Traveling with Sir Gorou was not an easy task for Tsugi.
Panting and covered in dripping sweat, Tsugi felt even more exhausted than when he was fighting his father. The immense aura was very taxing on him and he had to replenish his energy fairly often.
"No!" Sir Gorou's voice echoed through the forest as they trudge up the rocky trail leading into the steep wooded hills. “You look too serious. You are responding like a knight, like someone that is overly mature for your age. I've already told you, try responding and talking like a normal kid."
'Well, whose fault is that?!' Tsugi clenched his jaw and breathed through his irritation, he couldn't afford a beating right now. He had to prepare for the mission, let alone this long trip to even get there.
"Better. Keep working on it. For the rest of this trip stop speaking so formally."
"Y-yes, My Lord." He squeezed his throat together, forcing his voice to be a little higher and more timid than usual.
“Relax your face more.”
Tsugi breathed frustratingly, he couldn’t understand what his father had meant. His face was relaxed, he didn’t know how else to relax it.
“Nevermind about your face for now.” He barked irritatingly and ran both hands through his hair. “Work on your body language. Drop your head a little and slouch. It will show less confidence and make you appear more weak. If anything we can just make you wear a hood to cover that face of yours.”
Tsugi glowered at his father. If it wasn’t for the way his father mistreated him, acting like a child would’ve come naturally.
“Soften your gaze.” Even with his back turned, he could feel Tsugi burning holes into the back of his head. “You’ll give yourself away if you do that. The mercenaries are not novices, they will be able to tell as soon as you show any hostility.”
“Yes, My Lord.” Tsugi clenched his fists so hard they shook dangerously before releasing them. “As soon as I am able to infiltrate, what is it that I need to do exactly?”
“You will gather information on the other merchants involved, and then kill him, but…you must make it look like an accident, so the other merchants don’t run. Either that, or find a way to make them disappear. I’ll leave the planning to you and let’s see what you come up with.”
“What if I fail?”
“Don’t.” Sir Gorou gazed threateningly toward Tsugi from the corner of his eye.
The intensity of the aura grew ten times stronger causing Tsugi to flinch. With such a simple word, it was enough to send Tsugi’s imagination wild for the horror that would occur should he fail.
“That look, right there. That fear is what you need to show them when they confront you.”
They finally cleared the forest and made it to the desert plains. There were only dead trees and tumbleweed. There didn't seem to be any form of life for as far as the eye could see into the sun setting horizon.
"We will stay in the tree lines for today. There should be enough food to last us till the next village. We will leave first thing in the morning. Start the fire."
Tsugi nodded without saying a word and turned back into the woods gathering tinder and a few sticks, while Sir Gorou gathered firewood. It took a while, but Tsugi was finally successful in starting the fire. They sat there and ate their ration of food in silence.
It was only thanks to all the books Tsugi read that he knew the basics of survival like starting a fire and shelter. Although, since he was instructed to pack light, he didn't pack a tent. If need be they would find a shelter or make a temporary one. Lucky for him, the nights have been clear so a shelter hasn’t been needed.
***
With Sir Gorou’s aura keeping the monsters at bay, the travel was long and tedious. No matter what situation Tsugi was in, he was constantly training.
His father had an obsession with power that Tsugi couldn’t quite understand.
They trekked through the hot desert that never seemed to end. The blazing sun beamed down on them and they couldn’t see any landmarks in sight. Tsugi could only blindly follow his father and hope that they weren’t going in circles.
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Tsugi panted and dragged his heavy legs behind him. His throat parched and lips cracked dry as he gazed up to the burning sun bearing down and scorched his skin. Sir Gorou kept trucking, but even he felt the heat under his armor. They’ve been in the desert for over a week and were running low on food and water.
Tsugi tripped on his own two feet and his face met with the scorching sand, inhaling the dust particles and forcing out a wheezing cough.
“Get up.” Sir Gorou came over and picked up Tsugi by his cloak with one hand.
Tsugi pulled out his waterskin and lifted it, but nothing came out.
“Here.” Sir Gorou tossed his waterskin to Tsugi and kept marching on.
Tsugi quickly picked up the waterskin and chugged down the scalding water, slightly cooking his tongue. With a little more energy now, he ran to catch up to Sir Gorou returned the waterskin.
“I’m fine, you drink it.”
Tsugi looked at his fathers stern face. There were beads of sweat accumulating on his forehead and nose, his lips were dry and cracked also.
“There’s still plenty. At least have a little.” Tsugi didn’t know why he was concerned for this man he despised.
“I’m fine, just save it for later.” He swallowed saliva and kept moving without skipping a beat.
The longer the journey went on, the more Tsugi’s heart continued to waver. ‘Is this really the same abusive man from all those years? The man I knew would’ve never offered me anything. Yet, this man in front of me, is showing me signs of care.’
Tsugi lifted his nose into the air and took a big whiff. ‘Water.’...“Water!” Tsugi yelled in excitement. “I can smell water!”
They went over the sand dune and saw a little oasis on the other side.
“Nangri.” Sir Gorou uttered. It was a small but lively little village. The villagers were very welcoming and jolly.
He and his father went to the inn and got a room.
“Please send baths and food to both rooms.” Tsugi was astonished to hear his father, this man who he had been so terrified of, speak so calmly and pleasantly to these villagers. Sir Gorou’s demeanor had left Tsugi’s mouth agape. Never in his life would he have ever guessed his father possessed such manners.
Sir Gorou led Tsugi to his room. “Bathe and eat.”
As soon as Tsugi entered his room and shut the door behind him, he finally exhaled his long awaiting breath. Throwing off his clothes, he let out a long hiss as he soaked his scorching skin in the bath, and moaned in delight as he engorged himself with the plentiful food and water.
After Tsugi finished dressing, a knock came at the door. “Come in.”
“Grab your cloak.” His father wore plain clothes, in which Tsugi had never seen before. Tsugi quickly grabbed his cloak and threw it on, following after his father through the hall. “Have you been engraving every detail of the whole journey?”
“Yes, sir.” As exhausting as the journey was, it almost kind of became a second nature to do so now. Even when he was being cooked alive under the hot sun, he still remembered every grain of sand.
“Good, cause we are starting earlier than I had expected.”
Tsugi’s eyes widened with fear and anticipation. “Does that mean I have to go now?”
“Do you know every detail of who it is that we are trailing yet?”
“No.”
“Then no.” There was a slight sarcastic irritation in his voice. “We are starting our mission early, but we are not infiltrating them until you are ready. You understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Stay out of sight, don’t get caught. Hide, observe and pay attention.”
“Yes, sir.”
“It’s fine if they see me, but don’t let them see you. I will go in and try to get them to drop their guard so you can listen and learn, before you move in.”
Tsugi stayed back as Sir Gorou advanced to the bar at the inn. He ordered an ale before sitting down at a table, and started drinking. Hiding as close as he could in the shadows, he kept his ears open and his eyes scanned the room.
Calming his soul, his senses heightened and his ears swept through the room.
“Oi, come on now. I betcha can’t even lift tha’ barro ove’ thea!” Two people were talking about bets in the corner.
“Hey baby, don’t you want to see how well I can sow your oats? I can sow a whole field with my white oats.” The man laughed haughtily as he was making advances on a woman.
“Where’d you put the product?” It was the voice of a woman.
“I’ve paid the man a handsome fee to keep them in his barn on the far end of the town.” The man answered.
“How’re you going to keep them quiet?”
“I’ve already drugged them. They won’t be waking up anytime soon.”
“Very well. Make sure the men keep an eye on them. We will leave before first light.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
Tsugi opened his eyes, and he could see a lean man walking out of the inn. The woman he was talking to, sat three tables away from his father, who was getting very drunk and started walking around stumbling everywhere.
Sir Gorou tripped and stumbled into a big burly man.
“Hey!” The man exclaimed. “Watch where you’re going?”
“Oh, s..ssssorry…(hiccup)...didn’t sssee you.” Sir Gorou’s face turned green and he hurled all over the big mans’ boots.
“You’ve done it now.” The man grabbed Sir Gorou’s shirt. Tsugi quickly moved to stop the man. If his father fights, this place and all these people would get hurt, but Tsugi froze. The man punched Sir Gorou in the face, but his father didn’t fight back. He didn’t even attempt to block or move.
Tsugi tilted his head in confusion. He crouched back down and watched attentively.
The man threw him to the ground by the woman's feet and left. Sir Gorou looked dazed and held a hand to his red cheek. “...(hiccup)...ow…” He gazed up at the woman sitting on the chair by him. “Hi…” he smiled flirtatiously.