Seeing the marines surrounding the village with their rifles aiming at every hut. Old Geez couldn't help but feel angry as he didn't expect that the marines he once joined would degrade to this low.
Riz expresses her worries by clutching the inside of her sleeves as she feels the hidden item, looking at the line-up formation of marines.
Taking a large stride towards the short marines who have a high authority after the Captain "What do you think you're doing!?", with an angry shout Old Geez confronts Merv.
"Is this how you talk with Lieutenant Merv!" one of the marines shouted back at Old Geez while the other marines aimed their rifles.
"Old Geezer! stop, don't be impulsive!" Riz runs at the back of Old Geez and pulls him back but she can't even budge the angry Old Geez that is still glaring hard at Lieutenant Merv.
As the tension gets heated up, Lieutenant Merc clapped his hands getting the attention of the marines "Pull back your rifles! What do you think you're doing!?" shouting angrily but still has the menacing smiles on his face.
After looking at the calm subordinates, Lieutenant Merv looks up at the tall Old Geez with a polite smile "Well, an unexpected occurrence happens, Chief Geez. As we received a tip that you villagers are hiding the aristocratic kid that we are searching for."
Old Geez was shocked but he did expect this might happen earlier when these marines issue a reward publicly. He tried to act normal but the constricted iris of his eyes and nervous movement did not escape from the gleaming eyes of Lieutenant Merv.
"Give the kid to us and this matter will be ended immediately, don't intercept the justice of marines!" With the momentum of justice and uniform of marines, Lieutenant Merv pressures Old Geez.
With clenched teeth and dozens of cold sweats, Old Geez can only glare at the short marine as he bears the monumental pressure of the leading organization of the sea - The Marines.
Riz can barely stand the pressure as she looks with a dark face at the situation they currently face.
As the confrontation happens outside of the vicinity of the village, a hidden movement of the villagers starts to occur. In a darkened tunnel underneath the village, a dozen people are quietly walking with their little rucksacks.
"Walk quietly, be calm, and don't chat needlessly!" Matt whispered as he stood at his post and gave instructions to every villager that passed by him.
With a torch-like staff in his hands but there is no flame blazing atop of it.
But a black smoke that endlessly gushed out as it slithered to the ceiling and spread out to the maze-like tunnels.
Matt looks at the rock ceiling of the tunnel as he recalls the instructions of the two elders earlier while Chief Geez and Aunt Riz walk outside to attract the attention of the Marines.
"I have a foreboding feeling about this sudden aggressive action of the marines." the little elder man said while he started to tap his staff in the ground "Little Matt, come here!"
"Y-yes elder!"
"Go, Execute the black smoke signal!"
"But elder! The marines won't do anything to us, right!? they are the protectors of the- Aww!" Matt is confused by the sudden turn of events that he can't believe what is going on but is interrupted by a whip of staff in the hands of the woman elder.
Matt squat down as he covers his painful kneecap that welcomes the surprise attack of the elder woman.
"Don't be naive Little Matt!" The elder woman reaches out and pats the head of the squatted Matt, "The Marines are rotten to the core, we can't just put the lives of every villager here when they are putting a forceful act towards us."
"Do you understand Little Matt?"
Looking at the incoming villager, Matt gathers his thoughts and does his duty.
With the black smoke that gushes out of the torch-like staff, it helps the villagers to navigate the labyrinth-like tunnel underneath the village.
The black smoke has a different trait as it does not spread out aimlessly but form dozens of tentacles to search an airway.
And the airways that it yearns for are leading to the hidden holes of every hut of the village, and when the black smoke gushes out to the hidden hole of the hut it will dissipate in a one feet high above the surface.
So it will not alert the marines who are surrounding the villages. This black smoke signifies that there is a threat that the villager must escape.
And using the hidden tunnel as the gateway to escape and follow the trail of black smoke that leads to the position of Matt where the villagers tend.
"It's a black smoke signal, Let's go Millee!" the brother of Millee quietly called her, as he carries a little bag for their important things.
"Milo, what is going on? Why do the elders use the black smoke!?", Millee asks as she follows her brother " How should I know? we should follow the old scheme that the past elders created for our survival, these might be connected to the marines' action earlier."
"Little Geez!" As the momentum of the marines was getting heavier, it was cut in by the two elders walking in their direction with their staff.
"Elders, what are you doing here!?" Riz can't help but be taken aback as she didn't expect the elders to come here.
"What!? expecting that we old bones can't talk some sense to these younglings marines?" the elder woman said while smiling with her crooked teeth.
"Little Riz and Geez, go back there and rest. Leave this matter to the elderly to discuss this misunderstanding." the elder man said while they bypass Riz and Old Geez.
"Elders! you should go an-" With pent-up anger, Old Geez shouted to the two elderly as he knew what they were aiming to do but a blunt staff weakly smashed his kneecap.
"What!? you are shouting back at me!" the elder woman scolded Old Geez as she repeatedly whacked her staff to Old Geez.
"But elders -" Riz tried to change the mind of the elders but cut in "Go, Leave this to us elderly." the elder man looked at the Old Geez and Mother Riz.
"You two who don't have the patience to discuss this matter calmly must go home and rest through the night." after saying this the elder man turns his smiling gaze to Lieutenant Merv "Right, sir?"
Lieutenant Merv, who calmly watched to the side, only smiled.
"You are right, elderly people are respected as they are easy to talk to and have the sense to deal with." looking with interest as he assumes that they are fighting for the authority in the village.
'Ignorant people!' with a flash of contempt in his eyes gazing at the four clowns in his front, dancing to entertain him.
"Hear that!? what are you two doing here! Go and leave, we are wasting our time with the both of you. Hmph!"
With a painful expression on her face, Mother Riz forcefully pulls the stunned rooted Old Geez who subconsciously looks at the two elder's eyes who have the flickering smile in them and - saddened farewell.
"Let's go, Old Geez." a tear slowly streams to her cheeks as she fastly strides back to the village.
'Elders! worry not, we will protect the village with our lives!'