Through the Eyes of the Dragon

Chapter 31

Chapter 31 - Dragon and Lion

Tracing his steps back to where they had been ambushed, Daichi knelt, torch in hand, to scan the ground for signs of where his other two group members could have gone. There was a puddle of dried blood... but something told him that it was Taka’s based upon its location. A few droplets could be seen here and there to suggest an injury of some kind... but that was it. If he were to rescue his companions... he would have to infiltrate the Saika stronghold.

Scowling at this fact, the former mercenary whirled to face the path in which he came, debating his options carefully. It was true that he could trick some of his former colleagues into believing that he was still one of them... but telling from what his fake-father said earlier, Magoroku had managed to consolidate a great deal of power by allying with the Oda. Hence, if he planned to fight back... he would have to weaken the mercenary’s hold on the kingdom.

Cursing under his breath, he veered sharply left, power walking his way west. As much as he hated the idea of just letting the wretch go, his more intuitive side warned him that, should he follow his impulses and challenge his fake-brother directly, that nothing good would come out of it other than his potential death.

Sighing deeply in his aggravation, he took another sharp turn, the next tunnel being slanted slightly as to lead to the surface. Kicking down the steel panel at the very end, Daichi briefly checked his surroundings before ducking into the cover of a dusty peasant’s home, pressing himself up against the wall to avoid being seen by a troop of mercenaries.

Some shouted as they noticed the open panel, running over to investigate. Reaching for his gun, Daichi slowly replaced his current bullets with some duller ones, intending on injuring the troop as to allow him more time to make his way north towards the capitol. If he was lucky, Ishida Mitsunari would be confined at its center... And if he wasn’t, the man would be off in Azuchi, and he’d be left to deal with a building full of trigger happy mercenaries.

Such a risk seemed unwise as well. After snagging some stale bread and a horse from some household, he charged off towards one of the lesser lord’s mansions, head kept low in case he were to be spotted and fired upon. Though, luckily for him the sun had begun to set, casting a long, dark shadow over him as he breezed through various villages, keeping close to the shades of the residences.

Alas, as the last fading rays of sunlight disappeared behind the sandy peaks of Ignis’s mountains, Daichi dismounted and slid his way towards the back of the luxury home, a wad of bread stuffed in his mouth to provide him with some energy. He couldn’t quite remember the last time he ate so… some carbs couldn’t hurt.

Taking in a deep breath as he gazed up at the lord’s open window, the ex-mercenary carefully clambered his way up, praying to whatever gods that were watching him to keep him safe as he went. All he needed to do was get up there, interrogate the lesser lord about Ishida, and then get the hell out of there... Sure, he’d have a wave of soldiers and mercs flowing after him, but at least he could make a confident one-way trip to the capitol.

“Alleyoop,” Daichi grunted as he swung himself in through the window and landed in the room with a dull thud, hence giving the poor pudgy man inside a heart attack and alarming his mistresses. As he rose to observe the room, the lesser lord and his women began to run about in a flustered matter, the girls screaming their heads off and running to the door, and the lord screaming unintelligible things at him.

“A-a thief!” the lesser lord yelled, running to grab his rapier and clumsily drawing it from his sheathe. His appearance was shabby, his features hardly groomed despite his sophisticated status. It was despicable to look at, really.

Raising his hands to about shoulder level, Daichi lowered his eyes slightly and sighed, not very amused by the display. He could kind of see why Taka always spurted on and on about how the nobility in Ignis were no better than selfish swine. “I’m not here for any trouble, señior. I just want to ask about the Leader...,” he murmured, dark amber gaze locked on the blade’s tip carefully. Though the lesser lord seemed very unbalanced with his weapon, he would have to be cautious around it regardless... sometimes the clumsiest of foes were the most deadly.