Chapter 19 - Kojima Safehouse

Two days ago, just outside of Heung.

"I finally see the silhouette of the Capital with the twin suns setting from my back. After traveling almost non-stop for an entire day, and being away for almost a deck, it somehow feels strange to be back. I do not feel like I am still welcome here anymore.

"I no longer feel that this is home. That this is no longer my home.

"I chuckled under my breath with the thought as I urged my mustagor even faster. Tuesday's younger brother amazed me beyond expectation. Guunnar's father, Master Midmoon Orsuell, gave him to me on my twenty-first birthday. I immediately named him Inimbia. I may not be a part of their family nor do I have any hope of getting accepted into the distinguished Centaur Corps, still, House Midmoon has treated me like a member of House Midmoon and their clan since we were kids. They may not openly say it, but I feel like they wanted me to join their clan and become an official member of House Midmoon. They treat all of our friends like they were their own children, but they made me feel like Master Orsuell and Lady Ghyllwis were my surrogate parents. And because we do not have any stables at the Ancestral Lands of the Shibafu, Inimbia always goes home to his brother, Tuesday.

"I circled the western wall and soon reached the Midmoon Stables. It is almost already dark when I entered the stables.

"'Imagine seeing you without Guunnar! I thought I'd never see the day!" Claymore teased. He's Guunnar's older brother. He's the third child of Master Orsuell and at least three winters older than Guunnar. 'What is that brother of mine up to?' he asked as he unsaddled his mustagor, a mature black charger with well-defined muscles. I have to ask Guunnar how to train Inimbia to get that trimmed and fit.

"'Well, you know how it is,' I replied with a shrug. 'If I tell you, then Guunnar would already fail the mission,' I added as I gently guided Inimbia into the stables.

"'He's in a mission?! Hahaha! That is good!' Claymore exclaimed with a booming voice. I was surprised that his horse was not startled by his loud voice. Inimbia hesitated for a moment but continued walking.

"'We all are but letting anyone know that we're even in a mission could jeopardize it!' I replied seriously.

"'That serious, huh?' Claymore asked. He briefly rubbed his chin with his huge muscular hand and was in a brief thought. 'That must be a mission straight from the palace,' he muttered while still thinking.

"'Claymore!' I whispered while stressing his name.

"'Right, right. Don't worry, I will not tell anyone and will pretend that I know nothing. I will not even tell anyone that I saw you here,' he replied while raising an open right palm to the air. 'Why are you here and the others aren't? and what's with the new kimono? Looks good on you, but completely kills the warrior look,' he asked.

"'I had to come back, and resupply. I lost my weapon,' I confessed. 'I have to catch up with them after I'm done,' I added.

"'That bad, huh?' he asked.

"'Yes, it is.'

"'How long before you can forge a new one?'

"'Probably the entire evening until noon tomorrow.'

"'Get back here tomorrow once you're done. I can help with getting you back with your group,' Claymore offered with a slight nod.

"'Really? I'll hold you to that.'

"'You do that. And then you'll owe me one. It's not every day someone is owed by a sword sage, you know.'

"'How fast can we get to Haan-Dar?'

"'Be here tomorrow and you'll know. And leave Inimbia to me and get to work.'

"I nodded at Claymore and thanked him for taking care of my horse. I hurried out of the Midmoon stables before anyone else could see me. I stopped by the nearest Kojima Outpost to get a proper disguise. If I am to meet the Dragon Grandmaster, I will need a proper weapon. I will get dishonored in the palace if I appear without a weapon. A sword sage without a sword within the palace grounds is not an honorable sight. I will need to work fast and integrate all my final improvements into my weapon tonight. I have a feeling that it will be a long time before I will be able to get back to Heung.

"I donned my usual disguise whenever I leave to go to my personal stash. There is a farmhouse outside of the capital where I can work on my weapon. It is where all the relevant resources that House Kojima accumulated over three centuries are hidden in an underground chamber.

"I took the usual route to get there without getting seen by anyone. The farmhouse sits on land that is filled with olive trees. Farmers come and harvest the olives annually and take their share after selling the produce. The rest of the money is managed by the Jerboa Clan. They deduct taxes and then keep the profits under my name.

"I reached the house and cautiously approached the back door. I checked if the seals are still intact and I was relieved to see that they are. I went inside hurriedly and sealed the house once more. I inspected the house to make sure that no one has been here since I was last here. When I was sure that no one has entered the house, I removed my disguise and went to the underground chamber via a secret entrance.

"The smithing area has all the raw materials that I need. However, the improvements that I wanted to put into my weapon requires that I prepare the ores a specific way before I could proceed to forge. I went to work immediately and did not stop until I was finished. It was past noon the next day when I completed forging my new weapon.

"I will have to bring it to the Kojima Shrine before I could use it. Fortunately, the Kojima Shrine is outside the Ancestral Lands of the Shibafu Clan, just like this Kojima safehouse. I exited the secret chamber and donned my disguise once more. I then returned to the Kojima Outpost to change to a more normal set of clothing. From farmer's hanten to a more casual black satin haori. I donned my usual leather leggings and ram-hide boots and went to the Kojima Shrine.

"The Kojima Shrine was cleaner than I expected. I clean it every three to four moons and it's almost three moons since I last visited. I expected to see weeds and vines growing everywhere especially with the rains lately. However, that is not the case. The shrine has been cleaned and not more than two days ago. I tried to see if there were marks that would tell me who cleaned it, but there were none. My grandfather entrusted the cleaning of the shrine to me so it would be impossible for him to clean it now.

"Unfortunately, I have to postpone solving who cleaned the shrine and finish what I came here for. After I completed the ceremonial sending and the ancestral hymns, I proceeded to have my weapons blessed with the spirits of Kojima Ancestors. Once I completed the Swordbreaking Ceremony, I unsheathed my twin swords and tested their balance with my usual dueling stance. The balance is perfect. I can feel the sword's strength augmenting itself into the muscles of my arms. I can feel its energy start to flow into my entire being, each fiber of my muscles welcoming the flow of energy. At the same time, I can feel my internal ki force reach out and engulf my twin swords, melding itself with it.

"There is only one more thing left to do before I meet with Claymore.

"I walked unnoticed all the way to the palace. I was able to get into the palace unseen and announced myself only when I was outside the guest-chamber where people who expect an audience with the Dragon Grandmaster are taken to wait. One of the Amejisotugo scribes waited there for someone to arrive and was startled when he heard me announce myself. He stared at me in wonder how I was able to walk the entire length of an eighty-meter corridor without being seen. He brought me into the waiting chamber while still visibly shaken and politely asked for me to wait while he informed Master Miramoto of my presence.

"It did not take long before the inner door opened, and Master Miramoto entered. He was wearing loose clothing made of lighter materials. It was something that you'd wear if you wanted to maintain a formal look but had to travel on horseback. I assume that he just got back to the palace and had not changed into his daily clothes yet. He seemed so eager to see me that he opted to meet with me before he could change.

"'Ahh! Izrik! Finally!' Master Miramoto greeted as he entered the waiting chamber.

"I bowed my head low and awaited his instructions as was our family's custom. 'Master Miramoto, I came at the soonest time that I could.'

"'Get up. Come walk with me,' he replied. He looked very happy about something. I obeyed and stood up immediately. I followed him out of the inner chamber door, and we walked a corridor that I have seen only once in my entire life. After a few minutes of silent walking and we exited towards a well-maintained garden. Master Miramoto walked towards a cluster of trees and then stopped. 'I wanted to meet with you because I have an important mission for you. Something that no one else could possibly know.'

"'Yes, Master,' I replied to acknowledge his words.

"'I had to tell your friends to send you back for your writ of nonsense so that I could have you sent here without alerting anyone to your mission.'

"'I am ready for any mission you need me for, Master.'

"'This is an assassination mission. This will be your first. Are you ready?'

"'I am ready. This is what I was trained for, Master.'

"'Very good. Your mission is more important than any of your age could possibly receive because of your birth. Your mission is for the Imperial Clan. Both the Celestial House and our kingdom depends on the success of your mission,' he said and then paused. He took a deep breath and the happy countenance on his face suddenly faded away and was replaced by a serious look that bordered on looking sinister.

"'I am a servant of the Celestial Empire and the Kingdom of Zeiken-Shi!' I declared stoically.

"'The fate of the Five Kingdoms depends on the success of your mission, Izrik. Someone who is involved in the assassination of the Celestial Emperor has been found. He is now positioning himself to assassinate the rest of the members of the Celestial House. A small group is involved with the gruesome crime of killing the emperor and his family. The target that you will assassinate is a young recruit whose objective is to inject himself into a position that will allow him to get information and send it to the rest of his group. Killing him is important to completely stop the channel of information. This will make it easier to capture and ruin the plans of his group. Do you understand?' he explained in a serious tone. His voice was so soft that it would be impossible to understand what he was saying even if anyone stood but a few paces away from where we stood.

"'I understand completely, Master,' I replied. If this target was somehow involved in the assassination of the emperor and the plan to continue to murder all the other members of the Celestial House, then I cannot fail in this task.

"'Very good, Izrik. I can trust this task to anyone else in your clan. It was your family who always handled critical missions like this.'

"'I am ready for this. Who is the target?'

"'I do not have a sketch of his face for you but he goes by the name, Bastien.'"