"State your business."
Ever since the members of Team Ganbaru—Kono, Rei, Touma, and Yui—had found Buraun, they had decided to try and enter the rather large village. Considering that the village had been surrounded by an invisible barrier, which Team Ganbaru presumed to be the courtesy of the militia that resides in Buraun, they had no other option than to enter the standard way.
"Just visiting?" Kono offered, rubbing his neck.
By passing through the village gates, being interrogated by an annoying old man in a small booth.
Miru, the old man in the booth, sighed. "Where are you from?"
Just as Kono was going to open his mouth, Touma halted him by nudging his right shoulder, walking forward and garnering Miru's attention.
"We're from the countryside of Adonai, coming from the village named Shinkaku," Touma claimed, staring Miru in the eyes.
Rei, who stood off to the side, looked at Touma. 'Slick bastard.'
The old man in the booth reached to his left, grabbing a thin sheet of white paper; in his other hand, a writing utensil was prepped and ready. "Is this for village business?"
Touma shook his head. "No, sir. As my friend said, we're merely visiting."
"Alright," Miru placed the paper directly in front of him. "State your names." The old man's right hand was stationed over what seemed to be a registry sheet.
All of the members of Team Ganbaru froze, looking at each other in wonder. It was easy to tell what they were thinking. 'What the hell do we say?'
In simple terms, they weren't prepared. They had no ready fake identities.
"Well?" Miru grumbled, still aiming his writing utensil over the sheet of paper.
Suddenly, Yui's eyes steeled, looking at Touma. She snuck over to the scarred man's left, leaning into his ear. "I'm not sure if we have a choice, use your Aura Print." The girl of Team Ganbaru whispered, her eyes flickering from Touma to Miru.
Touma exhaled, not responding to the brown-haired girl. Touma then proceeded to stalk forward, his eyes trained on the old man in the booth. Acknowledging the booth, Touma could see a protective glass; however, there was a slit just beneath—big enough for an arm to simply slide through.
Touma just rushed his right arm beneath the glass, wrapping his fingers around Miru's arm, causing the elderly man to drop his writing utensil and glance up in terror, as he had planned.
"W-what's the big idea!?"
Touma's arm started secreting little, red lines without warning. Like worms, the lines moved up Miru's arm, all heading for the elderly man's head. Each crawling line of red had reached Miru's ears and mouth, squirming their way into the elderly man's body openings.
During all of this, Miru had been gasping, his mouth and eyes shot open, and he was shaking erratically. It was quite dramatic, to say the least.
"Be happy that I didn't make them crawl through your skin," Touma said, gazing menacingly at Miru through the glass.
After a few short moments, Miru's body re-postured itself, sitting up as if nothing had happened. But something was different—it was his eyes; they were blank, and his visage was devoid of any emotion.
Touma strained his eyes at the old man and said, "Now—you will not ask for our identity, and you will let down the barrier. If anyone warriors ask, you will respond by saying that you granted us access."
Miru, or what appeared to be Miru, nodded slowly, not a gleam in his eyes. "Yes, sir. Enjoy your stay."
Kono murmured to himself, "At least he retained his manners," before silently turning toward the village gates, followed by his three teammates.
XXX
Inside Buraun, Team Ganbaru could be seen walking down a pathway, surrounded by multiple villagers going about their day.
"Shouldn't we at least get disguises?" Kono asked, his eyes scanning the village around him. Buraun was not that impressive; it contained scattered litter, oddly placed concession stands, and the buildings were far too tall—they practically hid the sky when you stood next to one!
Standing next to Kono was Rei, an amused expression on his half-concealed face as his gaze meandered through the village. "What for? It's not like we're wanted for anything. And, besides, if nothing is here, we're just going to leave."
Kono grunted, craning his head to the side and rubbing his neck. As the fox-like male was rubbing his neck, his eyes locked onto something. "Oh?"
XXX
"Canned fruit?"
As he studied a colored cylinder, Kono stood with his hand stroking his chin. The fox-like man had stumbled into a local bodega after spotting the goods kept within just moments before.
"Who puts fruit in these… stashes?"
Putting the canned fruit down, Kono's eyes then found their way toward a rack. On the rack were hats, instigating the blonde to silently grab one, placing it on his head.
Kono was well-suited to the hat, which wrapped snugly around his head. The spherical surface would certainly assist to keep any sunshine out of his poor eyes.
Stylish too.
"I suppose that I should get back with my group," Kono spoke to himself, turning to leave the bodega.
But, as Kono was leaving, a voice caught his attention.
"The pricing for cat food is too damn high…"
'I recognize that voice.' Kono thought, steering his gaze from the exit of the bodega. What he saw next made his eyes widen. 'That's the white-haired bastard that Dento and I fought!'
True to the blonde's words, Kaminari Nozomu stood in an aisle of the bodega, holding a bag of cat food. Nozomu then started to walk away, the bag dangling from his hand as he made his way to the cashier.
As Kono observed Nozomu, his hand started to tingle with a strange sensation, alerting the blonde immediately. Clenching his arm, Kono sprinted out of the bodega, rounding the nearest corner into an alley.
Suddenly, a purple orb that could compare to a Genso-Kyu conjured up in Kono's right hand.
Mustering up a fake smile, Kono spoke, "Hey hey! Whatcha need, Lord Phoenix?"
One distinguishable trait that this orb obtained that differentiated itself from a Genso-Kyu was the fact that a voice began to emit from it. And the voice belonged to none other than Lord Phoenix.
"Greetings, Kono. Did I catch you at the wrong time?" Lord Phoenix's deep voice rang through the fox-like male's ears.
"N-no! Not at all, Boss!" Kono hastened his reply, looking into the purple orb that hovered over his palm majestically.
"Good," Lord Phoenix said, pleased with Kono's answer. But, that didn't seem to be the end of what he had to say. "A few moments ago, I had picked up something quite interesting. And, it had come from your Aura Sense, Kono."
Kono soon became bewildered at those words, blinking confusingly at the orb. "Come again?"
"As you know, I had integrated a sensory print into the members of your group... including you." Lord Phoenix spoke up, his voice deepening with each word.
Kono frowned. 'So what's the point of us making incessant updates to Lord Phoenix?'
"Don't stray from our discussion, Kono." Lord Phoenix suddenly interrupted Kono's thoughts, making him rush his sights back to the purple orb.
Creepy.
"Due to me integrating a sensory print, it means that I can sense what you sense, Kono. Although I do not know where you currently reside, I can boldly state that you are in a village, correct? The Buraun that Touma notified me of."
Lord Phoenix proclaimed.
Kono could feel sweat dripping down his head. "Yes, Lord Phoenix. But what does this have to do with you sensing something from me?"
"As I was saying, I had recently felt something surge from your senses. It's obvious that you had not been able to feel it, as it is too deep-rooted. However, I can't fault you for missing such a thing—after all…" Lord Phoenix's voice faded slightly.
"... You did encounter a Tansu Beast and its vessel."
Kono's eyes widened. 'A Tansu Beast!? This run-down village has a Tansu Beast!?'
"You do know what this calls for, right, Kono?" Lord Phoenix's voice returned to Kono's ears once more, breaking the blonde out from his shock.
Who? Who could it have been? Was it one of the many villagers he walked past upon entering Buraun? And how come he couldn't sense such a thing?
Tansu Beasts played a valuable role in the past, pertaining to past conflicts amongst the nation. Especially in the Keisan War. Huge beasts of destruction, created by the gods themselves, are used to strike down all that is opposed and malignant to the world. Only a single warrior in history has been able to fight all of them at once. Any other warrior, of any class, would be killed in mere seconds after encountering such a being.
Kono's mind reeled itself back to Lord Phoenix's words. 'You do know what this calls for, right, Kono?'
"It… calls for an invasion on Buraun, Lord Phoenix."
The passage of time has shifted. Dealing with the Tansu Beasts was only a stumbling block on the route to Lord Phoenix becoming the new dominion of the three nations. To him soon becoming a god.
XXX
Woah! An invasion on Buraun? A Tansu Beast was detected by Lord Phoenix!? Damnit, Kami! Why did you have to buy cat food at that specific time!? What will happen next? Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_