned to Chung. "Come on Chung, we're leaving." Before the two could carry the big crate, they heard the reloading of firearms and turned to the four.
They were packing some of those matchlocks as well. Dirty cheaters! Chung gritted his teeth in rage, not even Elsword stooped so low to cheat. "I'm afraid we'll have to come with you, otherwise you can forget about your supplies." He grinned. "Surround him!" Immediately the three henchmen surround the burly Tokugawa while the leader pointed his gun at Chung. "What will you do now little boy? There's no weapon for you to play with."
Chung smirked. "Would your God really be pleased with seeing you and your men do this? Committing violence to achieve your goals? Last I checked, religion's all about becoming one with God spiritually and peacefully." In the blink of an eye, the young gunslinger took out one of his Silver Shooters and swiftly dashed right at the Portuguese man's face, holding him at blank point with the revolver. "Oh yeah I forgot to mention, I do have a toy to play with." He enjoyed the look of fear on the man's face. Grinning, Chung intended to spare him and instead incapacitated him with a shot to the knee.
BANG! The .32 fired from his revolver and shot through the man's kneecap, bringing him to the wooden bridge floor. The three subordinates witnessed this and immediately rushed to their captain, carrying him back to the ship. "YOU WON'T FORGET THIS LITTLE BOY!" The man shouted before they hurriedly departed from Kyoto.
"Well you showed them Chung." Hideyoshi came out of his hiding spot and headed to the two who struggled to carry the crate.
"Thanks Hideyoshi, I-" Suddenly something glowed from the bottom of the crate. Nodding with the two of them, Chung and his two companions searched through the dozens upon dozens of Tanegashimas to find a dimly glowing blue shard.
"W-What's this?" Hideyoshi pondered out loud, holding the shard.
"Well we could sell it to a merchant for a good profit, Lord Nobunaga would like more wealth for his ambition." Ieyasu eyed it marvelously, however Chung scrambled and grabbed it from Hideyoshi's hands.
"T...THIS IS..." His eyes widened, Chung's next words stunning both of the generals. "THE EL SHARD!"
"The...thing you were looking for lad?" Ieyasu asked.
"Yeah. Once I find it, it glows and sends me further in time and bringing me one step closer back home!" As if on cue, the blue-green shard rapidly illuminated and enveloped Chung's body. Knowing this is where they part ways, Chung waved goodbye to the two.
"Goodbye, and good luck on your journey young one!" Both of them bid him farewell on cue.
"Thanks, good luck ruling Japan with Nobunaga you two!" Chung nodded and wished them luck. Suddenly blackness filled his vision. He knew he was time traveling but couldn't feel a thing, only his inner mind was conscious. Japan huh. I wonder what I'll see next! The gunslinger thought to himself, getting ready for the next era to teleport to in the country.
Me: Alright now with the Early Modern chapters out of the way it's time to get to the darker chapters of the story :3
Elsword/Chung: D:
Me: Oh don't worry, we won't know until I decide to update again fufufu
