by Nikita Thorn
Seiki ran after her into the dusty back room. Akari was kneeling in the middle of the floor, working on something intently. The room was unlit and Seiki could not quite make out what she was doing. But then, there was another metal click, and Akari lifted what appeared to be a trapdoor.
Yamura had talked about Lock-picking being useful the last time they were running from Patrols, and perhaps this was what the man had meant. Akari had already disappeared down the pitch black hole in the ground, and he heard her voice shouting, “Jump!”
“I know you are in there!” said the Patrol again.
Seiki braced himself as he dropped down into the blackness. Fortunately, it was not too deep and he managed to land on his feet on something rather soft and damp, like a patch of hay, without any damage. There was no ladder, which meant this was perhaps a one-way escape route. Before his eyes could even adjust, Akari’s cold hand found his and she dragged him forward in the dark.
“Sorry about that,” said Akari. “And thank you.” White sparks swirled as she landed a heal on him, perhaps to express her gratitude. It was not necessary, since his health had been recovering and only a tiny fraction of it had been missing. “I’ve got friends who can help us.”
Seiki could start to feel the dampness in the air. Ahead, the sickly yellow underground glow was coming into view. They were in the Shinshioka sewage system.
“This is a shortcut,” she said. “Not a lot of people know how to navigate these but, if you do, it’s a great way of getting away from Patrols. And bad people, of course.”
After a few more steps, they slowed to a walk, as it seemed unlikely the guards would pursue them down here. Akari explained that there were secret passages everywhere that could be accessed with Lock-picking, and Seiki mused that the girl was not as helpless as she seemed at first.
The tunnel they were in opened into the main sewage system, where Seiki had been once before. It was as he had remembered, being dim, dreary, wet and perpetually echoing with sounds of water dripping and sloshing.
“Why was that ninja after you?” Seiki asked.
The houshi sighed. “I made a lot of White Obi for practice and wanted to get rid of them, so I was selling them for cheap. Turned out the Merchants Guild was not happy I was undercutting the market, so they sent someone to warn me. I really didn’t know there was that rule, or I wouldn’t have made so many of those stupid obi.” She shrugged. “But I had spent all my money on the cloth, so I needed to get rid of them. So I was still secretly selling them under the minimum market price.”
“Oh,” said Seiki. This was what Kentaro had been talking about. And he had thought the Merchants Guild would be sensible, reputable business people. Had he gotten himself in trouble with them too? Ippei would no doubt find it extremely amusing.
Akari knew her way around and led him skillfully through the labyrinth, all the while explaining about how difficult it was to get a map for the underground sewage system and that an Underground Compass—which took a charm slot—was a necessity, if you could afford it.
“And I heard there’s a black market down here somewhere?” asked Seiki.
“Yeah,” said Akari. “That’s where you sell things without the Merchants Guild breathing down your neck. But you have to really know what you’re doing if you don’t want to be robbed blind.” She brushed a strand of hair off her face. “Even the Merchants Guild is scared to come down here, you know.”
“But you’re not,” said Seiki.
The houshi smiled. “I’ve got friends.”
This was the other side of the law and perhaps a completely different world. Seiki wondered how long you had to wander in these parts before you ran into the Lock-picking or Pickpocketing trainers, and whether it would be worth it. He had a feeling they were being watched and that, at every turn, they would run into some sort of bandits. But the girl seemed completely in her element here.
A few times they came upon a rusty locked gate, however the girl was not Lock-picking these. She simply produced a small key from her pouch to unlock them, after which the key would disappear in a puff of smoke like discarded potion bottles.
On their third gate, Seiki finally managed to take a good glimpse.
Skeleton Key. Unlocks a lock up to level 25. Made by Masami.
“This is how you open high-level locks without Lock-picking,” explained the girl, as she saw him inspecting the item.
That must have cost her a fortune, or her friends were very well-to-do, Seiki thought, as he started to feel that this must not have been her first time, either, since there was no way she could have known all this at Level 9.
“Where are we going?” Seiki asked, figuring he should have asked this question a long time ago. They had walked very far, and Seiki was starting to become aware of the fact that there was no chance he would be able to find his way back in this sewage maze. The gates relocked themselves after they had passed through, so he was pretty much stuck with her now.
“We’re almost there,” said Akari, turning to give him a reassuring smile. In front of them was a dead end, and she pointed to the wall. Seiki was relieved to see a simple ladder. Somehow, given the atmosphere of the sewage, he had almost expected her to lead him straight to a gang of robbers.
They climbed up into the refreshing night breeze with the open country in front of them. Seiki found himself on the side of a small dirt road lit by dim lamps at irregular intervals. Beyond it was a sparsely wooded area, and behind him was a high stone wall that stretched as far as his eyes could see, which he recognized as Shinshioka’s city wall.
Welcome to the Wilderness! Wilderness combat rules apply. PVP status: enabled.
This meant that they were outside the East Gate. Akari had climbed up beside him and whistled to her horse. “Come on, Seiki,” she said, as she prepared to ride down the path.
Seiki hesitated. Now that she was safe, he had better get back to his own business. He sighed at the thought of having to go all the way back to central West City.
Suddenly, the horse let out an alarmed neigh as an arrow struck it on the side. Akari screamed, before landing in a loud thud after she was thrown off the saddle. Grunting, she pushed herself up, just as another arrow whisked toward her.
She would not be able to survive this. Instinctively, Seiki slid forward in front of her and Parried, and his energy dropped to zero.
The girl seemed to be frozen with fear again. Seiki almost had to drag her behind a tree beside the road, just in time to avoid several more arrows from Rapid Shots, which pierced the ground where they had been a second ago. Another hail struck the tree trunk and the girl let out a little squeal.
It was most likely the same ryoushi that had shot at them earlier. Seiki had no idea how they could have tracked them so quickly.
“This is terrible,” said Akari.
They had run across the dirt road into the thin woodland on the other side. The ankle-length grass was wet with dew, and there were a few bushes spread across. But trees that could provide real cover against arrows were far between.
It was dark, and even when ryoushi could see further, they did not necessarily see better in the dark. Seiki grabbed a loose rock from the ground and threw it out from behind the tree. At the movement, arrows landed around the rock in quick succession. Seiki counted six. Whoever it was had to be high enough to afford a decent enhancement that doubled the initial number of arrows.
“Maybe you should just let them kill me,” said Akari, huddling up behind the tree trunk. “Saves you all this trouble.” Her face was covered with traces of dirt and she seemed to have given up.
Something stirred in Seiki. “No,” he said, as he grabbed her and pulled her up. “I’ll get you to your friends. All right?” He looked her in the eye. She stared at him, seemingly genuinely surprised.
Another six arrows struck the tree and the ground around them.
“The Merchants Guild really means business,” Seiki muttered.
“My friends have a private territory just ahead,” Akari said. “If we get there, we should be safe.”
It was quiet again, and Seiki grabbed a loose rock from the ground and threw it to the left. Immediately, a single arrow struck the ground right beside it.
This was what Seiki had been waiting for. Rapid Shots was a waste of energy and arrows, especially if it missed. He knew that, if this was the work of one ryoushi, the man was now most likely out of energy. This single arrow, if he guessed correctly, was a normal shot, without energy, which dealt much less damage.
“Run now,” he whispered, and they made a dash towards the next tree.
A single shot whisked by. Without energy to pull off a Focused Shot, the aim was usually much more erratic. Another shot missed, and they were halfway toward the next tree.
There was a pause, and Seiki could imagine the hidden ryoushi drinking a potion to refill his energy.
“Keep running,” said Seiki to the girl, as he spun around, stood his ground, and readied himself. He could almost hear arrows whisking in the air, and he had to remind himself that he could not hope to Parry six arrows.
Stepping his right foot forward, he Upslashed the incoming Rapid Shots. The arrows were not fired all at once, but in very quick succession. It was a strange feeling as his sword hit nothing but air. Still, he could hear the whish of the wind bursting forward, and the arrows slowed, strayed and hit the ground all around him. He grunted as the one least affected by the wind pierced him on the thigh. Since it had been somewhat slowed down, it took only a third of his health, though.
That had given Akari enough time to reach the tree. Seiki turned and spent the rest of his energy sliding behind the cover, while another volley of six arrows thudded into the ground after him. Ryoushi could move the aim as the shots fired to cover as much ground as they needed, if they were precise.
“You’re hurt,” said Akari, as she saw the arrow in his thigh, sounding genuinely troubled.
Seiki broke off the arrow. “This is nothing.”
She quickly filled his health with her heal, and the icy numbness faded.
That was two special moves after the ryoushi had drunk the potion. So, at best, the man would have only two or three more. And even if they had the Medicine Trade Perk of having a reduced lockout on potions, the lowest you could go was one minute.
Seiki could not afford to let the shooter’s energy recharge. He threw out another rock, but the ryoushi no longer fell for the trick. The wood was silent as they waited.
“Do you have Ward?” Seiki asked Akari. He could not quite remember how the houshi abilities lined up.
“No,” she said. “That’s Level 12. I have Soothe though.”
Soothe was a kind of Brace, which could be put on other players. It reduced less damage than the latter, but the effect lasted three times as long. “That will do,” said Seiki. He was not sure of the numbers, but they could not wait. “I’ll need to force him out of energy, so I’ll need to risk this.”
Seiki stepped out from behind the tree and threw himself back behind the trunk, as six arrows shot straight at him. As soon as they finished lodging into the tree trunk, Seiki stepped out again. Akari seemed to finally understand what he was doing, and a gentle Soothe lay itself on his skin.
This time, the ryoushi went for a single shot. But it was much faster than Seiki had expected, and Seiki only managed a glancing Parry. The arrow seared through his armor and left a deep graze on his right arm. Even with Soothe on him, his health dropped below a quarter.
“What was that?” Seiki muttered, as he threw himself back. That was definitely not a regular Focused Shot.
Akari healed him twice to fill his health again. “They can charge up Focused Shot, and it’s faster, and deals more damage.”
“Let’s just hope it’s an energy drain,” said Seiki. “Because we need to run, now.”
Luckily, it was as Seiki had guessed. Out of energy and still locked out of potions, the ryoushi now had to resort to normal single arrows, which Seiki could easily Parry. Sliding out of the way would have been easier, but he did not want to take the chance that an arrow could hit the houshi girl, who now seemed to be running for her life without even trying to protect herself.
“It’s just ahead,” said Akari, dashing forward. They had been running parallel to the dirt road, and now in front of them Seiki could see a small white stone gate that marked the village entrance. Beyond the gate were cobblestone roads that led to low individual houses made of bricks and tiles. And slightly further away, at the end of the village, was a three-storied mansion with graceful slanting roofs, bright with multiple yellow-lit rectangular windows on all sides.
The houshi girl ran through the gate across open ground, and Seiki was about to warn her, when something tugged at his mind. The ryoushi had not been shooting at the girl.
That was when he noticed the characters on the village gate:
Nanamura.
Seiki froze as a cold realization hit him. This was all wrong. It could not have been a coincidence, and whoever wanted him here had managed to get him exactly where they wanted. The hidden ryoushi had not even been aiming to kill, but to drive them toward this direction.
“Hello, Seiki-san.”
Seiki knew the voice and tightened his grip on his sword, his mind racing as he tried to comprehend how all this fit together.
Hatsuo [Level 22], the mysterious man present at Ichikeya and Taira Mansion, who also ran with the bandits in East City, stepped out from behind a tree in front of him. Somehow, Seiki was not surprised the man had an arrow nocked in his fully-drawn bow aimed directly at him. The man could not have been the ryoushi shooting at him from behind, so that meant he was not working alone.
From the corner of his eyes, Seiki could discern two Level 7 coming out of the village on foot. But the moment they saw the scene, they hurried out of the way as fast as they could manage.
Nanamura had PVP disabled, as someone had told him. If he ran into the area, there would be nothing Hatsuo could do. Unfortunately, he doubted he could outrun an arrow, not to mention that the man still had an accomplice somewhere.
“What do you want?” Seiki asked, as he carefully gauged the distance between him and the ryoushi. This was almost point blank range, and he could only hope he would be able to Parry the arrow in time. With Hatsuo being that much higher in level, the Parry would cost him all his energy, so his best bet would then be to try for a grab.
“Why the attitude, Seiki-san?” asked Hatsuo. The man’s expression seemed so good-natured that Seiki almost believed him.
Seiki tried to collect his thought. “Were you the one sending me messages from Mumei?” he asked.
“I have an offer for you,” said Hatsuo, ignoring his question. “In a little, there will be people from the White Crane Order coming to the village.”
“I’m not interested,” said Seiki. He needed both hands on the hilt of his sword for a Parry, and he very slowly raised his left hand toward the grip.
It was dark, and Hatsuo did not seem to notice as he continued, “They know you, so I want you to ask to be invited to a group. Then invite me, please.”
“No,” said Seiki. “And you can’t make me do that.” The worst the man could do was kill him, and that was not going to help his cause.
“Or I can do it the easy way,” said Hatsuo with a smile. “You see, they think I work for Ichikeya. We are together on Ichikeya business, and unfortunately you have been killed by a mysterious enemy. I fear for my life and need their protection. With a dead body as proof, it can be quite convincing.”
Seiki’s mind raced. Nothing was making sense. He had no idea what Hatsuo wanted to achieve with this. Seiki could now hear hooves against the dirt road.
“Here they come,” said Hatsuo, patiently. “Your choice.”
Seiki gritted his teeth. There was no time to think. There were too many things he did not understand. And these th
ings that sounded like choices—but were not actual choices that he could make and live with—were all going to cost him. He yelled, “Don’t invite Hatsuo!”
The arrow flew. Since Seiki did not trust himself with the timing of Upslash just yet, he raised his Hikari up and Parried, sacrificing all his energy. The next shot followed almost immediately, and he Parried again, knowing he would lose his sword.
Behind him, the riders had stopped. He could hear one of them ask, “Who’s there?”
Without energy, Hikari could not withstand the impact from the second arrow, and Seiki let it fly. He knew this was going to happen and, even before the sword had completely escaped his grip, he threw himself forward in a long dive at Hatsuo. The ryoushi, not expecting it, let out a cry as his left hand instinctively tossed out a trap.
The range was too close for Seiki to draw his dagger, and he gritted his teeth as he chose to block the trap with his left arm. The cold metal teeth snapped shut around his wrist on contact, and the ensnaring effect yanked him downward as if the whole thing was pulled by a magnet. But Seiki had planned for this. As he fell, he pushed down with his feet, using his trapped left arm as a pivot, and leapt up in a double-legged kick. His feet caught the ryoushi squarely in the chest, sending the man tumbling backward, and they both crashed heavily onto the ground at almost the same time.
Quick footsteps sounded from behind him as the riders approached. A man shouted, “What’s this?”
Hatsuo was on the ground, but the bow was still in his hand and he was already aiming—not at Seiki, but at the newcomers. Two rounds of Rapid Shots arrows fired, and the unsuspecting people gave out surprised yells. Blades were drawn, and sounds of metal rang as some of them managed to Parry.
“Seiki-san?” said a surprised voice behind him, which Seiki was very certain he recognized. The four-second Trap expired. But before Seiki could get to his feet, Hatsuo, still on his back, had fired again. Seiki threw himself flat on the ground as curses went up among the newcomers behind him.
“Who the hell is that?” asked a man.