As tensions rose around the globe, with a full blown war between the Order and the succubi to the west and the slow social interspecial progress in Zipangu, the Mist Continent found itself somewhere in the middle of things. Some peoples and communes have come to fully accept mamono at this point but the resistance has been somewhat worrying. Rebels and raiders continue to harass and plunder from all kinds of monsters who are just trying to live within our society, but the damage that that has caused, is not only felt by them.
Tan Gendo. A town on the rural edges of the Mist Continent's Land of the Four Gods. My home.
For the longest time, ever since my family lived here I had helped cultivate the small bamboo farm my family had built up over decades of blood, sweat and tears. Everyone knew the Shen Family, my father Dan, my mother Xhu and now me, Mago Shen. The little bamboo sprout and only child.
I was by now old enough to inherit the family business after working with them for all 25 years of my life and them eventually passing away. I could handle myself pretty well. The farm was flourishing with high quality bamboo stalks and since so many people knew and respected my family, I got a lot of help from neighbors and friends of mine to build and maintain business.
Things went pretty well but there's a saying about good things. They don't last forever.
Metal clattered across the floor as my house was turned upside down. Shelves were torn from the wall and tables flipped by a band of masked bandits searching for valuables.
And in one corner of the room there I was, looking on as they destroyed my property and a curved blade was held to my neck.
"Spit it out, where is the fucking register!?" The piercing eyes of the man gazed at me through the slit in the yellow cloth wrapped around his head.
I held my hands up in defense. "Look, I need this money to survive! It's all I got!"
He picked me up by the collar of my linen shirt and pressed me to the wall leaving me little in the way of fighting back as I struggled to no avail. "You need your head to survive as well. You don't want to lose that either, do you?" He would have spit with his words if his mouth hadn't been covered.
One of his associates turned to us, holding up a piece of wood and wrapping one of my shirts around the end of it. He produced a small flask and poured its contents over it, soaking the cloth in the clear liquid. "That, or we could make sure your business will not do well for a loooong time."
"Heh, doesn't sound too bad either. Wanna lose your income entirely, little man?" That bastard holding me up laughed in response, causing the other two to laugh along with him.
I ground my teeth, kicking my feet in the air but not getting anywhere. I succumbed to panic as the situation seemed more and more hopeless. "You wouldn't dare! This place has been around for five generations! It'd be despicable to destroy its history like this! You can't do that!"
My anxiety peaked when the other bandit struck a flint, sparking a flame on his handmade torch. "You want to try me?"
Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched the fire lick the bamboo wall and a few fibers curled, charred black. My gaze turned to the woven portrait of my parents and I. Looking at their faces, I sobbed and pointed at the tapestry.
The man with the torch nodded to the third member and then towards the portrait. Judging from their stature, the last member was seemingly a woman. She obliged and went for the painting, shoving it aside and revealing the hidden compartment behind it. She took the lockbox from it and smashed the lock with the handle of her sword. She looked down at 3 years worth of savings. I hadn't touched it since my parents' death.
I couldn't see his smile but I could tell from his eyes, that their leader was happy with the mound of coins that peeked out of the box. He then focused back on me, the smile quickly wiped away. "See? Was that so hard?" He lowered me a little bit, still holding me with one hand while pointing his sword toward the door they had broken open when they arrived here. "Put it on the carriage with the rest. I'll be out shortly."
The other two nodded and went outside, one carrying the box, the other dousing his torch in a bucket of water.
"Now..." The bandit leader continued as he addressed me again. "...we'll be back in 2 weeks time. We've heard you got a pretty good little gig going here, right? Shouldn't be too hard to get some more money ready in that time."
Defeated, I sunk my head. "Yes. Yes I'll have more for you then."
He chuckled. "Well, that's great to hear" Grabbing my collar yet again, he tossed me down the hallway and onto the floor. "Good thing bamboo grows so fast, am I right?"
I rubbed my neck, now free of his grip as I hissed under my breath. "I hope you choke on it, you bastard."
In response, he just laughed as he saluted me goodbye. "Well I'm off. Thank you for your contribution toward the fight against the monster threat. Look at it this way: We're doing this for the sake of humanity." With those parting words, he left me there on the floor and headed out onto their hitched carriage, taking off down the mountain. Tan Gendo finally knew peace again, temporary as it may be.
I sighed, looking around the mess the bandits left behind. I wordlessly and listlessly started picking up my clothes and turning the furniture back upright when I stopped, dropped everything and slumped against the wall as the tears streamed down my face. I choked, wiping them away as best I could but they kept coming. For as long as I can remember, my family never had to endure anything as vile as this. My family home was mostly destroyed and I was left destitute.
I took another look over to my family's portrait. It leaned against the wall, upside down, my parents' smiles turned to frowns. The imagery was almost laughably poignant. With a sigh I walked over, picked it up and hung it back on the wall, no longer hiding anything.
I ran my hand over the fabric. "I'm sorry I couldn't defend our home better. I... I'm so sorry. Heh, I bet you would've kicked their asses, dad, huh?" I smiled through the tears as I gazed up at my father's face. "And you would've made sure they could never show their faces anywhere around here again, mom, right?" I continued as I turned to my mother. The tapestry however, didn't respond.
I rested my forehead against the frame, resolute in my words. "This won't be the end of it, I swear. The Shen name will not end with me. We've lived through worse and we'll overcome this as well." I swore to them as I swallowed down the last bits of sadness. "Man, do I wish you were still here though." I kissed the tips of my pointer and middle finger and pressed them to the canvas.
Ruffling around in the mess the thieves left behind, I picked out my old machete, whetstone and a basket. Bent out of shape, but not broken, I also picked up my wide straw hat, evened it out and put it on my head.
The day was still early, and no matter the circumstances, there was work to be done. Maybe some manual labor would help me come up with a solution to this shitty situation. What else was I to do anyways.
I took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air and started the hike up the long slopes. The Mist Continent certainly lived up to its name today. The fog crawled through the rolling hills of the rugged highlands down below covering the dense forests and jagged rocks. A cool wind blew up to me from the valley and blew about my hair. A land this beautiful should not be home to such violence.
I decided to take in the moment while I walked and allowed myself to smile for the moment. One thing to tackle at a time. For now, there were stalks to harvest. After about a mile uphill, I arrived at the edge of the forest. A dense, impenetrable forest of bamboo. It truly was a versatile plant to cultivate. It simply refuses to be useless at any part of its life cycle. You can eat it when it's young, you can build things from it when it's older. It was a true miracle plant to me.
