Tatsuya was snapped from his thoughts by a knock on his room door, and wondering if it was either of the twins seeking forgiveness for Finn’s reaction or Sif with his breakfast, he took a moment to regain his composure, clearing his throat and smoothing down his clothes. If it was the former, or even the latter for that matter, there was no need to appear unsettled.
Like the morning breeze, he was crisp.
Then, he stood up from the bed and made for the door, opening it to a tall, cloaked ?gure standing on the other side.
“May I help you?” he asked, unsure of what to make of the stranger, and it was only the sounds of laughter and chatter down in the main hall that prevented him from immediately going on the offence.
The ?gure pushed back the hood of the cloak, revealing a familiar face, Jao, and a lot of questions crossed Tatauya’s mind upon the revelation—with if this was about his eavesdropping being the most pertinent of the bunch.
“Sorry to bother you,” the man replied, “but I need to talk to you in private, and as you can probably hear, there are guests roaming the inn. I can't take the risk of any of them recognizing me.”
“What about?” Tatsuya asked, still feeling wary. Jao’s eyes were intense, and they seemed to be searching his face for something.
The man stepped closer. “It's about your training.”
Tatsuya’s eyes widened in surprise, his wariness instantly replaced by happiness, and he quickly stepped aside to let the man in, closing the door behind him. Tatsuya sat on the edge of his bed, almost eager, while Jao sat in the lone chair across from him.
“I've already talked with the others, and they have agreed to also be involved, especially Leia. It's been a while since we had a new member, and the thought of training you—and learning, in turn, from you—is, admittedly, exciting. More so, since you promised to help us ful?l our goal.” The man’s tone mirrored Tatsuya’s expression in the beginning as he spoke, slowly growing serious. “But we can't yet.”
Tatsuya frowned. “Why?”
Jao visibly hesitated before replying. “The raider’s attack was an unforeseen complication, and it has severely impacted our plans. We were only meant to stay here for a night, at most, but now, we have to remain here until we amass enough cowry shells to fund our journey—which we really shouldn't do.” The man paused to gather his breath. “Regardless of our precautions, we are bound to slip up at least once, and once is enough. If any of the Lords hear that Bran allowed us to stay in his inn, there would be signi?cant collateral damage in the ensuing con?ict. We need money, and we need it quickly.”
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Though Tatsuya understood the gravity of the situation—after all, he had thought of the possibility only minutes earlier—he didn’t know how he was meant to help and asked as much.
However, before Jao could respond, a realisation ?ashed in his mind’s eye. “You want me to go on a quest.”
A shaky nod. “Something like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Elmwood’s different as you have to be legally authorised before you can go for a quest, and they tend to have a better reward than those done under the table,” the man replied, “but we can't afford to waste time on an of?cial quest.”
Tatsuya’s brows scrunched in confusion. “I thought those had better rewards.”
“They do—can I explain myself,” Jao said. “You keep jumping to conclusions.”
“Right, sorry for that.”
The man sighed heavily, slumping into his seat. “Thank you.” His voice had softened. “I won't get into much detail now because Zoel usually helps me with the plans, but what I can tell you now is that you would be breaking into the village hall. You are the best suited for it, and we don't want anyone connecting you to us as such would risk the villagers’ safety.”
Tatsuya’s jaw couldn't have dropped any lower, even if he tried. “What? Do you guys do that whenever you come to Elmwood?”
Jao shook his head, laughing softly. “We have someone that goes on of?cial quests for us while we stay a mile or so from the village, but he isn't around.”
Even as pieces of the puzzle fell into place in his mind—there was no doubt the ‘he’ in question was Leo and his disappearance had to do with the so-called Legend—and his curiosity piqued, he dared not pursue that line of thought. It really wasn't his business; it had nothing to do with his goal, and despite the insistent need to ?nd out what the Legend was, Tatsuya took a deep breath and, instead, considered the man’s words.
There was no doubt that he was going to help them; although thievery could be dangerous, potentially even deadly, they both knew that the conversation was more of a formality at this point than a necessity. He needed that training, and after his ordeals, it was obvious to anyone that he was committed to seeing his goal through to the end, no matter the cost—but that didn't mean he couldn't be cautious. He had to know what to expect to better prepare for the unexpected when it eventually occurred.
Tatsuya clapped his hands once, sharply. “What about the village militia? If they get involved, things will be dicey.”
“Don’t worry; we will deal with that. You just have to focus on completing the quest.”
“Okay, and after that, what's next? Are we still going to the capital?”
“Yes,” Jao said. “Let's just say there's more of a reason for us to go there, but we were planning to regardless—and don’t worry, you will be trained on the way.”
That was good enough for him, but one thing remained:
“What else can you tell me about the quest?”
Jao’s words came out in a rush as he voiced the few pieces of information he could; details on the village leader, their movements, weakness, connections to the Lords—and Tatsuya listened intently, processing every detail, weighing the risks and rewards of each potential course of action.
Once the man ?nished, he stood. “As I said earlier, I'll be back with Zoel, and we will discuss plans.” He smiled, and it only seemed to emphasise the tired lines on his face. “See you after breakfast.”
Tatsuya nodded, watching the man quickly leave the room before standing and walking over to the window, his eyes ?nding the twins below, pillars of earth moving ?uidly around their forms.
He was afraid, not about the quest—he was strong and had the skills and knowledge needed to accomplish it—but for them. He didn't know how his actions would affect their life, didn't know if they would suffer because of it, and yet, he couldn't say no to Jao. He needed the Wind Blades’ help, and it sucked that he would have to jeopardise the people of Elmwood to get it. It sucked that, once again, he wouldn't stop and play hero, stop the impending massacre before it even occurred, but he already knew he was a hypocrite.
One moment, he could talk crap about the state of the world and how it affected the children, and the next, he was directly contributing to the death and destruction.
It sucked, it truly did, but all he could do—all he would do—was to keep moving forward; he would stay focused, stay committed, and, regardless of the distractions that came his way, never give up on ful?lling his promise, his life’s sole purpose.
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