"No way! Nope! Not going to happen!" Ryuma said, crossing his arms and throwing them down.
If Kosha was to travel with him, then finding out he's the most wanted man in Straissand was only a matter of time. Not probability.
"Wait! Why rebuke me so vehemently?" Kosha said.
"Forget that! Why do you even want to come with me?" Ryuma asked.
"I've travelled with my master for a while now. If I continue like this, I feel like I'd stay stagnant. However, I've never seen a swordsman like you who would dare travel Straissand by himself priest or not. I would like to learn from you. There's something about you I just can't put my finger on,"
{Travelling by myself is the least of my worries.}
Kosha really wasn't thinking about his situation. How could he if he didn't know? No matter the excuse he could come up with, it would be a disaster for him to bring him along. He'd only be dragging Kosha into his fight against the Skylands.
"Even so. You have no idea what my fight is all about. It's better if you forget the notion all together," Ryuma said.
"I don't care about stuff like that. If master believes you're a good person, then I can only believe in his wisdom,"
Ryuma sighed. "Look. I appreciate the confidence of my character, but there's some secrets about myself that I'm just not ready to reveal to the world yet. The journey I take is far from a simple one and could even cause you to lose everything you hold dear… it's better if you just forget the notion,"
Kosha blinked twice, giving him a serious expression. "Is that so? Then tell me. Is this journey you speak of something that can be achieved by oneself?"
Ryuma slightly turned avoiding eye contact. He searched everywhere but directly in front of him. Kosha had a point. He's planning to change the Skylands. If negotiations aren't possible, then hostile actions would have to be taken.
Ryuma was many things, but a fool he was not. It didn't matter how powerful he was. Taking on the Skylands single handedly wasn't realistic.
Aeragis himself could only do so in a short burst and that was the peak of power he's ever seen. If the appropriate level of priests had shown up, it would only be a matter of wearing him down. The truth was glaringly obvious. He needed allies and couldn't do this by himself.
If that was the case, where should he start?
He started looking at Kosha more seriously. It was a heavy consideration, but he needed to start somewhere. Would it even be ok to start with a surface dweller?
"We should discuss this with your master," Ryuma said.
In truth. He still held a bit of a distrust with Kosha, but Taishu looked like a man that cared not for his circumstance. Either way he was still skeptic about all this. For all he knew, they were only acting like this in so far that they were out of the current serenity going on. The question was… what were they like when the going gets tough? Would they be so impartial as to not sell him to protect their own preservation?
"Maruna's safe for now. There's no need to keep watching over her," Ryuma said, turning his body and walking away.
Whatever happened to the girl from here on would not have been his fault. He had more pressing issues to address now.
"Sure thing. Thank you for your consideration," Kosha said.
"I wouldn't thank me just yet. You have no idea what you signed yourself up for," Ryuma said.
The two walked back to the inn and went straight to Taishu's room. Ryuma squinched his eyes at the sight that laid before them. He couldn't believe it. They were only gone for an hour or so. Kosha's shoulders drooped and he covered his eyes in shame.
"I was hoping we wouldn't keep in contact too long in order to avoid exactly this," Kosha said. "This is embarrassing,"
Taishu was sprawled out across the bed with sake cups and booze all around him. His face was flushed red, and he was happily snoring all his worries away.
"Ughh... you sure you're master will be fine without you?" Ryuma asked.
"Oh I know he's screwed without me. Hold on a second," Kosha left the room. Ryuma could only stand there awkwardly with a drunkard in the room. As skilled as the man was, even he had moments where he could fall into such temptations.
Still… this quick was impressive.
A few moments later, Kosha came back in with a bucket of water.
"Are you sure you want to do that? Still your master after all," Ryuma asked.
"Oh don't worry about this. I made sure to grab the coldest bucket of water I could find," Though Kosha smiled while he said it, there was a noticeable vein on his forehead and his expression looked darker than normal.
"That's not what I meant," He tried to point it out, but it fell on deaf ears. Kosha swung the pale of ice-cold water all over his master, gushing him as well as the bed he was laying on.
"ARGGGHHH! WHAT THE FUCK! THAT'S FREAKING COLD!" Taishu yelled.
"You were out drinking again. Weren't you?" Kosha asked.
"Oh, Kosha… you don't have to be so upset. I saved you some too," He slurred his words as he spoke. There was a bottle he brought out of nowhere.
"I DON'T WANT ANY!" Kosha yelled. Was this how they were normally like? Kosha breathed a sigh. "As you can see… this is how he's normally like,"
"I was thinking nothing of the sort," Ryuma said. He doubted Kosha would believe his lie.
"Anyways, Master Taishu," Kosha cupped his hands together. "I've expressed an interest of travelling with Erin. I want to know if you'll be fine with that,"
"Oh. Sure. I don't mind," He shrugged his shoulders and said it so flatly his answer didn't even resonate.
"See. Even your master… wait! What?" Ryuma asked.
"I said sure. If he wants to separate to improve his swordsmanship, then by all means go ahead. Just because I taught him, doesn't mean I'm going to control everything he does. He's free to leave my wings whenever,"
Kosha folded his arms. "There you have it. Master has no problem with me going,"
Ryuma's eyes became white. He had no excuse to even fall back on. Taishu raised one of his eyebrows at Ryuma's reaction. "Don't get me wrong. If there's a reason you don't want him to come, then that too is up to you. There's no reason to force the issue,"
While Taishu looked in Kosha's direction to emphasize his point, Ryuma looked in Taishu's. He could tell his intentions. This man was perceptive in things other than combat.
Ryuma sighed. "Don't get me wrong. There are secrets about myself I do not wish to be uncovered yet. It's better for me if I travel alone for now until I'm ready,"
{It's better to be direct with these things anyway.}
"I see…" Taishu got up and stumbled to one of his katana's. "Well if it's a trust thing you're having difficult with, how about this," He pulled the katana out of his sheath and pressed his palm against the blade.
"Master wait. You don't have to go that far," Kosha said.
He moved the sword to the point there was a cut mark and blood was clearly leaking out his hand in all its shine. "If trust is what you're worried about, then I swear on my life that should Kosha ever betray your trust, then I will cut him down myself,"
Ryuma stared at him with a blank expression. Though he didn't understand the culture of swordsmanship down here, he could tell that what the man just did was in good faith. He believed in his student that much.
"Master. That wording is too vague. At least say if I should ever expose his secrets," Kosha said.
"Silence child. I know what I'm doing," He didn't even look at him this time. His eyes were on Ryuma. "This wording is exactly what I want. If I so dare as to put a swordsman out there who would abandon his comrade in a dire moment, then I deserve death myself,"
Now Ryuma got it. In this way, not only did it cover his worry, but it also forced Kosha to stay in critical moments. It's as if he were putting the fates of Kosha into his own hands.
Ryuma sighed once he finally got the message. "Looks like I can't beat that level of sincerity. Fine I get it. If he wants to come with me then let him. I'm going to warn you though, my path is dangerous no matter where we are in it,"
"That's all right. Something tells me that the danger you're in has already made you stronger. Perhaps it could do the same for me," Kosha smiled.
Ryuma smiled with him. "Well since you're going to eventually find this out anyways, I might as well tell you now. My name isn't Erin Frost. It's Ryuma Irgo,"
"Ryuma Irgo… Have I heard a name like that before?" Kosha stopped and thought about it. The way his face was scrunched it was just on the tip of his mind. Then a lightbulb moment hit. "YOU MEAN YOU'RE THAT KID ON THE!"
Taishu covered his mouth with his hand instantly. He smiled grudgingly. "I just put a kill pact on you minutes ago. If I have to enact it this early, I'll kill myself out of embarrassment,"
Kosha stopped when he realized what he was about to yell. "Yeah… my bad,"
Ryuma drooped his head. "Boy, do I have a story to tell,"