Chapter 10

  Our Reasons 1

  Roy and his bandits retreated and their ultimatum was made clear—much to the terror of everyone.

  Akira remained still for every second the bandits were in view. The moment they were all gone her old body breathed in relief as she stumbled over, though she was promptly caught by Darius who was close by. The Villagers were terrified and confused, no matter how much they tried to rationalize this event; they didn’t know why this had happened to them. They were injured, terrorized, furious, and all needed help.

  “Why did they start raiding us again, I thought the deal was to prevent that…”

  “Ray died and they blaming us?! They are insane!”

  “I didn’t even know he was dead! How can he think that?!”

  Ellyn looked around with a pale face. Seeing all the desperate people made her heart sank. She had failed to do anything about the bandit situation. What’s more, despite being able to knock out a bandit with a surprise attack on her way to the scene, she was unable to do anything but helplessly defend herself when that blade was swung at her. She couldn’t deny it. When pushed came to shove, she showed to be too much of a coward to do what she had to. As a result, she saw those that were her responsibility be hurt. In her hesitation and cowardice to act on her guilt, the situation took a turn for the worse. Now all of them had ten days before hell came for these innocent people.

  One more time, she saw herself as the root cause of the woes of these people.

  It was still early morning, and yet the villagers looked as exhausted as a miner in a long day of slave-driving labor. Unfortunately they had a great amount of work to do. A common practice the village had adopted to maintain order and coordination was to hold a meeting to primarily keep everyone informed. Casual events would see minimal attendance and only the involved would participate in these meeting, considering there were close to a thousand between women, men, children and the elderly, it was rare to see them all come together.

  Such was this meeting, however. Nearly every resident no matter how old or young was present that morning—so much so that only those who were under urgent medical care, aiding the injured or putting out the fires were absent. It was only natural, however, because of the sudden and traumatic events that had transpired, everyone wanted answers for their anxieties. Alan and his father distributed food to help ease the people’s visible woes. Due to the amount of people, the meeting was held outside at the village’s center to better accommodate everyone. Unfortunately, it also gave view of the destruction that had taken place near to the only wide entrance to their home alongside with all burning buildings and dead people—a sight that only worsened the mood.

  Marco and Maya stayed behind attending the gravely wounded. While they required their attention more than anyone at the moment, none of them were at risk of dying anymore. Darius and Olivia stood next to their respective parents at the reunion. All of them wore both stern and worried expressions. Not one wanted to talk about what the Wood Fang’s attack meant for the poor villagers. Ellyn and Rigel also attended, but as her adrenaline wore off. Her dislike for crowds took over. As such, she decided to stay in the back with Rigel. Close enough to still listen with clarity. Rigel preferred to stay at the back as well, since it gave him a comfortable space where they wouldn’t be bothered.

  Hundreds quickly gathered at the center of the entire village, clogging the streets with their numbers and whispering restless about their predicament while they waited their mayor, Akira, to speak as the old lady stood in between Randall and Minerva. In front of her, she was surrounded by a sea of faces asking “What are we going to do?”

  “...” She sighed, “The Bandits have once again attacked our home.”

  She spoke without hesitation. As soon as she finished, murmurs filled the air with worry and apprehension. Calling back for silence, Akira regained their attention and resumed her speech.

  “Though most of our wealth goes to them in accordance to their deal. The Wood Fang carried out the attack nonetheless.”

  The whispering became louder. Villagers that weren’t present at the attack were visibly confused, while those that saw a mixture of emotions that ranged from anger to despair on their faces. Darius, and Olivia both frowned upon hearing her speak. They knew why Roy had attacked, and they also knew deep down this was a prelude to a more terrible assault.

  “Why did they attack?”

  “Yeah! We give them all our money so that doesn’t happen.”

  “They are blaming us for Ray being dead.”

  “I was there too. Roy was babbling about us killing Ray.”

  “What?! That’s just insane! We have no reason to even try such a thing. How could we even do it?!”

  “Yeah, he just wants to take it out on us, that bastard.”

  The villagers erupted as their speculation grew more and more panicked, which prompted Darius and the other men to call for order.

  Rigel clicked his tongue, “Tsk. I already don’t like where this is going.”

  Ellyn simply remained still at the expectation of what would happen next. After the crowd settled. Akira continued,“...The reason for this unexpected event is; Roy indeed blames us for his brother’s death six months ago. We denied their accusations, but it seems he will not listen to dialogue.”

  Seeing the villager’s faces turn pale at every word made her feel guilty in return, she had nothing to reassure them or ease their pain. Trying to soften the blow with the guard’s defense would only shine unwanted light on the people that did die or are in risk of dying. Nevertheless, she must continue, “Roy had given us an ultimatum: Bring him the direct responsible for Ray’s death within ten days, or he will bring the entire Wood Fang to us.”

  The chatter exploded in full-blown panic. Everyone spoke at the same time as the fearful and the enraged met in the middle of the range of reactions. Yet who could blame them, when met announcement that their lives, the lives of their loved ones, everything they know, now has a fixed time limit on the hands of a maniac who will stop at nothing until their blood taints the green hills red, how can they not be terrified? The worst case scenario manifested itself and there was nothing they could do to stop the incoming onslaught.

  “W-what?! How are we supposed to do that?!”

  “He didn’t find out in half a year and he wants us to figure it out?! You gotta be shitting me!”

  “There’s no way we can do that. For starters why do we have to comply? He broke the deal so the only thing we should give him is a ticket straight to hell!”

  “Yeah, we should beat the shit out of him!”

  “With what weapons?! The gardening and fishing tools? His archers will kill us all before we even get out of our house!

  “Dear, maybe you should leave...”

  “But how? The exits to the outside are guarded by Wood Fang. They'll notice all the people leaving on foot or cart and hunt us down...”

  “What about the fisherman’s boat? We could use those.”

  “Idiot! It only can hold less than twenty people and that’s pushing it. We won’t make it!”

  Darius bit his lip in frustration. Listening to the words of the villager made him realize that they weren’t many options for them to flee. By ground was a no go, the only way out was crossing The Pillars, the great mountains that served as entry to this chunk of the kingdom. By sea, they ran the risk of damaging their only fishing ships, and it wasn’t like it could fit more than fifteen people at once anyway. Even in the miraculous scenario all of them managed to land on the other side at the feet of the neighboring country. Roy would certainly notice such a massive displacement of people. Then mobilize his forces to massacre them on the outskirts.

  In other words-

  “We are... We are trapped.” He thought.

  Rats in a cage, with no way to escape aside from... His gaze turned towards the crowd, and all the way to the back, two known faces stood out.

  The thought crossed his mind. All that Roy wanted was the culprit. And he made clear that he would get it one way or the other.

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  So, if he were to...

  He immediately shook his head.

  No, perish the thought. No way would he give them what they want. Beyond it being simply wrong, there was no guarantee they would keep their word. He knew from experience that they were the kind to take more than they were meant to. He had seen it many times and knew what kind of men they were dealing with.

  But then again... What were they supposed to do, then?

  Seeing how restless the crowd had gone, Akira called for a break. Ordering to eat, rest, and look after their injured loved ones. They will resume a few hours later. She, however, remained in the same spot after everyone dispersed. Then, she walked directly towards the site of the attack. Setting sight on the burned homes, passing by the building that held the injured, and the weeping families with their dead, as well as the rubble that still laid everywhere sent an eerie sensation through her old skin. It was the sight that used to plague her nightmares, now manifested in the real world.

  Despite the number of damaged buildings was minimal compared to the size of the Village, probably due to how small the force was, it did not matter. She knew it. This was only their way of giving a warning.

  In ten days, this place would see what they are truly capable of. And a long forgotten nightmare would be brought back fresh for everyone’s horror. It sank deep into her very being, a depressing sense of frustration and sorrow. Akira, in her foolish hope, truly believed in her dearest daughter’s last wish. The whole reason she agreed to work with Marco.

  That day, the air blew without any of its usual warmth, just as it did the day she lost her daughter.

  Akira walked through the affected area until it was time to resume the meeting.

  It was unusually quiet for this time of day. Normally, there would be people outside making a living, kids studying under Minerva’s guidance, that young man Darius pushing the guards...

  Maybe it was too much to ask.

  As she walked, her eyes caught a peculiar someone who stared at the wreckage; a girl with long raven hair in a white and green blouse, black gloves, beige pants, and boots. Had she not known her, she would have assumed her as yet another girl of her village. If only. She had missed the opportunity when Roy was here, but now another one had presented itself… Surprisingly, she was separated from her usual guardians. The girl Marco was fixated above all else; Ellyn.

  “Good morning, young girl. I believe this is our first time speaking directly, is it not?”

  Her voice came from behind. The sudden breaking of the silence, made the girl uncannily turn with wide-open eyes like a startled animal.

  “You must be the girl Marco had taken care of for the past months, correct?”

  “You know him…?”

  “I am the mayor of this Village. My name is Akira, it is a pleasure to meet you.” She said in a distant voice.

  Ellyn grew tense as sweat poured from her forehead. She could tell, despite her old age, she maintained a tall and imposing presence that made her ‘instincts’ wary of her every move. It made talking to her all the more difficult.

  “I’m Ellyn. Ellyn Kilde... N-nice to meet you. Akira -ahm... Miss Akiraaa...”

  She tilted her head, “...? Ah. Akira Sone, but please, just call me Akira.”

  “I see. Then, Akira. Pleasure to meet you.”

  Akira saw her meek reactions and behavior with slight confusion. It made her wonder how come this was the girl that caused all this trouble. At first glance, she looked like a lost child in desperate need of being told what to do, where to go and how to do it. Not the impression she had in mind after all that had happened. A fiercesome capable of tearing apart a grown Wood Fang member with overwhelming strength.

  “Would you like to go with me for a walk? I wish to ask you a few questions.”

  Ellyn hesitated, but after a pause, she silently nodded. This was her opportunity to confirm important information—She wouldn’t let it pass.

  The two of them walked in silence. They watched over the burned homes that Wood Fang arrows set alight. Not a single soul besides them was present at that moment. Akira took modest pride in her ability to read people and take control of conversations in order to either get what she wanted or help those that she looked after. That was how she became Mayor. She observed carefully the girl as they walked. Ellyn’s body language told her she was the silent type. The kind that may be reserved to its own detriment, which meant she would only speak in any meaningful substance to whomever she decided to trust.

  In other words, it will take her more than one opportunity to crack her shell. However, there might have something she can offer in exchange to speed up the process...

  “Uhm... Say...” Ellyn opened, much to Akira’s surprise.

  “... Oh?”

  “Since when... Have the bandits been here?”

  Akira raised an eyebrow. It surprised her how straight to the point she opened their conversation. But it served her purpose well. Keeping her face straight, the old lady sighed, recalling unpleasant memories that plagued her and all of her people.

  “That’s hard to say. Maybe as early as the first years of The Father’s Famine that most of the current bandit groups formed. Though only a few survived, they swelled in number into what they are today by devouring each other until only one was really left standing in any meaningful matter. That would be... over a decade ago.”

  “That long... Has the village maintained their relationship with them for that many years?”

  She slowed her pace, and then stopped. Ellyn tilted her head as if to ask what was wrong.

  She closed her eyes for a brief moment, “No, the Wood Fang raided us like any other group did to any other settlement back then. We had a deal about five years ago, perhaps a little more.”

  “Five years…”

  “The Father’s Famine had struck everyone equally and so, crime out of desperation became common. The Kingdom of Vigram went bankrupt and the only thing to do was to flee. At least, that’s how it worked for the other cities and towns.”

  “And the village was the target of that desperation?”

  The old lady lightly shook her head, “Not quite. You probably are familiar already with The Pillars, the tall and wide landmarks of the region that loom over us even from far away.”

  Ellyn nodded.

  “The landscape is distributed so that they create these gateways, as one may call them, that lead to this entire portion of the land. When Vigram was collapsing, the criminals all gathered here on these grasslands. The landscape already favored them to hide in the mountains from the army. But with things as they were, it helped them become a force that couldn’t be wiped out.”

  “And the village...”

  “Had the terrible luck to be built-in the place that would become ‘The Bandit Lands’ among the people.” She lamented.

  “Something so awful. And you couldn’t ask for help in such a state…”

  “That’s not quite right either, my girl. This wasn’t the only village in this region. In fact, we were the ones helping, so to speak.”

  Ellyn’s eye widened. Akira took a deep breath as she explained further. Her composed demeanor remained as ever during the exchange: The region hosted a great deal of fledglings villages and farms all did as they were supposed to, even spite of the bandit attacks on roads or even the settlements themselves. However, when the famine struck, more and more people found themselves in truly dire situations and in combination with the bandit menace, it reached a breaking point. Villages began migrating and farms were abandoned, the people flocked to one singular spot in the hopes of being safe—The village Ellyn now set foot on. This, was among the main reasons of the current population of the village but also the seemingly isolated nature of the same. All other neighbors were wiped out by the beasts in the skin of men.

  “I... did not know...” Ellyn clenched her fist as she cursed herself for putting the village in this situation once more.

  Silence had fallen upon them as they kept walking through the wreckage of burnt buildings and lost families, as all the fires had been put out, everyone was focused on treating the injured and preparing the dead for burial. This left the two of them alone with only themselves, their own thoughts and the sight of tragedy that surrounded them.

  Still, Akira redirected her attention back to Ellyn and asked: “May I ask something?”

  “Eh? Ah...” Ellyn said while blinking several times before replying, “Sure, please do.”

  Akira smiled and nodded gracefully in reply. Then, her expression darkened: “What happened exactly between you and Ray?”

  Ellyn’s legs stop moving. Despite how unprepared she felt about discussing anything with her. She knew that she had to address that topic in particular no matter what. As such, she had to recall what was possibly the must unpleasant memory of her life...

  “... That night. My uncle and I came from the outside after running away.”

  “May I ask from ‘what’?”

  “My uncle made money from cheap scams in order to feed us both. When we arrived here, at Vigram, he had another scheme going with a local, but he crossed us. While I was poisoned, we managed to escape. Our plan was to spend the night somewhere and then head to the next city. Exhausted, we bought on a small carriage in search of a place to stay.”

  Akira silently listened to every word and carefully considered each one of them. On her part, Ellyn felt as if her body was boiling as the curse inside her reacted poorly to such stress. It was undoubtedly one of the most uncomfortable things she had done, but there was no other option but to continue. She owned her as much and she was determined to give it all and more.

  “We ended up finding this place and decided to look for somewhere to stay the night.”

  Akira let no emotion be displayed in her face, she merely kept listening.

  “The bandits at the inn were all drinking and staring at us from head to toe. After a while, that man... Ray.” She clenched her fist, “He gave the order to take all of my uncle’s money and then demanded more. They hurt him. Stabbed him. Then I...”

  “You killed them. To protect your uncle, the con artist?” She said.

  “He is the last family I got!” She snapped.

  “... No, he was the last family I had. I was exhausted. Sick and scared. I gave in to what my uncle always warned me about and killed those two bandits, and let it all spiral out of control after that.” Ellyn looked down as she clenched her fist and gritted her teeth in frustration.

  “...” Akira felt silent, reaching a hand towards the girl in sign of apology for her inappropriate remark. Such displays were shameful for a woman of her age and she deeply understood that.

  Ellyn seemingly understood the meaning behind her action, as she herself calmed down, breathing in an out before continuing: “I really wanted to protect the last of my family... But instead, I just...”

  “He ended up passing too.”

  Ellyn nodded in reply.

  “I already knew most of the general events from that no-good doctor. But I’m glad I took the time to hear your words before taking action.”

  Ellyn turned to her in surprise, “Marco...? What does he-?”

  “Tell me, girl.” The old woman proudly spoke, “Would you be willing to help me save my people?”

  Ellyn’s eyes widened in surprise upon hearing her. Without hesitation, she nodded immediately after.

  “Good.” She smiled, “Then come meet me after the emergency meeting, at my house. We have much to discuss.”

  With that, Akira left her behind among the rubble. The people had begun to reassemble again to resume the meeting. Ellyn wanted to ask one last thing, however, she opted for letting her be. She could ask her later today. For now, Ellyn walked back to reunite with her acquaintances.

  She had much to tell them.