Chapter 14: Power is Everything
A man controlled by the lust of power and money is no man at all but a beast with an insatiable hunger. A beast like that will be hunted down if the beast cannot fend for himself, and thus a game will start. Nobunaga, you are that very beast, but will your chains hold you down so you will not be consumed by your own hunger?
"But, why? Why make Toyohisa as your commander? Why don't you become a supreme king?" Abe said nervously, he could see no gain from this warlord taking orders from another person. This man, was far too dangerous for anyone to control and much too cunning to be killed. So why would be let a blatant fool take the higher power?
"It seems…I am no good enough to become one. I thought all men could be manipulated by interest and fear. But, I guess I was wrong. That's why I was defeated. That's why fifty years of my life turned into nothing", Oda said with a grimace. His eyes narrowing as he recalled a few of the many traitors he had in the other world. "See, when I got surrounded by traitors in my previous world, the first person I thought of their leader was my very son. But it turns out that Nobutada, my son, had been loyal to me 'till the very end. How can a wicked man like me become a king?
"But that Toyohisa guy, ignores gains and losses and knows no fear nor intimidation. A man worthy of becoming a king. But he's an idiot, so he needs an aide. Me", Oda said with a dark smile, his plans were already starting to blossom. Soon there would be a wonderful war sprouting within the heart of this very nation, and it will ignite even more wars. Profit and losses through trade and the manufacturing of weaponry which was beyond of this world. Everything would fall into place and soon a magnificent revolution would take place. His mind was already planning far ahead.
"What do you plan to do with the other two then, Takeko and Yoichi? What are your 'grand' plans for them, for they too are involved just as much as you are", Abe said with a small scowl.
"Takeko is free to do what she wishes, she works better this way. Having a caged bird is no benefit to the master or to the bird, for the master it will be entertaining for a while but it will get boring. So Takeko will do as she pleases, she is a good girl anyways, she won't so anything stupid. A free bird will fly higher than a caged one", Oda said while chuckling. Abe brows furrowed, this man has gone to the side of insanity and come back, a man worthy of his title, the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven.
"Yoichi will train the elves and continue to gain their trust. He is already considered a superior to them, he will soon have full control of their actions. But of course he still very much young so he will need guidance from me, but I won't change his main decisions. In overall he will do as he pleases but he will have to take orders from me because he is so young", Oda continued, scratching his stubble.
"You…I don't know what to call you. A vagabond or a sage", Abe said with frown, this man was unpredictable. Hopefully the other three Drifters would bring him back from the temptations of war.
'Who knows what he is going to do, that man was really something else', she thought dully. She had wandered off, leaving Oda to his antics and his work. She didn't find herself needed anymore so a lonesome stroll by herself in the woods seemed like such a great idea. Especially when she had to step over the rotting bodies strewed across the forest floors. She assumed they would be gathered up later and added into the pit later so she did not disturb the bodies. She didn't venture far into the woods after seeing the dead horses and the smell of rotting flesh emanating throughout the air. Deciding to merely trail along the outskirts of the campus and the ruins.
She caught sight of Toyohisa in the clearing, he was talking to the decrepit European man from the carriage, why though? She decided to just watch quietly from the trees, sitting down on a gnarled root.
"Old man. Are you really senile?" Toyohisa said darkly, the wind blowing behind him lightly, ruffling the tree leaves. The atmosphere suddenly thickened and oppressive. Many would have realised the warning signals and turned tails when facing such a man, but the old man wasn't even fazed but continued spout out nonsense in which he only understood.
"Carthage will be destroyed! Carthage will be destroyed if we don't do something!" Hannibal suddenly yelled out, "Hey! Magon! Magon!" Pointing his finger at Toyohisa, "I have come up with a great idea! What do you think of crossing the Alps and attacking Rome?"
"I have no such name", Toyohisa said blandly with bored eyes, "My name is Shimazu Toyohisa".
"Huh? So, is it you, Hasdrubal?" Hannibal cried out waving his stick around as if it was a sword. "What are you doing here? What happened to Cartago Nova?"
Toyohisa saw something in this man which reminded him of his own grandfather, this man was in no why senile and he could be sure of that. There was no way the man in the hallway would send someone useless to fight a war. And there was this glint in Hannibal's eye which Toyohisa recognised, to others it may be just the light reflecting but to long-time warriors it was something else completely.
Toyohisa thinned his lips as he eyes turned blank, he turned away from the old man, his walk purposeful. He came to a stop when he reached the crumbling walls of their castle and turned back around facing the old man again.
'I wonder what he is doing...', Takeko thought blinking her eyes owlishly. Toyohisa began unsheathing his sword and held the sword with both hands close to the guard, allowing a short but powerful swing. His sword was held true and straight, and with a heaving step he propelled himself with a few long strides. His body angling itself lower and lower to the ground allowing less air resistance.
"CHES-TOOO!" He cried out as he neared the old man and when he was just about to swing his sword down, his war-cry was cut short. Staring right up at him was the old man holding his stick right up at Toyohisa's face, his eyes clear and bright. His posture was at ease and there was no signs of fear or panic in his expression, in fact it was the very opposite.
"What? Is Rome attacking again? But I am the only one capable of saving Carthage", Hannibal said with a wry grin, his eyes narrowing. "Is it Marcellus? Or is it Varro? Well, doesn't matter, will crush them all!" Hannibal said triumphantly, his eyes revealing the years of experience within them.
"Good! So you are senile indeed! But your eyes aren't dead yet!" Toyohisa cheered happily, letting out a huge grin on his face. He was right in the end, it seemed that he wasn't quite the idiot as some may assume. He sheathed his sword once more all of his bloodlust fading away.
"Old man, what did you do before you got senile?"
"By the way, Hamilcar, is supper ready?" Hannibal said completely ignoring Toyohisa. But that was no problem as Toyohisa completely ignored him as well.
"It seems you took part in a good war!" Toyohisa said with a cheeky smile, his mood brightening a little knowing that the old man wasn't a dead fish as all, but something else. He didn't know yet but he had a small inkling of what his real potential was.
"W-what was that cry just now?" Olmine said worriedly as she came rushing from the other side of the castle, sweat evident on her brows. "The enemy is approaching?"
Toyohisa ignored her obvious distress, "Olmine, take good care of this old man. This man, has the same eyes of my uncle Ishinsai!" Olmine blinked her eyes in confusion as she glanced at Hannibal as he returned to his usual mad stupor.
"Al-alright…" Olmine said slowly not understanding why though, "Hey wait up, there are some things my great Master would like to clarify with you!" Olmine called out Toyohisa as he started walking away from the area, Olmine jogged to catch up with the red clad man. She took once last glance at the old man noticing two red eyes staring right back at her in the darkness of the forest, she yelped in surprise and after blinking her eyes the two red eyes were gone.
'My imagination?', Olmine thought confusedly.
Making sure the two of them were gone Takeko stepped out of the forest cautiously. Besides the occasional bird cry in the distance and the crunching of leaves underneath her feet, it was eerily quiet. Takeko let out a tired sigh as she slouched her back against the cold crumbling stone on which Hannibal was seated on. Hannibal had seemingly ignored her for the first few minutes but turned to regard the girl and from whatever piece of sanity he had he talked in his strange language.
"Est tigris in adbitis…" Hannibal mumbled as he peered down at Takeko, she lifted a brow and let out disgruntled grumble. So it was Latin he was talking in, no wonder it sounded so familiar, she pondered for a moment on she would respond to him. She didn't study the dead language so extensively.
"Ego te tigris?" Takeko said finally with a small smile, "But that is strange to call me that, after all we are surrounded by monsters far beyond my understanding", she said quietly. Hannibal's eyes darkened for a moment his creases increasing a little. But after that the old man returned to his delirious stupor with the occasional mumbling of nonsense in a language even unknown to Takeko and their conversation was not mentioned again.
Night-time soon fell upon their camp and castle and their long eventful day had come to an end, or so the elves thought.
"The time has come. We will free the 'dwarves' now", Toyohisa said plainly as he stood by the door, the darkness shadowing his outline, making him seem intangible. As soon as he uttered the words the elves began to clamour and mumble to one another in confusion.
"Y…You got to be kidding!" One elf cried out in surprise.
"He's right! Why should we free the dwarves?!" Another exclaimed, their voices merging with another, all corresponding to the one same thing.
Why must they save the dwarves?
Shara realising that their arguing would not solve anything carefully explained their delicate situation with the dwarves to Toyohisa. "Lord Toyo, you don't know about the feud between the elves and dwarves. Since the beginning of the world, dwarves are our enemies. We will never mingle with them and they will never come close to use. When our country was destroyed by the Orte Empire, they didn't move a finger to help us elves. Why would you expect us to save them now…?"
"Because you have no choice, be annihilated by the humans or swallow your pride and save them or there will be nothing left of this country. That is their only choice", Takeko said quietly facing them as she leaning against the door frame.
The elves widened their eyes as if they were just slapped in the face, they bit their lips in frustration and looked down. That was their reality but they still wanted to refuse it.
"Ho, you're coming? Do as you wish then", Toyohisa had a mischievous smirk spreading across his face. "Those who want to come with me may stay here. But I will go. And only true warriors are allowed to come with me", Toyohisa said with a wicked grin.
Let the madness begin.
Est tigris in adbitis– The tigress is lurking
Ego te tigris – Am I the tigress
I don't know Latin, Google translate for the win. Takeko learnt literature and calligraphy as a child and several different languages from the site I'm reading from. I don't know if she could actually speak Latin but some Japanese people did study the European way in the 1800's, heck it was like a revolutionary period for Japan.
Also I don't update regularly, I update whenever I feel like it or when I have the time, so suck it up. I decide when to update.
Edit 14/10/16 - future me has changed some things and added more detail.