KENSHI
The three of us sat in silence as we watched the boy devour the extra fish we cooked. Tanshiro munched and nibbled on the fish as if it were his first food after who-knows-when of being starved. He resembled a rabid, hungry predator that finally caught its prey after so many tries of hunting it. He was so hungry that he finished his food in less than five minutes. Nothing was left except for the bones and the stick that was used to hold them.
I caught from the corner of my eye that Shino left but returned instantly, holding a cup which, I guessed, was filled with water. She brought it to Tanshiro, and when the boy noticed her approach, she handed it to him. Tanshiro humbly received the cup brimming with water and took a few large gulps of its contents.
Tanshiro let out a sigh of satisfaction followed by a clamorous burp. He looked at us with shame plastered on his face as he excused himself for letting out such a noise. Now that he was done eating, let's get with the interrogation.
And Shino raced me to it, "What happened to you, young lad? Are you lost?"
The boy looked at Shino, but before answering, he placed the empty cup beside him and returned his gaze to the person who raised the question. Tanshiro nodded. "I got lost after escaping and running away from the bandits just like what Mama and Papa told me."
"Where are they? Your parents?" I asked.
"Back in the village," he answered, and immediately, my brows furrowed. "While being held hostage by the same bandits who were chasing me."
Shino, Kana, and I shared a concerned look.
"What do you mean?" Kana inquired.
"Two days ago, a group of bandits invaded our village to use it as their base," Tanshiro started. "They promise that no one will get hurt as long as everyone is willing to comply. We, the villagers, are tasked to do labor while they eat, sleep, and have fun. Of course, we, kids, are no exceptions. But our bodies are too frail to do the task, especially with little to no food and water. We are basically slaves in their eyes. Fighting them is not an option as well because aside from being a commoner, none of us knows how to fight. So, we have no choice but to let things be. Until one day, Mama and Papa planned to have me escape to ask for help."
Tanshiro lowered his head and clenched both his hands into fists. Telling all this was certainly hard for him, but we had to know. With his condition, we just had to know.
"Mama and Papa used themselves as a diversion so that I could escape, but someone saw me and started chasing me. I ran so hard and fast until they were no longer behind me. I hid nearby and waited for people like you."
Tanshiro looked at us with brows touching each other. His face showed determination and willpower.
"You are adventurers, right? I beg of you! Please, save our village!"
The three of us, again, looked at each other, and I could vividly see the heightened face of concern and worry of the two for Tanshiro and his village. I was sure the thought of helping this boy had already crossed the minds of these two, but we couldn't just help someone without thinking it through. Besides, I still needed some details.
"Where is your village located again?"
"It's in the Imder Forest, sir."
Interesting.
"Imder Forest? If my memory serves me right, there's no village in that forest," Shino pointed out.
"She was right," I agreed. "Although the forest is not notorious for wild creatures and corrupted beings, unlike the Amber Forest, no one would dare to build a civilization in there."
"Our village was recently established due to some particular reasons, and it is indeed true that no one would dare to start a village there, that's why the village was established. No one would disturb us."
"And yet, the bandits came," Kana chimed in a sad tone.
"So, please, help us," Tanshiro begged for the second time.
It was Shino who spoke, "You see, we are traveling to Aste City to help our friend back home, and it should be done as soon as possible. As much as we want to help you, our hands are full right now. Right, Kenshi?"
"So, you're not going to help me?" Tanshiro concluded. He dropped his head, while the three of us, for the third time, looked at each other again.
"How about you have some rest while we think about it?" I replied, and in an instant, the boy looked at me with eyes glimmering with hope. I bet he was waiting for those words to come out of my mouth. "I never said we'll help you yet."
"Thank you so much, sir!"
***
"I didn't expect you to say something like that, Kenshi, after you told us about helping Daku as our top priority," Shino commented with a smirk. "But thank you."
My forehead creased. "For what?"
"For reconsidering," Shino replied. "Because I really want to help him."
"You should've said that instead earlier."
"I was about to, but then I remembered how you looked when you told us about helping Daku. You said it as if your life depended on it. And that if you fail it, you'll never gonna forgive yourself. I don't want to ruin the momentum that we have right now, that's why I said the opposite of what my heart really wants."
"You may be right about what you said on the first three lines, but I also know that if Daku were here, he wouldn't hesitate to help this child. Let's just say I'm doing something good, so that the moment when Daku regained his old self, I have something good to share with him." I looked at the boy who was resting soundly, with his back against us. "How about you, Kana? Are you fine helping this boy?"
"As an orphan, I don't want him to experience what happened to me," Kana said without batting an eye. Shino instantly placed her hand on Kana's back and caressed it as a form of giving comfort. After hearing those words, I was reminded of the time when Miss Hanaka lost her life in front of her child. It was one of the memories that I wanted to forget.
But tonight was not the time to feel melancholic, so I brushed the thought off my head and said, "Then, I'll take that as a yes."
"Thank you, both of you," Shino gratified.
"Too early to say that, Shino. But anyway, we are lucky that Imder Forest can be accessed using the main road to Aste City, so it wouldn't be that much of a detour. Let's just hope that the village is not in the very heart of the forest. You two should get your rest."
"You should rest too, Mister Kenshi. You've been guarding us since day one. You have to sleep as well."
"Kana is right, Kenshi. It's already our third day. Let me be the lookout tonight."
They were right. I hadn't slept for three days now, and it was not only because of my role in the team as the protector but also because whenever I closed my eyes, an image of Daku would appear in my head. And the thought of him not being in his usual self was enough for my mind to think of several ways to bring him back to normal. So, as much as I wanted to do what these two were asking me, it would be useless.
"Thanks for the concerns, but I'm fine. Besides, with the side quest we have right now, I doubt I could sleep without thinking of a strategy."
Shino and Kana looked at each other before heaving a defeated sigh.
"We'll let it slide tonight, but tomorrow, we'll be the lookout. No buts. No excuses," Kana demanded.
"But-"
"We won't sleep tonight unless you promise!" Kana bargained with arms crossed. "And I know you don't want that, knowing that we have a village to save. You said it yourself, we have to be in our best condition just in case something bad is about to happen."
"What she said!" Shino agreed, imitating Kana's pose.
I wanted to resist, but their gazes intimidated me. The two stared at me, and as someone who was always avoiding attention, it was making me uncomfortable. And there was only one way to make them stop.
So this time, it was me who sighed defeatedly, "Fine."
"Good," Kana mumbled.
The two left and went to their resting spot while I put out the fire to avoid getting the attention of unwanted visitors. Then, I climbed the nearest tree and rested on one of its branches. When all I could hear were the sounds of the night, thoughts came rushing through my mind, igniting questions one after another. Just like it always does.
But if there was one thing that interests me the most now, it was the boy who was with us tonight.
Tanshiro, you'd better be telling the truth.