7. Hanako Feels Nostalgic.

Hanako emerged from the tent into a bright morning sun, which made the dewy grass twinkle like crystals. She had never once seen a perfect scene in all her life, and it gave her an innate sense of calm.

The large oak housing the Sisters of Sacrifice was bathed in golden light and could have been used as a screensaver.

Looking around, Hanako wondered if she would ever return. She would have liked to have spent the rest of her life here, given the strong sense of community.

It still annoyed her how the Princesses were tossed away so carelessly, for the sake of some ‘tradition’, borne of ignorance and low intelligence, but since they were now better off, she let it go.

Wandering around, the girl nodded politely while watching rows of them lined up and practising swords.

Ever the observant, Ryu noticed when each Princess was slacking.

“Number twenty-three, your footwork needs to be grounded at the rear. Don’t use the balls of your feet.”

“Yes Master.” Twenty-Three replied and adjusted her technique.

Music was provided by Minnie the Weaver, the only Princess who wasn’t assigned a number.

It was not out of favouritism, but because she was unable to participate in activities due to missing both her legs.

Her Father, a rather odious King, had already married her off to a perverted Noble who had taken an interest in the nine-year-old Princess. The Noble, seeing nothing more than a toy to entertain him, had her legs removed so she could be bed-bound and never escape.

By the time she was fifteen, she had already given birth twice to sons, at aged eighteen, she was no longer seen as ‘ripe’ and discarded to a Dragon sacrifice.

After hearing this, Ryu calmly flew away and burned the Noble to the point of being unrecognisable. Luckily, no one believed him about a dragon attack, thinking it was a drunken accident with a firework (as it was made to look).

The girl's Father was never seen again, but it is said there is a crown on the summit of the highest mountain next to a bearded skeleton.

“Minnie, play us a tune,” Ryu said.

The woman smiled and played a happy song on a lyre.

(It was all about cheering on Ryu, so no wonder he liked it.)

Even though she couldn’t hear, Hanako felt a smile form in the whirling, misty tornado that passed for her head.

Her attention was turned to a slight commotion brewing at the back.

Over by a group of Sisters, a crowd was forming. There were a lot of anxious faces and shaking of heads, to the point where Ryu had to step in.

“Alright, what is all this?" He said. "It’s not break time yet.” One of the Sisters went on one knee and relayed the situation with her head bowed. Afterwards, Ryu nodded. “I see. That is a problem. One less is going to take twice as long for supplies, and we certainly don’t have time to train a new one. Can none of you handle this?”

The Sisters looked around, sheepishly evading eye contact, even while they wore masks.

“It’s the smell,” Isaac said, after saddling the horses. “It can be overpowering to the point where more time will be spent choking than anything else.”

“Right.” Ryu agreed. “This is why I keep them away from such assignments. We are liable to lose one or more otherwise.” He peered at Hanako and squinted. “Your girl. Her sense of smell is not as heightened.”

Isaac gestured to Hanako to come over.

“After nearly two years of training, it’s about time we reviewed her skills.” He said.

Ryu smiled.

“What better way to test our investment?” He said and lowered his head. “Little girl, you will travel to Godwin’s Knock and rescue our Haulier. Use everything you have learnt, but remember…assassins don’t rush, assassins wait for however long it takes.” One of the Sisters passed her a map. “Your entry point is at the south, and the target is in a warehouse to the North. It is gated off from all directions except the entrance. I mean, I could easily blaze in there and turn the town to ash, but I am supposed to be a Myth, and that would be a…Myth-take.”

The Dragon grinned, super pleased with itself.

Isaac shook his head at the stupid wordplay.

“Hanako.” He said. “This is your chance now, Hauliers are rare and these people can’t afford to lose one.” The girl looked around and was surprised to see everyone staring at her, with hopeful eyes behind those Kitsune masks...

~How do I bring this ‘Haulier’ without being seen?~ She asked.

Isaac handed her a small bell on a ribbon.

“Use this. The ringing will signify that you can be trusted.”

~And I’m just supposed to sneak it out, once it is clear? ~

Isaac looked at Ryu, who nodded

“It’ll take care of the rest, don’t worry.” The Old man said. “Egress…sorry.. exit out through the forest at speed.”

Hanako stared at the map and sighed.

It was going to be a long day.

***

Taking a Forest path, the covered wagon rocked on uneven ruts as Minnie sang about a woman of considerable height named Sally.

As the girl sang on, Isaac and three of the Sisters sharpened their weapons, making sure the journey was smooth and Bandit-free.

Soon enough, the Driver called out on approach to the town.

They could smell the sea air from the mountain path, for Godwins’s Knock was a Cliff-dwelling town, with shops and residences carved out of white Alabaster.

The only access from the forest required using the mountain road, as the main bridge had collapsed. (Some say deliberately as a precaution.)

Upon arriving at the insertion point, Hanako jumped down from the wagon.

“Remember, do not hesitate to strike,” He said. “That is what you’ve been trained for. They’re monsters, and monsters will not show you mercy. Don't rush, wait if you have to.” Adjusting both daggers on her belt, she nodded. “Showtime, kid.”

Hanako quickly slipped away into the forest's gloom.

Keeping low, she came across her first Zombie, it was as described:

“The one advantage is that they are slow.” Ryu had said during a briefing. “One-on-one is easy. They are mindless, lumbering and cannot strategise ahead. You’re basically fighting cattle. And like Cattle, when joined with many others, it can be hazardous, so don’t ever think you can take on the world.”

Hanako observed the witless monsters, moaning and staggering blindly.

Taking no chances, she struck as advised: base of the skull to the top, like piercing an eggshell with a skewer.

Instantly, she was crouching; there was no time to admire her work. Rule number 2: Excitement on the battlefield will get you killed.

The second Zombie caught her by surprise.

At first, she believed it to be the Headless-Nameless, which made her breath catch in her throat.

She relaxed after realising it was just a headless Zombie, which appeared to be trying to shake off its own head, that was currently eating its hand.

How? Why?

Hanako decided to leave this one alone, seeing how it was already halfway through a battle.

I guess?

Hanako moved to the cliff top and followed the narrow, single-file stairway down toward the township. The white Alabaster staircase was tight, and she almost ran right into a stray Zombie, which was lurching around on the landing area.

Using a pebble from her pouch, she threw it in front of her. The monster grunted and staggered forward. Hanako jumped from the first set of stairs to the second below, sneaking in for a rear attack and stabbing it from the base to the top.

The Zombie slumped forward, dead. For real, this time.

Wasting no time, she scampered down the stairs onto a flat roof of the nearest building, which looked to be in the same style as all the others, bright white and blocky.

It reminded her of the Mediterranean.

Carefully making her way inside from the rooftop skylight, she found herself inside a library, stacked wall to wall with dusty tomes in leather jackets.

On the desk were different maps of the kingdom, with every successive map indicating a growing red smear in one corner. What did the red represent? Hanako was genuinely intrigued, but the words were written in an unusual style of squiggly lines and polka dots.

Getting nowhere, she got up and headed for the door, figuring it was all a waste of time if she couldn’t understand the language.

Stepping into the tight, narrow hall, she found herself in a bit of a pickle. On either side, was a Zombie. So far, it hadn’t seen her, but it was only a matter of time.

Taking out a second dagger, she kept the blades pointed down like the fangs of a snake, then she crossed her arms into an ‘X’ shape and waited.

As predicted, both Zombies came at her hastily, barreling clumsily in a half-lurch, with arms reaching.

Closer...closer…closer.

NOW!

Just as they were within reach, Hanako fed a blade into each of their eye sockets. The disorientation wasn’t enough to put them down, but it kept them confused enough for her to spin clear and skewer the one on the right through the base of the skull to the top. Then she backed off and kicked the one on the left in the throat and leapt away as it fell to its knees.

Two down.

It wasn’t like the simulator, where she was placed in a wooden labyrinth and forced to kill summoned monsters. There was no fail-safe here, no Ryu to teleport her out of trouble (which happened a lot ).

Hanako picked herself up and trudged on wearily.

It was gonna take time before the sun went down. She wasn’t sure how the Calendar worked here; all she knew was it had been a couple of years now since she had arrived on the planet.

Two Christmases and two birthdays passed. What was she now? Thirteen or fourteen? What difference did it make? This world was built on survival; birthdays were a luxury, almost an irrelevance. 

Something no longer missed.

***

At the exit of the ground level, Hanako peeked from the doorway to see if the coast was clear.

Satisfied, she slipped out and kept low. Noticing how the buildings on the other side were closer together. If she could use the rooftops, it meant avoiding the streets.

The place was populated entirely by Zombies, entire town of the dead, milling on the street in a crowd, with no chance for easy XP.

It would have been nice to access a status screen. (Already checked: none whatsoever.)

Timing it just right, Hanako crouched and kept low, moving behind burnt-out vehicles and scattered bins.

Reaching the other side, she used a ladder built into the side of the building and made it to the rooftop. Catching her breath, she pondered a thought: Can Zombies look up?

She wasn’t sure. It never occurred to her to ask.

I mean, how do you fit that into a conversation?

Edging up to the corner of the parapet wall, she carefully looked around.

With no other choice, she jumped across the gap onto the adjacent rooftop, rolling to a stop.

Hanako repeated this procedure several times before she arrived at a familiar-looking building. It was an open square housing a classic Japanese Haiden, or Hall of Worship.

Of all the architecture she had seen so far, this was the first time she had seen a building from her old country.

It feels like...home.