VOLUME 2: INTERMISSION – ONE THOUSAND LI TO THE NORTH, A MEETING AT DAWN. (1/2)
Status
Name Gi Go Amatsuki
Race Goblin
Level 2
Cla.s.s Duke; Wandering Swordsman
Possessed Skills Sword Mastery A-; Purple Flash; Forsake; Sense; Discern; A Master Swordsman"s Proof; Silent Nature; Veteran
Divine Protection Sword G.o.d
Attributes None
Subordinate Beasts None
Abnormal Status Sworn to Spare; Sworn G.o.d"s Control
Beyond the cave full of glowing moss, where the light of the fire G.o.d’s body shone brilliantly up in the sky, the former slave, Yoshu’s, eyes were blinded by the great light.
He implored the goblin walking ahead of him, Gi Go Amatsuki, to stop, but the goblin waved him off.
“It’s fine,” the goblin said.
Seeing the goblin walk unguarded, Yoshu followed after him as he thought of a plan in case things turned for the worst.
“Lord Gi Go!”
A great horde of beasts was accompanying a goblin that looked to be a n.o.ble cla.s.s.
From what Yoshu recalled, this goblin was none other than Mr. Gi Gi.
Beasts of all sorts frolicked about around him.
Yoshu asked if it was safe, and Gi Go told him it was with a glance.
“Normally, people would be a bit more surprised, but…” Yoshu said.
When Yoshu got a closer look, he noticed that there were some monkey-like animals mixed with the horde who would either feed the young or scratch each others backs. It was a peaceful scene; at least, as long as he did not look through those lenses called prejudice that humans had of beasts.
Gi Go received something from Gi Gi, then they bid each other farewell.
Yoshu wasn’t close to Gi Gi, so he quickly followed after Gi Go.
“You sure are close,” Yoshu remarked as they followed a distinct beast trail up to the north, most probably a trail left by Gi Gi’s beast horde.
“Our relationship is actually one where we’re one misstep away from killing each other,” Gi Go said.
“Didn’t look like that to me…” Yoshu said.
“…Before I met the king a kind of beast known as ‘gray wolf’ wreaked havoc on my turf,” Gi Go said.
Yoshu and the goblin walked while paying attention to their surroundings.
“Half the horde had been done in and we couldn’t hunt. We were left with only two choices: either starve to death or eat each other. But then the king came.”
Gi Go’s voice was heavy. Was that regret weighing upon him or something else? Yoshu did not know.
“Hungry and weak, I was mercilessly beaten by Gi Gi and Gi Gu. I didn’t even have the opportunity to stand before the king,” Gi Go said.
“It was vexing, wasn’t it?” Yoshu asked.
“…Perhaps,” Gi Go said.
As they continued along their path, their feet began to make slushing sounds.
“Since that day I’ve been keeping something locked up within me. That something was with me even on that day I gave Gi Gi food as proof of our friendship…”
Gi Go continued talking, but as he did, Yoshu was more and more surprised.
The sword is my way of life.
Yoshu had always believed Gi Go to be completely devoted to the sword.
But now… It seemed that this goblin was actually more human than he ever imagined.
The atmosphere along the way was so heavy that Yoshu even stopped feeling his legs as he walked.
Perhaps this was the reason why Gi Go was taken by the Sword G.o.d’s madness.
“A swamp,” Gi Go said as he looked down.
In the dimly lit forest that remained dim despite the body of the fire G.o.d shining from the sky was a swamp abundant with strange water plants.
It didn’t seem they would be able to cross.
“Shall we go around?” Yoshu suggested.
There was more than one path to the north.
After leaving the forest, the northern mountains of the snow G.o.d that blocked the heavens came to view.
◆◆◇
The body of the fire G.o.d had yet to set, but they were making camp already. The dark of the night was irrelevant to goblins, but to a human like Yoshu, it was a difficult time to work. Normally, the twin red moon sisters would light the dark sky during the black of the night G.o.d, but unfortunately, the clouds today veiled their light.
Gradually, the G.o.d of the night and his household’s G.o.ddesses began to stretch their wings.
Yoshu looked hatefully at the oppressive clouds that covered the sky.
It seemed like it might rain, so they decided to make camp at the border of the forest and the plains. Yoshu would always put up a cloth between the trees to protect themselves from the watch of the night birds, but today, he added another layer.
After setting up the tent, Yoshu gathered some aged branches and lit them up.
It wasn’t easy because of all the vegetation growing, but Yoshu made sure to pick a camping site that was slightly sloped. After all, it would be horrible if it flooded and they were swept away while they were sleeping.
“This should do,” Yoshu said as he finished making camp.
In the same moment – almost as if Gi Go was waiting – Gi Go came out of the thickets with two big eyes in hand.
The pattern of a giant eye drawn on the birds’ feathers looked menacing as it seemed to look straight at Yoshu, but he ignored it and spoke to Gi Go.
“Looks like you caught a lot today,” Yoshu said.
“There seems to be a lot in these parts,” Gi Go said.
Yoshu took the prey from Gi Go and strangled them.
After killing the beasts, Yoshu started gutting them. He had already gotten used to the whole process, so much so that his hands moved even without thinking.
After lopping off the heads of the big eyes and draining their blood, Yoshu started plucking their feathers and removing the internal organs.
The big eyes stored poison within them, and any human that ingested it would be out with a high fever for a few days. The goblins and the orcs had a natural resistance to it, however.
To adventurers the biggest reason for gutting these big eyes was to get the monster crystal that sometimes crystallized within.
Of the beasts that had monster crystals inside of them, the big eyes were relatively weaker, making them a prime choice for adventurers.
Of course, the amount of magic crystals inside them was also less, making the rewards smaller, but to the adventurers who were struggling to get by, the big eyes were an indispensable source of income.
“I’m not an adventurer though…” Yoshu muttered.
Yoshu wiped the monster crystal clean and stored it in his bag. He couldn’t just leave it on the ground as it might attract other beasts.
He ran his knife along the bones, cutting off the meat of the beast, then he took a sharpened rod, pierced the meat with it, and cooked it over fire.
The fragrant scent of meat being cooked was accompanied by the sound of fat bursting.
The sight of a little fat falling into the flames as the meat was cooked greatly whet Yoshu’s appet.i.te.
As a finishing touch, Yoshu took the rock salt he got from the village a few days ago and shaved it with a knife, then he sprinkled some on the meat.
“I’ll have one,” Gi Go said as he excitedly bit into the meat. Sounds of juice slushing resounded as the juice of the meat filled Gi Go’s mouth. Some of it even spilled onto the ground.
“Delicious,” Gi Go said.
“I’m glad you like it,” Yoshu said, smiling a little, then he started eating.
Contrast the crunchy exterior, the meat inside was soft and his teeth was easily able to tear it apart.
“Yep, it’s good alright,” Yoshu said as he nodded with satisfaction.
It’s often said that people will naturally smile when eating good food. It seems that was true indeed, even for goblins.
After eating Yoshu started teaching Gi Go how to sing. He had promised him some time ago, but it was too dangerous in the dungeon, so he had postponed it until now.
“What kind of songs do you like? Songs for battle, perhaps?” Yoshu asked.
There were all sorts of songs. There were songs that spoke of one’s homeland, ones that spoke of the seasons, ones that spoke of love, or extolled bravery or even spoke of war.
It was a rare sight to see Gi Go ponder on something, but when he finally opened his mouth, he asked Yoshu to teach him a song that thought back to one’s home.
“That’s unexpected,” Yoshu remarked.
“Really? I’m always fighting, so I can say I know war, but a place to go back to? There’s only one such place now… So, if there is a song that talks about home, I’d like to know it,” Gi Go explained.
“A place to go back to, huh?” Yoshu said.
Did he have that? Yoshu wondered.
Closing his eyes, he saw the image of his older sister appear.
Yoshu wryly smiled at that.
I’m alright, sis. I’m doing a lot better than expected.
Yoshu wrly smiled at his worrying sister, then he cleared his throat and began to sing.
“Can you remember the old lands? O winds of the vast sky, take these feelings with you. I wonder if the water flowing in the rivers came from the rain in the old lands. Mother mountain, snowy mountain, misty mountains of the north.
(Kyanmarordo rinbaru habekasutoria vesjinichi ukeru habeireria kyanrashiruudo chiukeinrei. Dinarashir, yuuguranshiru, iryunoshisurashiru.)”
Gi Go quietly listened as Yoshu sang.
“When I turn around I see the path back home. Friends of a strange land, won’t you scatter my ashes on the mountains of my homeland, where I can no longer return? In that land whose air I breathed growing up. In that land whose rain I cried under and whose snow I kicked and ran. Mother mountain, snowy mountain, misty mountains of the north.
(hadomerieddo kyanroroodo rao ishuneyuuga. Ragiirakyanmibadia. Nonmuukyandou. Katouraragiirun, uauwa, yuguerin. Dinarashiru, yuuguranshiru, iryunoshisurashiru.)”
Though goblins couldn’t cry, the mournful melody left its mark on Gi Go’s heart.
“…A good song,” Gi Go remarked.
“Yes, a good song indeed,” Yoshu agreed.
Yoshu wryly smiled as he sat before the flames thinking of his sister.
Status
Name Gi Go Amatsuki
Race Goblin
Level 2
Cla.s.s Duke; Wandering Swordsman
Possessed Skills Sword Mastery A-; Purple Flash; Forsake; Sense; Discern; A Master Swordsman"s Proof; Silent Nature; Veteran
Divine Protection Sword G.o.d
Attributes None
Subordinate Beasts None
Abnormal Status Sworn to Spare; Sworn G.o.d"s Control
As they walked further up north, the temperature gradually grew lower and the mountains of the snow G.o.d became bigger. Because the winds blew down from the mountains, the cold they felt was colder than the actual temperature of the area. This sort of wind was popularly known as the breath of Yggrasil (snow G.o.d). It was because of it that this land remained cool even in the heat of summer, making it a treasure trove of produce that could only grow in the cold.
The traveling pair of goblin and human looked at the large fields as they pa.s.sed them by. These fields were so big that Yoshu himself couldn’t help but grow wide eyed. In fact, the fields were so big they were a lot closer to a city than a simple town.
The bigger the village, the more people there were and the more shops there were. A bigger town was usually preferable as far travelers were concerned, but when Yoshu thought of Gi Go, he thought a small town would be better instead.
While Yoshu was worrying about that, Gi Go was particularly taken by the white thing coming out of his mouth.
“What’s the matter?” Yoshu asked.
“Something white is coming out of my mouth,” Gi Go said.
Yoshu couldn’t understand what Gi Go was talking about, so the goblin exhaled deeply to show him what he meant.
“What’s happening to my body?” Gi Go asked anxiously.
“That’s pretty normal though,” Yoshu said, then he took a deep breath and exhaled as well, drawing a white puff of breath in the s.p.a.ce before his mouth.
“But this has never happened before,” Gi Go said.
When Gi Go said that, Yoshu finally understood.
“Ahh, could it be this is your first time visiting a cold place?” Yoshu asked.
“Cold? Ahh, it’s indeed colder here,” Gi Go said.
Yoshu wryly smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. It’s normal for that white thing to come out in cold places.”
Since this was Gi Go’s first time, he’s probably never seen snow either. Yoshu secretly antic.i.p.ated how Gi Go would react once he saw it.
“Hmm…” As for Gi Go, since the only thing that changed was the color of his breath, he stopped bothering himself about it and followed after Yoshu.
When it was almost time for them to make camp, Yoshu spotted a village. It was a little big, but it wasn’t the sort of village soldiers would station themselves in.
It was a wealthy village.
“Luck seems to be on our side today. We might able to stay here,” Yoshu said.
“Hmm…” Gi Go agreed without paying much attention as his eyes darted to and fro his surroundings.
When Yoshu started to leave him behind, he followed after him.
◆◆◇
After negotiating for a while, Gi Go and Yoshu were able to successfully stay at the village chief’s place. The negotiations went as usual. Yoshu did the talking, while Gi Go quietly waited with his features covered by a long robe.
“I don’t think I can ever get used to human houses,” Gi Go said.
After entering the chief’s stable, Gi Go took off his robe and laid himself over the straw bed. He ignored the frightened horses as he slept with his sword in hand.
Goblins might be able to move freely be it day or night, but it was still important that he remained alert at all times. And though his body was a lot tougher than Yoshu’s, making him significantly less tired despite having to walk an entire day without rest, Gi Go still felt some fatigue.
When it came to fatigue, there was no better treatment than sleep.
“…Hmm.”
Gi Go closed his eyes, eager to greet slumber land, but for some reason its doors refused to open.
He was tired, so he definitely needed to sleep, but then he thought back to that thing that caught his attention before entering the village.
There were several beings around the village. The feeling he sensed from those beings was much like the greed he felt from orcs when they hunted their prey. But this was a human village. Could it be that even a place like this wasn’t free of such things?
Gi Go tried to shake the thought away.
But no matter how hard he tried, sleep wouldn’t come.
It wasn’t easy for a goblin to ignore threat when he knows he’s being threatened. For a goblin to ignore a threat was to go against instinct itself.
If one is being targeted, then one should run.
If the enemy is weaker, then that enemy should be defeated.
There was no such thing as ‘waiting’.
And so, Gi Go stood up and walked out into the black of the night G.o.d covered in the darkness of the G.o.ddess of darkness.
“Where are you going?” A voice called out to him from behind.
When he turned around, it was Yoshu.
“You were awake?” Gi Go asked.
“I don’t fall asleep easily,” Yoshu explained with a wry smile, though he already had a shield on his back and a sword in hand.
“Good then. There’s an enemy. Come with me for a bit,” Gi Go said.
“Good grief,” Yoshu complained. He still followed Gi Go, however.
When they got out, what greeted them was a group of bandits and neighing horses.
“This is what you’d call a bandit group,” Yoshu explained.
Yoshu couldn’t help but smile faintly when he realized there were about 50 of them all in all.
“That’s a lot,” Gi Go said.
“Yeah, but bandits aren’t really about numbers,” Yoshu said.
As Yoshu took out his shield, he drew his sword.
“I don’t sense anyone strong, but with this many, it shouldn’t be too boring,” Gi Go said.
Goblins were friends of the dark. Gi Go could see perfectly clear even without the torches that illuminated the area. As for Yoshu, he found the torches convenient for sizing up the enemy.
“Amateurs,” Yoshu said with a cruel smile as he hid under the shadow of a building and searched his shield for a dagger.
When the bandits began to ride over the fences, he threw it at them.
The dagger smoothly cut through the air as it penetrated a man’s throat. In the blink of an eye, without even leaving an opportunity to cry in death, one bandit fell from his horse.
Yoshu threw a few more daggers.
The bandits did not fail to notice the oddity of the situation, and they looked for the person responsible for the death of their comrades. When they pinpointed Yoshu’s location, they charged straight at him.
“You’re asking to die!” A bandit yelled as he and his men rode for Yoshu.
Yoshu, however, didn’t seem to mind as he threw three more daggers to claim three more lives, but it wasn’t enough to stop the bandits’ charge.
Yoshu ran into the stable to avoid the bandits from chasing him with their horses.
As a result, the bandits surrounded the stable.
“You b.a.s.t.a.r.ds dare have a hard time with this rat!?” The biggest of the bandits spat. He said that in the same moment Yoshu shrugged his shoulders.
“These flames I offer to you! (Burning Sword)” Yoshu chanted.
Flames wrapped around the sword in his hands, making it look like it was struck by lightning as the fire ran through it. The sword in his hands was now sharper and stronger than ever.
“Careful now,” Yoshu said.
As the battle commenced within the stable, Yoshu was able to dodge the attacks by a hair’s breadth. Unfortunately, there were too many bandits, making it harder and harder for him dodge.
—This is bad!
When Yoshu couldn’t dodge any longer, he braced himself for pain.
But the pain never came, and instead, a curved sword was brandished before him, stopping the blade of the enemy.
“Mr. Gi Go! What about the bandits on your side?” Yoshu asked with both relief and antic.i.p.ation.
“They’ve been dealt with,” Gi Go replied.
The plan was for Gi Go to take care of the bandits that tried to run away from the entrance, but it seems he had managed to finish his part sooner. The robe Gi Go wore had already been cut up because of the battle.
Without the robe’s hood concealing his face, the bandits could clearly see his face.
“M-Monster!” They cried.
Unfortunately, their fear only made them easy pickings for Yoshu and Gi Go, who mercilessly struck them down one after another. Whenever Gi Go swung his sword, the bandits would lose their arms and fall over, while Yoshu’s sword was so sharp it could penetrate even their armor.
“S-Save us!” The bandits cried as they ran.
When dawn came, most of them had either been killed or captured.
Yoshu and Gi Go handed them to the village people.
The villagers screamed when they saw Gi Go, but Yoshu calmed them down by explaining that he was an honest monster swordsman.
The villagers were deeply grateful to Yoshu and Gi Go, so they paid them some money. They even gave them some fur coats and winter shoes to stave off the cold when they found out they were headed to the snow G.o.d’s mountains. They also gave them some preserved food and fire spirit stones that could light a fire even without any branches.
Yoshu and Gi Go thanked the villagers, then they headed further up to the north.
◆◆◇
Gi Go could not get used to the sensation he felt from his feet. From the moment he was born until adulthood, he has never worn a pair of shoes. To make things worse, the snow-covered land would cave ever step he took.
“Tsk… It’s hard to move here,” Gi Go said.
He tried swinging his curved sword, but it was difficult to control his weight in these snow-covered lands. The more strength he put in his feet, the further his feet sunk into the snow.
Gi Go’s dislike for shoes only grew worse under this situation. Not only was he unable to keep a firm posture, his feet were even caged in a small object. That being said, he couldn’t just remove them either. After all, even goblins were susceptible to frostbite.
“Nuu…” Though puzzled, Gi Go tried swinging his sword again.
Try and try as he might, however, he could not swing his sword as he pleased. There was supposedly a savage tribe here known as Yugushiva. From what he knew, they were a worthy opponent. But no matter how worthy they were, if he couldn’t fight properly, he wouldn’t be satisfied even in death.
“Mr. Gi Go, it seems a blizzard is coming. We should rest inside this cave,” Yoshu said.
When the body of the fire G.o.d was at its peak, Yoshu happened to find a cave in the mountains. He proposed to stay there.
“That would probably be for the best,” Gi Go agreed.
Leaving his winter equipment in the black cave that contrasted the snowy land, Gi Go began immersing himself in his sword once more. He has never experienced an environment were it was so difficult to swing his sword.
He sought to find an answer within as he swung his sword ceaselessly through the air.
A white breath left his mouth and vanished.
The trees were covered in snow, and the snowy lands that would usually appear rocky and uneven appeared perfectly level because of the snow. Gradually, the sun set and the clouds were cut apart by the powerful winds.
When the sun had gone far toward the west, clouds began the fill the sky.
“Hmm? Oh?”
When lumps of white began to fall from the sky, Gi Go curiously reached out for them, only for them to vanish in his sword-scarred hands.
“So this is snow,” he muttered.
The falling snow greatly fascinated Gi Go, but the winds gradually grew stronger, and the breath of the snow G.o.d began to breathe down from above, chilling Gi Go.
“Mr. Gi Go, aren’t you going to eat” Yoshu asked.
The once gentle snow had turned into a vicious weapon as they struck Gi Go on the cheeks.
Gi Go turned his back on the blizzard and entered the cave.
The next day, the sky was blue again. A man and a goblin packed up their belongings and left their cave. The cold of the wind would brush against their skin and a white cloud would exhale from their mouths as they climbed up the mountain.
By this time, Gi Go had finally gotten used to walking in the snow.
But just when Gi Go thought they would finally reach the summit, a person appeared before them.
The person wore a mask and had silver hair that fluttered in the air. The person wore a white fur coat and carried a curved sword just as big or perhaps bigger than Gi Go’s.
That person swung his sword with a reverse grip.
The moment Gi Go saw that, he called out to Yoshu.
“From above!” He said.
Although they were on snowy lands, that person ran so quickly that it seemed like he was jumping.
The person ran with open hostility, but Gi Go welcomed him with a ferocious laugh.
“Yoshu, keep your head down!”
Gi Go stepped forward and brandished his curved sword to meet the enemy’s blade. Despite being on snowy lands, the enemy jumped easily, leaving a spray of snow as he unsheathed his sword and slashed down on him.
“Ronto, rio!” The enemy yelled in the northern language, drawing the curtains on their duel.
“NUuuOOO!” Gi Go met the enemy’s blade with his own.
Though the snow sought to shackle him, Gi Go returned the enemy’s blade.
The enemy was no slouch, however, and he used the momentum from having his blade returned to nimbly flip in the sky and easily regain his footing despite the snow.
In the unsinking snow lands was a powerful foe that fluttered like a b.u.t.terfly.
A fierce smile appeared on Gi Go’s lips.
It was a smile reminiscent of his days when he was a mere starving monster.
“A worthy foe. Come, let’s fight!”
On that day, they met a yugushiva (snow demon).
◇◆◆◇◇◆◆◇
Yoshu’s level has risen.
58.
◇◆◆◇◇◆◆◇
Tl Note: Yep, it just says 58. TMPG tomorrow. Next chapter the day after. Next week, we will be returning to the usual schedule.