“I…I think we are finally safe.” Stated the kolbold, Desmond. “We escape Highland, moments before the borders close. We spoke to Lord Gorudo, only to be hunted by the Matilda army. It certainly isn’t easy following you master.”

“So it would seem.” Genshu paused, staring at the dark, looming sky. “These storm clouds have come rather suddenly, this may be a bad omen.” Genshu averted his eyes from the sky, to gaze across the prairie. “Tell me Desmond, who rules this land?”

“Let me see…” Desmond paused, as he studied the border he and Genshu had just left. “This is the Matilda/Greenhill border. Greenhill is about half a days march due west. And about 2 hours south, is TwoRivers. They are renowned for the great Kolbold General, General Ridley.” Desmond seemed to take pride in the last statement.

“No, I am referring to the land itself. This is the country of Jowston surely they have one Lord. One who directs the others to action.”

“Oh, well…” Desmond paused a moment to think. “Well, Lady Annabelle is the Mayor of Muse, which is the capital of Jowston, surely she would have the direct authority to call the others to action.”

Genshu remained silent for several minutes. His eyes narrowed as he studied the sky. He did not like the way this storm seemed to arise from nowhere. This could only be the beginning of the end, and so, Genshu knew, if this were the case, he did not have much time left.

“Yes, I must petition Lady Annabelle.” Genshu spoke, to no one in particular, though Desmond noticed all too well, the doubt wavering in Genshu’s voice. He had petitioned the pompous Lord of Matilda, Gorudo, and his efforts failed. It was all too obvious that Genshu wondered if any of these lords would listen to what he knew, and if they listened, would they take any action?

“I regret that we were unable to salvage your case.” Genshu said to Desmond.

“That, oh, do not worry yourself over that.” But it was important to Desmond, and Genshu knew this. This briefcase of Desmond’s held his work, his collection of stories he gathered in his travels. “You see, every night,” Desmond began. “I send the work I have completed that day, to my brother in TwoRivers’. I never know where I’ll be, or even if I’ll survive some of these cities, so I find it best to ship my articles to TwoRivers where it will be safe. The only thing I left behind was my case, and that certainly isn’t worth either of our lives.”

Genshu nodded in silent agreement, paused to look at the omnipotent sky once more, before traveling south. He and Desmond traveled in solemn silence for a great length of time, before Desmond broke the uneasy silence.

“Uh, master…?”

“Please, do not call me master.” Genshu responded, his rasp-voice a hushed whisper.

“Forgive me. But, uh, Genshu…I was wondering, would it…I mean…could you teach me to fight?” Desmond finally asked.

This caused Genshu to pause, his eyes centered on the kolbold, causing his companion to stammer in the most nervous of ways. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, Genshu waited for Desmond to explain his reasoning for this request.

“Well…uh…it’s just that, watching you fight, seeing how you handle yourself in the odds we have faced, I’ve never met anyone as brave as you. I’d really like to learn to fight.”

“Fighting does not make a man brave.” Genshu said simply, his attention drawn away from Desmond as he turned toward the path, as they began walking once again. “To fight is to succumb to the weakness of yourself, a need to prove yourself superior to another. Though, self-preservation is a necessity in this world, it is also the bending to the will of another. I am not strong because I fight, I am strong because I protect. My honor does not permit me to see the mindless wounding of another, for a gain decreed worthy by a master of men. So, to protect, is strength drawn from yourself, as to fight, is an act of vengeance or submission of your own will.” Genshu spoke these words, never pausing to dwell on what he said, but speaking from his heart as he referred to the ideas that shaped his life. Then, after another awkward pause, Genshu turned again to face his friend. “And, pardon me for saying so Desmond, but it takes many years of torturous work to learn the arts of a samurai, and, I’m sorry to say, you are too old to learn.”

Desmond paused, almost as if the wind was torn from his body. He had not expected this response, yet, after much thought, he finally realized the truth behind what Genshu had said. “So, uh, mast….I mean, Genshu, when did you start?”

A small smile, almost non-existent yet very prevalent to this man who was trained never to show emotion, tugged at the corner of his lips, as he recalled his life, and his past. He was very protective toward his past, his wounded life, yet he held Desmond in a high regard, and he still owed him a debt for paying for his room in Highland. He would satisfy this kolbold’s curiosity.

“I was eight when I came to the Temple of the Silver Moon. My life up to that point, was, I would say, average. Though my father insisted I train in some form of defense. It’s funny, I really don’t remember him now as I think back.” Genshu paused, as if trying to capture an elusive memory that had long since faded from existence. It was only then, that he gave up and continued his story. “So, my family enrolled me in a local dojo. I was trained in the various arts of combat. I was so advanced in my training in fact, that I was awarded an emblem belt at the age of seven. From what I had heard, no one had ever received a belt of that stature at that age before. However, what I had not known, was that the reason I was so much better than everyone else, was that my family had passed to me, the Crest Rune, a family heirloom, which greatly enhanced the skill in combat of the wearer.”

“This did not become so evident, until, at the age of eight, I defeated three bandits attempting to rob my house. My father was only a merchant, but he was greatly admired in our village, and had acquired a substantial deal of wealth. And so, I will never forget, as long as I live, no matter how long that may be, the day that fate stepped in and intercepted my life. Three men, each in robed garments, entered my house, uninvited. Though these were not the bandits I fought before, they did come to steal they stole me, carrying me away into the night. I would never again see my family.”

“I was then taken to the temple in Harmonia, where I was to fight the lord, Master Kin. However, the Crest Rune had been stripped from me, and my skills were far inferior to his. I suffered three broken ribs, and a separated shoulder. And so, my training would begin. For many years, I would rise every morning, before dawn, and run for three hours, then train for an additional two hours, primarily sit-ups and crunches. We would then eat, white rice, for breakfast, and spar for the rest of the day. We would train, 12, 14 hours a day. Training was our life. I improved, and with that, I developed rivals, the best of which, was my close friend, Sai. We would spar, constantly, never winning an edge over the other. We were equals. And so, when the time came to choose the next High Sensei, the one to replace Master Kin, Sai and I were chosen to fight. We fought, yet, no one won. Master Kin chose me, and for that, Sai never forgave him, or me.”

“Well, on one training mission, I stumbled across the village of Cantor, in the Northern Harmonia region, where I met Marai. She truly showed me there was more to life than fighting and training. Despite myself, and my best efforts, I fell in love. Remember what I once told you, ‘Emotion is a weakness which may be exploited by your enemies.’ Sai learned of this, and informed the Master Kin. In the Temple of the Silver Moon, any possession of the warriors is the possession of the master, and so, Master Kin claimed Marai for himself. I had to obey, as my honor would not permit me to defy the master.”

“And so, losing the only humanity I could ever keep, I trained harder, and pushed the recruits until they became better than me. Yet, I was so distracted by my loss that I failed to notice the speed at which new recruits were coming to me, and how quickly the current trainees were being moved elsewhere. That is when Sai approached me. He informed me that the trainees, without my knowledge, were being used to slaughter the tribesmen of the Eastern Grasslands. This genocide would be used so that the High Priest could gain more land for his people. I was greatly disturbed by this, but not as much as knowing that the new recruits were being tore from their family, and forced to watch as the recruiters would butcher their family. I then remembered my own family, and was shocked to learn that they shared the same fate. I could not stand by and watch the temple sink into corruption. And so, I submitted my petition to the High Priest, only to have him laugh at my request to cease the death. So, the only person who could change this was Master Kin. And so, I challenged, defeated, and bore him the mark of the dishonored. Marai, never forgave me, and vowed revenge, as she had fallen in love with Master Kin, because of my honor to hand her to him.” Genshu paused in deep thought, his mind recalling, while trying to forget these images.

“The rest, I believe I told you. I left the temple, a wanted man for the death of Master Kin, though I never took his life with my own hands. Yet Sai became the new commander of the Temple of the Silver Moon. I realized, I could not fight, nor could I defeat so many by myself. And so, I came to Highland, to see if the services of my sword could be of use, only to stumble across the death of a group of young men, and a country screaming for vengeance. And that path has brought us here. Destiny is a strange lady.”

Desmond paused to reflect on the story of Genshu, such a tragic tale. And as he looked at the surroundings, he noticed that the two travelers had reached the gate of TwoRivers. Desmond was quite surprised, as he had not really realized they were still walking, he was so fixed upon the story Genshu told.

Genshu, too, looked at the surrounding of TwoRivers. Surly, with hope, he could convince someone here to listen to him. “Come, we must address the lord of this city. Perhaps, if we sway on city into action, the meeting with Annabelle will be much easier.”