Chapter 33: A tale and a coincidence
Maxi, Yoshimitsu and the rest of the crew were already sailing the Sea of Japan towards China. While everyone did his job onboard, Maxi called Yoshimitsu to talk to him in private. They went to the captain's cabin.
- What do you want, captain? – asked Yoshimitsu.
- Where did you get so much information concerning Astaroth? – inquired Maxi plainly.
- I told you, I like stories. When I listen to one and I like it, I try to find out everything about it.
Maxi punched the table.
- That monster's troops killed my brother. Believe me, I have investigated him better than anyone.
- Okay, okay. I know the story because...Kunpaetku was my father. – admitted Yoshimitsu.
- What?
- When I was a little boy, my father was always travelling. He was a priest, and he told me and my mother that he was preaching all around the world. One day, my mother asked him to let us go with him, but he refused. That was when we started to suspect that he was lying. It got worse when he came back home with a scar on his face. He said he had just fallen and hit his face, but my mother didn't believe him. The next time my father travelled, my mother took me and we secretly got inside his ship. We hid in the hold and ate the crew's spare food. They believed rats did it.
Maxi listened carefully to Yoshimitsu's tale.
- After disembarking, we followed him for days. His crew didn't accompany him. They remained on the ship while he walked to India. My mother and I discovered that he was going to a temple where he made some experiments. That place was full of cages containing monsters. We had arrived at the worst moment. One of those monsters was Astaroth.
Yoshimitsu could see a look of hate on Maxi's face when he mentioned that name.
- The giant had been the result of experiments to create a human-like being. At first, Astaroth was servile with my father. He educated the monster as if it were a huge baby. Astaroth soon learnt what is necessary to manage in the real world, but…my father used Soul Edge to carry out his experiments. The sword was getting stronger and it became stronger than human will. It possessed my father and every monster, most of them lizardmen. Astaroth was possessed too. He got furious and destroyed the temple, thus killing my father and liberating all the monsters. My mother and I were able to escape. We decided to forget it all and we went back to Japan, along with my father's crew. Years later, when my mother died, I joined a ninja clan, until a man yielding Soul Edge arrived and killed most of us. Then I decided to investigate the sword. The only clue I had was Astaroth so, guided by the stories about he and his slaughters, I arrived at Ryukyu, where we met. That's all.
- But... – Maxi was confused. – Astaroth and the monsters were created in India. How did they get to Japan?
- I don't know. However, Astaroth is as smart as a man and much stronger. I'm sure he can get whatever he wants.
- Why did you lie to us before?
- I'm the son of the man who created the monsters which killed your brother. I thought you wouldn't want me on your ship. Now, I'm already on it.
Maxi sighed.
- Well…I guess that's enough. You can go.
...
The journey continued for some days, trouble-free.
However, when it was about to finish, something happened.
- Ship ahoy! – yelled the look-out.
Maxi hurried to look over the rail, and the same did his crewmen.
There was a ship near theirs, sailing in the same direction. It was a very different ship. A dragon-ship.
- It's a warship. – said Maxi.
- Does that matter? – asked someone.
- Maybe they can help us. Helping hands are always welcomed.
Maxi ordered his helmsman to approach that ship and, when they were close enough, he talked to a man who was onboard. The man had been looking at them as they got closer, as if he was waiting for them.
- Ahoy there! – yelled Maxi.
- What do you want? – asked the man, who was wearing a traditional Japanese armor.
- We're on a long and hard trip for a fair cause. We need more men.
- Which cause is that?
- To avenge my brother's murder.
Suddenly, the other man's face turned sad.
- What a coincidence.
- What?
- My brother has been recently murdered too.
- And are you looking for revenge?
- No...- the man closed his eyes. – I have something more important to do.
- More important?
- I have to find Soul Edge to save our country. – he said, forgetting he was talking to a stranger.
- Soul Edge? I'm looking for it too. – exclaimed Maxi. – It caused my brother's death.
- Mine's too, indirectly.
- We may join forces. – suggested Maxi. – What's your name?
- Heishiro. – answered the other man. – Heishiro Mitsurugi.