>>5969179“Afternoon, gentlemen.” He states. “I know what you’re thinking, but these are dangerous times, aren’t they? Travelers on the road can never be too careful.”
“What the fuck is this? Are you some kind of band of highway robbers?” Your clone asks, unmistakably in your voice but with just a hint of gravel that makes him sound just old enough to match his new look.
“Oh, no no no! That’s why I apologized for the impression! We’re what you might consider to be members of a citizens militia. We’re just making sure that unsavory types aren’t wandering into our little region. Dangerous times, as I said. Can’t be too careful… That’s why I’m going to have to ask you to put your hands up and slowly approach my friends here so we can have a nice safe look at you.” He says, gesturing to a spot off to the side where Girl, Scar, and Dagger have subtly transitioned to standing.
“What, so you can rob us?” Your clone growls.
“If we were going to rob you, which we aren’t, you would count yourself lucky you’re not going to be killed. Just take it easy and do what I say. You’re making me nervous. You don’t want to make me nervous.”
Your clone shares a realistic furtive glance at you while you continue to just sort of stare around, wide-eyed. Your clone leans in and whispers “I’m saying something they can’t hear so it looks like I’m trying to comfort you or some shit.”
You nod soberly in approval.
Your clone gruffly moves to the indicated location, awkwardly keeping his hands up. You amble along behind him, doing the same.
Daggers roughly pats you down and searches through your gear, finding your painting supplies. He then does the same for your clone, only finding survival equipment.
“Nothing.” He reports to Bow.
“Nothing? Where are you two coming from? Where are you going?”
“South. North.” Your clone responds.
“Hah! Don’t be like that. You must not get out much, huh?”
“Nope.”
“Well, let me paint a picture for you. The Lords of Fire are based out of this region. Know anything about that?”
“I don’t get out much.”
“So you’ve said. Well, let me enlighten you. For a little over a century, since the founding of the village system, ninjas have been treating our land like their own personal whore. Even the daimyo sucks their balls, sucks ‘em deep enough that he’s kicked the last of the Land of Fire’s samurai, his bodyguards, to the curb. Well, they were pissed off about that, so they’ve come up here to foment revolution, hoping to find like-minded people who don’t like that our entire world revolves around the amoral whims of scumbag mercenaries that murder their way into absolute political power. Despite them making up less than a percent of the population we’re ruled by an untouchable caste of bloodthirsty magicians. It’s a dystopian hellscape where the average man doesn’t matter and we live only to serve an endless ninja blood feud economy.”
