Smuggling, piracy and stealth oh my!
I don't own any copyrighted material, except my own OC's: anyone else's OC's will be acknowledged in their introduction chapter
Cao fell silent after Yasuki Taka said to him his purpose. His duty to the clan was the very thing he promised to his friends he would move away from. Honor wasn't the most important tenet of Bushido to him across his entire life, as his work prevented it. Now as soon as he tried to adhere to it more, fate smacked down his intentions. As he sat there, he did everything in his power to not show any discomfort or displeasure to his new master.
"I understand Taka-san. What is my primary area of operation?" Cao asked humbly
"Along the River of gold, and its tributaries towards the southern nations. The Wakano Covenent's efforts to embargo our southward trade has proven frustrating. So, to get around the legal barriers put in place, I have decided to implement a plan to illegally trade with the south. One that you will carry out." Taka explained, a cheerful smile of mischief and joy never leaving his lips
"What about the Scales of the Carp?" Cao asked
"Though they have proven effective, they cannot move enough by themselves. You will be my liaison to them and in return you may bring any of the most promising ronin into your families fold. I want operations up and running as fast possible." Taka replied
"One more question for you my lord. Where will my family live?" Cao asked, this time curiosity taking hold
"Along the fork of the southernmost tributary that branches from the River of Gold. Your territory will represent the southernmost territory of the Wei Empire. Hold that with pride my son. You offer our clan and our empire the light of a new hope." Taka said
After this, no words were spoken. Cao and Taka bowed to each other, and Cao was led out from the room to prepare for his journey down to his new lands. The river of gold began much farther north and snaked its way down through the old scorpion and crab lands till finally hitting the sea. At every point, countless other rivers, creeks and streams broke off from the large and slow river. However ever since the start of the empire, pirates, bandits and other scoundrels have plagued the river. Now his family would be adding to that reputation.
'Alright. Just remain calm and explain this to the to the others and hope they take it well.' Cao thought as he went to the lounge they were in
He opened the door to the lounge and overlooked the scene before him. Testuo was meditating on a mat peacefully. Velvet and Ruby were talking and sipping tea as per the norm. The overall mood was inviting and relaxed. Though this put to rest some of Cao's fears, the potential reactions to what he had to say left him at relative unease.
"How did the talk with your new boss go Cao?" Ruby asked
"Good. He explained everything about what the families role and lands will be." Cao said and sits on his own mat
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Testuo asked
"I just want to say I tried. I tried to change, but my role in the clan is the very thing I wanted to leave…" Cao said
"They want you to smuggle more?" Ruby asked in shock
"Our duty is to conduct trade with the southern nations that have categorically outlawed our trade. I also have been given control over the Scales of the Carp, my old masters. From there and anyone else I choose to become the first generation of the Caowei family." Cao explained, nervousness dripping from his voice
"Of course." Testuo sighed and ran his hands over his face
"I'm sorry Testuo. This wasn't my doing." Cao said to his friend and rival
"No, I understand. I don't like it, but I understand. The point is you made a stand and actually wanted to change. However now that you have masters, your duty trumps your own feelings. You've proven to me that you actually do care about the tenets of bushido." Testuo explained after a heavy sigh
"Thank you Testuo…" Cao said before he was cut off
"Before this I thought you didn't care in the slightest. That's the only reason why I'm still here with you. If you didn't prove to me that you would follow the tenets, then I'd go back to be a ronin." Testuo explained
"I understand Testuo. In fact, I have a very important job for you." Cao said after bowing his head in respect
"And what job is that?" Testuo asked with the raise of an eyebrow
"Head of security." Cao said simply
"That's definitely a role I can stomach." Testuo said
"What about us?" Ruby asked
"You two can perform whatever role that turns up that you feel is best. I trust your judgement and will back your decisions with my authority." Cao explained
"Thank you Cao-sama." Velvet said with a respectful bow of the head
"Not going to lie it's going to take a while to get used to that…" Cao said nervously, uncomfortable with his companions calling him that
"It is proper etiquette. So, we have to do it Cao-sama." Testuo added
Cao sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. Honestly for him his entire life had gone through an upheaval he never thought possible. He was now the Daimyo of a vassal family, quite the achievement for a wandering ronin smuggler. This meteoric rise however now put a large amount of expectations on him. To make things all the more stress inducing, his actions would be watched with a fine-toothed comb due to his less savory background. Despite being pardoned from it and it being overlooked by the top brass, others wouldn't be so forgiving.
Hours passed and the four ate a light dinner before retiring to their quarters. Ruby and Cao would share a room due to their relationship, while Testuo and Velvet would get separate. After Cao and Ruby entered their room, he immediately pulled her into a hug and a kiss. Ruby stood they're in shock at this sudden show of affection. Soon the kiss was broken and a small trail of saliva between the two lips was all that connected them.
"Cao… what was that for?" Ruby asked, still stunned
"That's the best way I can thank you Ruby." Cao said, looking a bit nervous after doing that
"T-thank you Cao, but it's not necessary…" Ruby stammered nervously
"Not necessary? Why?" Cao asks her, a bit surprised
"There's nothing to thank me for." Ruby said simply
"Nonsense Ruby. I have you to thank for everything right now. You may not have started me down this path, but you got me to continue it to its conclusion. Gave me support, gave me drive and forced me forward regardless of how I felt." Cao said passionately
"Really? You really think I did that?" Ruby asked
"Of course. Without you Ruby I would still be a slimy Ronin merchant that cared only for making a quick couple coin, then moving on. I am not perfect and still have many flaws, but without you I wouldn't have become the man that stands as a vassal family Daimyo. Without you by comparison, I would be nothing." Cao said, and throughout the speech he tried to hold back tears, with mixed results
"Are you crying Cao?" Ruby asked
"No. No I'm not. Samurai do not cry." Cao said, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes
"It's okay. If you do I wouldn't tell anyone" Ruby said, taking a step forward
"No, I'm fine. Let's get pack and ready for tomorrow before we go to bed." Cao said, stepping past her to begin packing
At that Ruby knew that she should drop the subject. As a Daimyo he would now be held to very high and strict standards. In that moment he was trying to orientate himself towards those standards. With that in mind she silently went to packing her things.
A month later along the River of gold
After a month-long trek, they arrived at their base of operations. A small port town on the river of only a few hundred, and a rundown samurai manor. The actively lived in peasant buildings weren't much better, with many windows, walls and roofs having holes in them. Piers and warehouses held up barely by rusted nails. The best kept buildings by a long shot were the few small shrines of the gods and fortunes. To everyone else in Cao's company, this place as their base is an insult to their honor. To Cao however, this was perfect.
"This will do nicely." Cao said as he stepped off the carriage he was riding in
"This? This isn't worth the title of town, let alone the seat of a samurai family." Testuo scoffed as he looked over the place
"It's not about what it is, it's about its potential. It's a fixer upper, but I always liked a challenge." Cao smiles at that
"You can't be serious right now?" Testuo asked in shock
"No, I am not. We have our duty as a vassal family, and we will fulfill it. Regardless of what resources we are given. Duty is one of the seven tenets of bushido after all." Cao said as he began walking into town
"He's gone mad. Mad I tell you." Testuo muttered as the other three began to follow him
"I've seen madness. That's just overconfidence. Something you've had problems with yourself." Velvet refuted and Testuo shut up after that
Ruby after a bit broke off from them, wanting to get a look of the town for herself. As she walked through its rundown dirt roads and winding alleyways. Everywhere she went poor and desperate peasants looked at her, shocked someone of her status would be walking in their town. After a while Ruby overheard them talking about her and the others arrival, wondering what it could mean for them and the town.
She rounded a corner to find a surprisingly well-kept path that snaked its way into the forest. Deciding she had nothing better to do she followed the short path. The path lead to a small shrine to a fortune she didn't recognize, and there were no priests around. It was only about a story tall, and barely 10x10 feet in dimensions. The decorations were simple and rare in its design. On the floor under the shrines roof were two tatami mats, and one was occupied by her mother.
"Hello Ruby. So nice to see you again. Please have a seat. You must be tired after a long journey." Summer said with a smile, patting the mat in front of her
"Mother. How did you get here? How did you know I would be here? What is this place?" Ruby asked her questions frantically, but with a smile Summer calmed her
"Relax my dear. Have a seat." Summer said and patted the empty mat again
Ruby sat down on the mat and now was face to face with her mother. So many things didn't make sense right now. Even more so than the last time she saw her. Ruby then squinted her eyes, trying to use the focus to see if she could notice anything unusual. Despite a minute of intense observation, she couldn't find anything out of place. That didn't however answer any of her questions and only continued to raise more.
"Mom why are you here now?" Ruby asked, figuring it was probably the only question she'd get an answer too
"I'm here to congratulate you on a successful journey. You've done a lot Ruby, and I'm very proud of you." Summer answered
"Really? After all this time of you being gone, these two times in random places are when you come to see me?" Ruby asked, a hint of bitterness in her voice leaking out
"I know. I deserve any ill will you have towards me and I'm sorry for what I did Ruby. But there are things in this world that are stirring that have to be stopped… and I was arrogant enough to think I was strong enough to deal with these problems." Summer said, head lowering a bit in sadness
"What is stirring? What are you talking about?" Ruby asked with a raise of an eyebrow
"Even I don't fully know Ruby, but you must prepare. The road you are about to take is a long and dangerous one. And there are things in this world that are going to do everything in their power to stop you. To stop all of you." Summer explained cryptically
"Alright Mom, I'll go tell Cao then." Ruby said with a sigh, finding it pointless to try and ask
Ruby turned to walk away but was confused when she didn't hear her mother say anything else. She turned to look, and Summer Rose wasn't there. The mat she was on didn't even look like anyone had even sat on it. This was the second time this had happened to Ruby, and if she ever saw her mother gain she would confront her on this strange behavior. For now, however, the ominous and cryptic words of her mother rattled inside her head. Whatever she meant by it; she knew that their troubles were likely only to get worse.
Sorry for the long absence, had a lot of stuff to deal with at work and in my personal life. However, I will make one change to my schedule going forward. I am going to release every other week, as I want to try and avoid any slip in quality or forcing myself. I feel it's a disservice to everyone who's reading this story. I also can't thank enough everyone who has read and supported this. I never thought this story would get off the ground, and everyone's support really means a lot. See you all next time and have a good day.