Gods and Games Ch. 01

A few moments later, he opened his eyes and looked down at her. Leah looked into his eyes and felt herself brimming with emotions. "Hi.." she whispered to him.

"Hello." Shinichi responded, "I cleaned you while you were passed out. Sorry I made a mess all over your body."

"Mhm, I noticed but I don't mind. I'll rather you leave me covered in your cum next time though." She giggled as she felt naughty saying that. She said next time, hoping there would be many next times.

"We'll have to be more careful. I'm not sure how your family would feel about this. You were too loud, we were lucky your mother-in-law was spending the night with your son in the hospital." He spoke in a matter of fact way.

"It wasn't lucky. I planned tonight when I knew they weren't going to be at home." Leah felt she could be honest now. Her son was in the hospital because of him but it didn't bother her. She knew Roku attacked first and he was going to be fine. "The pheromone perfume, I won't have used it if Roku or mother were at home. The aroma doesn't discriminate, you know."

"Oh, what would have you done had your son been caught in your seductive smell?" Shinichi asked her with a raised eyebrow which earned him a smack on his chest.

"Shinichi!" Leah blushed. "Don't say things like that. He's your son too, you know! And... And... Be nicer to me, okay? I'm your-... I'm yours." Leah's words were rewarded by a gentle kiss from Shinichi. She wanted more but he had already pulled away.

"Yes, you're mine."

"I am and you better remember that. So now don't go fucking around. We'll have to be more careful in the future but you can come to me whenever you desire, okay?" Leah smiled and nuzzled into him again. "Hopefully I won't have to seduce you with the pheromone perfume everytime."

The man was smiling. She felt she had made progress, broken through his hard, expressionless façade. He felt more like her husband in that moment, even though he was two decades younger than her. She giggled, Leah was in love again.

***

A lot happened during the following months. Roku never returned back home, he spent the vacation in the hospital and then left early to return to his training. Roku never told Yoshi about what he saw that day but he couldn't face Quin either. He requested a transfer from team forty-eight and joined a different squad. Yoshi didn't understand Roku's decision but decided to support him anyways.

With Roku away, Shinichi and Leah still continued to meet in secret but they were soon found out by Yuta. Yuta was against the relationship and was adamant that they stop but Leah made it clear that she didn't intend on stopping. Leah's stubbornness eventually made Yuta give up. She never accepted it but she let her daughter-in-law continue her taboo relationship with a younger man who looked like her dead husband.

As the snow started to melt on the mountains and spring was on its way, trials were held for the formation of the elite squad that would accompany Shinichi to retrieve the ancient tablet. Shinichi presented his displeasure on countless occasions, citing that the squad was too big and he simply needed one man but the council stood firm on their decision.

Finally, the elite squad was picked. Masuyo Kaede was picked as the squad commander, he had skills and experience to run an elite squad. Tamiko Kaede was picked for her expertise with the short sword, she was said to be the best. Vesa Kaede was picked for being an infiltration expert of the settlement. The final member of the elite squad was Yoshi Kaede. He was young but he excelled at all physical and mental assessments. He showed great potential and he was picked as the communicator. He carried Tao with him, the settlement's fastest messenger hawk.

The elite squad trained with Shinichi and made final preparations with him in the week before their departure. After much hesitation, Shinichi declared that the squad was ready for the mission.

05:30, Seventh Day of the Third Cycle of 3269, Kaede Tribe's Settlement.

The entire settlement had gathered at the main gate. It was a moment of laughter and tears. The families of the elite squad were hugging their loved ones who were going to go on a holy mission. Not everyone knew the exact objective of the mission but those who did looked on with deep admiration and respect. Praying for their well-being and safe return with the objective.

Roku was stood with Yoshi, proudly grinning at his best friend who stood adorning the prestigious leather armour of the elite squad. Roku was proud of Yoshi and wished he too could be strong like his friend one day. He hugged him tightly and even felt a little emotional.

"Okay okay okay! Dude, don't get your snot all over my brand new armour." Yoshi chuckled as Roku got away and smacked him in the chest.

"You better kick some ass out there and make me proud, okay?" Roku grinned back at his friend.

"Of course I would, my princess." Yoshi joked. "Well, talking about my princess. Do take care of Quin while I'm away. She has been really sad and incredibly worried all winter."

Roku's grin vanished at the mention of Quin. He looked down and felt heavy. He felt a lot of guilt that he never told his best friend that his girl was cheating on him behind his back. He looked up at Yoshi, "Yoshi, there is something you should know-"

He had just begun when Quin ran in and jumped onto Yoshi, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting her lips over his. Yoshi managed to keep his balance and held her, kissing her back.

Roku averted his gaze from the display of affection, feeling his throat blocking up. The truth could wait till Yoshi was back besides he didn't want to distress and distract him on his mission. He didn't wish to stay anymore in the presence of that sickening display.

A far more sickening display was taking place in his house however between his mother and the man he hated the most. He never found out about that though.

As the first ray of sunlight, made its way down on the lands from the horizon, the elite squad left on their mission amidst the wave of cheers and clapping from the entire settlement. The Holy Mission had started.

14:15, Twenty-Fifth Day of the Third Cycle of 3269, Kaede Tribe's Settlement.

Following in his best friend's footsteps, Roku had joined the communication corps after the end of his induction training. As the newest member, he was spending his second afternoon on the corps, cleaning the cages of the messenger hawks. Raking up the shit, corpses of half-eaten rats, broken bird feathers and twigs his mind was lost in the thoughts of his best friend.

Eight days had passed since the departure of the elite squad. It usually took six days to reach the Ragnvaldr Settlement in the mountains, so they must've reached already. It would take them four more days before they would return back to the settlement. Then, he would tell Yoshi the truth about Quin.

He was filling the filth in a bag when he saw Tao descending from the skies. He landed on the windowsill and one of the caretakers immediately made his way to him. Tao was carrying a message which was retrieved by him and he made his way to deliver the message to the team for deciphering. The presence of Tao meant that it was message from Yoshi. Roku felt a little uneasy but continued on with his task.

An hour later, a senior member of the communication corps walked into the Hawk Coops while Roku was busy feeding the birds. Roku saluted his senior and stood straight awaiting instructions. He was told that he was summoned to the great hall immediately.

Roku felt a little confused, why was he summoned by the council? And why would a superior come all the way to summon him? Regardless he made haste as he cleaned up and rushed to the great hall.

The council room was a little cramped with people. Roku squeezed his way inside and managed to reach the central table. The elders were all sat down and a few prominent members of the military were all present there. The looks on their faces all spelled bad news and Roku was starting to put two and two together, with the arrival of Tao. He felt a knot forming in his stomach and his throat dried.

All heads turned to him when he made his way to the centre. A military superior vacated his seat and asked him to sit down. He hesitated but upon his insistence, he did sit.

Zabel, one of the elders was sitting besides Roku's grandma. He had two pieces of papers in his hands. He extended one of them towards Roku. "Roku, my child, this letter is for you."

"F-For me...?" Roku barely managed to get words out.

"Take it dear, it's from your friend, Yoshi." Grandma Yuta spoke, with kindness in her voice.

"A letter from Yoshi..." Roku spoke, his voice low. His hands were trembling as he grabbed the paper and brought it over in front of him.

The letter had already been deciphered for him and he read it.

"My dearest friend Roku,

I do not mean to be overly dramatic but by the time you're reading this, I'm probably already dead.

As it is evident, the mission was an utter failure. I won't be able to give you any details, they're in the other letter I'm leaving for the council. See if they let you check them out. But I'll tell you the bare basics. We arrived in the cover of night at the walls of the Ragnvaldr Settlement. We were to scale the walls and make our way to the cave system. Shinichi and Vesa had managed to make their way over when we were spotted. I guess it was always going to take too long to get five of us across between their patrol shifts. Tamiko was shot by their archers while she was on top of the wall, I saw her lifeless body hit the ground after a 10 metre drop. I don't know what happened with the other two but as soon as the alarms were raised, Commander Masuyo and I fled. We tried to make our way back to the rendezvous spot. Unfortunately, we were spotted and cornered by the enemy. Commander Masuyo charged the enemy by himself to buy me some time to escape and send a message back home. I did manage to escape but clumsy little me lost his footing in the dark and fell down a chasm. Fortunately, Tao managed to find me so I'm able to send this letter back. He's a good boy, do give him a nice slab of meat for me.

My legs are stuck and my entire lower body is crushed from the rocks that fell on top of me. I'm scared that I'll die from starvation and thirst before my blood loss kills me. It is a rather sad and lonely way to go. I'm cold, I'm in pain, I'm scared and I feel so alone. I miss you buddy. I miss my mum, my father, I miss my comrades from the corps and I miss Quin so very much. I didn't know who I wanted to address my last letter to, my mum, Quin or you. I guess in my last moments, I wanted to talk to you one last time.

Thanks for being there for me buddy. You were always my bestest friend and you could never do me wrong. I trust you with my life and now I'm trusting you with my responsibilities. Look after my parents, bro. They'll be broken. Visit them every now and then. Sit with my mother, let her cry on your shoulder. My father wouldn't cry but he'll be heartbroken too. Take him out hunting every now and then. Buy him a beer and make him tell you about the time he fought a three metre bear unarmed.

Lastly, look after Quin. She's a strong girl but she would need a friend. Be that for her just like you were for me. Look after my girl, I'm leaving her in your care.

Now, I'm talking to you buddy. Do not come looking for me. There are so many of these damn chasms in these mountains. You'll never be able to find me in time. The Ragnvaldr would be on high alert, patrolling the mountains. My body is not worth the life of my comrades. So be strong and someday fulfill the mission I failed today. I love you buddy.

Forever your best friend

Yoshi. "

Roku could feel tears freely flowing down his face as he clutched the final words of his best friend in his hands. There were many watering eyes present in the room that was shrouded in a deafening silence. They had lost many a men in the past but the pain of the young man sitting amongst them was felt by all present.

19:25, Twenty-Seventh Day of the Third Cycle of 3269, Handsome Henry's Mercenary Guild, The Capital.

The business hours had just started and the usual suspects were hanging out in the pub area. The barkeep was standing behind the counter, polishing some crystal ware. The pub doubled up as lounging/meeting area for the mercenary guild. Usually, the cheaper contracts would go on the noticeboard. The less experienced members would grab the contract, talk to the barkeep and then head out on their missions. Upon completion, they'll get paid by the barkeep depending upon their performance. A small cut from the client went to the guild and that kept the pub running. The people who needed more experienced mercenary met them personally in the pub. Have a drink at the bar, negotiate prices and then upon completion paid them to the mercenary. The guild got a bigger cut from these experienced mercenary.

A little bell rang by the door as the door opened. A black hooded figure entered and approached the bar. The barkeep got a glass ready and the hooded figure took a seat at the bar. "So what's it going to be, my man?" The barkeep asked waving his hand towards his stock behind him.

"Who is the strongest mercenary of your guild?" the hooded figure asked in a low, deep voice.

"That would be Gareth Godefroy over there." The barkeep said pointing to a man who sat at the edge of the bar with his head resting on the bar counter and his hands laying alongside his head. "But he doesn't take any contracts, so the next one would be-"

The hooded figure held a pale hand in the direction of the barkeep, gesturing him to stop talking. He got up and walked over to Gareth Godefroy. He sat down besides him and spoke to him. "I have a contract for you."

"I'm sure you do" Gareth replied in a sleepy voice. "But didn't you hear? I don't take contracts."

"I am going to annihilate an entire settlement. Half the wealth from the loot will be yours and your guilds.-"

"Woah there, slow down grim reaper." The barkeep spoke up, listening to their conversation. "The guild is not getting involved in the annihilation of a settlement. Do you know how big of a political fiasco it would be? We're not going to take responsibility for that."

"You won't have to." The hooded figure spoke to the barkeep, pulling his hood off. "The Kaede Tribe will bear the responsibility. They're taking their vengeance on the Ragnvaldr Tribe of the mountains. They have a right, the Ragnvaldr took what was theirs."

The barkeep looked in the eyes of the young man, Angel's Blessing, the long lost signature of the Kaede Tribe. He had heard about it but had never seen it. "So the Kaede are back... Ragnvaldr did take their land, so I guess it's understandable." The barkeep looked at Gareth who was now stood up straight. That name was obviously going to affect him.

"I'll do it." Gareth stated, moving his hands through his long dark curly hair.

Shinichi turned to look at the strongest mercenary. He didn't look much strong. He was skinnier than anyone he had ever seen. A skinny long face with bony cheek and sunken eyes with dark circles. He had an unkept, uneven stubble and wore an oversized black jacket over a white tank and black spiky, ripped jeans.

"Gareth..." the barkeep began but was cutoff by Gareth. "He said that tribe will take responsibility, Oslo. I've wanted this, you've stopped me always in the name of the guild. Finally the opportunity is there and I'm going to do what I've wanted and the guild will get richer. It's a win-win." Oslo, the barkeep knew that there was no stopping Gareth. He had always wanted to remove the Ragnvaldr Tribe from the face of the earth but Oslo had managed to stop him. Now, in the name of this Divine Crusade of Vengeance of the Kaede Tribe, he would get what he wanted.

Gareth slammed his skinny hand on the bar counter. "Great! Let's go kill those motherfuckers then." The sloth-ridden guy was somehow full of energy now as he stood up.

"No, not right now." Shinichi shook his head. "On the Eleventh night of the next cycle, meet me by the edge of their settlement. There is a cave near the mountain crossroads. You can't miss it, meet me there."

"Uhh, gentlemen." Oslo interjected, "I don't mean to interrupt but for a formal guild contract to be formed, an advance payment needs to be put down and-"

"You know what Oslo, I'll make an exception for him. No advance, I'll take full payment after the job." There was going to be nothing deterring Gareth from the job.

Feeling defeated Oslo drew up the contract but advised that the details stay confidential. The three men shook on confidentiality and Shinichi left the pub.

"I like that fellow" Gareth smiled as he put his head back down on the bar counter.

"I don't." Sighed the barkeep. "He never ordered a drink."

06:05, Second Day of the Fourth Cycle of 3269, Kaede Tribe's Settlement.

The birds were starting to chirp and Marui yawned, stretching to get the sleepiness out of her body. Her shift as the night watch of the settlement's main gate was coming to an end. She was simply awaiting her replacement when she first noticed some movement down the road. She picked up her binoculars and got in action. She looked through and gasped in surprise. He was supposed to be dead... Again, yet he keeps coming back. She quickly rang the bell and the others on the other side of the gate got in action.

"It's Shinichi!" she called out to the others as they joined her. "Inform the commander! Shinichi is alive! Convene the Elders!" she ordered from her post, the end of her shift got a lot more interesting all of a sudden.

By the time Shinichi reached the gates of the settlement, a large crowd had gathered. Reminding him of the time he made his first appearance many a months back. General Saburo and the elders were themselves waiting for him in the centre of the crowd. None looked all too pleased by his return.

Zabel, the village elder stepped forward to address him. "Shinichi, we see that you've survived the Holy Mission, despite it being a failure. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Shinichi looked at the entire crowd, searching for just one face but when he didn't find it, he turned his attention back to the village elder. He could no longer afford to lose anymore time. He had already stayed way past his original intention and he was starting to lose patience.

"I am going to annihilate the Ragnvaldr Tribe. I merely come here to ask for a volunteer who would help me recover the tablet." Shinichi stated, getting straight to the point.

There was a loud murmur from the crowd. What did he mean by annihilation? Shock, confusion and curiosity were the general feelings of the crowd.

"A volunteer!" barked General Saburo, the leader of the entire Kaede military. "You want more of my men to go with you to get killed?! What happened to Vesa? Wasn't he with you?"

"Vesa died. He was weak. He barely came 50 metres inside their walls before they were able to find him and kill him." Shinichi stated in a calm voice.

"You motherfucker!" "How dare you disrespect, Vesa!" "He was an expert in infiltration!" "You lie!" "How do we know you didn't kill him!" "Are you aligned with the enemy!?" "How do you keep returning unharmed?"

A number of words were being yelled at Shinichi from the crowd after his revelation of Vesa's demise. The crowd was losing it and needed to be brought back in control. "Enough!" the General's loud command was heard and the crowd slowly got silent.

Zabel spoke up again once the noise was under control. "What do you mean by what you said? How do you plan on 'annihilating the Ragnvaldr'?"