Victims of Treachery

This must be some sort of new gun, though this man wasn't an invader. In fact he was as far from an invader to these lands as one could be. When the Rightful Rebellion overthrew the old empire there were two groups that resisted. Those nobles, bushi, merchants, and priests who sailed away forever to found refuge cities in the nearby Grand Daion Khanate and other places all across the globe. And those ancient hunting tribes who were nearly wiped out by the old empire but refused to give up their traditional way of life which was wholly incompatible with rightful cultivation in its entirety. They remained isolated in the same mountain homes they used to resist the old empire, though they were long thought to be an extinct people in this age. Many assumed that they were simply all eaten by mountain ogres, or had succumbed to the sideways energy of their unnatural lifestyle and simply all transformed into the wild animals they ate. This wild man keeping this strange new gun aimed at Hikari would close the distance and attempt to grab his sword from its saya on Hikari's side. Only for Shinzo making the exact same realization as Hikari to lunge for it and grab the barrel, aiming it away from the both of them. A string of a dozen thunder cracks rang out deafeningly close as the gun filled the great wooden stump beside them with lead. This was when Hikari had to act, and thankfully his body and spirit let him. Quickly dropping his hands to his sword Hikari would lower the handle and begin to unsheath the blade from its saya, in one fell swoop Hikari lunged and sliced forth with the blade. As it unsheathed Hikari channeled his upwards energy into it completely, the normally silver steel glowed with the burning red energy of the setting sun, while between each layer of folded steel shot out rays of golden brilliance like the midday sun. The blade roared with the ferocity of a mountain dragon as its vibrant brilliance sliced cleanly through the gun in its entirety, cutting it in half, causing its complex internal parts to spill out across the ground. Hikari then pointed the tip of the blade straight at the man's sternum to signal that he had lost this altercation. The man in turn stuck his hands up and shook like a leaf in a rainstorm. Fear warped his face as the brothers finally got a good look at him. That's when Hikari realized why he was so terrified, he thought Hikari was going to kill him then and there. And that's when Shinzo realized that the man's plan was to kill the both of them. Without a word being spoken between the brothers they both realized that it must be the hunting tribes attacking Kibatani village and not the Ogres. Hikari then brought the blade to the man's neck, its light piercing deeply of his tawny flesh though the blade did no such thing. With a nod of the head he would signal to Shinzo to take anything from him that could be a weapon. Shinzo quickly leapt to action and took from the man a small steel knife with an ornate wooden handle of some animalistic design, along with a much longer curved steel blade, a sword slightly different from Hikari’s having a wider blade and wooden handle. When Shinzo stepped back and gave an ok nod to Hikari, Hikari would then resheath his sword- though he did still keep a hand on the handle just in case. The man looked nervous still and kept his hands up in the air, like he couldn't for a moment consider the idea that Hikari and Shinzo weren't going to execute him on the spot.

“Are you the ones attacking Kibatani village?” Hikari demanded of the man who simply stayed still and said nothing in response. “I don’t know if he understands us. Maybe he can’t speak that well. You know, with them turning into animals or however the story goes.” Shinzo piped up. “Good point, I’ll have to try communicating without words.” Hikari agreed, for this was the first time either of the brothers had encountered someone who had spoken an entirely different language. Hikari then set about a game of charades with the man in the vague hopes of communicating with him. Walking his fingers along his palm, pointing, trying to make a shape of a building with his hands, and practically a million other things were tried for nearly an hour before the tribesman finally all be tentatively started walking, of which the two brothers started following him hoping he understood their demand for him to take the two of them to his village. The forest around them dripped with the morning dew as this new trio walked on. The stomachs of both Hikari and Shinzo grumbled as the adrenaline of their sudden awakening wears off. Reaching into his pack Hikari would pull out a loaf of bread given to them by the old widow they stayed with before trekking up the mountains. Splitting three portions off he'd give a piece to both Shinzo and the tribesman respectively. The tribesman did hesitantly take the bread but didn't eat it, not knowing what to do with the torn off loaf until he saw Hikari eating his own piece. Shinzo gave a look of disapproval to Hikari for giving the man who tried to kill them some of their bread but didn't say anything as he ate his own piece. The tribesman took a bite of the bread and held it in his mouth for a while as they walked. When he determined the food wasn't poisonous he ate the rest of the loaf quickly though his face made it obvious he didn't care for it, with narrowed eyes and a slight frown as he ate it fast. Hikari gave him the bread for good reason though, if they were going to make a deal between these mountain tribes and the surrounding villages this was a good first step in providing positive relations and good faith. Onwards the trio walked through the mountains, the further they walked into the mountains the more the canopy closed in like the black maw of a mountain god swallowing the sky above them. Moss dominated the land even more, now it didn't just cling to sturdy surfaces it draped across vines and branches as well. The air went from a magic refreshing quality to something more soggy and feted as the smell of compost dominated the air. The magic of the atmosphere transitioned from holy and pure to something more primeval, hostile, and unyielding the further into the mountains they walked. Half a day of walking went past, Hikari had faith in their guide while Shinzo clung to his stolen sword with worry. Then it would be that they would come upon a clearing in the forest, which allowed the golden rays of the sun to flood its ground with the most light they had seen that day. Walking to the center of the clearing what would dominate their view would be a stacked stone cairn that went up to their knees which held up a wooden spike, upon which was impaled the massive cleaved head of an ogre. Dried blood coated the base of the neck as the nearly torso sized red skin head was frozen in an expression of rage. Hand length yellow fangs curled outwards from the broad jaw while forearm length horns jutted out from the thick browed forehead. Hikari turned pale as a ghost at the grizzly scene, his meal wanting to claw its way from his stomach, his aversion to blood was coming to haunt him again. Shinzo meanwhile only tensed more, desperately clinging to the handle and leather sheath of the tribesman sword which he still held closely. That's when the other tribesmen would emerge from the nearby foliage guns in hand and aimed squarely at Hikari and Shinzo. Yet one man stood out as different from the rest, he was shorter than the taller tribesmen and his skin was pale. His hair was red and his eyes blue, his haircut was a short one and rather than have a full beard his face was flanked by two great sideburns. While his clothing was completely different as well, dominated by a thick black cloth vest along with a multi colored coat of various shades of green and brown while his legs were individually draped in two sleeves of tan fabric, on his feet were black leather boots and atop his head has a strange hat that while it covered the top of his head, only had an external bill over the front curved above his face. Hikari was the first to bring his hands up but Shinzo quickly followed. Their guide would quickly slink to the weird looking man to where they would have a conversation in a different language. The weird man would shake his head in frustration before smacking their guide with the back of his hand hard. Their guide in turn had a look of deep seated frustration sitting heavy on his face along with the red mark from the backhand. Yet he just stepped off and took the punishment, though a look of regret did seem to briefly capture the man's face for a moment.

The weird man would turn to others and shout in their language, many in the group surrounding the brothers had a similar look of frustration on their faces about this man as their guide. Yet as fingers drifted towards triggers their guide would finally snap and sock the weird man in the jaw with a heavy right hook. The weird man dipped from the blow but stood back up with a cross punch of his own before shouting in that language again. The fight that ensued drew the attention of the other tribesmen completely which gave Hikari the exact moment he needed to draw his sword with another brilliant flash of brilliant red and yellow light. Before they could react Hikari had sliced cleanly through the black guns of two tribesmen before throwing them with the back of his sword at Shinzo to shield him from getting shot by any of the others. Shinzo would draw his stolen blade and hold one of these men captive by his throat. Hikari then channeling more of his cultivated energy than he ever had before seemed to fade into a red and yellow blur to all present, even his own thoughts seemed to lag behind his blindingly fast form as he acted instantaneously. Another gun sliced in two, a bullet deflected midair after it's been shot, a shallow skin deep cut through the clothes of another tribesman what would be painful but very much non-lethal, all of this and more happening in the blink of an eye and all of it would end at the glowing blade of Hikari's sword being held at the neck of the weird man. The weird man in response brought his own hands up with a look of venom in his eyes as they met Hikari's own. “I know you won't kill me magic man so make your demands already.” The weird man spat as much as he spoke aloud to Hikari in words that while heavily accented were perfectly understandable to him. Looking him over is when Hikari realized what this man was, he was a Henrikan. His empire, the Foroned Coaserdom of Henrika had attempted to invade Muryowa twice in the past; both in attempts to colonize the island. Hikari finally recognized this fact because from the descriptions he heard of Henrikan soldiers, pale, light hair, often with a mustache or two bushy patches of hair flanking their cheeks. That description fits this man to a tee, so he clearly must be the one responsible for all this trouble. “You don’t know that, we’ve had to kill Henrikans to defend our home before and we could just as easily do it again.” Hikari hissed in agitation though this threat was a bluff and the weird man knew it. “One look at that monster’s head on that pike and you nearly gave up your lunch boy. Besides cultivators like you don’t stray from your path unless you have no other option. You play too fast and loose with your rules and your magic fades.” the weird man snarked with an entirely too cocky grin on his face. “Yet you still cower under the light of my blade, you know what pain I can make you suffer if I so choose.” Hikari hissed in severe annoyance for the weird man was exactly right. “You got me there. What can I say? You don't live long in my line of work by screwing around when the odds are against you.” the weird man continued still keeping his hand in the air. “And what is that work exactly? Did you give those foreign guns to the tribesman? What’s your goal in having them attack Kibatani Village or the ogres?” Hikari demanded, bringing his blade closer to the weird man’s rather pronounced adams apple. “That’s classified and you don't have the guts to make me talk, boy.” The weird man answered without truly answering. “Then I’ll have to bring you back to the militia at Kibatani, they’re a lot more mean and a lot less dedicated to rightful cultivation than myself.” Hikari threatened. The weird man simply shrugged with his usual insufferably smug grin, knowing that he messed up to the point that the tribesman had no intention of saving him. They were all more focused on Shinzo who still held his captive tight even when surrounded at bladepoint by the other tribesmen. Hikari would give a look to their earlier guide who was nursing what was quickly becoming a black eye. The man did however nod in understanding, for he had grown to hate that obnoxious man at the end of his blade far more than those talked about in the stories told to him by his tribal elders. So he marched over shouting in their language to where his fellows would hesitantly back off of Shinzo to where Hikari would turn to him and tell him to let the man go. Shinzo hesitated but did let the man go to where he quickly scrambled away. The tribesmen lowered their blades and Hikari thought for a moment, during which time the weird man attempted to slip away only for Hikari to cultivate his energy again and catch him mid crawl, once again bringing the blade of his sword in gentle contact with the skin of the man's neck. There a decision had to be made, Hikari would turn his head and call to Shinzo who would then help him bind the hands of the weird man with a hemp rope. “I think we're going to have to split up, you're better with people so I want you to go with the tribesmen and figure out how to resolve this mess. I'll bring the Henrikan to the militia at Kibatani and figure out what to do from there.” Hikari proclaimed even though his voice was ripe with uncertainty at his plan. Shinzo in return took a deep breath from his nose. “I don't like it, but I think you're right. I'll trust you.” Shinzo spoke softly before nodding to Hikari. “I’ll trust you too, make this right and we can go home proud.” Hikari then nodded back to Shinzo. “We'll go home heroes like our ancestors.” Shinzo agreed with a smile as he turned and began to pantomime with their earlier guide. Hikari smiled before sheathing his sword and grabbing the weird man by his shoulders and beginning to walk in the other direction.

“If you won't tell me what you're doing then at least tell me what to call you, or should I stick with Henrikan Scum?” Hikari demanded of the weird man ten or so minutes into their walk. “Henrikan Scum works just fine, you primitive Muryowa dirt farmer.” The weird man laughed which just made Hikari all the more angry. Yet he would bite his tongue and just keep walking, that night he'd just tie the weird man to a tree as they slept and luckily he couldn't get out of it; though the rope burn on his hands definitely told the story of how he tried. Only stopping for Hikari to eat and try to feed to the weird man only for him to stubbornly refuse and usually throw a few more insults at Hikari for good measure. After the second day of walking in the late evening, they had a slight delay on account of Hikari having to stop escape attempts and generally walk slower to accommodate the weird man with his bound hands this reluctant pair made it to Kibatani Village. Hikari would hand off the weird man to the militia men before he'd go rest at the elderly widow's house for the night. Even though he had a roof over his head again, Hikari still didn't sleep well- what with his worrying about his brother Shinzo with the tribesmen alone. Yet Hikari awoke with the rising sun the next morning and checked on the weird man all the same. Tied up in a grain mill the weird man had obviously been beaten to get answers out of him, a fact that upset Hikari greatly. With blood on his knuckles the scarred man from before would be the one before the tied up weird man and the one to greet Hikari. “Damn tyrant wouldn't talk.” The scarred man growled in frustration before Hikari's palm met the back of his head with a thud. “I didn't tell you to hit him, you animal! We're humans, we're supposed to be better than this! You don't stray from the rightful path, we could have waited until he was ready to talk!” Hikari nearly screamed in frustration before his own nose was met by the scarred man's fist with a crack that was followed by two trickles of blood. Hikari snapped and tackled the scarred man to the ground that evolved into a full blown fighting and wrestling match right there on the flat stone mill floor. The weird man just looked on and laughed at the fight, though he did deep down admire Hikari's determination if nothing else. The fight would only end when broken up by Old Man Kou of all people who heard the commotion while relieving his bladder on a nearby tree. “What's the meaning of this? Who’s this Henrikan and why is he tied up?” Old Man Kou barked like one would when breaking up the fight between two young children. “He's the one causing trouble up in the mountains, this fool must be his accomplice!” The scarred man blurted out first. “Well it's a given the Henrikan is behind the trouble, but you know damn well this boy ain't his accomplice. He's a Yasuo, he told me himself on the way here; his ancestor being the Rightful Philosopher himself and everything. And you boy, you can't fly off the handle every time something doesn't go your way or you'll stray further from the rightful path further than any of us. What you need to do is bring this Henrikan to your father, he's dealt with Henrikan Agents before. I know because he sailed on the ship I was working on at the time.” Old Man Kou chided as both Hikari and the scarred man wore fresh wide eyed expressions as Old Man Kou just said. The scarred man because of Hikari's venerable ancestry and Hikari because of the story about his father. Both men would let each other go and stand up awkwardly avoiding eye contact, all the while the weird man would watch the situation from his binds with amusement. “My father never told me of any journey like that.” Hikari shyly proclaimed as the scarred man just left in a hurry. “Probably because you ain't mature enough to really go on an adventure like that yourself, else I'd have just told you to drag him to Henrika yourself.” Old Man Kou lectured before being interrupted by the weird man. “You mean to tell me this runt’s father was the one who escorted Agent Fulton all the way to Henrika himself, and that the both of them are the kin of that nut job that founded your crazy philosophy and magic?” the weird man demanded an answer from Old Man Kou. “Yep that's all true as far as I know.” Old Man Kou assured as Hikari simply stood there frozen in thought about this entire mad situation.