Shore Leave

A Small Fish in a Smaller Pond:

A Trustworthy(?) Guard:

The arrival in Rice Country had been a long journey not only because the distance from the land of Volcano was far by boat, but the lack of resolution that had been found there had left Zang with conflicting feelings. The departure of Kazan from its homeland had left a great deal of satisfaction at the moment, but now Zang had found himself suddenly missing a large portion of his goals. The work he had put into beginning to set his roots into the foreign city had proven fruitless as the village was not laid to waste beneath the crashing waves that he had found lapping at his toes at the destroyed village entrance. When he boarded the boat, he had done so with an enlightened hear that his village had been avenged, though by who or what, Zang was not certain. The trip across the sea had given the purple-robed man plenty of time to think as he sat, nestled away in the cramped common room of the transport vessel he had taken to in order to return. It was not the land of Fire he sought to return to, but one of the neighboring countries such that he could begin to set himself anew on the path of a wayward shinobi. Having spent the last of his money on the travels, the swordsman now found himself at something of a loss- it was not often his plans fell through, but he hadn’t exactly expected to find a wasteland where once sat a proud Village. As elated as he was for the turn of events, the reality of his situation only began to truly sink in as the landmass of the mainlands came into view. Golden eyes focused on the far wall of the cabin, a soft sigh would escape the man’s lips as he let his focus stray from him. “Looks like I’ll need to be picking up some work.” A somewhat listless gaze had befallen his expression; perhaps it was the lack of setting his plan into motion or the notion of now having to start all over again. Whatever the reason, Zang felt himself lack of luster as his gaze lifted upward to the porthole, idly watching the clouds pass by in the distance as the boat traveled.

Within some hours, one of the crew would release a whistle to signal to those aboard that they would soon be making shore. Zang would gather what few belongings he had brought with him, and by the time the boat was drifting up to the dock, he could get a pretty good view of the small village they had arrived at. He had no clue as to the name, but the village was certainly small. Large enough to have a small wall and a dock, but a handful of larger buildings made up the center of the town that was then surrounded by shacks, huts, and smaller housing. Not particularly a major transport area, but it was the first stop of the boat before it would continue north, and for Zang, it was the perfect drop-off point. Once docked and moored, the passengers and workers would be allowed to depart. Making his way down the dock, Zang became aware of a man who was eagerly greeting passengers as they passed. Perhaps a little too eagerly. In fact, as Zang neared, he began to get a better idea as to why. The scrawny man put on a friendly face, smiling a smile that held several missing teeth as he tried to get the time of whoever might pass him though few seemed interested enough to stop. As Zang passed within his circle of influence, the man would have to crane his neck backward to look up to the lanky warrior, who looked back down at him with an expectant gaze. “Ah! Yes! You- you there! You are EXACTLY who I have been looking for!” The man said, hobbling closer so as to speak directly to Zang.

“I somehow doubt that very much,” Zang replied, a small amount of amusement in his voice as he took in the view of the man. He was thin and small but had a sort of energy to him that said the man didn’t feel hindered by his vertical challenges. 

“Well, I do not! Are you capable of body and mind? More importantly, are you looking to earn a wage? There is much to do, much to do, and I need a hand. And, even more importantly, I am willing to pay!” It was as though the man had been sent here specifically for Zang- did he give off a sense of disparity in his wealth? The stranger, wily as he was, seemed to pick up on these thoughts as Zang looked down to inspect himself, continuing to elaborate. “Fret not, my distant friend. I need someone of imposing but welcoming stature. I’m a businessman, you see, but I am in need of someone to draw in customers. Someone with such an exotic look would certainly do so! If, you are a charming person. And I can tell just by looking at you that you could talk your way into a free beer if you really desired.”

Not one to be taken aback, Zang was certainly aware that this job was likely a dreadful one given the ease at which the man offered it. Then again, he did have a point. The swordsman did indeed have a rather fanciful attire compared to the others who left the boat- despite his pension for subtlety, he stuck out like a sore thumb around here. An amused puff of air left Zang’s nose as he let his gaze wander the village before returning to the man. “Let’s talk wage.”

“Splendid! I knew you would be interested- I simply knew it!” Moving aside Zang, the man would wrap his arm around the taller man’s waist and hug to his side. It was a position Zang wasn’t particularly comfortable with, but he wasn’t ready to slay the man for his transgression of his person. Not yet anyway. “Come, let me show you what we will be doing.” Guiding the recently arrived shinobi, the two of them would depart the dock and begin making their way into the village proper.

Over the next couple hours, Zang would learn that the man went by “Jing” and ran a sizable table on what the village considered to be its market square. Apparently quite well known, it was not uncommon for Jing to attempt all manner of curious business practices in order to continue to draw the meager crowd the village had to offer back to his stall, even if they had seen all there was to see. For a generous compensation of Ryo, Zang was asked to simply stand by the wares and present them when asked and even given permission to embellish the wares, though was warned against outright lying. It would do Jing no good if his reputation was spoiled, after all. A day’s work for easy pay. With permission given to exercise his social skills, Zang would do exactly that.


Standing by the stall, many a folk would have their eye drawn to the blue and purple robbed warrior would offer them a charming smile in return for their attention as they drew near to stall to inspect what had drawn him here only to find a number of curious items. Dolls from foreign fibers, books by mysterious authors, and even some supposed guides on the way of the ninja which assured the reader that strict adherence to the practices found within could make them a shinobi of legend. “And what is this?” One of the villagers asked, picking up a box that was made of wood and seemed to have no hinge or lock. “A cube? What the heck good is this?” He asked, giving the box a little shake.

The motion provoked Zang to lift a hand, steadying the man’s grasp. “Please, do be careful. That is a puzzle from the Country of Iron. Something that only just arrived this very day. It is quite rare. Should one be able to solve it, they say a great treasure will await them.” Of course, this was all conjecture, but the point wasn’t about being direct, it was about making a sale. Zang offered the man a polite smile, folding his hands in front of himself. “A clever man such as yourself would certainly have no problem obtaining the secrets such a simple device might hold.”

And so it was, Zang put his honied tongue to work for the stall merchant that day, and made his employer an additional sum to anything he had managed to speak about. It was not only a simple affair but an educational one; Zang came to learn that the people of the village, while generally distrustful of outsiders, could easily be swayed by those who offered the right story. He couldn’t hold it against them- they were a simple people after all. It was highly likely that none of them had ventured very far from this place as their home, and had little intention of ever doing so. As such, the widely traveled and clever Zang had little issue talking people out of their extra coin as he played guard for the stall. By the time the sun had begun to set, Jing was beside himself with the immeasurable success they had managed thus far. Apparently, the performance was well and above even what his intuition on Zang had offered him. “Well done, well done!” Jing said, approaching Zang as he made to close up his shop for the evening. “I knew I had picked the right person for the job. Hey hey hey, tell you what, you want to earn even more? Well well, listen up. Tomorrow there will be a funeral, which I have offered to host on the shoreline. I’ll need someone to help me with a few things. If you aren’t in a rush to leave town, you should stick around and give me a hand. I’ll be the talk of the town for weeks after having you at my side! What do you say?”

The prospect of additional pay was, naturally, very tempting. And why wouldn’t it be? Admittedly, even the day’s work had been much easier than he expected. “Hmm. You better not be trying to con me into free labor...I’d like the same wage as today.” With his new business associate nodding profusely, Zang would offer a single nod in return. “Then I’ll be back for more on the morrow.”


[Missions Complete]


WC - 1,774