I sat in the comfortable cabin of the carriage, unbound from any chain or shackle.

Hayato was recently dropped off at his station, resuming his duties.

We were only a short ways further down the coast before the carriage stopped at my destination. A military camp had been erected at the outskirts of a bustling merchant village. Small huts made from bamboo and wooden planks held the soldiers and supplies.

My door was abruptly opened as I took in the camp. I was greeted by a large and muscular man in bright blue samurai armor. Different painted symbols on his armor showed his leadership.

He spoke in a rasped and worn voice. "You're the new arrival I've been waiting for?"

I nodded my head.

He looked me up and down, evaluating my physique. "You are a bit older than the ones I usually get..."

The driver took notice of his complaints and spoke quickly. "The Emperor chose him, due to his prior experience." He reached into his pocket and took out the Emperor's note, stamped with a royal seal. "You can learn more from the Emperor's own words."

The man took the note and slipped it into one of the many pockets in his armor. "I trust that the Emperor chose well. Come, let me introduce you to where you will be staying." He gestured for me to follow, and I did. The carriage rode off to its next destination quickly after I got out. The man spoke to me. "I'm Kohei, the leader of our camp. Follow me, I must get you acquainted with your surroundings." We walked through the camp, Kohei instructing me which building served which purpose along the way.

Soon we reached the largest building. Opening the door Kohei revealed a large gathering of soldiers, talking and eating.

Kohei spoke to me as he showed me through the torch lit building. "Ever since the sun set, the Shogun has been starting a new branch in the military. We are training to exterminate the yokai and drive them away from our great empire." He walked over to a set of mats on the ground and pointed at the only one that was tidy and made properly. "This is the bed reserved for you, make yourself comfortable."

Kohei walked farther away, checking on other soldiers, and leaving me alone.

I lay on the small mat, it was stiff and almost indiscernible from laying on the bamboo floor itself. Two other men sat beside me on their beds, doing whatever mundane they chose task to pass the time. Now would be a good time to let myself grow familiar with them, I decided. The sooner the better.

I leaned over to one of the men next to me, he looked unbusy and open for conversation. His face was long and thin, hair tied into a ponytail. In his hand was some manuscript, the title unfamiliar. I got the man's attention. "Forgive me, sir. But I seem to have forgotten the training regimen." I would hold off of my life story for the moment. Telling strangers I was only fighting with them under a royal contract would likely not make for a good impression.

He looked at me for a moment, sizing me with his bored eyes. After his brief moment of concentration, he spoke. "We rise at the horn, we do as Kohei says. Then we rest at the horn. You don't require any further information."

I nodded. "Uh... I am Kenshi, what are you called?"

He looked back at his texts. "Sora."

I tried to talk, but he had already involved himself in his reading once again. A strange character, but at least my presence was known.

I leaned over to the next man. His features were round, and bags lingered under his eyes. He looked unhappy. It would be better if I made a less intrusive first impression.

It was late, anyways, and by what Sora said, tomorrow would require me at my peak performance.

---

A horn sounded in the distance and feet scattered across the flooring. It took my mind a moment to remember why all the men were rushing through. As soon as I  realized what the horn meant, I scrambled off of my mat.

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I still didn't know what I was meant to do, I stood idly in the midst of men running and organizing things.

Sora rushed into me and spoke in confusion. "What are you doing? Get in uniform!" He pointed to a rack full of training armor that he failed to mention when I asked him.

I ran over to the pile of leather armor and picked something that resembled my mass.

Running and trying to pull the overly tight armor caused me to be more ineffective than doing each task separately.

Making my way through the door I saw men standing at attention, I followed.

Kohei walked up and down the line, inspecting the soldiers. I adjusted my apparel as he looked away, trying to look as presentable as possible. Kohei soon walked over to me, pausing and thinking for a moment. "Well, sir Kenshi. I'll have mercy on you since it is your first day in our group of warriors..." He leaned in closer to me, speaking privately. "I've read the Emperor's note, and it would be foolish if you expect to be treated any differently than anyone else..." He walked back to his spot in the center of the group. "we're going to start with general weapons practice. Retrieve your weapon of choice, then report to it's designated area."

The men left the formation and started towards the grouping of various weapons. Following along, I was met with an assortment of tools. Many men took different things, I noticed Sora taking a large bow.

The most experience I had with a weapon was the katana, so that was what I chose.

I followed the other men bearing katanas to a small patch of ground. We paired in sparring teams of two.

The man I was paired with was the man from last night, he was still ridden with bags under his eyes and an aura of discontent. He spoke as he drew his sword. "I assume you are familiar with the sword?"

He held out his sword, waiting for me to unsheath my own. "Of course I'm familiar." To an extent.

I raised my sword at him, waiting for a response. In return, the dark-eyed man stepped carefully closer. His steps were all precise and made with intent, his sword held in such a way to block all spontaneous attacks.

He wasn't much for talking, I suppose. I took my position and started moving carefully closer as well. As soon as I was in range I took my chance to strike.

I thrust my blade forward, and it collided with his. Skidding forward he directed my sword away, then returning with his own attack.

He went for a jab as well, but with my forward momentum, I was able to move forwards and avoid his blade. I was to his side now, but he turned too quickly for me to act upon his vulnerability.

A sword came flying towards me unexpectedly. I had been too busy trying to attack myself to notice he had already swung again.

I pulled my sword close, grabbing onto the blunt end of the blade with my hand, making it too stable to be pushed out of the way.

The dark-eyed man's sword bounced off of mine, and so his arm swung behind his head, leaving himself open to be attacked.

I seized my opportunity to pressure him. I swung forward, causing him to step further back. He was off balance.

Swordplay might be what we were training in, but it isn't the only option. The dark-eyed man was vastly superior to me with the sword, yet he grew too confident in his victory and gave me the opportunity to knock him off balance. But if I moved in with my sword, he would only be able to recover.

I dropped my katana and charged at the unbalanced man. Within a moments notice, I collided with him, and we both tumbled to the ground.

His eyes darted around, struggling to think while he was in such a disadvantage.

I had him, he had no option to distance himself, and with-

My peripheral vision caught the hilt of a sword being swung towards me. Without any time to react, I was met with the piece of metal, and in just a moment the world went black.

The next I saw, the trees were sprawling high into the spinning world. I saw birds flying in the night sky, and I could hear the waves of the ocean crashing against the sandy shore not far from here. I started recalling the previous events while the dark-eyed man looked down at me.

He spoke quietly. "A word of advice: Wait for your opponent to strike first, and pay more attention to your surroundings..." He raised a hand towards me, helping me get back on my feet. "I am Mahiro."

"And I am Kenshi."

And with that, he turned away and started walking towards the shoreline, along with almost all the other soldiers in training.

I assumed that must be where everyone was meant to go, I would have missed any notification, given that I had blacked out for however long an amount of time.

The men had gathered around Kohei, who was standing on top of a large carriage. He was proud and smiling. "Men! Today our caravan makes a large step towards success." He paced on the carriage for a moment, thinking of the correct terms to use in his speech. He chose his words and went forward. "I am proud to announce that, in light of our continuous signs of diligence and cunning, the Shogun has offered us the chance to take an expedition!" The Shogun had ordered our caravan specifically to go on an expedition, only days after I left his company. I underestimated how much he wanted me to suffer. Kohei spoke to again. "We'll be moving into the woods for only a night, it is close to the city." He pointed at the woods next to the large merchant village. "People have sighted a yokai walking around the edge of the woods, and we are going to exterminate it." The men cheered at the thought, all while you could see the hint of fear in their eyes. Kohei smiled deeply at the sound of his men. "One yokai is but an insect for a company of twenty highly skilled men!" The crowd cheered further.

The Shogun had done this on purpose. I was in no way ready to go into the forest, my leg had barely grown healed. And now I was expected to participate in a yokai hunt?

The Shogun was more desperate for my demise than expected.