Within the village of Buraun, the Nozomu residence had been quieter than usual. In the absence of Tanjo, the patriarch of the household, Kaminari, had done nothing but reflect on the recent events. He validated many excuses for Tanjo's disappearance, but his mind seemingly refrained from believing in any of the thoughts.
Currently, the same white-haired man stood at his front door, conversing with two village warriors.
"You're telling me that you warriors can't find one teenager?" Nozomu's voice was sharp, immediately reaching the ears of the warriors.
One of the warriors cleared his throat. "Sir, we've done everything we can. We'll dispatch some High-Class warriors on the search, but there's only so much we can do until then."
Nozomu frowned, glowering at the Mid-Class warrior before him. However, before the man could let his emotions override his sense of control, Nozomu took a quick breath, exhaling deeply.
"Fine," Nozomu conceded, then steeling his eyes. "But, I want to be updated on the case with every new find. Understand?"
The Mid-Class warrior on the left nodded cordially, meeting Nozomu's gaze. "Will do. But in the meantime, please trust the warriors of Buraun."
Nozomu clicked his tongue. 'You lost my trust when I lost my damn home.'
The white-haired man merely sighed, nodding his head in response. With that motion, the two Mid-Class warriors departed from the Nozomu residence, enabling the homeowner to shut the door, leaving him to nobody but himself.
After a few short minutes of recollecting himself, Nozomu ambled his way toward a couch, plopping down lazily and sinking into the cushions. He tilted his head upward, closing his eyes in thought.
'Just when I believed that Tanjo adjusted to the life of a warrior, he goes and runs away.' Nozomu's mind drifted, several moments flashing through his head. 'I'm sorry, Oritsu. I was never meant to be a… father-figure.'
XXX
"Welcome to… Tani?"
Tanjo strained his eyes as he read the writing on a wooden sign nailed to a stone post that was planted in the ground. He had just arrived in the small town, standing outside the entrance. To Tanjo's surprise, there were no guards. And, as he previously spotted, there were no surrounding walls to protect the structures within the tiny town.
Beyond the post was a simple trail, leading to nowhere but the town named Tani.
The boy shrugged carelessly, proceeding to walk forward and enter Tani. Tanjo glanced up at the sky, noticing the placement of the sun.
"Damn, I'll be squandering in the dark if I don't hurry up…" Tanjo muttered, sighing.
The jet-black-haired boy continued to traverse through Tani, his eyes darting to everything in sight. Unlike Buraun, not a single building was taller than two stories. He had read about places like this; they're typically used for people to rest from long travels. Towns tended to harbor shady markets and unsightly homes and were the places where a plethora of rogues would stay.
A positive was that the trails weren't packed full of civilians. Tanjo was glad at that prospect, due to his past troubles in his home village. The paths home were abysmal.
'However, the people don't look all that hospitable.' the teenager noted, eyeing the inhabitants of Tani.
Several people in disheveled clothing, dirty skin and unkempt hair crowded the sides of the pathway, meeting Tanjo's gaze intimidatingly.
'I wouldn't be surprised if one of them ended up being a murderer.'
Suddenly, Tanjo heard the sounds of incoherent cheering and shouting from a small building. The boy craned his head to the side, eyeing the name of the building.
"Kenichi's Tavern?" Tanjo sounded, knitting an eyebrow as he read the name.
The jet-black-haired teenager stepped up to the tavern, gently pushing a noren out of the way to set foot in the small tavern. Immediately, Tanjo noticed the number of drunkards and how they all surrounded the bar. Tables were covered in glasses full of alcohol, and even unconscious people who were heavily intoxicated from their drinks.
Cautiously, Tanjo stepped around the tables and stools, his eyes glossing over the crowd of people. Unfortunately, he did not spot a single head of blue hair.
"Asami must not be here, then." Tanjo realized, drooping slightly. "Damnit, Kronos better have been right about her being here…"
Before Tanjo could turn around to leave, a voice called out to him. "Oi!"
The teenager perked up, tilting his body to face the man that could be seen staring right at him. With a bottle of alcohol in one hand, the strange man jabbed his index finger at Tanjo.
"I didn't know that any 'warriors' were snooping in on our business!" The man said sloppily, his eyelids sagging.
Tanjo's mouth gaped in confusion, only for him to look down at his gear. 'Shit.'
He was still wearing his armor, which clearly garnered unwanted attention. The strange man's hostile glare alone revealed such.
The jet-black-haired teenager cleared his throat. "I'm not a warrior, I just need to find a woman named Asami. Does that name sound familiar?"
The strange man smiled wickedly. "Asami, huh? What's in it for me?"
'Not getting a Genso-Kyu down your throat.' Tanjo said mentally, annoyed. "I have nothing on me, so I can't offer anything."
The man's smile grew, his stained teeth flashing. "Your armor looks expensive. Perhaps I can snatch that from ya'?"
Tanjo craned his head to the side. "No?"
"Hoh?" The man's smile faded, replaced by the gritting of his teeth. "Then you stumbled into the wrong town, boy."
A knife emerged from the man's pants, being instantly pointed at Tanjo. The teenage boy looked at the weapon with caution. He may have been a warrior-in-training, but fighting opponents was new. Unlike his spars with Akogare, the old man was intoxicated and wielded a blade.
'Please let my Aura Sense work!' Tanjo pleaded, his right palm flattening in hopes of conjuring a Genso-Kyu. 'Remember, don't push too hard, relieve the flow of the magic.'
The drunk man grinned, launching his body at Tanjo. With his knife reeled back, he slashed at the boy with ferocity.
"UMPH!"
Without warning, a foot connected with the man's cheek, sending his entire body flying into the wall of the building. Tanjo shifted his gaze to observe as the drunk man's body refused to get up, rendering him unconscious.
"I'm not sure if you've been to a bar before, but fights are prohibited." An unfamiliar voice rang in Tanjo's ear, prompting the boy to flinch and stare at a new figure standing before him.
Wearing a gray cloak, a tall figure with a feminine voice lowered their leg after previously kicking the man. Their face was unidentifiable, leaving Tanjo confused.
"I'm sorry. I just need to find—!" Tanjo tried to reply, only to be interrupted.
"Asami, right?" The figure guessed, amusement in their tone.
Tanjo blanked. "Yes?"
"That's a name I haven't heard in a while. How do you know her?" The figure asked.
Tanjo's mind raced, struggling to formulate a proper answer. What could he say, that a god told him her location? Nobody in the nation would believe him, much less a stranger in a tavern.
"I… have a friend who knew her," Tanjo answered, smiling nervously. "I need to find Asami because apparently, she's powerful enough to train me. I was told that she stays away from villages, so I came here."
The figure chuckled. "Got tabs on her, do you? But, I wouldn't be so naïve as to think that she'd just train a teenage boy."
"I'll handle that when I find her. Now, do you know where she is?" Tanjo redirected the conversation, becoming impatient.
The figure shook its head. "I don't"
Tanjo froze in shock, gripping his head in annoyance. Here he had thought that someone knew where Asami was.
As Tanjo looked up, he noticed the cloaked figure walking away. In an attempt to catch their attention, he reached out and tried to grab them. "Hey, wait—!"
In a mere second, Tanjo felt a hand wrap around his wrist, pulling him in forcefully. As the teenager fell forward, instincts took over and warranted Tanjo to kick the cloaked figure in the knee.
The kick appeared to be fruitless as the figure still stood tall. Then, the cloaked person shot out their hand, trying to strike Tanjo in the solar plexus. As to redirect the attack, Tanjo swiped at the figure's hand—smack!—launching a kick that sent the person flying backward.
"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to—!" before Tanjo could utter another word, a hand snatched Tanjo's face from behind, yanking the boy violently.
*CRASH!*
Tanjo crashed through the tavern's walls, landing outside. Standing up, the teenager noticed the cloaked figure staring him down, unharmed.
'Why the hell are we fighting!? Why did I kick her!?' Tanjo questioned himself, scrambling for a reason.
Amongst those thoughts, Tanjo also became stumped at how the figure appeared behind him so quickly.
Soon, the figure stepped through the broken wall, creeping toward Tanjo.
'Shit!' Tanjo cursed, flattening his hand. 'I don't have a choice!'
Before the figure could reach Tanjo, the teenager conjured a red Genso-Kyu, the orb of magic glowing dangerously.
'Red!? I made a red Genso-Kyu!?'
Without thinking—*BOOM!*—Tanjo released a powerful beam from the red Genso-Kyu, eliciting a gasp from the cloaked figure.
As the beam was about to blow through the figure and the tavern, the attack halted, as if it hit a barrier. Tanjo shielded his eyes, destroying his Genso-Kyu. Shortly after, when all of the noise from the explosion died down, Tanjo retracted his arm, gazing at the scene before him.
"... Water?"
True to Tanjo's bewilderment, a barrier of water hovered in the air, seemingly taking the brunt of the Genso-Kyu's beam.
Gradually, the water seeped into the ground, disappearing quickly. "I can see why you need to be trained."
Hearing the figure mock him, Tanjo flailed his arms. "Why are you attacking me!?"
"You tried to grab me." the figure answered.
Tanjo soon calmed down, inhaling deeply. "Look, I'm sorry. But I just want to find Asami—It's really important."
The figure stayed quiet, bowing its head. "Fine. I'll take you to her."
Tanjo perked up at those words. "Really?"
"Yes. Just please don't try to break anything else."
XXX
Heyo! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I've been lazy, so I haven't been posting as much. But, hopefully, we'll get to meet Asami! And who's the cloaked person? How did they make water appear? Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_