The captain was trying to hurry, but things kept cropping up. First one of the cranes broke loading cargo, then there was the inspection by the harbormaster to make sure he wasn’t carrying stowaways or contraband goods. Now they had to wait on a large boat to get the hell out of the way. The whole while, Maki kept his eyes fixed on the crowd on the docks. He had no doubt the body had been discovered by now, and he wasn’t in the mood for a vengeful clan coming for him before he could get away.
The procession of people who appeared at the gate of the docks was, to say the least, concerning. Many of them had the typical guard look to them. Blank faces, alert eyes, standing in such a way to be as intimidating as they could, and constantly making sure to be around the blue haired man in their midst. It had to be Tenken. Maki looks back to the large ship, a smile blossoming as it finally clears the bay and the ship under his feet begins to move forward slowly. It gained speed even as Tenken finally locked eyes with him and pointed him out to the guards.
The captain had no idea why Maki was in such a hurry, he only knew his passenger had paid for his space on the ship and offered to help ward off pirates and other unsavory problems on the way. So he didn’t even bother looking back as a shout went out. He was focused on getting his journey started. Maki gave a smile of success as he turned and headed below decks.
They had very nearly cleared the bay themselves when he felt the ship suddenly jerk to the right and begin a circle. He ran up to the deck to find that all traffic in the harbor had stopped. The captain was cussing, and he heard mention of himself more than once. He made his way to the cabin to be greeted with a string of insults. ”Why didn’t you tell me you were wanted by them?! I have a life of my own to consider.”
They docked once more and the blue haired leader of the Isaki made his way on board the ship to much praise and apology from the captain. Apparently Maki had underestimated his target. He stood on the desk just across from the gangplank, one hand resting idly on the hilt of his blade. If it came to a fight, he’d give them one.
”Good captain. Leave us.” Tenken was not as soft spoken as he used to be, but he was civil still. Leadership of such an unscrupulous group had taken a toll on him. The man before him may have done him more of a service than he knew, but if he let him go then it would certainly give the wrong impression of the clan to others. His grip on things was still tenuous, even with his father out of the picture.
”The corpse of my father was found in his study earlier today. When last we spoke, you were asking about him. In addition, the grounds just outside of his estate is littered with the bodies of his personal guards. They, we found, were dispatched mostly by blade. What did you do?” ”Nothing. I got there, he was in his seat fuming about you or something. Told me to leave. I left. Next thing I know, men are trying to chase me down and kill me in the woods nearby. So I defended myself. You said his corpse? How did he die?” ”We don’t know. We can find no means of death, nor any evidence that such a thing was covered up. No poison, no physical trauma, not even a burst blood vessel anywhere. No signs of heart attack or stroke. He is simply not alive anymore. And you were, by your own admission, the last person to see him alive.” ”So I was. And you yourself just mentioned, you have no idea how he died. Meanwhile, all those men I did kill, I did with a blade. So unless you’re accusing me of something, I would like to get a move on. I have to go find my brother.”
Tenken considers this for a moment before nodding. ”Come, gentlemen. I do not believe he has anything to do with my dad’s unfortunate fate. Old age, perhaps. However, good sir, if you happen to find what you’re looking for, tell my brother I miss him.”
With that the head of the clan gives the captain permission to leave, and Maki heads back to his room.
It was going to be a long trip.
(S rank - 30 minutes, Halt the time card - 15 minutes, total 15 minute wait time)
The procession of people who appeared at the gate of the docks was, to say the least, concerning. Many of them had the typical guard look to them. Blank faces, alert eyes, standing in such a way to be as intimidating as they could, and constantly making sure to be around the blue haired man in their midst. It had to be Tenken. Maki looks back to the large ship, a smile blossoming as it finally clears the bay and the ship under his feet begins to move forward slowly. It gained speed even as Tenken finally locked eyes with him and pointed him out to the guards.
The captain had no idea why Maki was in such a hurry, he only knew his passenger had paid for his space on the ship and offered to help ward off pirates and other unsavory problems on the way. So he didn’t even bother looking back as a shout went out. He was focused on getting his journey started. Maki gave a smile of success as he turned and headed below decks.
They had very nearly cleared the bay themselves when he felt the ship suddenly jerk to the right and begin a circle. He ran up to the deck to find that all traffic in the harbor had stopped. The captain was cussing, and he heard mention of himself more than once. He made his way to the cabin to be greeted with a string of insults. ”Why didn’t you tell me you were wanted by them?! I have a life of my own to consider.”
They docked once more and the blue haired leader of the Isaki made his way on board the ship to much praise and apology from the captain. Apparently Maki had underestimated his target. He stood on the desk just across from the gangplank, one hand resting idly on the hilt of his blade. If it came to a fight, he’d give them one.
”Good captain. Leave us.” Tenken was not as soft spoken as he used to be, but he was civil still. Leadership of such an unscrupulous group had taken a toll on him. The man before him may have done him more of a service than he knew, but if he let him go then it would certainly give the wrong impression of the clan to others. His grip on things was still tenuous, even with his father out of the picture.
”The corpse of my father was found in his study earlier today. When last we spoke, you were asking about him. In addition, the grounds just outside of his estate is littered with the bodies of his personal guards. They, we found, were dispatched mostly by blade. What did you do?” ”Nothing. I got there, he was in his seat fuming about you or something. Told me to leave. I left. Next thing I know, men are trying to chase me down and kill me in the woods nearby. So I defended myself. You said his corpse? How did he die?” ”We don’t know. We can find no means of death, nor any evidence that such a thing was covered up. No poison, no physical trauma, not even a burst blood vessel anywhere. No signs of heart attack or stroke. He is simply not alive anymore. And you were, by your own admission, the last person to see him alive.” ”So I was. And you yourself just mentioned, you have no idea how he died. Meanwhile, all those men I did kill, I did with a blade. So unless you’re accusing me of something, I would like to get a move on. I have to go find my brother.”
Tenken considers this for a moment before nodding. ”Come, gentlemen. I do not believe he has anything to do with my dad’s unfortunate fate. Old age, perhaps. However, good sir, if you happen to find what you’re looking for, tell my brother I miss him.”
With that the head of the clan gives the captain permission to leave, and Maki heads back to his room.
It was going to be a long trip.
(S rank - 30 minutes, Halt the time card - 15 minutes, total 15 minute wait time)