Hey guys, here's the next exciting installment of Sumaru's adventure in this wonderful world.

Hope you enjoy!

As the sun peeked over the horizon, it's rays of light reaching just far enough to blind anyone out on the planes so early in the morning.

Tanjun Sumaru's ragged breath came out in in small clouds of vapor as he trudged across glassed dirt. A bead of sweat slid from his brow down his nose, "You know," He gulped, "When you said you knew a place, my expectations weren't high." One foot in front of the other, and then he pulled on the tether attached to a harness he was wearing. "Still, you managed to fall short of even that." He pulled again, and the weight on the end of his rope slid forward a little bit.

Masutaro shrugged from where he was reclined on the land sleigh. He said, "This is a special place." Then he pointed at Sumaru and his voice dropped an octave, "Hey kid, keep your face forward. You still have a few more hours of pulling."

Sumaru turned away and heard a sloshing sound. He rolled his eyes and scoffed, "This is just a crater." Damn you, you drunk old man.

"Sounds pretty special to me."

"There's a ton of craters around here, why is this one special? It's not even the one you made when you toasted all those frogs! We passed that two days ago!" Sumaru yanked on the rope and the sleigh scraped forward.

"Toasted?" Masutaro sounded curious, "I like the way that sounds. I'm going to use that, disciple of mine."

Sumaru growled, "How about instead of lounging like some emperor, you leave me the hell alone!" He pulled on the rope again, "I don't want any training! How many times do I have to say it?"

"Hahahahaha!" Masutaro pointed and laughed out loud, "You're hilarious!" Then he sighed, "I'll tell you what, disciple of mine, if you can prove yourself superior to myself then I'll concede that you don't need training."

That gives me an idea. Sumaru crossed his arms and looked back at Masutaro. The old was still lounging on their combined luggage, "Fine, but I get to choose what our contest will be."

Masutaro stretched his arms over his head, "Knock yourself out."

He took the bait. Sumaru smirked, "We'll play hide and seek."

"What's that? Some weird kind of poker?" Masutaro rested his elbow on his thigh and his chin on his palm.

Sumaru closed his eyes and stuck a finger into the air, "It's a game where one person hides," A second finger joined the first, "And the other tries to find him."

Masutaro cupped his chin and looked into the distance, "A test of stealth then. An aspect of adventuring that many disregard as dishonorable, and only for criminals." His eyes cut back to Sumaru, then he grinned, "But you see the benefit of such a skill. As expected of my disciple, always ripping your box to shreds at every opportunity." He slapped his knee, "So! How do you decide who gets which job?"

The edges of Sumaru's smile curled, "Well," He pointed at Masutaro, "It's tradition that the oldest person hides first."

"Huh?" Suddenly Masutaro's cheeks sucked in and sweat was dripping down his forehead.

Serves you right, old man. Sumaru pulled off the harness, "We'll both say how old we are." He let out a sigh of relief, This thing is way too tight. Good thing I won't be wearing it any more. He smirked again and let out a smooth voice, "Don't worry, I'll go first."

Masutaro squeaked, and Sumaru's grin widened, "Who said I was worried?"

Sumaru clicked his tongue, "No need to get upset, it's just a figure of speech. Now then," He held out a hand with the thumb, pointer, and pinkie finger extended and tapped it against the palm of his hand with all of it's fingers outstretched, "I'm seventeen years old."

Masutaro spoke in a small voice, "Ah."

Is this how tax collectors feel? "It's your turn."

"Right." Masutaro dry swallowed, "My turn." He scrunched his shoulders, tilted his head to the side, and spoke in an infantile, high pitched tone, "I-I-I'm si-six-sixteen!" Then he winked.

Sumaru stared. That's so wrong. Then he crossed his arms, "You're not fooling anyone like that. I can see your wrinkles all the way from over here."

Masutaro slumped, "Fine, you got me." Then he jumed to his feet and jammed a finger at himself, "I lost count around 2,000 but I'm sure I'm still younger than your parents!"

He's delusional. Sumaru shook his head, "That's just sad."

"Hey! Don't pity me you brat! Hurry up and start the game!"

"Fine, fine." Sumaru put up three fingers for Masutaro to see, "I'll count to thirty, and you use that time to hide as best as you can. When I'm done, the game will start and I'll start looking for you."

"What happens if you can't find me?"

"Then I lose. But you have to give me enough time. You look like you're really good at hiding, so I think I'll need a lot of time to find you. If I can't find you by sundown then I won't be able to find you at all. If that happens, then you win."

"I don't know, sundown seems like a long time from now."

"But we have to make it fair. After all, I'm sure you have a lot more experience than me with this kind of thing."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"It better mean nothing."

"Anyway, let's start. And remember, if I can't find you then I have to stay as your disciple. If I do find you, then you will leave me alone and find someone else to teach. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get this over with."

"Okay." Sumaru gestured around him, "I'm covering my eyes now, and I'm going to start counting." Sumaru waited a moment, "One! Two! Three!..."

"...28! 29! 30! Ready or not, here I come!" Sumaru looked around. There's no trace of him. A smirk spread across his face. Good, now I can ditch this old man. It would be suspicious if I just ran back to town, so I need to make it look like I'm trying. Still, by sundown it'll be too late to start tracking me, and he'll lose if he tries to stop me! Sumaru wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. I almost feel sorry for that geezer, he has no chance. Almost. Heh, that's what he gets for kidnapping me to be his disciple. Like I need someone like that for a teacher!

Sumaru checked the land sleigh that he'd been pulling and moved everything around, "This is the most obvious place for him to hide, but I would be remiss if I didn't at least check." I'm just grabbing my stuff so I can make a run for it! He found his pack and quickly slung it over his shoulder. He stood up straight and looked around. There were the plains, all pocked with barren craters and interspersed with rolling hills. He could see the town walls in the distance, just peaking around a dip between the hills. Should I even go back to town? It would suck to leave everyone behind, but I don't want this crazy old man stalking me forever. He looked the other way and could see trees in the distance. I did hear about a forest nearby. How hard could it be to be a survivalist for a little while?

The sun was halfway across the sky when Sumaru made it to the treeline. He made it a few steps into the shade before he collapsed under by the tree's roots and a small dust cloud billowed out of his clothes. I'm so tired. He rolled over and let his arms stretch over his head. My shoulders are stiff, too. He stared up at the branches, and his mind wandered.

"How many times have I slept under a tree like this?" A light breeze blew by and lightly kissed Sumaru's heated skin. He sighed, and his eyelids grew heavy. He curled up on his side and mumbled, "Man, these roots are soft." And then his eyes closed.

What smells so bad?

A sneeze rocked Sumaru's body, and the back of his head smacked something hard, "Ow!" His hand reflexively tried to rub the spot where a bump was already swelling into existence, but he was bound to a thick wood pole. He could hardly move. Then there was a dirty green creature in his face making noises. Sumaru's responded, "Wha- Huh?" Very smooth and elegant.

Shut up brain and do your job! Tell me what's happening!

The green thing threw a hand full of powder in Sumaru's face that made him sneeze. That was pepper. You're tied up and about to be eaten.

Great. If Sumaru wasn't tied up, he would've thrown his arms up into the air. How do I get out of this?!

How should I know?

You're the brain! It's your job to know!

First you tell me to shut up, then you tell me to talk! You're sending a lot of mixed messages.

I'll show you a mixed message!

Sumaru's most private thoughts were interrupted by a shrill growl directly in his ear.

"Huh?" Sumaru tried to look back at whatever it was, but pain flared up his neck. He cringed, "Right, necks don't turn that far. I forgot." Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of fur writhing around. His attention was quickly redirected back to the little green men stomping and shouting in a crowd around him, "These are-?" Sumaru trailed off as he watched one of them defecate right before his eyes.

"Goblins!" Sumaru flinched and tried to look at whatever was tied up with him. This thing can talk?! It's definitely not human! The voice rasped, "Weak, nasty, stupid, cunning goblins!" It spat, "If I hadn't let my guard down, I would've massacred them all! I'll still massacre them all, as soon as I get out of these idiotic bindings."

Sumaru ignored the shaking and grunts and looked down at himself. Clothes? Check. He shook his legs and kicked a goblin away that was getting close. Boots? Double check. He kicked away another goblin that ran up with a club, and it's nearby brethren pointed and laughed. A small blade fell next to Sumaru. Emergency knife? Triple check. He used the heel of his foot the nudge it into grabbing distance, then he spun it into a reverse grip and started sawing at the rope. His eyes darted between the small monsters, they were laughing at each other. He tried to glance at his fellow captive, "So, uh, the name's Sumaru. Who are you? Let's work together, we should make it out okay."

"You want me to team up with you?" Barking laughter rang in Sumaru's ears, "At least buy me dinner first!"

Sumaru glanced around at the primitive tents and the crowds of goblins messing around between them. He sawed faster, "Well, yeah. There's kind of a lot of them."

More laughter, "Sorry to burst your pretty little cherry, sonny boy, but I don't do team ups. Just stay out of my way and maybe I won't mistake you for a goblin and smash your head in."

Sumaru's face scrunched up, What an idiot! Working together is obviously the best way out of this! He tried not to look like he was cutting the rope. He said, "Whatever, I didn't need your help anyway. Compared to fighting giant frogs every day, these guys should be a piece of cake!" I'm getting out of here as soon as I get the chance.

"Oh, is that confidence I smell? Then perhaps you'd fancy a wager? The one who kills the most goblins makes the other their slave for life!"

Sumaru locked eyes with a goblin that was wearing some kind of bone headdress. He said, "What is wrong with you?! We don't know each other. That's not the kind of thing you say to a stranger." The rope snapped and Sumaru stomped a goblin's face in. He rolled to his knees and flung himself to his feet.

A growl, "Wimp." Sumaru saw a tan blur of fur and wind tear through a group of the chortling goblins. From it, the raspy voice yelled, "Fine. How about a year? That ain't too long for ya, right?!" The blur stopped for a moment and Sumaru caught a clear look at what it was. Some kind of giant weasel writhed like a snake on the ground and barked out words with it's dog-like head, "If you say no, I'm gonna chew your face off personally."

A goblin jumped at Sumaru and he slashed it's throat mid-air, "What the hell? That's not a bet, it's extortion! If you're gonna do that, who'd stop you from doing whatever you want?" Then a goblin landed on his back.

"My word is my bond." The creature leaped and sheared off a goblin's head with a blade of wind, "If you agree to the terms, then I will uphold them." It spun and saw a bunch of goblins piling on top of Sumaru, "If not, there's nothing to stop me from making a snack out you before I leave this place in ruins."

"Spark!" Sumaru sent a current through the goblins that were trying to mob him, and they all burst into flames. He pulled himself out from under the bodies, "Fine!" He gasped, "Whatever, we'll do your dumb competition!" He grabbed a passing goblin and threw it onto the fire.

"I knew you'd see things my way, Su-ma-ru." Blood dripped from the creature's wide grin and it's eyes glowed, "Both parties are in agreeance." It stomped once, "By my name. I, Marrow, validate the contract. The loser will be bound in servitude to the victor for one year!"

"Yeah, yeah, you do that." As Sumaru stomped another goblin's lights out he spotted one running around with his spear. It was far to big for the child sized goblin and bobbed in the air with each frenzied step. Sumaru pointed at it, "Hey! That's mine!" The goblin blew a raspberry and led a group to swarm Marrow. Sumaru snarled, "Freeze!" Ice sprayed from his outstretched hand and froze it's knobby knees. As the goblin continued to run, it's frozen knees shattered and it collapsed, losing it's grip on the weapon in the process. The goblin was immediately trampled by it's fellows, "Now, spark!" Electricity arced from Sumaru's fingers and set one of the goblins' rags on fire. The goblin panicked and ran into the middle of the crowd and ignited more of their clothes.

Within moments, flaming goblins were running around in every direction. Marrow looked up from a face full of goblin entrails and nodded, "Not bad, for a human. Now check this out." With a whip of it's bristled tail, Marrow summoned a tornado. It sucked the flaming goblins into it's turbulence and flung them through the air.

"Wow, I don't think I could care less." Sumaru grabbed his spear and used it to throw a goblin into the dust devil.

Marrow growled and bit into a fleeing goblin, "Way to be a jerk, jerk."

"Says the one who forces strangers into ridiculous bets." Sumaru spun his spear and crushed a goblin's skull with the blunt end, "Oops." Then something caught his eye, "Hey your name's Marrow, right?"

"What of it?" The tornado was launching torched goblins into the huts and setting them on fire.

"Are goblins supposed to do that?" Sumaru pointed with his spear at the goblin with the headdress. It shook a gnarled branch with a skull on the end as it chanted and an unsettling aura emanated from the circle of bones it was standing in.

"Wha-?" Marrow blinked, then it barked out, "Don't just let it cast! Kill it!"

"I'm kind of busy over here." Sumaru punctuated his words by stabbing a goblin. I need to find the rest of my stuff.

"I'm busy, too. You do it!" Marrow snarled and directed the flaming tornado through one of the goblin's already crumbling buildings. Debris scattered everywhere.

"You're the one who wanted to do all the massacring, why stop now?" Sumaru kicked one goblin and tore his blade out in time to bash another goblin.

Marrow pointed with it's nose at the circle of bones the goblin was standing in, "That's a magic barrier, I can't get to him."

"How is that any different from me?"

"Is that spear of yours just for show? It's a barrier against magic, now hurry up and bash it's head in or something!"

Sumaru rolled his eyes. I don't have to do this. He glanced around. Almost all of the goblins are dead "Uhuh." He ran at the goblin as it raised it's staff. The skull at the top of the staff glowed brightly, and Sumaru yelled out, "Die, you!" Then he drew back his arms and let his spear stab forward. It pierced through the barrier and wobbled, but Sumaru held it true and stuck the goblin in the stomach.

The goblin's eyes rolled back in it's head, and it's tongue dangled from the side of it's mouth. The staff fell from the goblin's hand and lost it's glow.

Sumaru pulled his spear from the goblin's guts. As it fell onto it's back, it's final breath came out in a clear syllable. The length of the staff shook and bright orange cracks opened in the skull.

Marrow stopped in the middle of what it was doing and shouted, "Get away! That thing's gonna blow!"

Sumaru turned his head. Marrows ears were flat against her head "Huh?!" Huh?!

A snap, a crackle, and a pop, then Sumaru's world disappeared.

Trudging Through This Wonderful World

Masutaru: Pull faster, my disciple!

Sumaru: I'm pulling as hard as I can.

Masutaro: Really? You looked stronger when you were killing those giant frogs.

Sumaru: Giant frogs and pulling a house are in two separate categories.

Masutaro: Speaking of frogs, there's one now.

Sumaru: !

Masutaro: Woah! I knew you could do it, Kid!

And that's a wrap!

With this new development, Sumaru's life in this Wonderful World launches in a whole new direction.

Stay tuned to find out.

As a side note, I really enjoyed writing Marrow. I imagine her as the mother wolf from Princess Mononoke, but smaller and brown. Isn't that a nice image?

See ya!