Tsumei, Kaizoku, and Boa hear the many woes from the residents of Twin Blessings Village and offer their aid. Their plan to help the villagers quickly falls apart as one of the ronin requires help instead...
Tsume, Kaizoku, and Boa were held as guests in Setsuo, the village elder’s house. The townsfolk crowded into Setsuo’s house to catch a glimpse of the ronin as they ate their evening meal. The party was introduced to the other community leaders. There was Natsumi, an outspoken and strong young woman, who seemed to act as Setsuo’s second in command. Next was Shinichi, a wiry and lithe man, stablemaster and previous owner of the waystation which operated on the outskirts of town. After him was Daizo, the enlightened spiritual head of the village. Finally, there was Hiroto, the large and boisterous sake brewer-- his sake was the pride of the village.
During their introductions to the village leaders, Naoki remembered where he knew Tsume from. And he remembered just how much he owed him. The shrewd man said nothing, but you could see the gears begin to work in his head.
The village leaders began to explain the many problems which had befallen their village in recent months. Foremost was the new lord who took up residence in Closed Shell Castle, Reju Jikai. Aside from being a callous and cruel man, his rice tax had become astronomical, and the village was struggling to keep up with it. He went so far as to even forbid the villagers from brewing sake. To him, the sake was a waste of the rice which was rightfully his. To make matters worse, the new lord had started over hunting the forest, making food and resources even scarcer in the region. It had also become apparent that Jikai had begun hiring a small army of ronin to serve him in the castle, and now these thugs terrorize the local villages.
Worst of all though-- the water kami seemed to be very upset with the village. Daizo had done all he could to subdue the river’s unceasing anger, but to no avail. The river slows to a trickle so the crops may wither and die, and when it comes time to harvest what remains, the river bursts with energy, flooding the village and destroying what’s salvageable.
As a result of the villages being thrown into poverty and the forests becoming overhunted, bandits had started robbing people on the roads, and packs of wolves had started becoming more aggressive in their search for food. The bandits have become so bold, they’ve even kidnapped Setsuo’s son, Ichiro. Never letting an opportunity go to waste, Kaizoku pledged to find and return Ichiro in exchange for the village’s help in repairing his boat.
The village asked another favor of the ronin. Just a few days ago, Jikai’s thugs burned down the village way station, burning many alive, including Shinichi’s late wife. Being too afraid to sully themselves with the flesh of those who died such grizzly deaths, they asked the ronin to help.
Feeling he had heard enough, Kaizoku went for a walk by the river. Dying for a sip of his Liquid Void, the pirate began searching the banks of the river for his lost vial. Desperate, he waded into the river, searching every snag and stone for the precious substance. But the water kami had other plans for this intrepid fool. The storm surged and the river swelled. Kaizoku lost his footing and was swept away by a torrent of water.
After some time, Tsume and Boa began to look for their new friend. Following his tracks in the fresh mud, they found where he walked into the river. Tracks went in, but none came out. Anxious, they followed the river downstream, onto the outskirts of town, the darkened forest looming ahead of them. Then they heard a deafening yell. The sound of a man teetering on the precipice and clinging onto dear life.
Following the sound, Tsume and Boa found an imprint of where Kaizoku’s body must have been, and tracks leading deeper into the forest, as if he had been dragged. Following the tracks, they began to see the orange flicker of fire, and the sound of raucous voices. Peering through the bushes, Tsume and Boa found an old, ruined monastery which had become an encampment for a large gang of bandits. Laying beside the fire was Kaizoku-- as his body and belongings were pilfered by thieves.
Credits
Art by Dylon Munoz
Music by Brandon Spain and Podcast of the Five Rings