Shui soon was walking in a town bustling with people. It was the capital indeed. It was past noon already, and the streets were roaring with all the people busy with their chores. All the sweat quite drenched his body. He felt a little tired, so he looked for somewhere to sit. Some shade would be great too.
As he looked around, a certain place drew his attention. Many people seemed to have encircled a person, or maybe a group of people. Since it was at a distance, and all those people around obstructed his vision, he went to see himself.
On moving closer, he saw a group of people in uniforms. And in the centre stood one of them in a different attire and held a scroll in his hand, probably a decree. It may be the announcement about the recruitment, guessed Shui. As he pushed his way in front until he could hear, the herald continued.
'...so is the wish of his majesty. Any citizen of ages 17 to 35 is compulsory to appear on the royal training grounds. For the enlistment of the royal army.
'The king's decree is for the good of all. Let all who hear this decree heed its words and obey its commands. Those who do not will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.'
'Hail the King!!!'
The herald cried at the top of his voice. And the people around followed suit. The herald, along with the few other men, the soldiers, mounted on the well-bred horses and departed. Away from the market square, headed towards the newly built palace.
No sooner did the lot of soldiers and the herald leave than countless whispers filled the air. Shui stood there, his forehead cranked and an obvious look of confusion on his face. He looked lost in the crowd of people muttering when a firm hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him out. As he swiftly turned around, a face with a smile greeted him.
A youth around his age stood facing him. His dark complexion and sturdy physique stood out amidst the vast crowd.
"Are you interested in the enlistment of the royal soldiers?" The guy had an unusual accent and a mellow voice.
Shui was surprised by the man's unusual looks. After a momentary pause, Shui answered, "Yes! And you?"
"I too hurried to the capital when I heard the rumors." The guy replied, pleased to find an acquaintance. He lad Shui to towards a tavern as they talked.
"I couldn't hear the complete thing, but why is it compulsory for everyone between 17-35 to appear for the enlistment. It is weird don't you think."
"Is it?" By then, they had already taken their seats as the guy gestured a waiter to bring some water. He continued, "I was late to arrive and didn't hear it, so can't tell." he laughed in embarrasment.
Two elderly men seated behind them seemed seriously discussing on the topic. The guy approached them and inquired about what they knew of the decree.
Feeling a sense of importance, they invited the young men to sit with them. Both of them complied. As all of them sat together around the table, the discussion commenced.
Among the three elders, one began by asking, "Did you boys hear the decree?"
"No!" the guy swiftly replied. Shui nodded his head indicating no.
"Well then, I shall tell you what it said!" another elder called out as he stood up of his seat, excited.
He inhaled deeply before he started.
"The subject was the recruiting of members in the royal army. It courteously mentioned that the country is in dire need of soldiers. It implied that the GREAT king has come up with extravagant strategies to develop the nation but these demand hefty amounts of manpower. The new soldiers will be divided in factions to maximise the potential, or something like that. And the assessment will be held on the royal training grounds."
"You missed one important thing, Lucci." remarked the third and the oldest in the group. "If the soldiers enrolled do not make up the numbers, every man between the ages of 17-35 will have to appear in the training grounds and the all the able ones must enlist themselves as soldiers."
"Seriously, how does his mind even work? Last time he forbid the capital market closed till noon..." the guy paused. Every pair of eyes were turned towards him, a mix of loathing and fear lurking in them. Shui sensed a heavy air surrounding the tavern, even their new companions seemed aloof all of a sudden.
Without a thought, Shui pulled the guy by his arm and hurriedly left the place. It was evident that something is really wrong. When they were at a considerable distance from the tavern, Shui stopped and let off the guy's hand.
"Does it not pique your interest?" the guy asked. His voice filled with curiosity.
"It is indeed strange." Shui replied thoughtfully. They went quiet for a moment. Restless, the guy disrupted Shui's thoughts and ruined the silence.
"By the way, we didn't introduce ourselves did we?"
"Huh? Right! We didn't. I am Shui and you?"
"Hehe... I am Senji." grinned the guy.
"Are we supposed to go their today?" referring to the training grounds, Shui asked.
"Haaa...n?! I totally forgot to ask them. But, you pulled me away from there."
It wasn't that big a deal. They could ask anyone around. Shui and Senji discussed among themselves. And since Shui didn't have any money on him, Senji took on himself to arrange some food while Shui was to confirm the details. They agreed on meeting by the streets on the other side of the town; from where Shui arrived in the capital.
Half an hour later, they were reunited in that place. They sat down at a safe place and as they started chewing on the food, Shui asked a question.
"It doesn't quite seem you are a native of this country, why is it?"
Senji's momentarily frozed as he was about to put the food in his mouth. "I guessed you'll ask." Senji snorted.
"Ya see, I actually I belonged to the neighbouring desert country, until two years ago." His face grew pale, the carefree tone replaced by a serious one.
"Two years ago?"
"Yes. Seems the people of the country are still oblivious of the fact. Our king was captured and we were forced to submit. I don't know why but the king of this land didn't..." his voice trailed off.
Senji, sensing he said too much, changed the topic. "We...well what did you find. Do we go today?"
"Unfortunately no!" sighed Shui. He knew well that Senji derailed from the earlier conversation, but didn't nag him. Afterall, it was far too much to disclose confidential matters to a complete stranger.
"It so happens that the king had specially released orders that the procurement be started early morning tomorrow."
"Its quite generous of him. He must be quite thrilled!" They both laughed on the nasty remark.
Shui got up to leave. He intended to hurry back lest Kali and Maki worry. Senji looked at him while himself standing spontaneously.
"Are you going somewhere?" Senji asked.
"Well since the recruiting will start tomorrow, I should naturally return to my place, right?!" Shui liked the sound of returning to his place.
"Is it nearby?"
"Nah... I've got to walk some distance to go there."
"Then you could use my place to rest tonight." Senji offered in ecstasy.
"You live here...?"
"Nah! Just rented a room to sleep at night. Come, I'll show you. Its small, so you gotta bear it." Senji led Shui to a small room around the capital. And then, they left again. Night had yet to come for some time. Thus, Shui and Senji walked around.