He Who Leads

Death, destruction, peace, uncertainty: all concepts that plague you currently. Which path was right? Which concept would you accept as your own? Perhaps you would create a new one for yourself?

Perhaps...

The sun had set long ago and was just now beginning to rise, it was dawn and a new day. A new beginning. Beginnings are difficult, to create something from nothing is...nigh impossible. But unfortunately, that’s what you have to do in this situation.

You’re the leader, the chief of the Akachi clan...the….the new chief after the previous chief died in battle. That chief was your father and…..and he was a brave and powerful man, a noble leader, and the greatest man to ever live. And somehow….you had to follow in his footsteps; no, you had to surpass him and bring your clan to safety and glory. But safety was first, and you had to get moving.

Your father died from fighting a demon: a giant flaming lion with two tails that had attacked your clan. Its power was overwhelming, and froze many of the warriors in place from the sheer intensity, but not your father. He saved not only a little girl that was taken in the demon’s jaws, but was able to hold the demon off so that the entire clan could escape. Including you.

It shamed you greatly that you left your father to fight such an overwhelming power by himself, that you left when told and didn’t step up like the man that you now had to be. If you had….then perhaps he’d still be alive and with you today. You remembered it clearly, the demon was rampaging throughout the settlement your clan had created and was taking no prisoners. The entire encampment was set ablaze, women were screaming, men ran in fear, children cried, and only one man was there to stand up to the beast.

The beast….the demon, it was here! And worse, it was rampaging and there was nothing but chaos, panic, fear. What were you suppose to do? You wanted to go get your father, you wanted to go help the people being attacked, but you’re frozen in fear of this monstrosity.

Hands trembling and spine tingling, you slowly gripped a nearby spear and threw it at the beast at breakneck speeds. It hit with precision, and the beast roared, but all you managed to do was enrage it.

The people near the beast were saved though, finding the time and courage to escape when you hit the beast, but now the beast was charging you and you nothing to protect you.

As the beast charged forward, you did the only thing you could do, put your hands up and prepare yourself for the attack. It got closer and closer and then it pounced, claws aimed for your heart, as all you could do was try and wait until you saw an opening.

At the last second you panicked and closed your eyes, wildly throwing a punch, but no impact came. Opening one eye, you saw your father in front of you, his spear blocking the beasts charge, holding it at a standstill.

“Son……ngh…..get out of here. I got this. Go, evacuate the villagers and gather the men and……just know that I love you and I have always been proud of what you are and what you’ve become.” He said, not taking his eye off the demon that was attempting to overpower him.

The impasse broke and they exchanged several blows, your father blocking most of the attacks aimed at his person.

“Go!” He yelled.

“But…Father…Chief…..how can I just leave you to fight this beast by yourself? It’s my duty as a son and as the Second, to aid you. I…..you even talk to me as if you are going to die, saying goodbyes and telling me how proud you are. Let me make you proud!” You pleaded, even yelling passionately at the end. At that your father forced the demon back, launching it a few meters, as he turned to you briefly.

“As your chief, I order you to do as I say. Please. I know what I’m doing.“ He commands as he turns his weapon back on the beast. All you can do is nod and listen to his orders. Running off, you go out to collect the men and evacuate the villagers as he said to do. The last sight you saw of your father was him viciously attacking the beast.

Unknowingly that would be the last time you would see him alive and the last conversation you would have. According to the scouts, your father had slayed the beast and was fairly injured himself, but another, a giant snake demon of some sort, had shown up and finished your father off. They said that he gravely injured that demon too, but his injuries were fatal.

Per tradition, your clan collected his body and burned it, after paying your respects. Everyone cried that day: warriors, men, women, children, and especially you. The day after you’re named Chief in a grand ceremony, but it felt like it was just….too soon.

And so, you trained hard to be Chief, to gain power, so that nothing like this could happen again. The first step was to master your clan’s special ability, your bloodline, Umoya: the energy of your spirit and the power of your soul. Umoya could do different things; give different abilities, depending on what body part you channeled it through.

When channeled through the eyes, one could see through walls and other types of cover, as well as zoom in to one hundred times that of one’s normal eyesight. When channeled through the arms it allowed one to increase his or hers strength one hundredfold, and they could increase the speed of his or hers arms and hands, moving them in a flurry of over a hundred strikes per second or one hundred times faster than normal. When channeled through the legs, it allowed one to increase his or hers running speed one hundred fold, as well as increase his or hers leg strength. And finally, each member of the Akachi clan had a unique ability when they channeled Umoya through the chest, the heart. Yours was the ability to become completely invisible to all senses.

But you had to train in more than simply Umoya and its uses. You had to train your mind and your body, in addition to your soul. That meant speed, strength, intellect and strategy, stealth, your close combat abilities, your sniper abilities, and more.

Along with your father’s title of Chief, you also received his Bow, his Sword, and his Armor. The Ceremonial Chief Armor was rarely worn, but it was very powerful and very sturdy. In fact, many say that your father would’ve survived should he have had time to don the armor. It was….unfortunate that he wasn’t able to.

The Sword and the Bow were powerful, able to handle the overwhelming speed and strength that Umoya granted, and could both channel Umoya to increase their capabilities, such as sharpness and hardness of the blade and range and speed of arrows. These weapons would aid you in battle, but there was more than just battle ahead of the Akachi clan. Now that your father was dead, you had to name a Second, a pseudo-heir until you had a child yourself that could take on the responsibilities of Chief, should you perish. You also had to decide how to move, how you would migrate your clan to better pastures.

You couldn’t stay in your current location, not after the demon’s attack. What if it returned? Or more like it? And with your clan weakened from the loss of your father, you couldn’t risk a battle with the Yakuza clan. But at the same time, going towards the Eastlands seemed like suicide as well. Despite the fertile land and easily livable area, the Orion and the Gaea clans were constantly warring and you didn’t want to get between that. Any other country was undesirable for your clan either due to the terrain, how far the travel was, or the warring clans in the area. Unlike most clans, the Gaea had a reputation for being more hospitable to all that weren’t Orion. So there was a chance they would accept your proposal.

After thinking about it for a minute, before you moved the clan, you had to establish a base and rebuild. The first step to doing that was naming a Second. Looking at your clan there were three real candidates. One was the head general of the Akachi clan military: Emeka, another was your childhood friend and sparring buddy Ime, and the third was….well….your mother. Emeka would be a respected choice due to his power and proven status in battle. Ime was simply your friend and someone you knew had great patience and the right mind to lead. Your mother was…your mother. She had experience in leading as well, being somewhat of a “Queen” to your father’s rule and she could easily keep the clan afloat simply by doing what your father would have. Alternatively you could have a clan vote or a tournament of sorts and have the winner be your Second.

After thinking it over, you are essentially trapped in a Chief’s dilemma. If you choose Emeka, it is likely you two can bump heads a lot. If you choose Ime, the clan will think you played favorites. If you choose your mother, the clan will think you’re merely piggybacking off of your father’s legacy. If you go to a clan vote, the clan will think that you’re indecisive and weak, and if you have the tournament, it will temporarily weaken your clan even more for the time being.

So you make a decision. You will personally contact each of the three candidates and let them know that they were being considered for your temporary Second. Then you’ll get their thoughts on it and have them help you with your decision. First one to find was Emeka.

Emeka was likely in the training grounds with the military, training new recruits and sharpening the skills of the current troops. Emeka was a powerful but silent man who had few words unless he felt strongly about the subject being discussed. He was stern with his orders and rigid in his beliefs, but his strength would help the clan greatly, should you fall.

You make your way over to the military grounds, and as you thought, Emeka was there working the troops near to death as he always did. Emeka was a tall man, standing at over seven feet tall, and he towered over all in your clan, so spotting him was easy. Emeka had long hair that was tied into one braid that was sharpened to a point, his “second” spear as he called it, and had the eyes of a predator, the kind that just screamed ‘danger’, that were a dark brown in color. He wore ceremonial armor when he battled, but for now he was mainly bare-chested.

You wave him down and he nods, finishing up his instructions to the soldiers and making his way over to you. Any other man would have been intimidated by his mere presence and size, but you’re your father’s son and the new chief, you can’t afford to be afraid.

“Amare, ‘Chief’ Amare.” He acknowledges you, in a very deep voice. “How can I help you?”

“I need your advice Emeka. As you know, we suffered a great loss with my father’s…..death, and the only reason we’re still functioning is because he named me and trained me to be his Second. Now of course my son will be the same to me, but I need a temporary Second in the meantime.” You began, looking for some type of reaction. His face remained stoic as always, but he nodded, signaling you to continue.

“Well you’re one of the candidates Emeka and I wanted to meet with you and the other two candidates to get your opinions on this matter. That’s all.”

“I see…when will this meeting be taking place?” He asks.

“As soon as I inform the other two.” You answer. He nods.

“I will meet you all at the Chief’s abode.” He says as he began walking off. Good. One down, two to go. Next up was Ime.

Ime, being your childhood friend and all, will be easy to find. He was always off by himself near a body of water or in some isolated place, thinking in solace. With your eyes, especially enhanced by Umoya, you’d spot him in no time. As you thought, you find him off near a river by himself, deep in thought.

“Ime!” You spoke out, getting his attention.

“Hey, Amare! Or….uh…should I say Chief Amare, what’s up?” He asks.

“I need a Second, and you’re one of the candidates.” You reply very bluntly.

“Me? Why? And how? Isn’t your Second supposed to be your first born child?”

“Yeah but I want a temporary Second in case something should happen to me. The clan needs someone to lead them, and you’re a good candidate Ime. You have the patience and the right frame of mind to lead this clan to glory. That’s why you’re one of the choices.” You say with confidence and a bit of pride in your friend.

“Now what I need from you, and the two other candidates, is your opinion on who I should pick between you three. So meet me at my place, as I go find the last candidate.” You say with authority.

At that he merely nods, again seemingly deep in thought, as you speed off to go find your mother. Well, you didn’t have to find her really, as she lived right next to you; you just had to talk to her. Quickly you ran to your place and went next door to where your mother was, hoping that she wasn’t gone on some trip somewhere.

“Mother!” You call out as you entered through the doorway.

“Amare?” Asks your mother in surprise. She didn’t give you time to answer, as she quickly came up and hugged you tightly.

“I know that you blame yourself, but you shouldn’t. Your father did what he thought was right Amare. No one could’ve predicted that he’d have to fight TWO of those beasts and no one could’ve helped him against them. It was just… bad luck is all-“ She began, as you cut her off, while awkwardly hugging her back

“Mother, I’m not here about that. I’m here about the future of the clan.” You manage to choke out, despite your mother’s words touching something close to your heart.

“The future of the clan? What about it exactly? You know I helped your father with a lot of that and….” She trails off. This time SHE looks sad at her own mentioning of your father.

“I need a temporary Second and I need your opinion. I have all of the candidates gathered at my place, and I need you to help me make my decision.” You say, eyes closed at the tirade you see coming.

“Tch, you don’t need a Second! Nothing’s going to happen to you, the danger is over Amare.” She says forcefully.

“We both know that’s not true mother.”

“Don’t interrupt me when I’m talking!” She snaps. “As I was saying, you don’t need a temporary Second. You’re a strong boy and there’s little in this world that can kill you. Besides, you SHOULD be worried about a REAL Second and an heir to your throne. I’ve told you time and time again that you need to choose a queen! Me and your father had you when we were two years younger than you Amare! You’re fifteen now and-“

“MOTHER!” You yell a bit, cutting her off. “Now’s not the time to talk about that. I need you at my tent as soon as possible, is that fine?” You ask with a commanding voice.

“It’s fine. I’ll be there.” Answered your mother after letting out a deep breath and pursing her lips.

“Good, now let’s go.” You say, beckoning her to follow you. And follow you she did.

After a minute or so of waiting, you’re here in your tent with the three candidates before you. Emeka tenses up when he sees your mother and seems to look disapprovingly at Ime’s presence. Ime has no discernible expression on his face, not even his usual ‘deep in thought look’, which was odd. Your mother on the other hand, raises an eyebrow at Ime’s presence, while nodding at Emeka and noting his strength.

You opened your mouth to speak, but no words came out. You simply didn’t have to. You got what you needed from the first second of this impromptu meeting, and you supposed you owed everyone an explanation.

“Now I called this meeting to get each of your opinions on which one of you I would make my Second. I was going to let you each get the floor and make your points, but your initial reactions were all that I needed. Ime, for whatever reason you’re not well respected amongst the clan. Whether it be your inexperience, your demeanor, or just the fact that no one quite knows you well enough to see how good of a leader you’d be, the lack of respect is there. Emeka, you’re powerful and well respected, feared and loved, and you’d also be a good leader if need be. You’ve proved your worth and leadership ability with how you handle the soldiers, and your great strength in battle is a valuable asset for a leader to have. But, there are civilians to care for as well and I’m not confident that you can handle them without being too militaristic. Mother, you’ve been at my father’s side during his entire time as Chief. You know how to handle the civilians, how to handle the military, how to handle the big decisions, how to run the clan effectively and efficiently. You’re strong, wise, and an experienced leader. Plus you’re my mom. That’s why I’m naming YOU as my temporary Second.“

The room was silent.

Ime looks downtrodden at the criticism, while Emeka merely nods at your assessment, as your mother simply smiles at the compliments.

“A fair assessment.” Remarks Emeka in a gruff voice, before bowing slightly. “I now take my leave.” And true to his word, he then left.

“Y-yeah. I guess that makes sense. It’s not like it matters anyways. You’ll definitely have an heir before you actually need any of us as a Second anyways.” Says Ime, shaking off the negativity he felt.

“I agree. This is but a formality. What you need to do is find a queen, and make yourself an heir. Nonetheless, I accept, though I pray I never have to fulfill this role. Please Amare, promise me that I won’t have to fulfill this role.” She states, and almost pleas sternly.

“Mother...I...I can’t promise you that. Father’s death must’ve taken a toll on you, one I can’t even imagine, as even to this day, I still have flashbacks. I know it’s not truly my fault and that he was just doing what he had to do as Chief but...it just doesn’t feel right how I left him. There are things left that I wish I could tell him, things unsaid that I would gladly shout to the world, should I have known he was gonna die but...” You trail off and take a deep breath.

“Now I AM Chief and like my father before me, I have a duty to these people: to protect them, to lead them, to guide them, to defend them, even if it costs me my life. I will do my best to start a family, partially for my own benefit and joy, and partially to fulfill the role of my Second, so that you don’t have to. But still know that I love you Mom, and I appreciate your counsel. Thank you.” You say, going in for a big hug that she, of course, reciprocates.” Now I need to go see my people and make a difficult decision as to where we will go.” You say as you release her. She nods in understanding and wipes a tear from her eye, as you begin your leave.

Exiting your tent, you look out to the rest of the clan, channeling Umoya to your eyes to make sure that nothing is blatantly wrong before you make your visits. Of course, nothing was. You then trek around the different parts of your clan’s set up: the farms, the markets, the gardens, the living quarters, the training fields, and the military barracks.

The farms were fine, the animals were tended to, and the vegetables were ready for eating (for the most part, what wasn’t ready now would be left behind), and none of the farmers were seriously hurt. The markets were well, though they were shut down for the day, and the clan was doing fine trading amongst themselves, bartering for goods and services and whatnot.

The gardens, much like the farms, had plenty of fruit and flowers ready to eat and to pick, and everything seemed to be fine. The living quarters were good as well, nothing too bad was going on that normal people didn’t get into (arguments, non-lethal fights, etc.) and overall it seems relatively peaceful and friendly.

The barracks were the same as always, the soldiers were fine and were having fun joking and playing around, while still keeping up with their training. Also, instead of the usual slight bow you got, the soldiers would instead kneel before you until you signaled for them to rise. Overall they were a good bunch and would be alright for the move, despite having the most harrowing work in a way.

Now the training fields….that was usually the status quo with Emeka and other officers vigorously training and disciplining the soldiers, but today was different. For once, in your fifteen years of life, you saw Ime trying exceptionally hard at something that wasn’t thinking. Well, maybe he was still thinking, but he was also training. Physically. You approach him slowly, not sure if what you’re seeing was an illusion or not (well, Umoya saw through all illusions so...never mind) and spoke to him.

“Ime...you’re training!?” With that remark, he temporarily stops what he’s doing (it looked like Umoya channeling mixed with some martial arts training) and looks at you with an annoyed expression.

“Don’t sound so surprised.” He bites back with a sour tone.

“Sorry, it’s just...I don’t think I’ve ever seen you truly...you know, train.” You explain.

“How...what...I used to train with you all the time! We’re sparring buddies and training buddies Amare! Have you forgotten?”

“No it’s just...that was mostly sparring and having fun, plus we were practically forced to. Never thought you’d do it on your own. That’s all.” You say innocently.

“Yes well...I thought about what you said and noticed how your mother and Emeka looked at me so...disapprovingly and it kinda lit a fire beneath me. Plus I mean...I could’ve been Second had I been training earlier. That means that one little accident that just happens to be lethal, and I’m Chief. Tsk tsk a missed opportunity if I ever saw one.” He says, grinning at his “hilarious” joke he just told.

“Yeah yeah, so what are you working on anyways?” You ask, your curiosity peaked.

“It’s a secret.” He retorts, with a smug look on his face.

“But...if you really want to know...we can have a...demonstration of sorts. A spar is what I really mean.” Your eyes widened in shock and then go dead serious.

“Ime...I’m Chief. We may have been sparring buddies in the past but...I’d demolish you.” You say, serious as ever.

“Maybe, but I like my chances.” He responds. “Look, either you spar and I beat you, or you don’t and I still beat you as you don’t fight back. Either way, I look good for having a win over the Chief. So what do you say?” He asks with a devious grin, getting in his stance.

“Ime….the decision I made about my Second wasn’t about you or me, it was about all of US. The clan.” You say, gesturing to the entirety of the clan.

“I’m glad my words helped to inspire you and I’m glad you’re trying to progress and improve yourself. But…now is not the time to think about ‘what could have been’ or even ‘getting one over on the chief’. The clan needs a future, we need a future and we need to look for a place to live. We need a place where the future of the clan can live healthily and grow strong, a place to plant our roots and nurture our young. Matter of fact, you’re a smart guy Ime, a genius even, what are your thoughts on that. Where do you think we should live?” You ask sincerely, looking for guidance. At that request, Ime dropped from his stance, and looked at you with an eyebrow raised.

“You and I both know that the decision is fairly obvious Amare, sorry Chief Amare. There are two clear choices: the Westlands where we will live on top of the mountain, easily defending ourselves from all attackers, as it is the best military spot for us to live; and the Eastlands where we will live and flourish with many resources such as the forest, animals for hunting, the river for water, and so on.

The Westlands has the Yakuza clan who is the clear top dog and will certainly oppose us encroaching on their territory, while the Eastlands has the Orion and the Gaea who are at war. Due to this war they have, we could possibly join a side and take out the other side two on one, we could simply wait for them to fight and clean up the victor, or we could end up being ganged up on by both clans. It’s hard to tell.

The Yakuza are fast, skilled, good with a blade, very honorable and will not hesitate to cross blades with any opponent. That can be good for you as you’re fast but. I’m not sure how you’d fare against an opponent that vastly outmatches you in swordsmanship, the one skill you lack in more than anything. The Orion are a mix of illusionary techniques and what appears to be some magic as they shoot fire from their eyes and conjure giant warriors to do their bidding. They also fight close combat, but that shouldn’t be a problem. The Gaea are based almost solely in close combat, where they’re not a threat to us, and magic. Their magic appears to be based in water and earth, though I’ve heard tales of one who controls grass constructs that dwarfs the mountains.

Though, I’m confident in our ability to take on any clan with you, me, Emeka, your mother, and the other warriors. The real question you need to answer is….are we gonna be more militaristic or are we gonna focus more on nurturing, farming, living, and prospering? That’s your decision to make Amare, and yours alone.“ He advises in a sage-like tone.

“Actually Ime, I’ve found an alternative.” You say with confidence, having thought through some other options during Ime’s educational explanation.

“Oh? Enlighten me Chief.” Says Ime with a bit of a mocking tone on his voice.

“Well, I’ve been looking over the map some and I found an area that is actually between the two countries that fits our needs: The Midlands, and it has rivers, forests, and appears to be relatively uninhabited. This way we can avoid conflict with all three clans and cut back on making enemies until we are ready to do so.” You say as Ime takes out a map that he apparently already had on him.

“Hmm….Midlands you say? So essentially….you want to stay in almost the exact spot that we are now? I mean it’d take less than a day’s travel and all but….from how you described it, it appears to be a lesser version of The Eastlands with none of the militaristic value of Westlands. Adding on to that, you seem to be handicapping the clan’s growth and any real plans for expansion. I mean, if we were to grow in power and begin taking over, we’d be limited to only the Midlands obviously, which is significantly smaller than both the Westlands and the Eastlands.

Even if we were to seize control of it entirely, we’d be behind whatever clans dominated the four bigger countries: The Eastlands, The Westlands, The Northlands, The Southlands. So we could never be a major power without some serious conquering. Oh and I sincerely doubt that the Midlands is uninhabited. No country is really, some clans are just more known than others. So if you’re looking to avoid conflict, then that is impossible, though I’m sure the Yakuza, Gaea, and Orion would be fine with it. But hey, this is your decision as Chief, not mine. If you want another opinion, I’d ask your mother probably as she has a lot of insight on decisions like these due to ruling alongside your father. And don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad decision, I just…..it seems like you’re shortchanging us for no apparent reason. Logic says that you’re scared of the Orion, the Gaea, the Yakuza clan, or any combination of the three, but the Amare I know didn’t have such fear in him. So make your decision, Chief, and remember that it’s your responsibility to do what’s best for the clan, not what’s best for other clans.” He says, finishing his lecture with a quick nod as he made his leave from the training grounds.

The question was, would you stand by your decision and begin the move as soon as tomorrow, or would you get a third opinion? Even after his breakdown, you wanted to stay by your plan, but Ime’s words had managed to place some doubt in you. Ime was very intelligent and if he thought The Eastlands were better… well you’d need a third opinion at least. So obviously, it was time to go see what Mother thought. Making your way to her tent, you make your presence known with a quick “Mom, it’s me” and then enter. You see her sitting at a table waiting patiently, almost like she had been expecting you.

“Yes Amare? What did you want to discuss?” She asks calmly.

“Well Mother, I was thinking about where our clan would move to and I’ve decided not to go with the obvious choice of The Eastlands nor the The Westlands, but instead a country in between both of them that’s not far from here: The Midlands. It has everything we’d want as far as resources go: water, forests, fertile land, rice, etc. and we wouldn’t be clashing with nor making enemies with any of the more powerful clans like the Gaea or the Orion or even the Yakuza.”

“OK….and?” She replies nonchalantly with an amused smirk.

“Um…well I discussed it with Ime and he said that it made more sense to go for The Eastlands or The Westlands, as it gave us a larger area to work with and to expand, rather than limiting us to the small size of The MIdlands. I value Ime’s intelligence, so his words did move me some, but ultimately I stand by my decision. But…..I wanted a third opinion on it, so I came to you.”

“I see….well Ime’s right, pretty much one hundred percent, but if you wish to go to The Midlands then that’s what we’ll do. That’s what it means to be Chief. For all we know, you see something that the rest of us just can’t and it will all turn out better in the end.” She muses softly.

“Though I do dislike what appears to be fear of these other clans. We are the Akachi clan and we are far and away the most powerful, even with your father’s passing. If we fought those other clans, we would crush them. Simple as that.” She says with a mean look in her eye. Her eyes then soften once more as she continues.

Besides, we can technically still expand outwards from The Midlands, it’ll just be…..tricky is all. So do what you want Amare. You are Chief and no one else.” She finishes with a warm smile.

“Thanks Mother, I’ll do just that.” You say with a nod, exiting her abode.

“And don’t forget about choosing a queen!” She yells out after you.

Now you had to make your decision as to HOW your clan would move. Usually, the scouts would go on ahead, while the soldiers would move alongside the civilians, protecting them as the Chief led the way at a slow pace. But it was a new reign and a new Chief; you could change up if you wanted. Yes, you could change if you wanted to but….change for change’s sake is foolish. If it works, don’t mess it up. And thus you’d perform this move the traditional way, scouts and all. But a bigger decision had to be made. Your mother, Ime, both intelligent people, more intelligent than yourself, agree that taking over The Eastlands makes more sense than The Midlands (though your mother was a bit more supportive of your plans). Both agreed that going after The Midlands was handicapping the clan, and both thought the decision gave off the stench of fear, something you couldn’t tolerate: being seen as a fearful Chief.

Because of that, you had changed your mind on exactly where the clan was to move from The Midlands back to The Eastlands. This left a few other questions to be answered: Which of the two prominent clans (Orion and Gaea) would you reach out to, if any of them at all? What would the message be? What would it say? Would you attempt an alliance or crush them all? Or perhaps sit back and clean up the victor who would be tired and weary. So many questions needed to be answered before the scouts were sent out.

Speaking of questions, one that plagues you currently is…who dared to trespass on your clan’s land and for what purpose? Yes, it appears that there is a group of five men sneaking around near your grounds. Their intentions are unclear, but as Chief and a great archer and sniper (long distance archer), you’re obligated to do something.

Using Umoya and looking deeper, you notice that the five men were split up and each at least one hundred meters away from the nearest man, with the two who were furthest away from each other being split up by five hundred or so meters. They were split up to cover more ground and to make it harder to take them all out at once. Unfortunately, the distance would buy them no time.

Channeling Umoya into your heart, you become invisible to all five senses and begin your assault. Using your speed, you quickly run across the one hundred and fifty meters separating you and the nearest man and plant your leg into his jaw, launching his head off of his shoulders. Moving quickly, you shift to the other side of the flying head and kick it like a ball into the man who is furthest away, knocking him out. As the head is traveling, you move from man to man and kill them all for daring to trespass on your land. You rip out one of their hearts, collapse the other one’s throat with a punch, and finish off the last one with a jumping knee to the chin, decapitating him as well. All in time to catch the last man’s body before he hits the ground. A pretty good test of your speed you’d say, and this was without using Umoya to boost it one hundredfold.

Calming down from ‘the hunt’ you let your ability fade, no longer invisible. You then approach the fallen, but not yet deceased man. Swiftly you slap the man lightly across the face, leaving him with a red mark and a bloody nose, but more importantly it leaves him awake. You didn’t notice much else about him physically because he’d be dead soon and was unimportant in your eyes.

“Why are you trespassing on my land?” You question sternly, eyes hardened like steel.

“I-I...we didn’t know! Honest!” He stammers out.

“LIAR!” You shout as you shatter his knee cap with a chop. Your eyes saw all truth and saw through all illusion due to the Umoya running through your body, so you knew a lie when you saw one. He sobs and cries out in pain, but you muffle his sound with your hand, as not to alert anyone in your village.

“I will ask you again, and next time you lie, it will be...more tender areas being harmed.” You threaten.

“Why were you trespassing on my land?” You demand again, this time more forcefully.

“OK, OK! We were just looking for some fun, when the famous Sun King of the Orion clan contacted us. He said he’d pay us to investigate a new clan that was living near The Eastlands. That’s it I swear!” He cries out, raising his hands in defense. Swiftly you ripped out his throat, silencing him forever.

“I know.” Is all you say quietly, uncaring about his pleas. Now that that was taken care of, you’d get some sleep and then direct your men on what to do against the Orions and Gaea. During that quick second of ‘hunting’ you came to a decision, and the captured man’s words only strengthened it. You would send the scouts to The Eastlands stealthily and they would observe both clans. When the clans were at their weakest, they would retrieve you and the soldiers and you would march out and kill them.

This was to be very important and kept a secret. If the men were captured, they would die in the name of the clan to protect us and protect your secrets. Being found out was not an option. They were to report in once a day, and failure to do so would cause immediate response.

In fact, it’d be better to start now, so they get an early start. With great speed you personally visit the scouts and tell them of their great mission and send them off to it. They are aware that this mission will obviously take time and are to prepare for the long haul. You then return to your tent and get some sleep.