Headed By A Snake

Taree screamed so loud, her face turned red. Pale couldn"t help but giggle, witnessing the girl"s boldness. She was honest and much less boring than any other girl he"d met before. And she was pretty and smelled nice, too.

Yos.h.i.+o cleared his throat, covering his mouth with a black-gloved hand. He shot Taree a single glare, before turning to face Barza, "Great Expert, I am Yos.h.i.+o of the Muto Family. Kimura Taree and her brother are traitors to our Ivory Judge sect. I humbly request the Great Expert"s a.s.sistance in apprehending them."

Barza couldn"t help but be suspicious. "Taree, is this true?"

Taree looked hurt, crossing her arms and turning away, "Hmph! Obviously not, Lone. He"s the bad guy!"

Barza and Pale looked over to the sharp-eyed, dark-haired Martialist.

"He does kinda look like a bad guy," Barza conceded.

"His eyes are the same squinty shape as Boss Tycon"s?" Pale said hesitantly.

"That doesn"t make it better, little brother."

Barza spoke out to respond to Yos.h.i.+o, his voice raised in confidence.

"Thou! Telleth Us Why Thou Hast Shooteneth… The blonde. Guy."

"Kimura Tamaki is a dangerous archer, capable of striking a falling leaf from 100 yalms away."

Taree squatted into a crouch, mumbling.

Pale leaned over her, "Taree? Is that true?"
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"It is. But it"s totally wrong. But if I tell the truth, you guys will think my little brother is a loser. H-hmph!"

Yos.h.i.+o smirked and pressed his advantage, "Great Expert, I beseech you. The Kimura family is a dying clan, void of influence, and dest.i.tute in coin! With the Muto family"s wealth and power, we can easily offer you greater riches-- more powerful treasures. Would you consider working for us, instead?"

Pale clenched the leather grips on his spear, "Lone, these guys are definitely bad guys."

Barza steeled his expression and made an executive decision. Anything that had to do with gaining treasures was worth consideration, "I think we should hear this guy out."

Taree waved her arms in a huff, "I"ll fight them all myself if I have to!"

Barza scoffed at the little girl"s insistence before taking a moment to realize what she said. "Hold on. "Them all"? What do you mean by "them all"?"

Pale gestured upwards, "Lone, there"s at least 11 hidden in the trees."

A chill ran down Barza"s spine as he began to panic. He turned to Taree and loudly whispered, "You didn"t tell me about any of this!"

Taree shrugged as if it wasn"t her problem, "You were talking to my brother the entire time."

Yos.h.i.+o interrupted, "Great Expert? Might I ask how much the Kimura Family has hired you for? I"m certain that I can at least double, if not triple its value."

Barza cleared his throat, but Pale stopped him.

"Lone, do you really have to make a deal with the bad guy?"

"Come on, man. It doesn"t hurt to at least ask about it."

Money could change Barza"s life. He was almost certain that Tycon viewed him as a resource instead of a real person. If he could offer Boss Tycon coin worth two or three elite mercenaries, Barza might be able to buy his freedom back.

"Well, alright, then," Pale couldn"t understand Barza"s logic at all. "Can you at least stop with that weird way of talking?"

"I can"t do that either, man. I have to sound mysterious... Like a Chosen One."

"But Taree already knows what you really sound like."

Barza glanced at Taree, who averted her gaze but still nodded.

"Fine," Barza sighed.

"You there, Yos.h.i.+o. This Great Expert has not yet been promised monetary awardments. This is the first time that This Great Expert is visiting these lands."

Yos.h.i.+o"s eyes seemed to sparkle with cunning, "Ohhhh? Great Expert, so you mean to say the Kimura Family hasn"t sought out your services prior?"

"Wait, what?"

Yos.h.i.+o"s voice took on a dark, mocking tone.

"How very interesting! All this time, I was concerned that the Kimura family had contracted a group of mercenaries to aid them. A thousand men-- perhaps even a few hundred outsiders might have been enough to threaten our plans. But it turns out that for all the talent belonging to little b.i.t.c.h Taree, the most she can wh.o.r.e up is a pair of strays!"

Barza looked to Pale, "This is my fault, isn"t it?"

"Um. Maybe?"

Taree interrupted, her face red with anger, "It"s definitely your fault."

"Troops, to me!!!" Yos.h.i.+o shouted. "Even if the Expert can fell a Gann, we outnumber them four to one!"

…

Tycon was chewing absentmindedly on meat jerky, intently observing the developments below.

"Hey. Hey. Boss. Hey, Boss."

"I"m not sharing if that"s what you wanted to ask, Mister Dragan."

Tycon kept a majority of the meats that he dried. It was quite tasty, so it was a popular commodity for wagering and to shamelessly beg for amongst the small group.

"Ah, no, not that, Boss... What would you do if you were Bucket?"

Tycon shook his head as if the answer was obvious, "I only see one option. You two, what would you do?"

Dragan laughed and clapped his hands together. He obviously wanted to share his opinion.

"Well, OBVIOUSLY, Bucket"s looking around-- he sees all the ninjas. I"d charge forward and take out the first c.u.n.t that falls! BAM. Right in the chest! BAM! Whack on the side of the head towards the biggest group. Charge and hit another one! That"s a double-kill. Three more for the pentkill!"

Tycon nodded with no change in his expression, "Mister Wroe?"

Wroe placed his offhand on his chin in thought, with his other hand forward with purplish-colored mana swirling around it.

"Using a spear, I"d volunteer to grab the attention of the guy in white, while also keeping my distance. I could even use sweeping attacks to create distance and to wear down the ninjas. We"d strike down each of the ninjas through teamwork, one by one-- ah, and coordinating with Barza and the girl is important for that. Or for a more risky strategy, focusing our attacks on their leader would put their team into disarray."

Tycon frowned, his golden eyes glowing from within the Shadow Veil, "Unfortunately, it won"t be that easy. You two, be ready to move."

Dragan and Tarquin"s expressions grew serious.

"You got it, Boss-man." "Aye aye, Boss."

…

Lone stepped forward, a cold wind blowing through his hair, as golden leaves continued to dance all around them. He took a deep breath, taking in hints of the warm Galetus berries and of the freshly disturbed dirt, readying his heart for what he was about to do.

Taree looked at his strong back and bit back her words. Yos.h.i.+o and his goons were too dangerous to fight alone. But hope burned fiercely in her heart. She wanted so badly to be able to place her trust in the Chosen One. She wanted to stop running. She wanted to fight to protect her family, her sect, and bringing back the Chosen One would do just that.

Lone thrust one powerful arm forward, making Yos.h.i.+o visibly flinch. A second powerful arm was thrust forward, making a cross. Yos.h.i.+o held his arm out, stopping the ninjas from moving forward. Taree grew enamored by Lone"s powerful biceps, strength surging through all of his bulging muscles.

"No one has to die today."

Yos.h.i.+o gulped in apprehension. Each of the ninjas under his charge slowly began reaching for their weapons. They didn"t dare underestimate the Great Expert before them. Lone stared down Yos.h.i.+o, giving off the impression of a storied hero standing before a mere man.

"Did I make a mistake? Did I offend someone I shouldn"t have offended?" Yos.h.i.+o thought. "No. That"s ridiculous! With the Muto family"s help, I"ve finally surpa.s.sed Kimura Taree and trained my Stone Body to Major Completion! No matter what techniques this Great Expert has, my body will be impervious to it!"

"You..." Lone"s voice was a low growl, his wrists crossed in front of him.

Yos.h.i.+o stepped towards the Great Expert, one gloved palm forward in a defensive stance. "I hear your words, Great Expert."

"I"m the Chosen One you want. I surrender."

"You... What?"