Fan Fiction ❯ Bushido ❯ Goblin Troubles ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Goblin Troubles

To say the forest was dark, dense, and creepy would be the biggest understatement of the Sengoku era. To say Koichi was unfazed would be a lie as well.

"Why would anyone want to live in this dreary place?" the ronin muttered to himself as he trudged along what seemed to be a long-forgotten path, covered in debris and faded. Koichi did wish that he at least had one travel companion for help if a battle were to erupt, but, then again, he was the one who ordered his guards to stay with his little sister.

Koichi jumped as the rustling of a bush shattered the eerie silence of the woods. He jerked his head to the left, in the direction of the noise, hand on his katana handle, ready to fight. His muscles relaxed as a squirrel scurried out and scampered up a tree. Koichi shook his head and continued on his way, back to his musings.

Maybe I was too hasty in my orders... No, I made the right choice. Soji and the others will be good caretakers of Eri. Still, a companion on these lonely roads would be nice...

Once again Koichi's senses alerted him as the stillness was disturbed once more. This time, katana raised, and muscles tensed into a fighting stance, the ronin stood at full attention, eight goblins leaping out in the path ahead, all carrying wakizashi. Most likely stolen, Koichi sighed. Goblins aren't exactly famous for respecting others' property…

"Halt, stranger!" hissed the closest goblin, a fairly large male with a distinctive helmet. "You are in Obake-sama's territory, and are now prisoner of his army, for committing a horrid crime. You are to come with us to his underground castle." Koichi didn't twitch anything other than his mouth as he spoke.

"And what crime am I guilty of, O goblin warrior?"

"Tell me, is your sword not stained with goblin blood?" snarled the goblin leader. "One of my men saw what you did yesterday. My finest soldier, Grnaug, decapitated because of you."

"He attacked me while I was merely walking down this road," Koichi calmly replied. "I killed him in self-defense."

"Was it necessary to take his head off, though?" the leader barked.

"The blade sliced his neck because he jumped from at an angle when I took my sword out," said the ronin.

"You are a filthy human and you killed a Goblin, and that is that!" the creature snapped. "Now, you will be brought to Obake-sama, who will decide your fate!"

"What happens if I refuse your most…kind offer to accompany you to Obake-sama's dwelling?" he questioned. The goblin laughed. For a creature who knew nothing of the meanings of joy and cheerfulness, it wasn't a good sign for Koichi. Goblin laughs are deep and high, shattering and bone chilling.

"Then we will just have to escort you by force," the goblin general snickered as he flicked his wrist. Ninety more goblins leapt out of the bushes on all sides, encircling Koichi. The ronin quickly, yet carefully, examined his situation and finally drew back his sword.

"You are most persuasive," Koichi commented as it put his sword back in its scabbard. "I shall submit peacefully."

"Put your swords on the ground!" the head goblin snarled, menacingly brandishing his wakizashi at Koichi, who shook his head.

"I am sorry, but I can't do that. These swords are almost all I have left with me, and I refuse to part with them. I give you my word as a warrior that they will remain at my waist--I shall not unsheathe them." The goblin leader grunted as his forehead wrinkled in thought.

As long as the man had weapons, he was a threat….then again, the goblins vastly outnumbered him, so he could be easily handled if there was a struggle. And then there was that fact of honor...a true warrior never went back on his word, for humans insisted on such foolish ideals. The goblin head finally decided he'd leave it be, for the moment anyway.

"Very well then, human, as you wish." He snorted, "But understand that the Imperial Goblin Guard can confiscate them once we enter the caves if they so please…no matter how you feel. This in mind, let us be off men!" And with that, the goblins moved out, some circling Koichi, keeping their wakizashi trained on him.

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This is going to be a long day. rang Koichi's thoughts as he was shoved into a small, damp cell. The door shut with an aged groan. A very, very long day…

With a heaving sigh, and nothing better to do for the time being, Koichi observed his surroundings. The walls were made of solid stone, and only one window decorated the wall. The good thing about the window was that it meant his cell was above ground. The bad thing about it, however, it was too small, about the size of his fist. No way he could break the stone or go out the window. That window…barely any light came out of it, yet the room was a bit brighter than it should be. The ronin looked up and found the source of light.

However, he thought, smirking, The ceiling is made of straw and the support beams are few and far between, and there are a few small gaps in the straw weave, fairly easily penetrated… Suddenly, the cell door opened with a screechy groan.

The goblin that stepped in looked especially grumpy. "Put your swords down and follow me. The master wishes to decide your punishment now. And don't try and cause us any trouble." Seven more goblins came into view behind the first, glaring at the human. Koichi exhaled deeply in slight irritation as he put his katana and wakizashi down on the cold floor and followed the goblins out.

"Move it or lose it, human!" snarled one of the creatures behind him, prodding the ronin forward with his spear.

"Maa, maa, I'm moving! No need to push!" Koichi muttered.

"We'll do what we want!" it snapped back. Despite all the goblin's poking and prodding, Koichi kept in his temper, and mercifully soon they were in the chambers of the goblin leader. This goblin was a fair deal larger than its minions, who themselves were barely above a knee high. This one was about as tall as himself, Koichi estimated. Five-foot-ten was tall for a Japanese man, yet not extremely uncommon, but for a goblin, it was near abnormal. The small giant of a goblin's yellow teeth gleamed in the torchlight.

"Is this the one that slaughtered a first-rank soldier in cold blood?" He asked the goblin in front Koichi.

"Yes, Obake-sama," the goblin replied.

"I told you already, I was defending myself when he att-" the ronin was cut off.

"SILENCE, HUMAN!" Obake roared. "Captain Hnjuknar, that will be all."

"Yes, Obake-sama," the captain replied, leaving the room. Obake turned back to Koichi.

"You humans always wonder why we attack and rob from you when you're alone," he hissed, "when really, the answer is quite simple. It's because of humans that we must live in caves in the middle of nowhere! Every time we go within three feet of a human, we are slaughtered mercilessly."

"Well, perhaps if goblins didn't burn down villages, ransack houses, murder our children, or attack us when we're just walking down a road, we wouldn't need protect ourselves." Koichi replied calmly. A vein throbbing on the goblin leader's head became quite noticeable as he grit his rotting, canine-like teeth.

"You will only speak when I give you permission, dirty human!" he snarled. "I should double your punishment for uttering lies in my face!"

"They aren't lies!" Koichi retorted. "My late father was attacked by goblin twice in his life while traveling, and I can barely recall half our town burning to the ground, many little boys and girls slain…all because goblins decided to ransack the village!"

"SILENCE, SCUM! ONE MORE WORD AND I SHALL HAVE YOU CIRCUMCISED!" Obake thundered. With this, Koichi squirmed and fell silent.

"Bring this man back to his cell!" Obake barked to a soldier. "His presence sickens me." The soldier nodded as he motioned for his men to lead Koichi back to his cramped dwelling.

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Much to Koichi's dismay, his swords were gone as he was shoved into the room.

Wonderful…now I'll have to figure out where they put my katana and wakizashi before I leave here, he thought grumpily to himself. Deciding he may find something out by listening to his guards, he kept his breathing low and tuned his ears to eavesdropping on the two goblins outside his door.

"…I don't see the point in two of us watching it, seeing as without its weapons, it's no threat," said the first creature.

"Don't underestimate humans," his companion replied, "they can be tricky. But you're right, as long as he has no swords, he's less of a threat."

Haven't these guys heard of karate? Koichi thought to himself.

"Is the weapons storage locked up tight?" The first asked. "After all, we don't want it gettin' its swords back." Koichi's attention to the conversation doubled.

"Eh, no need to worry," responded the second, "even if it wasn't, he'll never get outta his cell."

"Yeah, but the weapons storage is right next to its cell--"

"Shhh!!" hissed the second, "What if it's listening?" The two goblins peeked in to see Koichi slumped over against the wall, snoring softly.

"You're lucky, he's asleep. C'mon, let's go get Rynamrg and Dwinghant. Their shift starts in a few minutes." Koichi kept his ears trained on the scraping of four clawed feet against the ground as he continued to snore. Just to be safe, he waited a few moments after the sounds disappeared before standing up very carefully.

So, the weapons storage is next to my cell? He smiled. I'll have to check both sides though…I'll try one, then the other, if I have no luck with the first… He considered the fact that they may have lied to make him attempt an escape, but, seeing as he had very little other options, Koichi looked up at the wall to find places to balance himself while climbing.

Hmmm….stones are pretty even, won't get much of a foothold with those, but… he turned his head towards a rotted wood stool in the corner, and near it, a chain dangling from the ceiling, most likely used to dangle prisoners from. I could use that as a boost and grab on to that chain dangling and then swing up to the supports. Hope this works.

And with carefulness that matched a mouse, Koichi tiptoed silently as possible over to the stool and stood upon it, occasionally listening to see if anyone had come yet. They hadn't. His arms were just barely long enough as he grasped his hands around the chain and pulled himself up. Once his waist was even with the end of the chain, Koichi began to swing back and forth, until he had gained enough momentum to swing near the ceiling. He let go, flying upwards as he snatched a hold of the wide wooden beam, and swung up once again, this time landing on top on the beam, body crouched.

Carefully, the warrior sneaked along the beam, heading towards the small hole in the ceiling. Once he reached it, he pulled it more open with both hands until it was large enough to slip his body through, which he did. The roof barely slanted, so Koichi had little trouble keeping his balance.

"Let's see…weapons storage……I'll try left first," he muttered. Staying low, he crept along the straw rooftop a few feet before clawing away to make another hole. Peeking in, he scanned the room. It was just another cell like his own. Koichi sighed, closed up the hole, and headed in the other direction. When he was sure he had gone two rooms over, yet another hole was made in the weak roof. Koichi smiled as he saw swords, spears, bows, arrows, and other various weapons leaning against the walls and stacked up against the ground.

He looked around for a way down and to see if there was anyone in the room. Seeing no occupants and a few boxes stacked up, Koichi lowered himself onto a support beam and crawled over and on to the storage containers. Quickly and quietly stepping down, Koichi trotted over to a cluster of swords, most of them wakizashi. When he found a few katanas, he checked their hand guards for certain engravings. He was satisfied when he found the only one with a dragon and the kanji for "Nakano" on it. Now all that was needed was its counterpart. Strapping the katana to his side, Koichi dug around for his wakizashi.

At last, he found it, but realized just how much time he had wasted when he heard two goblins coming down the hallway.

"Stupid passages are way too damn long," one complained, "Takes twenty minutes to get from the main garrison to here. Those two baka should of stayed in their spot until we got here. What if our prisoner escaped on us?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," said the other, "he's probably too stupid to realize his guards were gone for a half hour or so." Both started to cackle in deranged laughter.

With this, Koichi scrambled up the boxes, onto the beam, and through the hole, which he hastily and sloppily covered up before dashing down into the one that led back to his cell. Jumping off the support and barely reaching the chain, Koichi slid down and landed with a soft thud, his hands burning. He pushed his swords back and covered them with the positioning of his leg and arm. He knelt down just as the door creaked open and the two guards stepped in.

"Hey, scum, guard change, as you probably didn't notice. We're supposed to bring you dinner, but since we forgot it and don't feel like walking back, you'll just have to sta--what the hell?!" The larger of the two goblins stared up at the three-foot wide hole in the ceiling. "Where'd that come from?"

Kuso! The hole! Koichi mentally slapped himself for forgetting to close it up. The smaller goblin stepped forward.

"Slime! What are you doing in here?" he snarled. "How'd that hole get there?!"

"I didn't do anything, it was already there," Koichi lied as calmly as possible. It didn't convince the monsters, however.

"Liar!" the taller shrieked. "You tried to escape, didn't you?! Well, we're too smart for you, ugly human! It's to the Master for you!" Koichi sighed irritably as he stood up.

"I was going to try and leave without causing much ruckus," he said softy. His katana blade was unsheathed from is saya, "but I guess I will have to fight anyway." That being said, the young man rushed forward, slashing both guards, who fell to the ground. He put his sword away and swung back up onto the beam and up the hole, climbing onto the roof. His sandaled feet flew across the thatched golden straw as he headed towards the edge of the building.

"Hey, you! Stop!" a voice shouted behind him. Koichi glanced back to see three goblins shoot out of the hole he had made and dash after him, weapons ready. "Come back before we have to use force!" But instead of stopping, the ronin picked up his pace until he reached a dead end, a twenty-foot drop to the ground below at his feet.

"You're dead!" a goblin behind chimed with glee. Overconfidently the monster charged forward, only to find the human swiftly turn around, his katana slicing the goblin's arm clean off and sending him flying off the building.

"Bastard!" one of remaining goblins screeched, charging at Koichi along with his other soldier. Koichi quickly unsheathed his wakizashi and held it in his other hand as he took the goblins head-on, his blades clanging against theirs. He leapt and dodged and slashed, soon freeing the goblins' hands of their weapons. The creatures growled and leapt at his head, deciding to resort to biting. Instead of their teeth meeting flesh, however, they met hard soil as they crashed face-first into the ground twenty feet below. Koichi had ducked at the last moment.

"Better get down myself…but how?" He muttered, looking around. He knew he didn't have much time, considering his hearing told him more goblins were close behind. Spotting a large tree nearby, Koichi put his swords away and made a wild leapt for the nearest branch, the wind from the swish of a wakizashi grazing his feet just afterwards. One foot made it to the branch, and the man had to resort to reaching up higher into the tree to stay on. Once both feet were balanced, Koichi jumped to the next tree, which he noticed was close to the goblin's city wall. He regained his balance once more, then leapt over the wall, out of sight, the goblins' angry curses echoing behind him.

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Koichi ran and ran until almost all energy was drained from his legs. He finally collapsed on the ground once he found a main road again, at last out of the woods.

"What a day." He muttered before drifting off. He did not sleep long, however, and was soon back on his feet, walking down the road.

"Wonder how far to the next village it is?" Koichi asked himself.

"Hey! Ronin!" a voice hiccuped from behind him.

"Oh no…" Koichi groaned as he turned around to see the drunk from the bar the other week some yards behind him, a bottle of saké tied to his waste. "Not you…" The middle-aged drunk stopped his stride.

"Yous gonna be sorry fer messin' wid Oshima Seiji! How dare youb embarrass me in front 'o all dos people!"

"You brought it upon yourself," Koichi calmly replied, "it's not my fault you were, and still are, drunk."

"Don't ya dare start! My older bro's the Oshima clan daimyo, and I kin get him ta come after you!"

"Well, what does he think of his younger brother shaming the family name? I'm sure he's not happy with it." Seiji turned redder than his face already was.

"Bakayaro!" he screamed, taking out his katana and charging forward. Surprised, Koichi just barely managed to take out his larger sword to block the attack. He pushed the drunken man away from him and readied his defense. A fight with a drunk could get dangerous.

And so it did, Seiji slashing widely in a frenzied rage, trying to take any opening he got, only to have the younger man to dodge or block it. Both men had skill, but Koichi had the advantage of being sober. However, he was unable to block all of the older ronin's attacks as the enemy blade slashed into his face, opening a curved line between Koichi's right eye and nose, blood spurting out.

The young man stumbled back in shock and pain, covering his injured face with his free hand. Seeing his chance, Seiji yelled and charge forward. Koichi managed to dodge and trip his opponent just in time, sending the older man and his sword flying. Seiji landed with a thud, his katana a few feet away.

"Men shouldn't handle weapons when they're under alcoholic influence," Koichi said, picking up Seiji's katana and flinging it off into the distance, where it landed in some shrubbery. Seiji snarled as he took out his wakizashi.

"Why you little--!" His wakizashi found the same fate as Koichi used his own sword to knock the other out of his challenger's hands. Koichi knocked him over and pinned him down with his foot, the katana blade at the other man's throat.

"You lose."

"*Hic* Kill me then, bastard." Seiji growled. Koichi, however, only put his sword away and removed his hand from his face, closing his right eye, which clouded from the blood pouring into it.

"I don't kill unless I must," Koichi told Seiji, "consider this a lesson not to fight unless you're sober." He started to leave.

"But you can't *hic* leave me here like this! I'll disgrace my *hic* family if you don't kill me!" Koichi turned his head back.

"Then live in what you consider shame, though it seems like an oxymoron to me," he replied, "I refuse to kill you, as I see no real reason to. And I wouldn't be worried about shaming your family, as I've already seen you do it a handful of times. I suggest you sober up and try doing more honorable things other than getting drunk. Sayonara." And so Koichi left the peeved ronin to search for his weapons while he quickly headed towards the nearest town to get medical attention for his wound.

Things move way too fast, Koichi thought. Time is short. I'll make the most out of what little time I have on this earth, I promise…

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Nothing much to say... this chapter didn't really change much.