Following that… experience with the Wild Men, Somnia and I made our way to the Wild Man Colony at Yugo’s behest. The Wild Men who’d just eaten General Viard followed a fair distance behind us, placated and subservient now that their old master was dead. They didn’t make any noise the entire trip, but the moment we arrived at the Wild Man Colony they all started screaming and screeching from behind us, and it wasn’t difficult to understand why.
Their home had been destroyed. All that was left was a sandy crater the length of two Burnish rugby fields. The Wild Men that’d been following behind Somnia and I ran to the center of the crater, likely searching – in vain – for any survivors or remnants of their lost home.
So that’s why General Viard got so upset…
At the rim of the crater closest to the forest where Somnia and I had just exited, Ibaraki Douji of all people knelt on the ground, staring into the center of the crater and screaming as loud as he possibly could.
“Flix! You damn coward! I was your opponent! Me! The Wild Men were innocent! Why did you do that to yourself! So many innocent lives were lost!”
Beside him, his brother Shuten Douji stood with a hand on his raging brother’s shoulder. Archie knelt beside Ibaraki as well, doing his best to comfort the Oni prince. Yugo stood a few meters back making a face I couldn’t discern.
“Ibaraki, calm down!” Shuten Douji had been saying. “Flix is already dead. He can’t harm any more non-combatant Wild Men.”
“I don’t care! I'll kill him... Bring him back so I can kill him!"
In the distance, Wild Men cheered along with Ibaraki’s words. I wasn’t here for the battle, but it must’ve been terribly one-sided if General Flix would rather self-destruct and destroy his home than fight. I even understood Ibaraki’s anger, somewhat. I’d been forced to cause damage not unlike this in the past, and the guilt it left you with would always eat you alive. If I were better at speaking, I’d try to comfort him. Instead, I joined Archie and placed a hand on his shoulder. Somnia joined too, calling for Ibaraki to get up.
“Don’t let this eat you up,” Somnia began. “You fought well. So well, that he would have rather died than continue to face you head-on.”
Ibaraki nodded, swiping at his eyes with his sleeve. “Yes. You’re right. That’s exactly how that happened. I never saw it that way…!”
Somnia smiled softly. “And none of this would have happened had Zakaria never waged war against you all. The true culprit will be dealt with, and the Wild Men will be free to rebuild.”
“Speaking of Zakaria,” Yugo interjected, stepping between Ibaraki and Shuten Douji. “This whole Wild Man Colony situation – however that happened – has affected the counters. Not that I’m complaining about having 95% of the Wild Men on our side, but let’s not forget that they’re loyal to us all now. I can’t speak for you two,” Yugo said, patting the Oni brothers on their shoulders. “But we,” He motioned the rest of us. “Aren’t going to stay here. I love Oni Village as much as the next guy, but I’d like my students to reach Level 500 within the next few months, and well… Wild Men aren’t gonna get them there.”
“You really aren’t joking about that,” I mused.
Yugo shrugged. “You were Level 20 just a few weeks ago. I’ll bet my left leg you’ll be 120 by the end of the night. Who knows where you’ll be a few weeks from now?” He smiled. “I sure do! Anyway,” He continued, focusing again on the Oni brothers. “This kind of thing is normally in Somnia’s wheelhouse, but the Minashire Monitor in me wants to know there won’t be any more… ‘self-destructions’ in Wild Man Territories, especially if they’re under your care.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Shuten Douji laughed. “If you’d asked me that a few generations ago, I would have killed you for telling me what to do!”
“And now?”
“Now, I have people to care for. The Silent Hand are fierce, but what they have in espionage prowess they utterly lack in combat skill. The Wild Men aren’t much better, but they’re adaptable.” He turned to face the Myths. They’d stopped searching through the rubble of their home, futility finally having set in. “I’ll make them Oni.”
“And if they reject the offer?”
“Then I’ll leave them to their Fate.”
Yugo and Shuten Douji continued to speak about the future of the Wild Men, leaving the rest of us – and Ibaraki – to our own devices. I was a bit surprised to find myself bragging to Archie about having learned Poison Manipulation. It felt like something Fallen Star would’ve done if given the opportunity. Archie responded by telling me about the General he’d killed – General Clez – but added that he wasn’t proud of it like he’d been of the other Wild Men. Ibaraki, meanwhile, had changed the conversation away from the other generals and towards the far more pressing matter: Zakaria.
“We’re going after him now, aren’t we?” He asked, looking to Somnia for approval. “We have the overwhelming majority of the Wild Men on our side. I know he’s immortal and all, but can’t we use our numbers to intimidate him into joining our side?”
“None of the other Generals were willing to be intimidated,” I noted. “Our only option is to find a way to kill him.”
“Well, I have faith we can–”
Everything stopped when a pair of Oni dressed in all-black versions of the robe and hakama outfit we’d been wearing came dashing out of the forest like they’d just escaped death. The red-skinned female Oni supported her bloody, limp arm with her free hand. The other, a gray-skinned male Oni, had a chunk bitten out of his arm and leg. Both Ibaraki and Shuten Douji rushed to the newcomer’s shoulders. The male Oni looked past us as we approached, pointing in horror at the Wild Men behind us.
“Get them away! Kill them! Kill them all! They’re too dangerous to be left alive!”
“The hells did I do to you?!” The Wild Man, General Denk, barked.
“Go to the crater,” Somnia ordered. “I’ll be with you in a moment.”
General Denk grumbled his agreement as Shuten Douji urged the Oni to describe their scenario.
“Speak clearly and slowly, men. You are in my presence, therefore you are in no danger. Tell me what happened.”
Life was funny. Even back in the ‘perfect’ Fallen Star Cult, everyone had their own problems. Things they thought about and wished they didn’t. People they disliked and wanted to avoid. Struggles that they wanted to escape from. Sometimes, it felt like whenever you didn’t want something, life would do everything in its power to make sure you got that something. What did "life" get out of this? "Life" is intangible. It can’t feel. Yet, given how unlucky people were… how unlucky I was, you'd think "life" had it out for me.
You want to safely see the outside world for the firs time? Nope! Get chased around by an overpowered snake Myth instead. Want to escape with your mother and give her a better life? How about you kill her and become a slave to the ones who orchestrated her death?
Want to get stronger in peace and face the Horsemen only when you're ready?
Too bad!
I didn't believe it at first. No, that isn't true. I didn't want to believe it at first. They never talked about going to Azuma Saikyou. Why would Zelos come to the Wild Man Colony of all places? That's ludicrous! And yet, when the Oni both raved about Zakaria being killed and eaten by Wild Men who “moved like a unit” and that there was “no doubt they were being mind controlled”, I couldn't keep denying the truth:
Zelos was here, and he was close by.