LORE: The Song of the Ronin & the Beast (Part 2/3)

Part 2

Quidy tried to make the best of his situation on the wild islands. He tried to settle into routine and he tried to make nice with the villagers, but he couldn’t help but feel alone and isolated. Rarely did ships make trips between the wild islands and the archipelago and even when they did, communication was rare. It was clear that the Lady Oyster had forgotten about him, since no matter how much he wrote her, she never wrote him back.

He had arrived on the wild islands just before winter set in and Quidy found it much worse than the winters at Tokugunnel Castle. Not to mention when he was huddled around the fire he didn’t have anyone to share stories with, which had always been an enjoyable experience at the castle. Eventually he couldn’t take the quiet any longer and fashioned himself a hefty coat (the locals showed him how) and he began to regularly venture out beyond the village in the snow. It was freezing, but at least it wasn’t as monotonous as sitting in his house, counting the tributes from the villagers.

It was on one of these walks that Quidy came upon a temple deep in the woods. It seemed ancient, with weatherworn wood and a large carving of a boar god standing guard at the front. Quidy would have assumed that the temple had long been abandoned if it wasn’t for the clear footprints in the snow out front.

Curious, the following day Quidy set out again, wanting to know who was visiting this temple. Again he arrived and found fresh footprints. They were erratic and scuffed, like they’d been moving swiftly in circular patterns. Eager for anything to take his mind off his situation, Quidy camped out in the temple, waiting for the mysterious visitor to show up.

He awoke the following morning to a sound outside. He peeked out and saw the strangest sight: it was the boy with the orange glasses. And he was swinging a sword around wildly. It took Quidy a moment to realize the boy was ‘practicing’ with the sword, but he was utterly hopeless. He was holding the sword wrong, getting off balance and every once and awhile he would accidentally cut himself. It was a particularly strange sight because it didn’t seem like anyone in the village had any weapons. In fact the sword the boy was training with looked ancient, like it could break at any moment.

The boy ran as soon as Quidy stepped out of the temple, but the following morning Quidy was there again, this time with his sword, practicing. He quickly noticed the boy, at the edge of the temple, mimicking his movements. And thus the rest of the winter passed, with Quidy slowly showing the boy how to use a sword and the boy slowly becoming friendly to Quidy (although he still rarely spoke).

The winter had been particularly bad on the village and their tributes quickly dried up, with them only being able to forage enough to barely feed themselves. Quidy did what he could, sharing his own food with them when he was able, but it wasn’t enough. When the tribute ships arrived in the spring, Quidy presented them with only a letter, addressed to the Admiral Shogun, explaining the situation and that they would have more tributes to share once the summer months came around. The tribute ship left, dubious about Quidy’s attempt at fairness, but it left behind something quite curious.

Hidden within a barrel that had been delivered was a small package. Quidy opened it to discover a whole stack of letters. The top letter was from Lady Oyster, revealing that the Admiral Shogun had cut off all non-official communication to the wild islands and so none of her letters had gone through. She’d kept all of the letters Quidy’s parents had sent him and snuck them into a barrel in the hopes that he would find it. Feeling rejuvenated from hearing from both Lady Oyster and his parents once again, he wrote his own letters, eager for the next tribute boat to arrive.

And arrive they did… much earlier than expected too. The whole village turned out to greet the incoming ships. But there were a lot more ships than normal for a tribute envoy. And everyone, including Quidy, was quite shocked when the Admiral Shogun himself came ashore.

The Admiral Shogun demanded the tribute he was denied during the winter months, but Quidy explained there was nothing left in the village. The Admiral Shogun wanted to be certain and sent an army into the village, breaking down doors, turning everything upside down and torching whatever wasn't useful. Quidy tried to stop it, but the Admiral Shogun refused to listen, seemingly enjoying the chaos.

To make matters worse, Quidy spotted the boy with the orange glasses at the far side of town. He must have been training at the temple and wondered where Quidy was. The boy had his old sword. The destruction of the village reflected in his glasses.

Quidy tried to intervene, but the boy was too quick, launching himself at the Admiral Shogun. The Admiral easily overpowered the whelp, but the young boy kept fighting and fighting. The final blow from the Admiral Shogun sent the boy sprawling. Quidy picked up his own sword… but couldn’t bring himself to stand up to the master he’d been sworn to protect.

The Admiral Shogun’s men took Quidy away, back onto one of his ships and back towards the archipelago. As Quidy stood on the deck of the ship, the last thing he saw, amidst the flames of the village, was the young boy’s motionless body at the foot of a boar god statue.