The Quest Begins

Katsu and Bongao quickly took their unconscious brother out of the Sword Clan village, the massive wooden walls already open for them as crowds gathered round continuing to boo the trio and pelt them rocks as they left. When Tagunban regained consciousness he would see his numerous cuts and wounds being stitched by Bongao before getting a left hook to the face from Katsu. “You idiot, what were you thinking?! Were you even thinking to begin with?! Father would have struggled to beat him and you go and make an idiot of yourself in front of everyone! Did you even think of how this would reflect on the Axe Clan at all?! What if you died in that fight, how do you think your mother would have felt, or our mothers, us, the chieftain, Ta Da, and everyone else who celebrated your manhood back at the clan?!” Katsu shouted as he ranted and paced around. “Is it true? Did the warchief really delay the Spear Clan shaman, and how did you learn that?” Bangao asked as he continued stitching. “It's…..” Tagunban hesitated before being interrupted by Katsu pulling his axe out. “If you say it was a hunch or guess work I swear to Puthaw I will take your head myself!” Katsu continued to shout. “It's a long and very very … complicated story.” Tagunban answered in response, though as Katsu was halfway to raising his axe Bongao stopped him with a root raised from the Earth. “After I finish stitching you up you can tell us the whole long walk home. I don't care how complicated the story is, he was our father too and we have a right to know.” Bongao ordered with a quiet conviction to his voice. After Bangao finished his impromptu stitch work the pair would shoulder Tagunban again and head out for Axe Clan village. Along the way Tagunban would finally tell his brothers his entire story just as he did with their father before his death. His previous life and death as Yamaguchi Kagetora, the Leopard God and his reincarnation, the warchief as his previous life as Sir Winston Cromwell the Second and his plans for their world. As well as their father Katas's order to Tagunban to stop the Warchief's plans. As they camped the second day of travel the story finished and questions began to flow. “So technically you're the oldest brother? Then what the hell were you thinking doing something so stupid?! No wonder you died young in your last life, if it weren't for us you'd have died even younger in this life!” Katsu ranted in deep confusion and frustration. “So that explains why you were so good at everything, you've done most of it before so you could focus more on what you haven't done…” Bongao brooded in understanding and also some relief. “So let me understand. The warchief thinks of us like we think of monkeys in the trees, he wants to shape our world into your old world that left you for dead and desperate. So to do that he broke with his own values to impress the tribe and become warchief, to where he wants to leverage the position until he's a king and conquers the whole island; making it run under the limitless authority of tricksters. No more warriors, no more chieftains, no more clans, just people in charge and people not in charge?” Katsu half asked and half ranted to Tagunban. “That and he wants to wipe out all the cultures on the island and mix them into one big culture where everyone looks and acts the same, just like in our old world.” Tagunban elaborated as he weakly stood up and looked at the fire. “That plan was still stupid and you're still a massive idiot for charging in, but I can see why you felt the need to do that. You should have told us and we could have made a real plan without putting the axe clan at risk.” Katsu stated with a long sigh as he stirred the coals of the fire. “When we get back you should ask Yawanu about that leopard skeleton thing you saw, it sounds familiar but I'm not sure where from.” Added in Bangao. After the second day Tagunban could walk himself again though his muscles still burned and he needed to support himself with his father's axe acting as a walking stick. On the third day walking the trio would come across Sword Clansmen herding a large herd of water buffalo away from the direction of the Axe Clan village though at the time they wouldn't think much of it. After five days of slow and painful travel the trio would make their way back to the Axe Clan village only to be met with glares and evil eyes. The chieftain would then march up to the trio with hatred burning in his eyes as he swiftly and ruthlessly caned Tagunban about the head. “What did you think you were doing?! Do you know how much your temper tantrum cost the village?!” the chieftain screamed as he put the butt of his back he used to cane Tagunban with back upon the ground. “What demands did that bastard make?” Katsu quickly intervened. “Half. Half of all the Axe Clan’s water buffalo and half of all the loot they take for their next five raids. Along with crop reparations or else we'd lose our place as a major clan in the moot. Some of our clansmen are already packing their homes and leaving to join their kin in minor clans because they'll think they'll starve here.” the chieftain seethed in frustrated anger. “He wants the Axe Clan demoted to a minor clan for going against him, either through your refusal or by the extreme reparations…” Tagunban brooded in return as he nursed his battered head. “You better have a damn good reason for betraying the tribe and your clan with that show or I'll have half a mind to exile you myself!” the chieftain shouted in exhausted anger. “Alright but I need to do it privately or it might make things worse.” Tagunban responded in hurt. “Make things worse?! They damn near can't get any worse! Explain yourself now!” The chieftain shouted in greater anger before both Katsu and Bongao stepped forward. “He told us on the way over and we agree with him chieftain. This is a very complicated and private matter best told privately.” Katsu stated as calmly as possible. The chieftain sighed angrily and walked to his hut with the trio in tow. There Tagunban explained everything he did to his brothers. “So this invader from another world seeks to conquer my tribe and he killed my initiate!” The chieftain burned with the greatest rage any in the trio had ever seen come from the elderly man before he took a deep breath and straightened himself out. “I know in your last life you were mostly alone, but you're not in this one, and that's a double edged sword. Your reckless actions have brought great harm upon your clan and could have seen you killed. You should have told us about this sooner and we could have helped. Now we're practically powerless before even stepping in.” the chieftain states sagely “I'm sorry I…” Tagunban's words would choke out of his throat as he began to realize the weight of what happened. “It doesn't matter, what matters now is that once you get healed I want you to go out into the world. Mana is built through experience and you're too young still to have much. Go out into the world and be a free warrior, experience life to the fullest and when you get back your clansmen will forgive and forget; I'll see to that. We'll restore what we've lost by then and we will all think of a plan to stop the Warchief.” The chieftain proclaimed with returning confidence and conviction in his voice.

It would take the rest of the dry season for Tagunban to be nursed back to full health. Even when he did come out into the village he would be met with sneers and angry glares from all the clansmen who stayed with the village. Even Ta Da would give Tagunban a regretful look as if lamenting how he helped Tagunban create a technique so difficult on his body and would use it so foolishly. Banyaga wasn't even in the village anymore, rumors said he heard about the reparations early so he burned his hut down and gathered some men to herd his water buffalo away from the village. Tagunban would then spend that rainy season attempting to help out the rest of the clan on their work though his offer was rarely accepted. When there was no one to help he would brood upon what he would do come the dry season; it would take a great amount of brooding yet Tagunban would discover his quest eventually. Tagunban's goal once the monsoon rains clear would be to go out into the world and discover what he could about the leopard death god both he and the warchief encounter when they reincarnated. That beast was his best hope for understanding why the pair’s souls were sent to this world and along the way he surely would get stronger. Tagunban one rainy day would enter Yawanu's hut, Yawanu being among the few villagers beyond his family that didn't give him a glare of hatred as he walked around the village. Yawanu was mixing various ingredients in a mortar and pestle by light of fire as Tagunban entered. “Something ails you today Tagunban?” Yawanu asked as he didn't look up from his work. “I need to tell you something, something long and complicated that has to stay secret.” Tagunban answered as he sat beside the fire. “Let me finish mixing this herbal powder and I'll happily listen.” responded Yawanu before sitting down Tagunban opposite the fire. Once again Tagunban would tell the entire story of his past life, his reincarnation, the warchief, etc. Now four people in his village knew the truth, Katsu, Bongao, the chieftain, and now Yawanu the shaman. “I always knew you were an old soul but I never could have guessed that you came to us from another world, and one so different from our own at that.” Yawanu contemplated for a moment. “I need you to tell me everything you can about a giant leopard dragging around a skeleton by the skull. Both the warchief and I saw the same being and I think it may have answers for me.” Tagunban asked. “To me that sounds like a Twa or one of the local gods of the island. We may worship Puthaw and his divine kin but they are far from the only gods in this world. Your best attempt to gain knowledge would be to go to the Tribe of the Ancients to our Southeast. They worship the Twa as their soul gods, and pray you can find a translator. I wish I could tell you more but I only know of a handful of Twa and a leopard death god isn't one of them.” Yawanu exclaimed in contemplation “What about Banyaga? Does anyone know where he went?” Tagunban asked desperately wanting a translator before he arrived in another tribe’s territory. “No and I wouldn't be so quick to trust him either, I know he was your translator when you avenged your father but he is a rotten trickster to the core. That aside I'm sure he's the one most angry with you over forcing the clan to pay reparations, believe me it's best you try and find a translator down there.” Yawanu responded as he threw another stick on the fire causing the crimson coals to burst forth with life. “Arent they an enemy tribe though, why would they help me?” Tagunban asked as starred at the amber waves of the flickering fire. “Those dedicated to the spiritual are not so enraged as to let tribal affiliation dictate knowledge for the truly dedicated. Be honorable and honest and you will find what you need in due time.” Yawanu answered in kind. With that Tagunban stood up and bowed to Yawanu in gratitude. “Thank you for everything, teacher. I promise I will discover the knowledge I seek and tell it to you in payment.” Tagunban responded in thanks before he turned and went to walk out the hut door. “No payment is necessary my student, I only ask you to do good with the esoteric knowledge you seek.” Yawanu finished as Tagunban strode out the door into the monsoon rains.