Chapter 21 "A Safer Place for All"

Hello, my dears. It seems you missed me and my stories, and by the looks of it, you must've enjoyed looking at your father's creations when he was still making armor dyes. I'm sure you'll enjoy today's story as well, so let's start.

The break we all took lasted five days. I made a lot of armor dyes in that time, and I even learned how to make my own armor from an old blacksmith seeking refuge in our southern outpost, which we made a settlement for all to seek shelter from the invaders. I hid most of the armor around the island, and I still check on their condition every now and then. Anyway, after our break, we received some painful news. A family on their way to our safe havens was unfortunately struck down by pirates patrolling the area. The deceased family included the two parents and three children; one of them looked like they were just eight. It broke our hearts that we couldn't do anything for the poor family. We could only bury them by the outpost to honor their final dreams of getting to our outpost to seek refuge and have a safe haven for their kids.

After paying our respects, Zeth exclaimed in anger, "This is so messed up, man! They died because we didn't clear out the roads leading towards our outposts! Those damn patrols are taking innocent lives, knowing they're headed towards territories we liberated from them! If we could just find them all and make them disappear without a trace, maybe our paths would be a lot safer to walk on…"

Hearing my sister's outburst gave me a eureka moment. "You know, we could clear them out like you're suggesting. We could get Joy and Hana to spot the patrols, have them notify us, and then we'd send a group of people to take them out quietly without a fight. And before you ask, yes, we're basically kidnapping them, but we're making it look like they just disappeared into thin air, leaving no traces of combat or struggle. We'll leave their horses as well to make it look more authentic, so that they don't think they just deserted. We'll have Jey use her earth magic to make the ground look like it wasn't bothered. We can have Hana join them after she comes back from scouting. Kinny and Mil can pick them off from afar; rubber bullets to the head should knock them out. A small team of four people. We'll have Lilly on standby here at the base to heal the captured patrol so we can instantly question them in the interrogation room. It's genius!"

Your uncle gave it a thought before speaking, "It makes sense, guys. I'm in. I'd rather waste some time on a pesky patrol than have another family pass under their blade. It'll also make traveling to and from outposts a breeze. If we capture enough of the patrols, it should scare the replacements bad enough that they'll pretend to go on patrol and return to their base, saying they're done. It's actually genius, I say."

I only needed the four initial party members to agree, so I looked at Hana. She sighed and gave a nod of approval. Jey was excited, saying she could train her new earth magic, and Kinny just wanted to shoot some people, so he was down as well.

The crew seemed to be overflowing with determination, wanting to show those pirates who's actually boss around these parts, and so the plan was green. Joy spotted a patrol near my flower field where I gather my dyes. She alerted us using a form of heavenly magic Lilly can use called "Connections." Her mom gave her that power before sending her to us. She warns everyone else to get ready.

"Joy just spotted a patrol group of 5: one leader, two archers, and two swordsmen. Hana, use the flowers to hide; Kinny and Mil, use the trees nearby as a vantage point."

I was shocked to see the mostly silent Lilly give orders as if she was a natural-born leader. I smiled and gave her a thumbs up as I fetched Hana a special scout's armor I dyed for her. It was colorful and fit for a flower field; she could stay hidden while still being in plain sight. She laughed, "That's actually sick, Cap! You've got a real talent in making armor dyes. I'm totally using this right now!" She put it on, and it was a perfect fit. She ran off excitedly, and that's just another satisfied friend.

It didn't take long for our patrol exterminators to spot the patrol. Joy saw Hana getting into the field of flowers, which were tall, so she could hide in it. She grabbed the leader by the neck and snapped it, just enough to knock him out without killing him. The snap was strong enough to make a person pass out, but not enough to kill. It would give him a massive headache when he wakes up, though.

Jiro and Mil shot at the same time, taking out the archers, and Hana finished off the two swordsmen by hitting their heads with her wooden knives as hard as possible. She may be small, but she certainly packs a punch. We call her Demoness for a reason.

But there was no time to rest for our patrol exterminators. Joy just informed Lilly that she spotted a larger group of pirates with a group of samurai wearing an unfamiliar color combination. It looked like they had prisoners of their own, occupying a house up the road. Lilly acted quickly, using her Connections skill to contact the three-man on-site team.

"Hana, return to base. This is a new environment. Report to Captain Rei for a new load out. Jiro and Mil, go to the house down the road and find a good vantage point. Joy counted roughly 15 enemies. We can't confirm if there are any inside the house itself. Attend to your orders immediately."

I was still shocked at how good she was at her job. She was really popping off. I told her to inform Kinny and Jiro that there would be reinforcements. We'd be sending in Jey to encase the area in a dome of air so that no noise can escape and alert any other pirates in the area. She got right to work.

"New update from Captain Rei. All three of you should expect company. Jey's being sent in to assist you. Jiro and Kinny, your vantage point has to be on the house roof. Jey will be making a dome of air around the house. Your bullets won't go through that dome."

They acted fast. Hana arrived just as the update finished. "Cap, I'm here for the new load out and to pick up Jey." I handed her armor made to camouflage when near wood and mud. Jey also ran to her and asked her to jump, which she did. Jey used her air magic to hover them to the house. Once they landed, the dome was instantly made. The enemy was stunned, but our plan worked. No sound escaped the dome. A total of 23 enemies were in that house and within the surrounding area. The prisoners were freed and guided to the southern outpost. Only one prisoner was kept restrained, a samurai wearing the same armor as the ones we captured. She was presented to me, and I spoke up. She looked scared, so I kept my tone low.

"I am Captain Rei Ishikawa, also the current Lord of Clan Ishikawa. May I know your name and why your clan members had you restrained?" I had Lilly calm her down with another one of her skills called "soothing voice." She sang a heavenly tune that calmed even my nerves. The girl spoke shakily, though.

"I-I am Lady Aoi Ikari, the only daughter of Lord Oga Ikari. My own father had me arrested, thinking I was conspiring against him, which I wasn't. But I am now. I think my skills would be of great use to you. I'm a master when it comes to using my sword and getting up close but not so personal, if you understand what I mean."

I gave her a cheeky look and threw a small blade at her. She caught it. She had her restraints off but made them look like they were on so that they wouldn't be tightened again. I smiled. "An assassin samurai who plans to conspire against her own father due to his betrayal. I've got a few other samurai on board, all being betrayed by their fathers. You're one of three, five if we're including the two leaders of Clan Ishikawa, that being me and my third-in-command, my sister Zeth. So, I'm assuming you want to join us, get us to help you extract revenge on your father. Am I in the ballpark?"

She shushed me. "Now, don't spoil everything, Lord Ishikawa. You're the first to ever see through my acting, and I'm impressed. Sign me up." I smiled, helping her up. "Your clan has a nicely colored armor, a white base with a yellow lining, and that mask—such a nice design. But I'm sure what's hidden behind it is a much nicer sight to behold." She laughed. "You always flirt with your crew like this, Ishikawa? Plus, I'm not that stunning, nothing compared to that Valk you had flying around. She was gorgeous." She removed her mask, revealing one of the prettiest faces I've ever seen. If I didn't have my eyes on Taka, I'd totally date Aoi, but I'll let the others have her.

A few more captured patrols later, and the waters seem to have gone still. Patrols started appearing considerably less. People have started walking the streets again. Samurai with crests of Clan Ishikawa walk the streets along with the villagers to keep them safe.

And that's time once again, my dears. It's time for bed. When you wake up tomorrow, I'll have samurai armor made just for the lot of you. I'm sure you will enjoy how it looks. Rest well now, my dears.