Raiden and his crew walked through the village, noticing how quiet everything was. The people barely spoke, moving about their business with their heads down. It was the kind of silence that didn't feel natural—like something was keeping them from speaking too loudly or acting too freely.
As they continued, they heard shouting near the town square. A group of armored soldiers, wearing dark red uniforms, stood in a circle around an old man who had fallen to the ground. His basket of vegetables had spilled onto the dirt road. One of the soldiers kicked the basket away, stepping on the food as he laughed.
"You think you can get away without paying taxes?" the soldier sneered. "General Gao doesn't like beggars."
The old man trembled, bowing his head. "Please… I don't have enough Talons this month. My crops barely—"
Before he could finish, the soldier raised his foot, about to kick him again.
Raiden clenched his fists. "I've seen enough."
Before he could step forward, an elderly woman grabbed his arm. She shook her head with a fearful look in her eyes. "Don't interfere," she whispered. "If you fight back, they'll bring the whole army down on us."
Astrid placed a hand on Raiden's shoulder. "She's right. We need to understand the situation before making a move."
Raiden gritted his teeth but nodded. He didn't like standing by, but he had learned that rushing in without a plan only caused more problems.
Just as the soldier prepared to strike the old man, a blur of motion cut through the air. A small rock flew out of nowhere and smacked the soldier right in the face.
"AHH! Who threw that?!" the soldier shouted, holding his nose.
Laughter echoed from above. The crew looked up to see a figure crouched on a rooftop, lazily spinning a wooden bowl in his hands. His dark brown hair was wild and unkempt, and a mischievous grin stretched across his face. He wore loose, simple clothes, and his golden eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Wow, you guys are really bad at your jobs," the stranger said, chuckling. "You're supposed to be warriors, right? But you can't even dodge a little pebble?"
The soldiers turned toward him, furious. "Who the hell are you?!"
The man smirked, tossing the bowl up and catching it. "Me? Just a hungry guy looking for lunch."
With a quick movement, he leaped off the rooftop, landing near a food stall. In one swift motion, he grabbed a handful of fruit, stuffing a banana into his mouth while tucking an apple under his arm.
"You—! Stop him!" the soldier barked.
Two soldiers rushed at him, but the man barely seemed to try as he dodged. He ducked under one of their swings and hopped over the other, moving with an effortless, almost playful grace.
Raiden narrowed his eyes. "He's fast."
Ash folded his arms. "He's just playing around."
The man spun away from another attack, landing lightly on top of a cart. "Anyway, you guys are boring me. I've got food now, so I'll be going." He gave a lazy wave before leaping away, disappearing over the rooftops.
The soldiers cursed, but instead of chasing him, they turned their frustration back to the old man. "This is YOUR fault for distracting us!"
Raiden had enough. He stepped forward, his voice calm but firm. "Leave him alone."
The soldiers turned toward him, glaring. "And who are you supposed to be?"
Raiden met their stares, unshaken. "Someone who doesn't like bullies."
The tension in the air thickened, but before things could escalate, the old woman from before stepped between them. "Please," she begged. "No more trouble. We can't afford to anger General Gao."
The soldiers sneered but eventually backed off. "Count yourself lucky, outsider." One of them spat on the ground before walking away.
Raiden clenched his fists but stayed quiet. There was something bigger going on here.
As the soldiers left, Astrid turned to Raiden. "That guy… the one who threw the rock. Think he's the 'Monkey King' people were talking about?"
Raiden exhaled. "We'll find out soon enough."
Not far away, hidden in the shadows of an alleyway, the man from before grinned as he watched them.
"This might be fun."