"When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die."
— Cersei Lannister
--
Otis stepped out to check on the merchant's room.
Or what used to be a room.
The door was shattered. The frame warped. One wall looked like it had been punched inward by something that genuinely hated architecture.
Otis crouched, running his fingers along the jagged edge of the destroyed window.
"…Looks like Yuki came in from here," he muttered. Then his expression darkened. "So they came after them."
He straightened and headed back to his room.
Yuki was still curled up where he had left her.
Otis rubbed his face slowly.
"…Yuki."
One eye opened.
Then the other.
She lifted her head and looked at him.
Otis pointed toward the ruined room down the hall. "You want to explain that?"
Yuki yawned once, then began to tell him everything... The attack. The shinobi. The blood.
Otis listened without interrupting.
When she finished, he asked
"Where are they now?"
Yuki groaned like an offended mountain, pushed herself up, and lumbered toward the hallway.
Otis sighed and followed.
Down the corridor, the atmosphere had changed.
The room was guarded now. Six hired samurai stood alert outside, hands resting on their swords, posture tense but disciplined. When they saw Otis, they immediately stepped aside.
When Otis stepped in, Takeshi rose from his seat immediately.
"Otis!" he said, relief flooding his face.
Otis nodded once. "You alright?"
Takeshi nodded quickly. "Yes. Thanks to her."
Ren, who had been playing with a wooden toy, froze the moment he saw Yuki. He dropped it and ran to his mother's side, clutching her sleeve.
Yuki stopped just outside the doorway and sat down, snorting once.
Otis raised a hand. "…Relax. She's not hungry."
Ren peeked out, unsure.
Otis crouched slightly. "You okay, kid?"
Ren nodded, then glanced at Yuki again. After a moment, he whispered, "…She saved us."
Yuki huffed once, clearly satisfied.
Takeshi exhaled shakily. "They attacked last night. Shinobi. We didn't even see them coming."
Hana nodded, tightening her grip on Ren. "If not for her, we…"
She couldn't finish the sentence.
"You're safe now," Otis said.
Takeshi nodded firmly. "Thanks to you. Both of you." He looked at Otis, then at Yuki.
Otis glanced around the room, then back at them. "Do you have anything else to do in the capital?"
Takeshi shook his head. "No. My work here is finished."
"Good," Otis said. "Then we leave after sunrise tomorrow."
"Alright," Takeshi replied.
…
That night, while the capital slept, Otis stood by the inn's window, staring at the distant silhouette of the Daimyō's residence.
He glanced at the massive shape curled beside him.
"Yuki," he said quietly. "We've got one more stop before we leave."
Yuki lifted her head, eyes sharp despite the late hour.
The two of them vanished
…
[First person POV]
I had done everything I could.
(Pic)
Every remaining shinobi unit was mobilized. Messengers were sent to every contact I still possessed in neighboring lands. Investigations were ordered. Interrogations conducted. Bribes offered. Threats made.
Nothing.
There was no name. No affiliation. Only fragments of his appearance, given by terrified villagers.
A man too large to be normal, wielding Earth techniques beyond reason. And he had fought a woman who looked like an angel as she beat the shit out of that evil giant. At least she had driven him away. That was what my informants said.
That was all…
I clung to that.
My Uzumaki test subjects were gone. The other bloodline captives were gone. Entire facilities wiped clean, as if they had never existed.
Worse, no one could tell me who was responsible.
I paced my chamber, sweat soaking through my robes, my breath growing shallow.
And worse still, I did not know what I would say to him. He would not accept "I don't know who did it" as an answer.
The more I thought, the heavier my chest became.
I cannot afford to anger him.
Eventually, exhaustion claimed me, and I slept.
Not for long.
Creeeak.
The sound of a door opening.
Then
Flip.
The soft sound of pages turning.
Flip.
Pages turning again.
I frowned.
Flip.
My eye twitched.
I will have his head for this, I thought angrily. It had taken me hours to fall asleep.
My eyes snapped open.
"What idiot dares…"
I sat up.
And froze.
Standing in the shadows of my chamber was a massive man, half-lit by moonlight. Dust clung to his clothes. His shoulders were impossibly broad.
An axe rested casually on his shoulder.
His eyes met mine.
My mouth opened.
No sound came out.
I should not be this unlucky… right?
…
A Few Minutes Earlier…
The guards never knew what hit them.
One blink. A pressure shift. And then darkness.
No alarm was raised. No warning cry echoed through the residence. From the outside, the daimyō's estate looked as peaceful as ever.
The first shinobi collapsed with a soft thud, a stone no larger than a fingernail embedded cleanly into his helmet. Not lethal. Just enough force to shut the body down.
The second never saw Otis.
A hand closed around his throat and squeezed just enough to cut off blood flow. Otis lowered him gently to the floor.
Another guard felt a sharp tap to the temple and dropped instantly, unconscious before he hit the ground.
Two more guards rounded the corner.
Otis flicked his fingers.
Pebbles struck with pinpoint accuracy, snapping against their heads. Both bodies fell, unconscious before they understood what had happened.
Thud
Thud
Yuki moved silently behind him, her massive paws making no sound on the stone floor.
One guard noticed too late and raised his spear.
The bear swatted him once.
The man slammed into the wall and slid down, unmoving.
Otis advanced through the corridor without haste.
A squad of four rushed him.
The floor surged upward, earth swallowing their legs and torsos, locking them in place with only their heads and noses exposed so they could still breathe. Panic flashed in their eyes
Further down the hall, three samurai charged together.
Otis stepped forward and swung the flat of his axe.
One went down immediately.
He rolled his wrist and struck again. The second samurai slammed into the wall, stone cracking under the impact.
Yuki handled the rest.
Her massive paw slammed him into the floor. Another guard nearby was lifted by the back of his armor and gently, but firmly, introduced to the ceiling.
Silence followed.
The hallway leading to the Daimyō's chamber was littered with unconscious bodies.
At the door, the final guard hesitated.
Hands shaking. Blade raised.
He charged.
Otis sidestepped, slipped inside his reach, and chopped the side of the man's neck with the edge of his hand.
The guard dropped instantly.
Otis opened the door.
…
Back in the present
The Daimyō stared at the man standing in his chamber.
His mouth opened.
No sound came out.
Otis tilted his head slightly.
"Good morning," he said calmly.
--
Author's Note:
Thanks for reading! ✌︎㋡
If you're enjoying the journey, consider supporting me on Patreon and get early chapters.
patreon.com/pacifist01
I'd love to hear your thoughts, if you've got any cool ideas for this novel, drop them in the comments!
Don't forget to give me power stones