Ginchiyo Lao Tzu's Story

The Gan River was beautiful. An indigo stream of serene tranquility, the water gently babbling nature’s song as it burbled lazily downstream, perfect in form and function. The scent of humans that roiled in from her destination, however, was not. For whatever reason, humans living in close proximity and large numbers always smelled sour to Ginchiyo. The last round of fireworks added a heady mixture of smoke to the odor and the resulting aroma could only accurately be described as the perfume of “The Great Yune Empire.” Realistically, all human settlements had a similar smell when they got big enough, but something about the Yune always made it... perverse. As if to punctuate her point, a man in naught but his loincloth began hopping his way along the river, bound in some sort of mating display. With a forced exhale, she steeled herself for what was likely to be an Emperor themed bacchanal going on in the village and quickened her stride.

Even before crossing into what would normally constitute the village, street barkers and merchants began fighting for the attention of everyone within earshot. Doing her best to deafen herself to the onslaught of noises, Ginchiyo began to shoulder her way through the crowd. The walk here hadn’t been short and a large cut of something that was alive this morning would go a long way towards improving her mood. It took all of five minutes for her to find a plump, squat man that was selling chunks of goat that was slowly roasting on a spit. Bits of fat glistened as they sizzled and popped, producing a heavenly smell when they fell into the hungry flames below.

For a few moments, Ginchiyo just stared at the goat as it called to her with its siren song. The feel of something tugging on her belt lifted her out of her daydream; more specifically, a tug on her coin purse. With a practiced turn on her heel, she grabbed the thief's hand with a vice-like grip and brought him to the ground, elbow on his throat.

Her eyes widened slightly, her reflexes had pinned the pickpocket to the ground, but he was just a boy, not even old enough to begin Agoge back home. With an annoyed sigh she lifted the boy up, not relaxing her grip on his wrist, and fished a gold coin from the purse he still had desperately clenched in his hand. “Give me the biggest piece of shoulder meat you have, and a hindshank for the brat with sticky fingers.”

---

The night was young, and seemingly everyone in town had a reason to party, i almost felt like Ancestor Day, back when Ginchiyo was in Agoge. The memory brought a faint smile to her face as she thought about those carefree days. It was a nearby storyteller that brought her back to reality, “It was an evening like this,” the storyteller began, “That they say the first Emperor was born.” Ginchiyo snorted, of all the propaganda she had heard throughout her travels, the Yune were somehow both the most obvious and the least effective. She hurried away before the storyteller’s drivel made her nauseous. Someone in this stink-pit had to know something that was worth knowing.

A bit more aimless wandering had left her belly only slightly more full, and her quest none the closer to ending. The later into the festival that it got, the drunker the people would be, and the less likely her visit would prove fruitful. “This is going nowhere…” Feeling defeated, she stopped to lean on the wall of a nearby building; contemplating whether or not the night had to be a total waste, after all her last job had left her with funds to spare for a night of drinks.

A moment of deliberation later, Ginchiyo started back the way she had come, hoping to catch the honeyed wine merchant she had passed not too far back before he had sold the last four bottles. Two white rabbit ears stood slightly above the crowd, bobbing up and down with the sway of movement from the gathered masses. Normally, Ginchiyo would worry about a free Beastman in Yutan, but maybe things were different on Emperor Day. “Yeah, and maybe they’ll give me the honeyed wine for free because I'm so damn pretty.” She snorted to herself, while hurrying to buy the last bottles of wine.

The first bottle went down like a half-starved fox that just kenned into where its prey had hidden, the warmth of the second had just started to begin to spread through Ginchiyo’s belly when she wandered into a scene that wasn't exactly common in other parts of Creation. A vendor was causing a scene over some cloth, at the expense of some poor rabbit-eared creature, who may not even be aware that their status was relegated to second-class amongst the “Mighty Yune.” The taste that it left in her mouth was bad enough that not even the honeyed wine could wash it down.

“A single pebble can start the most transformative of landslides…” Ginchiyo grumbled to herself while puzzling out a way to quietly solve the situation at hand without attracting overt attention. Failing that, she simply looked for the biggest guy who seemed to want to help but was too afraid to step up. A barrel-chested dock worker who was lingering by a cart fit the quota perfectly. “Hey tiny,” Ginchiyo pointed at the man with her chin, before she downed the rest of her second bottle of wine. “Ill give you five silver if you chuck me at that hoity-toity vendor over there.”

---

With a spectacular crash, Ginchiyo was launched directly into the table that the merchant had set up. The sound of splitting wood deafened several nearby passerbys and a couple seconds of silence followed as Ginchiyo slowly drew herself to her feet. “Annn’ Shtay out!” She forced a hiccup out before staggering between the beast-woman and the vendor. “Barkeep hit me with another round.” She punctuated the sentence by slapping the merchant, perhaps a little harder than necessary, on his back.

One moment Lo-Muna was being harassed by the shady vendor, and the next moment a mountain of a woman had launched into the merchant's cart and broken it in two. The merchant grabbed his hair as his wares fell to the ground, goblin and human children alike grabbing the items scattered at Lo-Muna's feet. The gathered crowd watched as Ginchiyo drunkenly rose and demanded a drink. From the sidelines Captain Jensu watched the scene bemused.

As a woman was launched at the target of a shopkeeper, Lo-Muna had been pulled forward and stumbled as the vendor's grip loosened. The rabbit beast-woman recovered her balance and looked up just as the woman slapped the back of the vendor. The noise resounded loudly and some of the onlookers laughed as the shop keeper tumbled forward. On top of that humiliation, the vendor looked up as his wares were being stolen by small children. He pulled at his hair, his face reddening, embarrassment and outrage bubbling inside of him.

"LOOK WHAT YOU DID!" he screamed at the muscular woman as he pointed at his ruined stall. "ALL MY STUFF! RUINED!"

Lo-Muna was pocketing the cloth she had wanted when two guards arrived, brought out by the noise. They noticed her pocketing the wares but as they were about to step towards her, the vendor stormed up to them and began shouting. He practically jumped up and down, fuming, and gesturing to the mess of a scene around them. A woman and her child, a pinwheel still burning in his hand, stopped in front of Lo-Muna. They shielded her from view and the beast-woman thanked them quietly. She was about to turn tail and leave when she hesitated.

Looking back, she saw the raven haired woman was a little unsteady on her feet. The crowd had begun to disperse and the guards were beginning to calm the angry vendor down. Lo-Muna sighed and walked over to the muscular woman, saying to her in a low voice, "Thank you but may I suggest we go get another drink on me? Away from prying eyes? Now? Please?"

A loud whistle shot from across the street. Villagers began to back away as a man in green Imperial armour marched toward them. His dark hair was tied in a clean ponytail and his moustache was finely trimmed. The brass whistle dropped from his mouth as behind him a duo of other, matching armoured men strode. They were all equipped with short-swords at their hips and shields on their back, the leather wrapping tight across their chest, marked with the Dragon of the Emperor. The leader approached impatiently, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"P-prefects!" The duo of village guards stuttered. Mere boys in shabby uniforms compared to the three prefects.

"And what the hell is this?" The leader of the prefects asked, his voice demanding but also layered with heavy undertones of not giving a crap. "We heard sounds of a street brawl," He said, looking over Lo-Muna, Ginchiyo and the merchant. "And you're the only guilty three I see."

"We responded immediately, sir!" One of the guards said.

"Yeah, we saw it all!" The other nodded.

"Shut up," The lead prefect replied, raising his hand to silence the duo of teenage village guards. "My name is Prefect Ro of the Raging Rivers Province. Do any of you have an explanation-" Ro gestured toward the broken vendor's cart. "-For all this?"

Ginchiyo scrunched up her nose and did her best to look indignant at the vexed merchant, though his awkward ire was making it hard to take the moment seriously. The shopkeeper started sputtering and blaming her for the scene, and while her crash-landing was technically her fault, he caused this entire mess by being a racist bastard. She cocked her left arm back slightly and shoved her index finger into the man's chest, "What? What I did? Ruining your wares would be like crushing dry weeds." She cocked her arm back a bit more and shoved her finger into the man's chest a bit harder. "A mild breeze would do the same!" Her accusatory tone was attracting stares from everyone not immediately trying to escape the scene.

A big enough commotion was sure to hurt the man's business, but before Ginchiyo could decide whether or not that was how she was going to spend the rest of her night that White-eared Rabbit returned and urged discretion. Deciding that a drink with a fellow Beastman would preferable to harassing an ignorant merchant, she prepared herself for a short sprint. However, a piercing whistle demanded her attention as one of the Yune higher-ups began swaggering over to the scene, retinue in tow. Ginchiyo had been ran out of towns before, but never out of an entire prefecture on Emperor's Day. With a sigh, she straightened up to her full height, the night suddenly seeming painfully sober. Sparing a short glance to the White Rabbit, Ginchiyo said a quick prayer to the ancestors that she would know a place with strong drink.

"Ah good," A practiced smile appeared on Ginchiyo's face as the prefect approached, "You got here just in time prefect. As I was just going to explain, some wastrel courting death lost a bet with me, but before I could collect he had his, goon," she spat on the ground for emphasis, "Toss me into this crowd, and the two fled."

With a shrug she closed her eyes and flicked her nose with a thumb, "I've heard it's bad karma to renege on a bet on Emperor's Day, and even worse luck to allow such a reneging to go unpunished." Crossing her arms, she put her nose in the air and scoffed out, "Emperor willing, you could still catch the pig-faced thief, if you're quick on your feet."

Prefect Ro looked Ginchiyo up and down. Neither he nor his men made any attempt to search for the criminals she so described. "A bet?" Prefect Ro said, squinting his eyes at the tall woman. "What was this about?"

"Yeah, what was this bet about?" One of the teenage guards on the sidelines added, trying to get in on the prefects imposing presence.

Ro glanced to Lo-Muna, giving the impossible creature a quick one over. "And where does she fit in?"

***

The drums beat rapidly as a choir of lutes strummed in the background. Yuwen nodded his head at the sounds as he shimmied through the underground tavern. The thugs of Poyo danced and drunk, some of the men trying to get in his way, and more than a few women laying a hand on him as he crossed the oak floors of room. Yuwen adjusted his collar and gave a sly smile to the shady characters. He approached the backdoor where a large, muscle-bound Snow Oni glared down at him.

"You're back," The Oni spoke out thick lips. "I thought the Brothers Grimschi threw you in the ocean."

"Tayadori! It takes more than twuo of tengu twins to keep Yuwen Fortune down," Yuwen replied with a self-assured grin.

The two made their way through the back-halls of the Rat's Den, the passages crowded with various shipments of foods, weapon and armour. "Almost there," Tayadori said as he escorted Yuwen down another hall. Yuwen glanced at the supplies, and paused when he saw a large cage filled with goblins. Yuwen locked eyes with one, an elderly goblin man with a spiky beard and an injured arm. Yuwen swallowed heavily and continuing on.

"He won't be happy to see you," Tayadori chuckled as he opened a purple curtain away, revealing a warmly lit room beyond.

"Ting Po!" Yuwen greeted with open arms as he entered the lavish room.

"Hohoho..." A great voice belonging to a fat, balding man in rich robes chuckled from within a cloud of opioid smoke. "Yuwen... Fortune... alive after all."

"I'm shockingly hard to kill," Yuwen replied.

"Join me, smoke," Ting Po breathed deeply. Yuwen nodded and stepped forward, into the crime-lords den. "And tell me why I shouldn't have Tayadori finish the job the Tengu brothers could not." Ting Po's voice was stone cold.

"Because firstly you and I have no quarrel, and secondly: you still owe me a favour," Yuwen replied, raising a finger. "We got rid of the bandits for you, Po. Your operation was taking a hit and you promised me you'd set it right."

"Last time you stood before me I got you on a ship out to sea, isn't that favour enough?"

"You got me on a ship full of people who wanted me dead!" Yuwen exclaimed. "Look, I'll find my own way to settle with the triad. As far as I'm concerned you still owe me a favour."

Po was silent for a moment. "And what is it that Yuwen Fortune wants?"

Yuwen leaned forward and put his hands together nervously. "I need you to forge me a report from the forest outpost."

"Oh no," Po said, shaking his head. "You're not doing this again."

"I'm getting a guild together!" Yuwen exclaimed. "And I need your help,"

Po glared at the man before him. "And what happened to the last one?" He asked after a long pause. Yuwen remained silent, and Po knew he wouldn't get anything more out of him. "I'll get you your report. But after this we're even. No more favours for the unkillable Yuwen Fortune."

Yuwen nodded at the crimelord's words. "We're even."

Lo-Muna kept an even look on her face, wanting no more than to skedaddle out of the situation. Her legs were fast enough and the inebriated woman seemed capable enough. Yet she stayed.

She stayed even though she knew Prefect Ro likely wouldn't believe anything she said. And if he did, he would likely try to find some way to twist it around on her. It would be her words against a human merchant after all. Her best choice was to be as truthful as possible.

"I was barely walking by the stall when this woman was thrown into the stall," Lo-Muna lied as she tried her best to look as meek as possible. She crossed her arms, pushing her breasts together, glancing at the young guards with pleading looks.

"She's lying! She was touching my stuff with her grubby little hands!" The merchant exclaimed with a huff.

"I was only looking as i passed by! Any of the people around could tell you I had no problems today until this merchant got his stall ruined and now he wants to pin it on me!" Lo-Muna insisted.

"You little liar! I knew you were no good!" The merchant shouted with an accusatory finger at the bunny girl. "Arrest that rabbit and that woman, Prefect Ro! They have caused damage to my property and I demand they get punished!"

"Mahjong," Ginchiyo responded to the Prefect with a bored tone, pretending to stifle a yawn with the palm of her right hand, while stretching her quadricep with the other. The moment Ro looked away to inspect the White Rabbit, she shot the teenage guard a quick look, the same ones she used with whelps back home that overstepped their boundaries.

The merchant started whining again, much to Ginchiyo's confusion, it isn't like he receives payment for the two going to jail. Though perhaps, the reason he was so keen on dogging them, was a question better left for the Ancestors. With a bark of laughter, she looked down her nose at the merchant, "So if you were thrown headfirst through a door, you would demand to pay for the door? Curious justice system the Yune have." Her gaze wandered from the merchant to the entrance of a nearby inn, which appeared to have a door made of solid pine.

After a silent moment of contemplation on whether or not it would be worth seeing if this vendor's head was as hard as he was making it out to be, Ginchiyo's attention snapped back to the lead prefect.

"You know something Ro? You look... familiar." She looked him up and down, "You wouldn't happen to have family in the Swine Valley Province, would you?"

The two teenage village guards' eyes were stuck to Lo-Muna as she spoke. "Prefect Ro, she's- she's telling the truth!" One blabbered. "Yeah, we can handle her!" The other added.

Prefect Ro rolled his eyes away from the two before turning to Ginchiyo. "I do indeed," He nodded to the woman who stood a good two inches taller than him. "My fathers a prefect there. Still is as a matter of fact. Why?"

Samyan rubbed the back of her head and scowled at the sharp-toothed brat. “You can’t rush important decisions in life, boy,” she said wisely, turning back to the stall. “Adopting is always a big commitment. It’s important to think carefully so you don’t make any mistakes.”

A vein throbbed in the Yunish man’s temple. “THEY’RE SCROGGING DOLLS!!”

“Is that what they’re for?” Samyan asked, eyebrows raising slightly. She put a finger thoughtfully to her chin. “What a thing to sell at a festival.”

Dark red shot across one of the man’s eyes as a vein burst from apoplexy. His lips curled in a snarl around clenched yellow teeth, and the curled fingers of his left hand hovered by Samyan’s shoulder, making an impressive show of restraint to throw her into the river. “Just take one of the festival souvenir dolls, please,” he hissed.

“Or just get both!” the woman chimed in, ever the master of de-escalation.

“They might not get along, though?” Samyan picked them both up gingerly, bringing them close to her face to examine them. “I should take a bit of time to consider this.”

---

---

Samyan bolted around the corner of the crowded festival streets as a variety of souvenirs and snack foods were hurled through the air behind her, accompanied by a howl of rage and bloodlust.

”DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLS!!!!”

She darted through the crowds, shaft of her scythe bouncing against her shoulder and face impassive as she absconded swiftly from the man seeking her truly unjust demise. Her feet made a light tap tap tap tap sound in the dirt as she went past a crowd of guards who seemed to be investigating a stall that had been wrecked by two drunk women, her back keeping straight and only one arm pumping along at her side as if she were on a brisk morning jog.

“A man is trying to kill me,” she said in passing to the Yunish prefect, not bothering to stop and elaborate before disappearing into the throngs of revellers at the other end of the street.

Kaor blinked at her companion, humming and watching her go about her conversations with a nod before simply smiling and leaning forth to speak with ‘her Gecko’ as privately as possible.
Well… As privately as a crowded inn/bar could be considered.
The final signing that Xanth gave to Kaor wasn’t missed, and the bear woman beamed a bright smile at her companion. “Ahh… Yes. Why not. Shall I be a distraction for you my dear? Let me see if I cannot play the part of a good woman for once, hm?”

She turned her attention to the Snow Oni at hand, smiling vaguely before letting her expression darken into a mask of fury.
Two, maybe three, teenagers were giving Takai grief, and an old woman was harassing the Oni as well. Her gaze turned to Xanth with a wink, before returning to the commotion behind with that same fury bubbling up to the surface.

She stood from her table with her Gecko, giving the beloved mutt a quick pet upon the head before she quickly made her way towards the accosted group. She took note of a woman of some nobility and a peasant man chained together, of Takai and the poor Oni covered in stew, and of the trio of hecklers making their exit. Her maw opened, and as she was bringing forth a mighty bellowing roar, with which she planned to chastise the three stooges…
Their main-man found his face impacting with a door. Ouch. Hah. Hahaha!

“Bahahaha! HAH! That is what you get you little cretins! Begone with you three! Before I set a mind forth for your haunches to meet my paws!” Her voice was nearly deafening to be beside, and she caught sight of more than one patron ducking away and covering their ears.
She brought her bulk over to the Oni, shifting first the massive bamboo and leather strap basket upon her back to reach inside, and then retrieve a somewhat smaller, stitch and leather pack. From within THAT pack, she removed a relatively fair sized swathe of cloth. “Good sir, good sir, please. Take this and clean yourself up some, if you would like! I take it that your night has not been going well, no? And you, Takai! Please! Don’t leave me from the fun next time! I dare say we might be a terrifying duo for those who have no respect!”
She snarled out, smiling throughout her words.

She flipped a single coin to Takai, letting her expression soften before it became fierce and lively once again. A massive paw clapped the Snow Oni on the shoulder as the other offered him the ‘towel’. Her gaze slid towards the chained individuals, and as she spoke, she only hoped that her presence was enough to keep all eyes on her from this motley crew. “Now that’s something I’ve yet to see! Why are the two of you all chained up my dears? Would you like me to ah, break those links for you? Or is that what the good sir here was already offering to do? I was trying my hardest not to eavesdrop.”

Ginchyio's gaze lingered on Ro's face, searching it up and down before she let out an entertained laugh and started smiling wildly. "Hahaha, you're kidding me! Little River Ro?!" Still grinning, she looked the prefect in the eyes for a moment before whispering, "You do have his eyes, though."

"Your father is one of few Yune officers worth their salt," she spared a look to the two prefects on either side of Ro, "No offense." Suddenly in great spirits, Ginchiyo clapped a hand across the Vendor's back and barked out another laugh.

"Your dad made it seem like you were fresh out of Agoge, still a boy, but you're definitely of age to be looking for a bride..." The sentence trailed off thoughtfully as Ginchiyo rubbed her chin with her right hand. "...Er, anyways, you heard from the two guards that were here, and though I can't be held entirely responsible for being sent sailing into this man's wares, I'm not an unreasonable person."

She stood to pick up a splintered piece of what used to be the man's table and gave it a quick once over. "This looks like Huali wood," She gave the splintered wood a quick sniff before continuing. "Doesn't seem to be decorated or lacquered... I'll give the unlucky oaf," She paused to grab a pouch from her belt, "Three silver, for-" Her offer was cut short by a pale Ashura, in a dark yukata who had a man, "trying to kill her."

As the Ashura began to disappear into the crowds, Ginchiyo raised a questioning eyebrow and looked towards Prefect Ro, waiting for his reaction.

Prefect Ro searched Ginchiyo's face for a moment, his brown eyes meeting hers. "I'm- married to the job," He explained, displaying perhaps the most humanity he was capable of. Despite the officer's awkwardness his demeanour towards Lo-Muna and Ginchiyo seemed to shift. It was in small details: the way he lowered his parchment pad, or how he'd uncrossed his arms. Prefect Ro suddenly seemed less threatening. It was a warm summer night after all, and the smells and sounds of the festival beckoned for him to return.

Small footsteps clacked. The trio of prefects turned to see a goblin in sea-fairing wear approach. "If it helps I saw everything," The goblin spoke up.

"And?" The prefect asked.

They smiled at Ginchiyo and Lo-Muna before turning back to Ro, staring up with cat-like goblin green eyes. "The truth. Every word," They replied. "A game of mahjong with two shady characters. She won. The pair of sore losers caused a scene and threw her straight into this man's cart."

"And your name, miss?"

"Not a miss," The goblin corrected. "And it's Jensu. Captain Jensu."

"Well," Prefect Ro began, turning from the goblin captain to the vendor, the beast-man, and the wild-woman. "Seems cleared up to me."

Ginchiyo had begun to negotiate a small reparation fee to the man when screams cut through. The prefects turned to see an pale blue figure a head above the rest of the crowd, running toward the town square. Just then, a sound began to echo out from the gate. The village bell.

The street stopped dead at the sound, the festivities and merriment of the festival drawing to a close. And then came the panic. Ro frowned as suddenly the citizens of Poyo rushed down the street, pushing past the mini crime scene. "It's the village bell," One of the two teenage guards informed nervously as they began to run off with the crowd. "There’s some sort of trouble out there!"

“I knew this holiday was cursed!” The other guard screamed as he ran after his partner.

"Quickly!" A voice called through the crowd. Ro turned to see the town crier yelling out over the citizens. "A state of emergency has been issued! Everyone to the town centre!" He announced. “To the safety of the village square!”

"Altan! Huo!" Ro commanded his two lieutenants. The prefects snapped to attention. "Forward by my lead."
Ro turned to face Lo-Muna, Jensu, Ginchiyo and the racist. “Stay with us,” He said before hurrying forward down the street. The brass whistle that hung from his neck bounced at his step. His long green armour rattled. His hand held down a short-sword, and on his back a tower-shield swung with each step. Upon it's bronze ribs were the yunish characters for the raging rivers province and the word prefect. Poyo was a small village, and the handful of prefects in town were perhaps the only skilled lawman in miles.

Ro pushed passed a screaming crying citizen, making way for the four to follow toward the town-square. All the while the bell rang on…

***

Inside the Golden Peach Inn the bell was heard loud and clear. And it was though the mood of the tavern shifted all in one moment. Takai, Suiken, and Namari were suddenly struck by an onslaught of patrons rushing towards the exits en masse. They pushed and shoved as they did, nearly knocking Ren’s booth in.

A guard on the street outside stuck their head into one of the inn’s shoji curtains. He was breathing heavily. "Quickly! Poyo is in a state of emergency: everyone to the town square!" He called out to the inhabitants. “Trust me. You want to be as far from the walls as possible." With a heavy swallow he too ran off with the crowd of citizens toward the centre of town.

The waitress too hurried, avoiding the cook who leapt out from the kitchen and collided face first into Kaor’s side. The cook fell to the ground before Xanth and Kaor as the waitress making a swift exit.

***

As Yamato drunkenly approached the east gate to the village the bell began to ring from the walls above. The loose assemblage of guards atop the wall’s ramparts were running frantically. Even in his drunken state, the tengu knew something was wrong.

"Hey!" A guard called out to the ronin as he slid down a ladder and staggered to into a run. He was a young man, late teens, perhaps early twenties, covered in spots. And looking like he’d never before wielded the spear that was now gripped between his sweaty palms. "Something's happening... I, I think we're under attack." He blinked at Yamato, noticing his trio of blades. "You've got to get to the village centre. We could use your help... and the Mayor will pay anyone who helps!" The guard nodded at him and began to run with the rest of the populace, hoping he’d follow.

***

The bells were faintest on the village outskirts: farmlands outside the wall but inside the Poyo's radius. And through the fields were sparse families too ran. A single boy pelted down the dirt road toward the walls, ramming violently into Sunaraashi as he did, who’d wandered outside the festival grounds. The boy stood and backed up slowly, looking at the strange Sunen in fear. "…Are you going to eat me?" He whispered, his voice trembling.

***

Samyan and her two dolls had run from the scene of their crimes directly into the cobblestone laden village square. To Samyan’s surprise, she was not the only one running, as beside her crowds began to pour into the square in panic. Bells were ringing from the village walls.

Before her towered the town-hall tower, and standing before it was a figure of red-stone decked in ancient armour, holding out a banner high in the air. His face was expressionless, his body unmoving and built out of glistening red stone. It was a statue of a noble yunish man from ages passed, propped up in the centre of the square. The stature stared Samyan down as if to tell her she did not belong here, in the heart of Yunishness. And perhaps the gods were about to make her pay for her deceit.

***

Several streets over Yuwen strolled calmly as the people ran forward toward the distant town square. It was filling to the brim with the citizenry and visiting guests to the port village. A small smirk grew on his face: both because he knew how badass he looked walking calmly in the chaos, and two... because he caused this.

Lo-Muna looked to the raven haired woman as the people hurried around them, having no real reason to follow after Prefect Ro except his urging. Well, that and the possibility of danger coming to the people. As much as the rabbit woman saw this as a chance to escape, she couldn't turn away from the panicked faces all around them.

"In case I don't see you again, thanks for your help," Lo-Muna said to her rescuer with a slight bow of her head. She gave a small smile, and then, she was gone.

Even without using her chi, Lo-Muna was fast. She weaved through the crowds with ease and hopped over their heads when the throngs became too thick. Her powerful legs even allowed her to beat Prefect Ro, seeing him still running towards the square as she went on ahead. Whatever had the people panicked, the rabbit beastwoman would be the first to find out.

A slight frown grew across Ginchiyo's face as the bell tolled in the distance. She knew from experience that when people panic, they become little better than animals; gathering the entire village into the confines of the town square was going to result in mass chaos. At least a few people would be trampled to death before the prefects could establish order, an unfortunate fact of human society. As Ro started towards the square, flanked by Atlan and Huo, Ginchiyo turned towards the White Rabbit and gave her a soft smile.

"Don't mention it."

Ginchiyo stood there for a moment longer, looking in the direction the Rabbit had hopped away to; she might have followed after her, if she were fast enough. Instead she decided her best bet was to follow in Ro's wake. She hurried to catch up with him, shouldering past Huo to stand on Ro's left. This wasn't how she had intended to spend her night, but she had an opportunity to put Poyo in her debt and she wasn't going to simply waste it.

Turning to the goblin that had just put her neck on the line for seemingly no reason, Ginchiyo inquired, "So, Captain Jensu, is this a common occurrence on Emperor's Day?"

Panic had already begun to set in, people were stumbling about confused and terrified, merchants hurriedly trying to pack up their stalls and rush to somewhere safe. A little girl sat in the streets, holding a pinwheel in her clenched hand while desperately trying to lead her drunk father to safety. The father stumbled and tripped, while his daughter began to cry and tug even harder. Ginchiyo almost stopped to help her, but this was a Yune village, and reestablishing order currently took precedence. Saying a quick prayer to the Ancestors, she marched grimly on.

"No," Jensu replied before disappearing behind a pair of blue hakamas. The goblin emerged again, running forward beside Ginchiyo, their tiny legs moving at almost double the speed to keep up. "I grew up here," Jensu said, leaping onto an abandoned kart and then off it again onto the cobblestone. "The most action Poyo ever sees is when the river floods."

Captain Jensu looked up, over the tiled rooftops of Poyo. Atop the village wall fresh-faced guards ran along ramparts. Unarmoured and wielding only wooden spears. "My family lives in the foothills," Jensu explained as they ran, a grim look on their face. "Outside the walls."

Samyan stared up at the statue commemorating some nameless peasant soldier. What respectable people the Yunes were, to honor some long forgotten nobody. Even if this nobody seemed awfully rude and judgemental.

There were an awful lot of people crowding into the square around her. They seemed to be trying to keep their distance from her walking stick, but the more the square filled with bodies the harder that became, until they were desperately leaning back into their fellows to avoid the sharpened blade curving toward their faces. Samyan pondered this for a moment, wondering why they didn't just move away, then just sighed at the foolishness of humans and leapt into the air, landing on top of the crowd as they were pushed into the space she'd just occupied.

"Hey!"

"Ow!"

"Watch it!"

Samyan strolled leisurely on the heads and shoulders of Poyo as if she'd lived there her entire life, turning her head this way and that as she looked for a place to go with fewer people. She moved back toward the markets, against the flow of people until the throngs started to thin out. She began hopping to bridge the growing gaps between people, balancing like an acrobat on her rapidly shifting footholds, and when the spaces finally grew large enough she jumped several feet through the air, landing hard enough on a prefect in green armor to leave an imprint of her foot on his face and knock him nearly off balance. He was remarkably sturdy.

Samyan gave a knowing nod to the guard's raven haired lady companion, then stepped down toward the ground and headed off toward the walls, finding herself curious about what everyone was moving away from.

Ro rose, looking back at the massive figure who stepped on him, but the chaos of the crowd distracted again.

***

Yuwen turned back to Kaor and Xanth in the street. The lantern-light shined in his eyes. "Follow me... and everything will be alright," He said with a smile. "I promise." The man wore a chest-plate, and had a blade on his hip, but nothing else about him seemed particularly assuring. And yet, when he spoke to the two, for whatever reason, they believed him- or at least, they believed he believed himself.

The super mercenary combo began to follow Yuwen as he marched toward the square.

***

One finally step brought Ren atop the town-wall. Suiken climbed the ladder up after him, and when the snow-oni reached the top he was treated to quite a sight. Over the rooftops they could see the town-square, and almost all of Poyo stretching out around it. And beyond the bright streets was the country: the rivers, the hills, the forests. Calm. Peaceful. There was no sign of a threat.

In the dark path stretching out from town person ran, not towards the safety walls but away- into the darkness of the night. A single figure, with a body belonging to a goblin. "Attention all!" They could hear the distant, echoing voice of the mayor from the town-square as he got ready to address the crowd...

***

"Attention all!" He repeated. On a wooden stage built in front of the tall town-hall tower and beside the statue of shimmering stone Mayor Loy-Qui, a rat-faced man with no beast-man blood in him, watched over the square which was packed to it's fullest with over a thousand citizens and travellers summoned by the bells, the last ones now arriving at the edges of the crowd. The town had gone into a deadly silence, the bright lanterns that swung in the winds no longer as festive as they had seemed an hour earlier. Overwhelming all was the sound of bells from each of the village's five gates, ringing together in near perfect unison. The elderly yunish man glanced down at the scroll he held in his hands. After a moment he stepped forward, his silken purple robes the only thing clear from the farthest back of the crowd.

"Poyo is under attack!" He announced loudly. "At the twentieth hour... I received a report from the farthest northern outpost, saying an army of bandits was approaching... at least three-"

"That's not bad!" A feminine voice said from the crowd.

"-Hundred!" Gasps of shock and cries could be heard.

"Poyo has thirty-seven guards, as well as the twenty prefects in Commander Ro's unit... that is fifty odd men against... three-hundred," Loy-Qui explained awkwardly, trying to raise his fingers before realizing he did not have the required digits. "And so I am forced to declare a state of emergency! And forced to ask upon you, citizens of ability, citizens of our great Yune Empire, to step forward and defend our village against this threat! For what we have not in numbers... we have in gold: three-hundred gold coins to each man or woman of any race who steps forward to fight with us! Three-hundred for each bandit who threatens our home on this holiest of holidays!"

A silence went over the crowd as the numbers sank in, despair on the tongues of the people, most whispering where to hide or how to escape the town. "Would all willing step forward... and all unwilling or unable step back and find shelter and hiding," Loy-Qui stammered. "Find somewhere safe."

"Wait!" A voice called out as the crowd started shifting. All eyes turned to one figure as he pushed past the guards and leapt onto the stage. He stood tall with olive skin, striking green eyes, a determined face and glimmering armour beneath blue robes: a heroic image next to the cowering Loy-Qui, now almost in tears.

"I have information!" The man declared as he stepped forward dramatically on the stage. "I know! I KNOW! Where the banditos will attack!" The human, Yuwen Fortune, announced loudly over the crowd. "I just escaped their foul grasps... they've set up camp in the swamp, twenty minutes outside the north-gate, and are currently preparing their attack!" Yuwen nodded eagerly at the assembled citizens. "I will ambush them... and destroy them! I have done so before, and I will do it again!"

Yuwen looked over the crowd and he raised his finger to the sky. "I will save this town! But I cannot do it alone: listen carefully, for my next words are intended only for the most heroic of warriors." He reached back and pulled out a duo of ebony jians. He rose them above his head in a cross.

"Who among you is a brave enough hero to join me, Yuwen Fortune?!" He called, his voice echoing for a moment as it travelled across the square. Yuwen paused and watched, waiting for the willing to step forward and the rest, which he predicated to be around ninety-nine percent of the current crowd, to step back.

Prefect Ro glared at the man from the back of crowd. A frown grew on his face, the truth of the scenario sinking in...

Yuwen squinted at Sunaarashi across the lantern-lit square. He'd seen the man before, upon entering the village. "Then I will need your sword."

"A Sunen and a beast-man? We don't need to hire a bandit to fight bandits!" A bearded man screamed, his hands around his mouth like a cone.

"Then would you rather die?" Yuwen exclaimed. "Because you would not accept the help of a beast-man? Or a foreigner? Because you will not admit one can thieve and still do good?!"

The crowd quieted as Yuwen spoke. "Wise men ask for help when it is needed. I can stop these bandits, and save Poyo, but I know I can't do it alone," He admitted. Yuwen stood rose high, his gaze sweeping from the makeshift ambush team to the citizens behind them: heads becoming a blur as they lined into the distant streets. Almost every citizen of Poyo was here, as well as the visitors for the festival. The lantern light reflected off their faces, marked with fear. It reflected the mothers, and the children who clutched hands tearfully. It reflected off the guards: most of them barely seeing any combat at all. In reflected off the Mayor, the leader of this town, who had backed to the farthest edge of the stage.

"Poyo is not built for war..." Yuwen began quietly. "Your community is one of peace and happiness and these bandits have threatened that. And they've ruined Emperor day!" He clutched the hilt of his blades angrily. "And I swear to you! I swear: we will defeat them!"

"Wait!" A voice called. The crowd turned to see a man step up on the stage: Prefect Ro, weapon ready as he glared at Yuwen. "Ladies and gentlemen this man is a fraud," Ro said, his words met by gasps in the audience. Yuwen rose and eyebrow at the prefect and pointed at his own face in disbelief. Ro marched forward, pushing Yuwen back before taking his place at the centre of the stage.

"Yuwen Fortune is a liar and has ruined this festival for his own self-serving needs." Ro ripped the report out of Mayor Loy-Qui's hands and raised it high. "This is a fabricated report." Ro announced. A prefect rose another parchment in the air. "Sent via carrier hawk we've just received a message from the forest prefects. Bandit activity in the area is, and I quote, 'completely nominal.'" He threw the paper into the crowd that had grown more and more enraged. The report landed to grabbing hands. Ro turned to Yuwen grimly. "There are no bandits."

"Can you prove that?" Yuwen asked in response, defiance in his voice. "Bandits can be... very evasive." His hand lay on the hilt of his blades as the two men slowly began to circle each other on the stage.

"The prefects in the woods saw nothing," Ro spat. “You are a small, selfish man.”

"Maybe the bandits moved position!" Yuwen called, more to the audience and the soldiers he'd managed to recruit than to Ro. "Maybe they're attack the village! Maybe we have to go to the swamp and find the entrance to a secret tunnel! A tunnel that leads to the ancient cellar below Poyo! Doesn't- doesn't that sound fun!?"

Suddenly Yuwen heard iron footsteps on the wood of the stage. Large, armoured soldiers of the Prefecture were approaching, weapons ready. Yuwen turned from the soldiers down to the faces of those he hired, and the citizens beyond. Disgust, anger, and annoyance were the only expressions to be found.

"Look, I didn't lie!" He called out as the guards grabbed his arms. "There's something below this village, something worse men than me will try and get! Poyo isn't safe!"

"Please," Ro chuckled, stepping forward to the front of the stage. "I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt: Poyo is in no danger!"

Suddenly the statue beside the stage began to glow. Yuwen's eyes were consumed by light as the stone shone. And then, it blew apart by fire. A massive explosion rocked the stage, blasting everyone on it forward. A fiery piece of wood flung through Mayor Loy-Qui's back, impaling him to the stage as the crowd erupted in screams. Yuwen smashed into the cobblestone ground of the square, flaming pieces of wood zipping past him as deafening bangs roared from behind. He turned to see the town tower blowing apart, engulfed in a massive-fire ball expanding from within.

"Oh Sune!" He screamed, backing up slightly as the explosion blasted each layer of the hall apart, sending chunks and pieces scattering across town. A gargantuan piece of stone smashed apart the ground beside him as he limped forward toward a house.

"Formation!" Ro screamed in agony as he ripped his arm out from the large town emblem that had once decorated the tower, now a burning mass of molten metal which had crashed down upon the ruined stage. "Unit!" He screamed desperately through the fire and ash, searching for his men. A figure approached. "...Unit?" He whispered.

Wings expanded from the shadowy figure's form, and Ro raised his blade in horror. This was no soldier. He stabbed forward, a Tengu hand reaching out and grabbing the blade from him. The unarmed Ro dived as the Tengu proceeded to attack, flying out of the smoke and into the panicked square.

"Oh gods, not good!" Yuwen called as he pointed to the sky above. Descending from the mountain of smoke where the town tower once stood three dozen winged men, their red skin clear and their black robes fluttering violently in the winds. They wore opera masks, each one different, though even with concealed faces their race was clear.

"Tengu," Yuwen said as he turned from the approaching threat to the panicked citizens running for cover. "They were in the crowd! They were planning this!-" Before he had time to finish he was grabbed by the throat and smashed back into the cobblestone by a Tengu. One of many masked figures landing in the square. The figure who held Yuwen looked down at him. "Hello there Yuwen Fortune."