EngelReise - Chapter 13

**Chapter 12 < | > Chapter 14**

With the worst of Kim out of the way for Tomako, the lone Imperyean traveler is left with a paranoid gaze on her. Kim, who has reluctantly agreed to a *work-for-supplies* deal now looks to see exactly what one such as her could truly bring to his farm. Horse management, crop collection, breeding--Tomako is ready to put her only child agricultural experience to the test in hope of promoting positive feelings with Kim. There exists one big issue though: Kim isn't willing to leave Tomako alone at his farm while he's away at town. As much as he--and Tomako, for that matter--do not wish for this, it would seem that the inevitable solution is for Tomako to venture with him to town. Kim's plan of how to go about blanketing Tomako's Imperyean background from Krucifixan hostility is, *undesirable*, to say the least...

## Chapter Reading

== Chapter 13 – *Fulin Ji-Hoon* =

The Kim Young homestead—richer than Tomako’s old home, but not nearly as large. Nonetheless, it was an impressive farm considering Kim is a single person. This not only suggested that Kim had farming expertise, but also skill in animal husbandry; hostile or not to his Imperyean visitor, Tomako couldn’t help but respect someone with animal knowledge. If there was one topic that could demonstrate Tomako’s innocent and friendly character, it would be horses.

That afternoon, Kim stepped out of the house while stretching. The day was bright but foggy, the temperature perfect for outdoor activities. The Krucifixan remained still by the doorsteps as he gazed out into the field of crops ahead of him; there existed a feeling of shock seeing someone work on his behalf—Tomako was not hesitant nor reluctant to begin work.

Now, Tomako found herself with a simple job of harvesting food. By hand, she’d pick vegetables and put them into bags, ironic, for she had been doing this the previous night—only under bad circumstances. Still, ‘simple’ did not quite correlate to ‘comfortable,’ this much was evident by the face Tomako made every time she’d bend over for a vegetable. The woman was suffering from an unspecified back injury, but this couldn’t stop her from working; suffering from a back injury was much more desirable than suffering from starvation.

Kim continued to study the woman for almost a whole minute, specifically, the pained faces she was conveying with every bend. He was searching for exaggeration and trickery, the idea being that she may be trying to install sympathy into Kim and by extension get out of working. This couldn’t possibly be the case though, she had no clue of the man’s presence. The back injury was all too real and Kim knew it.

“Tomako!” he called.

Tomako raised herself up in a very humbled manner, “Yes, sir.”

“Come here.”

She ceased working, placing the bag of produce down and took course toward Kim, who stood with a paranoid face. It needn’t be doubted that Tomako preferred a paranoid face over a hostile one. On the other end, Tomako presented herself as both humble and joyful to show her gratitude for the opportunity.

“How can I assist?” The man smacked his lips left while also tapping his foot down in a rhythmic pattern. Tomako was quick to look down at his foot and pick up the pattern. “My, do you have musical expertise as well?”

Kim raised his brow in response to the question but ultimately dodged the small talk. His eyes came down upon her waist—EngelReise. Tomako was quick to track his gaze back to her sword, but did not insist on speaking any further.

Putting on a very charismatic smirk, Kim raised his brow even further with a finger towards her sword. “I couldn’t help but notice that you’ve reequipped your murder blade.”

Rather than explain herself, Tomako instead took to Imperyea’s defense, “This is a very special sword crafted in my home island of Kushyrin.” The explanation led Kim to drop his smirk, though his charismatic face remained. “It was for a time wielded by the Great Lord Otomo.”

“Great Lord?”

“Our island’s daimyo.”

“Ah!” Kim snapped his fingers. “The daimyo. We know of their role in the centuries of Krucifix invasions. I hardly see reason to brag about a sword that has tasted Krucifixan blood.”

Tomako put her hands up and shook, “No—o, Kim! This sword has yet to bring harm to anybody!”

The man scoffed, “You Imperyeans have been known to be pathological liars—it’s a first nature to the whole of you.” This claim led Tomako to narrow her brows at him, offended by an unbacked accusation. “Of course, with that being said, you could also be lying about the sword belonging to a daimyo—so we’ll leave that topic be.”

She breathed in and exhaled, “Very well..?”

“Anyways, is there a reason for reequipping your blade?”

This question was received with a silent stare, which to Kim, came off as threatening more than anything. Yet she did not show any dangerous signs, deciding to keep her arms folded as a sign of peace. Still, the silence did leave Kim tilting his head in a rather mistrusting way.

Soon, she spoke, “You’ll hopefully take little offense when I say, being that you are armed to the teeth with weaponry, I would feel safer with a sword to my side.”

“Heh…” Kim brought a hand to his forehead as he shook. “I might take offense from the lack of trust, but to your credit, you are an Imperyean in a hostile land of people—myself included.” With this, he straightened his pose and grabbed onto his sash. “Not that it matters. Someone of my expertise could take anyone out with a ranged attack.”

“Will that be all?”

“Oo—oh, hey, don’t get snappy with me. I was just curious about the sword is all.”

She nodded, “Very well. May I resume work?”

Kim turned his head away, keeping only one eye on her, “Yea—ah, see, *you could*, but…” Tomako raised her brows in a serious manner. “I actually did call you over for a reason, aside from the sword.”

“Yes?”

The Krucifixan grinned, “Uh, here, come in for a second… We need to discuss a certain matter.”

He proceeded back inside the house, not allowing for a response; Tomako, on the other hand, gazed forward in slight fear. Her host’s mannerism was conflicting, his intentions ever so vague as well. Tomako, as requested, did in fact move into the house. She did so, however, with a hand over her sword’s hilt.

“What’s this?”

Only a minute or so later, a very old map had been laid out for the two to examine. Kim practically knew the map by heart, whereas the Imperyean foreigner hadn’t a clue what she was looking at. It wasn’t a world map, but rather, a magnified view of what she assumed to be Krucifix.

These thoughts were confirmed as Kim explained, “This is a map of the Krucifixan peninsula and all of its major locations.”

“Wha—a!” Tomako clenched her fists in excitement. “Such a map would do me great pleasures in my travel! I *must* have one!”

Kim looked up at her with a faint smile, “I’ll go ahead and stop you right there. This is an army map not available to the public; I’m one of the few you’ll encounter to own one, and I somehow doubt that an Imperyean will have success acquiring one from a soldier.”

She frowned to this, but made nothing of it. Her host proceeded to circle his finger around a certain area of the southern peninsula, nothing but plains and hills from what she could see. Kim did not bother explain the significance of this location, rather, he moved his finger east in a quick motion. His finger landed over what appeared to be a village—labeled, but *word* labels were no good for one in Tomako’s boots.

“Snyky’an is as prosperous as they come in a century of routine Imperyean razing. But prosperous… does not mean ‘happy’ by any mean.”

Tomako nodded, “Rich but unhappy—I see.”

Kim’s eyes remained solid on Tomako, as did his finger over the village. Tomako could see within moments that her words brought offense.

“Rich in *contrast* to the other villages…” he lectured. “The elder people of Snyky’an have suffered as the primary target for past samurai invasions. In recent decades, your people have turned their eyes off Snyky’an and more so onto the southwest parts of the peninsula. Point being… the elders of the village are going to want to see you *dead*.”

A gasp and wide eyes, followed by a backwards step; Tomako was appalled by the very thought of positioning herself in such a village.

“Why would I be traveling to this village? The agreement was that I cater to your farm, correct?”

“Uh… err… Yes, but you see… heh…” Kim rubbed the back of his head in a show of great discomfort. “Look, Tomako. I have business to attend to in Snyky’an, but I can’t just leave you at my house—alone. You might rob me while I’m away.”

“No, I swear, I won’t!”

The man proceeded to rub his head again, this time with an embarrassed face, “Yea—ah, well…” Then he turned the table. “I believe it was you who just moments ago explained the need to carry a sword around out of mistrust…”

Then, all in a matter of seconds, Tomako unclipped her sword—sheathed—and presented it to Kim in a panic. The man was left blinking with gritted teeth, caught off guard by the unprecedented surrender of her honorable weapon.

“Then confiscate my sword if you must, just don’t make me venture into a village with unjust hatred for me.”

His eyes remained open in shock, the same shocked gaze now looking back and forth between Tomako and her sword. Though it was not at all the intention here, the Imperyean’s willingness to hand over EngelReise—a very special sword per claim—demonstrated much to Kim. There was a mixture of confusion and respect; confusion in seeing an *Imperyean*—the supposed *culture of war*—surrender without a fight; but also, respect, as he saw this as a showing of trust. No matter the case, he had already made his verdict.

Tomako was honored by a gracing nod of respect, “Keep your sword, Tomako. I refuse to strip you of your honor, even if I do hold extreme views toward your people.”

The woman kept her sword out for another few moments before putting it back to her waist. The look of respect on Kim’s person was short-lived, as he soon looked back onto her with a hand to his chin.

“At any rate, the experience will be worth your time. If you are true to your word of making a journey to Swatsland in Svatpa, you best gain an understanding of what kind of hardships you may endure. Nowhere better to start than here in Krucifix, where we all hate your blood. But, uh, I’ll watch your back.”

Still fretting over this, Tomako shook her head and argued, “But, Kim, I haven’t even gotten far in my duties to you; I must have gathered a hundred radishes—at the most.”

“Hey,” the man pointed at her with a strict face. “This is a matter of trust. Were it my decision, I’d have you stay here under the pretense that you’ll behave. No matter how charming you may be, I’ve not forgotten the deceiving ways of the Imperyean. One moment I’m dealing in Snyky’an, the next moment my farm is looted and house burning.”

Tomako gave him a bizarre glare, “I would never..!”

“I recall your emperor claiming that Imperyean-Krucifixan relations *would never* sour three or four times in the past century… Kept that claim in mind each time the samurai would then return to pillage and steal our women-”

“Okay! Fine!” The rare outburst left Kim raising his brows. Tomako crossed her arms while biting her lip, discontent but willing to follow his instructions. “I will, however, expect you to live up to your promise of keeping me safe on such a travel.”

“Yeah, I’ve an idea.” She looked up at him and nodded. “Your dress is still intact, correct?”

Tomako turned to the bedroom she was residing in, then back at him, “…ye—es..?”

Kim pocketed his hands and gave her a shy grin, “See, there’s one way I can keep you out of hostile gaze. People will still stare, but they shouldn’t bother you.”

“And what is that?”

The Krucifixan became silent for a few seconds, his eyes looking all over the room in his search for words. The silence and eye darting from the man led Tomako to swallow in fear. Soon enough he turned his eyes back onto her with an almost terrifying beam—a nervous one at that.

“Well..! Imperyeans are generally dissuaded from walking our land, but there is the one exception.” He closed one eye and raised a finger up. “We Krucifixans tend to appreciate—or tolerate—Imperyeans who… suffer from a humiliating title…”

Tomako’s eyes closed, “With all due respect, I’d rather you give a simple answer.”

The man dug deeper into his robe before making a silent chuckle of discomfort, “Well… if you were to, say, play a role… and I can’t emphasize ‘role’ enough…” Tomako opened her eyes into slits, Kim soon brought his hands out and up into the air. “See, if you were to *pretend* to be my ‘*pocket servicer,*’ people would draw their attention off you and onto me—shower me with respect, rather than hate on you. It’s a real prestigious icon for a Krucifixan to have an Imperyean as a pocket servicer.”

“So, a servant? Is that it?”

Kim lowered his brows while retaining an uncomfortable smile, “Well… a certain *kind* of servicer…”

She put a finger to her lip and guessed, “I… um… a servicer who cleans outhouses?”

“Ha, ha! Close enough..!” He reached out for a handshake, his grin more optimistic now. “I just need to negotiate a trade deal with a certain gentleman. Just let me do all the talking and we’ll be out of the village in no time. Maybe you can even help me out on a few things while we’re there.”

Tomako hesitated to shake his hand, but soon did so. During the shake, she dipped her head down with gritted teeth.

“…I’m pretending to be a prostitute, aren’t I..?”

“Hey, you said it, not me.”

Garbed in only a kimono, the Imperyean found herself back over a horse and alongside Kim—who rode his own horse. Unlike Tomako, Kim carried a ranged weapon over his back along with a pocket dagger. Given the false identity of a ‘pocket servicer,’ Tomako did not have a katana to display at her waist. As far as anyone else was concerned, she was a mere servicer to her Krucifixan host.

Together they galloped east in the direction of Snyky’an; there was very little civilization between the village and Kim’s farm. Per explanation, he lived on the border of Snyky’an’s district—thus making him a taxpayer to the village. None of this information was fluid to Tomako, who knew very little about the land that she walked.

The two horseback riders got through an extensive mud puddle; Kim turned his body with a curious smirk before converting it into raised brows of surprise. Tomako remained close behind him, though her focus seemed to be overall misplaced.

“Hey, you’re not a bad horse rider.”

The Imperyean took his compliment in with little to say, she had heard this from countless people in the past. As such, her reactive expression was dry and with fair disinterest.

“I assure you, my understanding of horses is rather unmatched.”

This claim led Kim to return a playful grimace, “A bit egoistic, are we?”

Her gaze remained solid for several silent moments before answering, “True in that there will always be someone of greater expertise; but I’ve devoted my entire life to understanding the hoof. The knowledge and experience I hold cannot be matched by the *common* horse rider.”

“I—is that a fact..?” Tomako returned a nod—an ever so challenging one. “Well, Tomako. As I understand it, you bring with you an Imperyean horse?”

“Like the sword I carry, this horse belonged to Great Lord Otomo. Like myself, this astonishing horse was born and raised in the countryside of Kushyrin.”

Kim dropped back to align himself more with Tomako and her horse; much like the relations between Kim and Tomako, the two horses conveyed questionable attitude toward the other. A few moments of examining her horse followed—the rich custom purple saddle Tomako rode over put emphasis on her equestrian ego, for he rode on nothing more but a rancher’s saddle.

“Hm… a fancy mount.” Kim then placed his hand gently over the head of his own mount. “If you are as avid of a horse fan as you say, surely, you’ve heard of the Krucifixan *Mountain Razer* breed.”

Tomako winked at his horse, “No, but I’ve seen one before. Back in Dayaking, the samurai enclave possessed one.”

“Pfft. I could’ve guessed. Your kind already abduct our wives, daughters, and sisters; as might as well take our horses while you’re at it…” Finding only silence from Tomako, Kim returned to his point with a straightforward face. “Krucifix is known for its Mountain Razers; mountain-born horses with natural expertise in terrain navigation.”

“They can traverse bad terrain.”

Kim grinned, “Would you care for a competitive horse outing?” To his immense surprise, Tomako responded with an all too immediate nod. “O- Oh. You realize I’m referring to a race, right?”

Tomako gave yet another nod, this one stronger than the last.

“Let’s do it.”

The Krucifixan blinked nervously, distressed by her calm acceptance to race a Mountain Razer. Nonetheless, he stopped his horse, put her to a mutual halt, and then turned his body east again.

“Alright, then!” He pointed to the distant east, a hilltop with a large dead tree. “The first one to that checkpoint over there is the winner!”

Tomako and Kim lined up almost immediately after, both horses in-line with each other. The Imperyean appeared calm and conscious of the friendly challenge, whereas Kim—the challenger—gave off a more shaken look. The lack of fear on Tomako’s face acted as a strong factor behind his suddenly unsure attitude. Nonetheless, he knew his horse to be of a high class.

Gripping the horse reins tightly, Kim snickered, “I can’t lose with my Mountain Razer…”

A man and a woman, two horses, an open field of grass and mud, and a mild breeze. Both racers wished to measure their respective talents and horses.

On Tomako’s side of it, Sakura was a horse originally destined to pull carriages—she was genuinely curious to see how this long travel to Krucifix had developed him, and if possible, whether Sakura had converted from *carriage horse* to some other rank.

On Kim’s side, he found himself atop a special mountaineer breed whose ancestors ate grass from some of Krucifix’s greatest mountains. To defeat Tomako—a self-proclaimed ace equestrian—in a race would spell good things about his Mountain Razer, his ability at riding, and perhaps better define Tomako’s actual level of expertise. Tomako made big talk and he wouldn’t feel bad for making joke of her words.

With a prideful grin, Kim warned, “Do note that this stretch of field is a special kind of victim to rainfall.” Tomako eyed the man up and without word. “You shouldn’t encounter any rocks or deep holes—but there’ll be mud for certain.”

“Mud is no impediment to Sakura.”

“Sakura?”

“My horse…”

Kim turned his head away for a moment to think but shook off whatever thoughts he had. With this, he readied himself for the horse sprint and turned a grin back onto his friendly competitor.

“Kim, are you ready?”

“Hey, who’s the race coordinator here?” he complained. Looking back, Kim closed a single eye and gazed up toward the sky—the clear image of a black bird flying overhead came into sight. “See that bird up there? The moment it passes over us, we race.”

No words were exchanged past this point, as the two watched in anticipation for the bird to fly past them. Its path was straight and without stall. Taking a slight dive over Tomako and Kim’s position, the bird proceeded on ahead of the two; by extension of its course Tomako and Kim acted.

Hooves launched off the ground in such an enthusiastic manner that one would think the two horses to be rivals; at first glance, there didn’t seem to be a difference in speed between the two.

Kim hunched over his mount and gathered sight of approaching mud; past this, his eyes darted between objects—his horse, mud, Tomako, and the designated checkpoint. His competitor did much of the same, but ultimately kept her eyes off Kim. In her mind, Kim’s midrace success or failings was of no benefit to her.

The first mud puddle was handled in separate ways; Tomako ran through it whereas Kim performed a jump; the result was generally unchanged in progression, but Tomako now led her competitor by a few inches. Still, to Kim, this was unacceptable.

“Come on, now!”

The Imperyean examined the approaching field—grassy but somewhat thick with water. The blanketing grass made it too hard to discover where the flattest land was. Kim, in this sense, held an advantage—having both a terrain negotiator horse and experience with this particular field. Because of both, he maneuvered right in search of less water.

In a surprising twist—to him—Tomako eyed up Kim’s change of course and therefore mimicked him. The man grunted with low brows as Tomako proceeded to tackle his plotted course. Despite being ahead by a bit, Tomako knew best now to read his position and plans.

The two crossed over onto the watery field, and as expected, moving right placed the two on much better terrain; the terrain was almost forming a bridge of sorts that would keep water intake to a minimal. Kim both respected and admired Tomako’s watchful eye—even if it so badly worked against him.

Within the hundred or so yards of galloping that followed, it had become abundantly clear to both that Tomako’s horse was of a superior speed. Even she was surprised by this outcome—were this a horse she was training back home; there’s no way Sakura would be assigned the role of a carriage puller—this was a being fit for racing or cavalry.

If the competition were based upon ‘base speed,’ Tomako was the clear victor; but the race was not said and done. There came a much larger mud puddle ahead—one that could not be jumped across.

Coming off the watery field Tomako and Kim broke apart—there wasn’t any conceivable shortcut to this puddle but to pass through it. Kim knew this to be his benefit alone, his Mountain Razer was born to test the struggles of terrain.

Tomako gulped, fearing for Sakura but also the back injury she had yet to recover from. A second fall would make recovery a second journey in its own.

“Alright, Sakura. Hooves straight and up…”

Both horse riders entered the large puddle, making for massive rear splashes. This was more so a problem for Tomako, who tried as she could to avoid making a mess of her kimono. Nonetheless, they persevered through the puddle as quickly and cautiously as possible. Kim, as expected, found better luck in traversing the puddle—his horse treated this as a minor impediment at best.

Soon enough both horses escaped the mud, Tomako doing so with muddy feet and a dirtied kimono bottom. What was worse, Kim managed to gain serious ground on her—yet not as much as he had hoped for. Tomako was, technically, still in charge of the race.

With that, Tomako and Kim braced for the final obstacle—the uphill climb to the finish. Surely, Kim’s Mountain Razer had a distinct advantage over Tomako’s Sakura. The hill was a simple elevated lump of terrain—wet, but without rocks and mud—nothing serious but enough to hand Kim an advantage.

Tomako and Kim remained meters away from each other as they moved up the hill, both horses gave it their all in a fiery bid for victory. This entire race thus far, it was as though it were the *horses* who were competing, not Kim and Tomako.

Sakura landed every step perfectly in his charge toward victory; the Mountain Razer climbed in an almost glamourous manner—making its climb look very simple. Even so, there was no clear edge between the two horses. While it was true that Kim’s horse seemed to have a much more fluid experience with the hill, Tomako’s horse put through enough effort to make up for the lack of natural ability.

It was perhaps a surprise to nobody that, in the end, both riders found themselves striking their palm against the dead tree trunk simultaneously. Likewise, Tomako and Kim practically came face-to-face with the conclusion of the race.

“I win..?”

“I think I’ve won…”

Both riders stared at each other without much soul in their eyes; likewise, neither seemed very confident in their respective claims. Neither person could confirm who touched the tree first; regardless of who did, it would have to be a second difference—hardly anything to write home about.

An awkward silence existed between the two, for past their initial claims, neither seemed confident enough to assert victory a second time. Tomako felt that she had won, but in her heart, questioned if her challenger had bested her. The same could be said for Kim.

“Well…”

“Hm…”

Both thought deeply about the results. Off in the very far distance was the vague sight of a village—their destination—but at this moment they felt the need to conclude the topic of racing before pressing forward. Kim knew exactly how to put an early—and merciful—end to this predicament.

With closed eyes and a cool smirk, he shrugged, “That’s quite the horse you’ve got. It’s been said countless times in history that the Mountain Razer cannot be bested; you managed to keep up, regardless.” He then opened his eyes into slits. “I must ask: What’s your secret?”

Tomako smiled, “Sakura and I are partners. He needs me as much as I need him. We’re on this journey together and with Imperyea so far away, he knows that he needs to contribute his all.” Kim crossed his arms and nodded. “Plus, we have a special kind of relationship. I don’t much like letting others handle my horses. I want him to know that I’m the one who cares for him. I’d like to think that, in return, he will serve me to the best of his abilities.”

“Fascinating.” Thus, with a prestigious bow, Kim turned his horse in the direction of Snyky’an. “Alright, village is just up ahead. We’ll find a place to get your feet and robe cleaned quick, then get down to business.”

“Very well.”

The two pressed on without a confirmed winner of the race. In the end, their competition proved to be nothing more than a measurement of horse quality. Win or lose, Sakura proved that his limitations matched or exceeded that of a Mountain Razer—masters of rough terrain. For this reason, there was no loss on Tomako or Sakura’s part—only victory.

Snyky’an was no pretty picture—its streets were littered, demolished structures left to rot, the homeless banded together at every corner, and even the dirt roads showed signs of damage. Really it was not so different from the original Krucifixan village Tomako arrived from, only this village had very visible scars from past samurai invasions. Kim was correct in that it was a prosperous village—though it only soon became evident to Tomako that the peninsular idea of ‘prosperity’ meant ‘not on fire.’ It couldn’t be compared to Boshtang.

Even with this rotting village, Tomako tried to see the bright side of things, “You’re quite fortunate to live so close to a market village.”

Kim looked to the sky, “Pfft. Not when the Imperyeans arrive. Trust me when I say, an invasion is something you don’t want to have a front row seat for.”

“I can imagine.”

He winced at her before forcing on a smirk, “Nothing you ever had to worry about. All you Imperyean women had to do was stay home with wishful thinking that as many Krucifixan throats get slashed as humanly possible.”

To this claim, Tomako brought her horse reins up to her chest and replied, “My family and I are excluded from that claim.”

“So you say.”

They continued riding down a specific street, Kim in search of a location, Tomako giving her host an offended stare. Weak in appearance, but strong in her mind. At this point she had determined that Kim Young was an interesting man—interesting, in a strange sense.

*Kim has hosted me at his house and even comes off as friendly here and there… why can he not exempt me from his blind hatred of Imperyeans..?* Following this in-mind vent, the Imperyean squinted with puckered lips. She wanted blood between the two to be positive; all in all, though, it was solely Kim’s decision as to whether the two could get along. The man’s biased opposition to Imperyean culture was the primary impediment in Tomako’s journey present.

“Kim…” Tomako raised one hand up and with a sympathetic face. “I get that-”

“Hold that thought.” Kim came to an immediate halt as did Tomako. There in position he pointed to a structure wall where a water dispenser existed. “I don’t know what to say about your dress right now. Just clean the mud off your feet at the very least; I don’t want people to get the impression that my Imperyean pocket servicer was born in a barn.”

Tomako again raised her hand, “Well, actually, funny you say that, because you see-”

Her words were cut off by a loud and sharp whistle, his face displayed impatience.

“Go on, quick, before someone sees. People drink out of that, and it’s a bit rude to use a drinking mechanism as a method for wash, but it’ll have to do.”

The statement that this was a device used to drink from only led to disagreement with the suggestion, thus evident by Tomako’s ensuing seconds of hesitation. Despite the rudeness, there was the factor of *honor*—and conflict at that. Dishonorable to use a drinking device in such a way, but honorable to adhere to her host’s advice.

Soon enough she dismounted from her horse and did as Kim insisted. All the while, the man looked off to the sun with a distracted face—one that spelled conflict. Half interest, half nervousness. Something was on Kim’s mind…

“Through here, Tomako. Watch your step.”

A time later, the two arrived at a dark facility alike to an Imperyean inn; this, however, was more so a mix of an inn and a tavern. Indeed, it was a place for festivity, minus the ability to rest here. Kim came into it a fitting enough character, Tomako did not. Her bright skin and dark hair made her a glowing beacon to the many patrons of the place. The initial reaction of most was not good for her.

Full of fright, Tomako stepped closer to Kim’s behind and whispered, “I don’t feel safe here.”

“Don’t worry about it. Krucifixans are all eyes when it comes to Imperyeans, rarely ever action.”

Her response came with a troubled brow lowering, “…the Imp Tax..?”

“That’s different. We can discuss that later.”

As an act of show, Kim stepped forward before making a very commanding finger snap at Tomako; so loud that it echoed, most eyes now came between the two visitors. Not knowing what to make of this, Tomako simply bowed to Kim and hurried forward with him. Such was the correct move to make for the supposed role of a pocket servicer, many patrons switched their expressions depending on several ensuing factors.

Her host proceeded to walk forward with a rather smug expression, both hands in his pocket and a young Imperyean woman following his every footstep. Kim was practically showcasing ownership over her—to the praise and envy of many. Tomako did everything she could to keep eye contact nonexistent.

“Hey..!” a male stranger called near a table.

Kim paced over to the table with a slide, Tomako rushed to catch up with him; the stranger’s eyebrows raised in surprise to the Imperyean’s magnetic person.

“Can I help you, sir?” Kim answered.

“U- Uh…” He tilted his head before giving Tomako a glance. “Is… that really… Is she an Imperyean-”

Kim put himself tall and bragged, “She sure is!”

The man simply remained seated with a grotesque groan, one that was ever so disturbing to the pretending woman. She resisted the urge to react, but even more, kept her eyes off of the man. She didn’t want to know what was going on in his head—what she did want to know, however, was what was going on in Kim’s head.

“Excuse me, Kim-”

Tomako was interrupted by a new man, who shouted over, “Kim, where’d you bag an Imperyean from?”

With a playful tongue stuck out, Kim winked and replied, “Fate has its ways. The way I see it, I’ve been rewarded an Imperyean pocket servicer for standing my ground in the peninsula while the rest of my family fled north.”

Murmurs and nodding of agreement were exchanged all around, many accepting this as truth; others remained skeptical of exactly *how* this occurrence came to be. A third man raised his finger up with a less than satisfied expression.

“May I inquire how, exactly, you acquired the Imperyean?”

Tomako closed her lips and looked up at Kim, who proceeded to pocket his hands again and chuckle, “Luck of the draw, my friend. Fate put her at my footstep, offering herself to me.”

“I see..?”

This one man wasn’t quite satisfied with the answer, but the mass majority seemed to hook on positively to the idea of Kim landing himself an Imperyean servicer. Most people, including Kim, seemed to be in a positive mood over the matter; even so much that Tomako began to fear that Kim was forgetting that this was an act.

As the loud murmuring picked up, Tomako took up an opportunity to speak, “…Kim, I thought we came to negotiate a trade deal..?” she muttered.

Kim reduced his grin, “Hm? Oh. We are.”

The Imperyean’s attitude reduced as she looked around, “Here? Surrounded by drunkards?” Her panic expanded as she gave several patrons glances, many of which were sending their eyes at her. “We Imperyeans conduct trade at a marketplace; do Krucifixans conduct trade at taverns?”

“Well, not necessarily-”

“Then what are we doing here?”

“Hey, relax, Tomako. Relax.” The woman gave him a cute tempered face. “Just trust me, I did assure you protection. I wouldn’t have done that unless I thought-”

Their conversation was interrupted by, “Can she talk?”

Both Kim and Tomako responded with wide eyes—Tomako doing so out of clear offense. Knowing that this would offend her is what led Kim to widen his eyes. Still, he turned around to answer.

“She walks, she talks-”

“-among other things?”

Tomako narrowed her eyes into angered slits following the inevitable laughter. Kim grit his teeth before checking Tomako, then returned a nervous grin to the men in question.

“Gentlemen, she is like any one of us; the only difference being that she is Imperyean.”

A woman, permitted by her lover, spoke an insult, “That one difference is comparable to a hundred bad differences. How many babies has she slaughtered?”

Tomako clenched her fists but retained a straight face, Kim becoming more nervous responded, “Uh… None… I can assure you. I- I can promise you, in fact.”

Through closed teeth, Tomako muttered, “…Kim, can we conduct this trade deal and kindly leave this place..?”

“Eu- uh…” He looked up from Tomako and smiled. “Well, you know what everyone, I think we best leave—I’m attracting more attention than I had hoped...”

Tomako’s eyes widened for a moment, then closed. *Hoped? What do you mean by that, Kim..?* she wondered.

With this, Kim put both hands on Tomako’s shoulders and began to lead the two away from the action; he did so with a panicked grin.

“Sorry, I do believe I’ve left my fireplace lit..!”

“Wait, Kim, wait!” Per request, both Kim and Tomako came to a stop; all eyes were still on the two as a man faced them with a hand below his chin. “Do be careful, she has a point about the baby slaughter.”

Tomako finally shook her head and muttered aloud, “No, she doesn’t.”

“…Tomako…” Kim lectured silently.

“Imperyean children spend most of their childhood in samurai facilities, taught from birth to adulthood to adhere to the sinful ways of murder, conquer, forced sexuality, and politics.”

Kim tugged on his robe, “Well, I-”

Tomako stepped forward and shook her head, “You sir, are a pathological liar. That, or terribly confused.” The room flooded with gasps, Kim in particular widened his eyes with a grunt. “There are no such facilities—at least none that I am aware of. I did not have my first interaction with the samurai until my teenage years, where, *yes*, we did send the soldiers of Imperyea off with cheers and flowers to a war I will go ahead and assume related to Krucifix.”

The woman silenced herself past this—seconds too late, for all of the patrons in the room sent her menacing glares. One man even went as far as to chug down his drink in a great spell of outrage. Kim was stunned—left shaking with raised lower eyelids and gritted teeth. Tomako did feel regret for making a scene, but saw justice in her lecture.

An awkward silence took over the tavern for those coming seconds until, at last, Kim swallowed with a nervous smile and stepped before his supposed servicer.

“Um, f- for the record… she’s actually only half Imperyean… heh…” He leaned in front of her in an attempt to block her image from the crowd. “She’s, uh, only half Imperyean… born to a trader from Quixang… she’s really only an Imperyean from heart, not experience. Don’t worry.”

A somewhat pathetic grin followed his very poor excuse; there were many holes in it and also took away prestige from the idea of having a true blood Imperyean pocket servicer. Fortunately, just as people went with his poor explanation of acquiring her, most went with this poor excuse as well. Soon enough most turned back to their own business—many still giving Kim discontent stares.

With this over and done with, Kim continued to beam with a nervous soul; moments after, he grabbed Tomako by the shoulder and pulled her back a couple steps. The two faced each other, but Tomako did not accept his handling with a content face.

“Tomako, what were you thinking..? One more word out of you and you could’ve found your head rolling on the floor…”

“They were saying horrible things about my home and people. Things that lacked truth. I couldn’t stand listening-”

He gave her a slight jerk, “I understand you have a less cruel viewing of Imperyea, but this is not Imperyea… If you don’t have anything bad to say about Imperyea, you best not say anything at all.”

She argued back, “…we wouldn’t need to say *anything* about Imperyea if we could stop fooling around and establish this trade-”

“There is no trade to make, Tomako… I lied..!” Tomako had no words, only a strong glare. Her lips moved as though she were speaking along with a slight headshake. “Okay, alright, I haven’t been honest to you. We’ll consider it even considering the many lies your people have sent us. Fair enough?”

Very slow with her response, Tomako soon answered, “…I view people as *individuals*, not *groups*…”

“Fine, then we’re even for the attempted thievery.”

This was what silenced Tomako. She was not happy with Kim or the situation, but she could not deny having done him wrong that night. If satisfying his strange pocket servicer game would make up for the honor she lost that night, such would be accepted with reluctance.

Tomako crossed her arms, “May I at least understand what I’m doing here? I certainly hope you don’t intend to *use* me for anything outside of pretend.”

“No!” Kim grabbed Tomako by the hand and shook his head. “You’re fine. Look, let’s take leave and-”

Again, his attempt to leave the tavern was cut short, as they had been approached by an oddly in-sync group of men. Tomako quickly retracted her hand from his so not to be caught.

“Well, if it isn’t Kimmy…”

Kim closed his eyes in response to the greeting, then turned away from Tomako. Standing before the two were five men—each with weapons on them. The central figure, clothed in common rags and a red headband, put on a special kind of smirk to Kim. It didn’t take many seconds for Tomako to pick up on a potential bad face; and if a Krucifixan had bad blood with Kim, she didn’t want to guess how he’d feel about her.

“Greetings, Fulin. I’d a feeling I would run into you.”

The man, Fulin, didn’t let up with his snotty grin, “Well, Kimmy, your, uh, *woman*, made for an interesting day.” He turned an eye onto Tomako, and for once, she made eye contact. He grimaced at the very sight of her. “She doesn’t look Quixan by a scratch. An Imperyean—planted by an Imperyean, mothered by an Imperyean.”

Tomako looked to Kim, thus far unwilling to speak without permission—else risk escalating the situation. Kim attempted to fight Fulin’s grin with one of his own.

“That is because I was trying to save her from being necked. She is as Imperyean as the dress she wears now.”

“Indeed.”

Though the conversation was calm, tension emitted between the two groups. It did not comfort Tomako in seeing a dagger to Fulin’s waist. With enough silence, Kim was sent a disapproving shake and a very unfriendly gaze.

“Kimmy, Kim, Kim. You continue to embarrass yourself… First the Hwarang incident, then the food poisoning-”

Kim stomped his foot, “I’ve told you far too many times, Fulin. There is *no* evidence to suggest I had anything to do with the poisoning!”

“…and now you bring an Imperyean to our great nation—the very culture you swore to destroy.”

Tomako gulped and looked up at her host with wide eyes, “D- Destroy..?”

“Fend against,” he corrected.

One of Fulin’s companions pointed to Tomako, “What’s your burden here, Imperyean? You’ve caused us enough trouble!”

She took a step behind Kim, fearful for her safety, “I am simply passing by-”

Kim gasped, “…Tomako..!”

Many eyes, some of which came from simple patrons, came upon the two—not happy eyes. Fulin grimaced at the two and loudly repeated, “Passing by? I thought you were a possession of Kim’s? More lies from Crooked Kimmy!”

“Fulin, come on…”

Making a show out of this, the man raised his hands into the air and raised his voice for all to hear, “Hear that everyone? Kimmy here is harboring an Imperyean criminal! No doubt sent here by the Imperyean government to damage our way of life!” Talk of discontent was immediate, some of which included quick talks of conspiracy. Kim swallowed, but stood his ground—unlike Tomako, who further moved behind her host. “Kim, upset for being rejected by the blessed Hwarang, now seeks to enact revenge by setting flame to our legendary civilization of Krucifix!”

Kim shook and shouted, “That’s a lie and you know it!”

Fulin turned and gave Kim a strong point, “The only liar here, Kimmy, is you and your spy. I have not a shred of doubt that you and your Imperyean wretch will see our nation sent straight into civil war!”

Kim shook a fist at him, “I would never!”

Tomako walked forward with narrowed brows, “You are even more of a pathological liar than the last!”

One of Fulin’s men growled, “Quiet, Imperyean!”

All out verbal war had initiated, it only worsened as Kim stepped to Tomako’s side and responded, “Sad is the day an Imperyean speaks more truth than an ultranationalist of Great Krucifix!”

Fulin sneered, “The words of Imperyean garbage is without value—as is her life!”

In a quick and very unprecedented move, Fulin clenched his fist and made a very swift strike forward—at Tomako. Gasps went around as Tomako was easily blown down to the floor by the punch—shock was everywhere in response to the attack, perhaps even more surprising that there existed patron cheers for Fulin. Not everyone viewed the attacking of a woman in a positive light, but a good amount surely enjoyed the sight.

Kim was not amongst those to cheer.

“That’s it, Fool-in!”

In a second surprise, Kim landed a blow to Fulin’s face—the man was sent back, knocking many of his comrades down with ease. Cheers were received in Kim’s defense of Tomako—but in much lesser amount and also muffled by booing.

With blood running down his nose and watery eyes, Fulin stood back up with a death stare, “Finally, been waiting for this moment for years, Kimmy ol’ boy!”

Tiger-fast was his hand movement, as a dagger soon found its way into Fulin’s grasp—Kim, caught off guard, took a few steps back from the very much dangerous opponent. Though he too had weaponry on him, the shock factor led Kim to become essentially paralyzed.

“Kim! Move!” called Tomako.

Screams and such filled the tavern that coming moment as Kim jumped away from Fulin’s dagger thrust just in time. Then, with his dagger still impaling the air, EngelReise tasted blood for the first time…

An out of nowhere vertical chop on Tomako’s part put an immediate threat to Fulin’s threat—no one saw the katana, it had been hidden within her dress.

“Ga——ah!” Fulin took several steps away in retreat, his very armpit becoming soaked red in seconds. “Accursed Imperyean..!” he shouted.

Kim and Tomako were left petrified, but no one was petrified more than Tomako, who found herself gazing upon a detached hand on the floor—dagger still between the fingers. Fulin’s men were equipped with weaponry, but no one willing to approach the katana-drawn woman.

“Di- Did I just-”

In a frenzy, Kim shouted, “Tomako! You brought your sword!?”

“I- I was-”

“Forget it. It’s time to go. Now!”

The Imperyean was not allowed to use her own feet, for with great strength, Kim ran into her and literally swept her off the ground. As the tavern panicked, Fulin bled, and his four men considered their options, Kim and Tomako were long gone within seconds. Much had happened in such a short period of time, among many things, Tomako turned to violence for the first time—surely a traumatic experience.

Either way, Tomako was owed an explanation, and likely an apology with it…

That evening was preceded by much silence between Kim and Tomako; very little had been said on the way home, and once there, both parted ways with very distant minds. Everything happened so quick in the tavern, and so much at that. Between being showcased to the patrons, the man Fulin making an attack, and Tomako dismembering his hand, relaxation was a thing of the past for Tomako at this time. Even so, she found herself hard at work.

Having gathered an optimal level of crops, fed the farm animals, and watered all of the house plants; Tomako was left to her favorite activity—horse tending. Kim’s horses had been inspected and fed per requirements, his Mountain Razer included, who she had come to respect for more reasons than one. Now she was left alone with Sakura, even the comfort of her Imperyean horse could not tame her racing mind.

One hand over her horse, another over her forehead; the woman was left crouching in horror at the vivid memory of severing Fulin’s hand. She had seen far worse in Korion, but never could she have imagined her causing such harm to a person—even if he had started it by punching her.

The Imperyean felt around her nose—now darkening in response to the punch she had received. Being physically assaulted by a stranger was another event she could never have imagined, even more so given that she was with open hands and in a dress.

“By the gods, Sakura…” She pat the horse gently and with frightened eyes. “What more horrors are we destined to witness here?”

Tomako wasn’t the only one having a hard time following this explosion of events; Kim found himself that same night sitting alone at the living room table—a single candle lit over his head. This sole source of light made for the dimmest environment, nothing more but the table and character visible in the room.

The man’s mood wasn’t so bright neither, he found himself hunched over the table with a hand to his cheek and a glass of beer in the other. He wasn’t braindead intoxicated, but indeed trying to wash away what had happened.

The entrance door opened and closed the same moment Kim took a drink; standing in the darkness, Tomako caught sight of Kim in this situation. She knew it was beer, but also knew this not to be festive drinking.

“Kim?”

The man’s eyes rolled in her direction for a moment before dropping back into the glass, “Tomako, here, have a beer with me.”

Out of the darkness, Tomako approached the dimly lit table with nervous eyes. Kim took a second glass into hand and roughly placed it down before him; then after uncorking a bottle with his teeth, began to pour her a glass.

Tomako looked down at the bubbling beverage, then back up at him, “What are we celebrating?”

Kim became still, lost in a directionless gaze. For a moment his only action was to push her glass farther across the table, but then a frustrated mumble came about. Tomako, at the very least, got up upon the chair—but sat on it in a seiza position.

Following many moments of silence, Tomako spoke up again, “In Imperyea, alcohol is consumed under rare occasions—such as the birthing of a child.” With this, she looked down at the glass presented to her with a cute smile. “I’ve only experience with beer a single time… Swatslandic Ale, if I recall… the experience was not-”

“Beer can be drank when you’re upset, as well.”

“Yes, that engagement with…Fulin, was it?” Kim looked up at her with tired eyes. “I’ve been thinking about that moment with him ever since we returned here. I can’t get over the pain I’ve caused him.”

Kim closed his eyes and shook with a grin, humored by her concern for Fulin, “Heh… he had that one coming. Imperyean or not, anyone who beats a defenseless woman is without any honor. But, still… I don’t think everyone will agree with me there.” Kim lowered his brows, suddenly displaying scared eyes, then put a finger below his top lip. “I think we just dug my grave…”

Tomako turned her head a slight bit, two brows dropped curiously, “Kim, why were we there today? Why did you need me?”

Just after asking this, Tomako finally looked down at the glass of beer presented to her with an interested gaze. Though it was going against her culture’s social norm of not drinking outside of festivity, she acknowledged Kim’s offering as something that had to be accepted. As such, she proceeded to take the glass and steadily drink.

Kim raised a brow with a slight grin, but still spoke sadly, “How’s that? You say you’re unfamiliar to beer?”

Soon, Tomako lowered the glass and blocked a reactive smile from forming—she vibrated for a second, “O—oh, that has kick. Not nearly as distasteful as that Swatslandic beverage.”

A soft chuckle followed out of Kim, but he wasn’t to let beer distract from the original topic. With eyes distant from Tomako, he explained, “The truth is that I was hoping to gain village prestige off of you—gain respect and popularity.” He turned his eyes onto her before taking a drink, her expression conveyed great confusion. “Peninsular Krucifixans such as I see no greater trophy than to bed an Imperyean woman. Your people for centuries have stolen ours, therefore, the glory and prestige of taking from you is sweeter than gold.”

“You were using me for fame?”

Kim closed his eyes, “To fix my reputation. As it would turn out though, I did quite the opposite today, didn’t I?” Tomako lowered her brows, still with too many questions, few answers. “I’ve a bad reputation in the village for completely unfair reasons. I wanted to become a Hwarang and take fight to the Imperyeans—the ultimate ambition to slay a samurai warrior or two. From childhood to adulthood, I forced myself to become an elite archer—now I never miss a shot—I *am* good enough to be a Hwarang—and I made everyone in Snyky’an know about it. Big talk, but in the end, nothing to show for it.” Kim gave Tomako another stare, this one a little drunk looking. “I passed every test needed to be accepted into the Hwarang… except… for mathematics. Damned be I for not taking math into account!”

Tomako again drank, now with a very curious face, “What does math have to do with anything? You can still shoot good arrows—I saw you do so.”

A sarcastic laugh as Kim again drank, “I wouldn’t be able to make makeshift arrows, they claim… They saw my skills, devotion, and ambitions and made a mockery out of me! I returned to Snyky’an a nobody—just a fool in the eyes of the people for having spoken big about myself!” Kim pushed his glass of beer aside, nearly knocking it over in the process. “That King of Bastards, Fulin—damned be his soul—made true on his promise to see my reputation burn. He and his gang of ultranationalists continued to suppress my reputation by slandering my name. The people respect him too much—anything he says goes down as solid truth.”

Tomako finished her beer and set the glass aside, “And may I inquire the nature of his burden with you?”

“Sure. Fulin’s wife, as I understand it, developed feelings for me as I spoke highly about my Hwarang ambitions. He claims that their marriage ended due to her wanting to become mine.” Kim put both hands up and shook with wide eyes. “I’ve no knowledge of the woman’s name even! How could I have possibly plotted to steal her from him!? Yeah, well, that doesn’t matter to him. As long as I’m suffering, he’s winning—and believe me, things are about to get worse than ever now that…” Just as he prepared to finish his thoughts, a slight background glow caught the eye of the man. With gritted teeth, Kim looked past Tomako’s shoulder and out the window. “…uh oh…”

Tomako raised a brow before looking behind her—she too was made alert by the sight of flame out the window. It was a moving flame, without any doubt, a torch being carried. Of the two, it was Tomako who jumped out of her seat with a katana equipped.

“Kim..!”

“Fetch me my crossbow, Tomako…”

Surrounding the Kim homestead were five horsemen—each robed in green and yellow robes and hoods. The horses they rode were clothed in similar robes. Both the horses and horsemen had only eye holes in order to preserve anonymity.

“Burn!” one of the hooded men shouted.

Galloping by a clothes line, a horseman set the drying clothes ablaze; others took for more strategic targets, such as crops and equipment. This persisted all the way up until Kim and Tomako rushed outside—Tomako was lost, but Kim knew exactly who these men were.

“Hey, hey! Stop or I’ll shoot!” Kim challenged.

In response to his shouting, the horsemen convened together in a line—much was ablaze, but fortunately, minimal damage had been dealt to the crops. Tomako was left trembling at the soulless looking men—their eyeholes perfectly black under the moon.

“Kimmy!” one man shouted.

“You don’t scare us, Kimmy!” another shouted.

“You’ve a death wish, Kimmy!”

Kim finally dipped his head down and growled, “…‘Kimmy’ loses more venom every times it’s spoken…”

The apparent leader of this group moved forward on his horse, he waved a torch around in an attempt to scare the two, “We’ve heard about your little incident in Snyky’an, Kimmy boy!” He again waved his torch around. “You’re nothing but an Imperyean toe licker! A foul stench in our great Krucifixan land!”

To this, Kim narrowed his eyes and said, “I’m just helping this woman on her travel in exchange for work, alright?”

“You let that Imperyean chop the hand off of a well-endowed individual!”

Kim quirked his mouth, “Fulin struck first. He struck a woman in robes—a true man would never do that.”

One of the horsemen shouted, “Imperyeans don’t get the same human rights around here!”

“What’s wrong, Kimmy?” another asked. “I thought you hated Imperyeans just as much as the rest of us!”

“I don’t much care for Imperyea or their people,” Kim admitted. “I *really* don’t much care for woman beaters.”

The leader waved his torch again, “That was self-defense!”

Kim put on a smug face, then crossed his arms, “Also, it’s a bit hard staying anonymous when you’re mysteriously holding that torch with your *left* hand.” The leading horseman said nothing to this accusation. “What’s wrong? Don’t you know all Krucifixans are right-handed? Why don’t you know this?”

“Silence!” he shouted. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way, Kimmy!” Tomako unsheathed EngelReise just as Kim put his crossbow into hand. “Hand over the Imperyean and walk off with only a dead reputation... resist and we’ll neck you alongside the woman!”

Tomako and Kim exchanged glances, there was no sign of contemplation on Kim’s face—to Tomako’s relief. Instead, Kim took aim at the leading horseman with an aggressive face.

“I see…” the leader muttered. “So be it…”

He waved his arm back—indeed revealing a missing hand—in an order of retreat. As the horsemen began to back away from the household, the leader waved his torch in their direction one final time.

“You disappoint, Kimmy. You really do!” Kim merely tilted his head, unmoved by the insult. “Prepare yourself, we’ll be back in two days with fellow clan members! You two best dig your graves now!”

Finally, with that, the clan leader turned tail and galloped away with his associates. Both Kim and Tomako watched in silent horror, Kim more or less showing aggression towards the bigots. Before the horsemen could go fully out of sight, Tomako sheathed her sword and stepped forward.

“Please remove those smocks from your horses heads! It’ll impair their line of sight!”

“Tomako.” She turned to her host, who now stood with lowered brows and clenched fists. “We’ve a situation…”

She looked back to the hills, the traveling torches still visible from their position. “I would say. Who were those people?”

“Members of the *Krucif Only League*. A clan of the most radical Krucifixans you’ll meet.”

Tomako nodded, understanding this much. Then, a strong stare came onto her as he mulled over what had just happened. Their visit to Snyky’an set off a chain reaction of horrible events, and said chain reaction would only keep getting worse so as long as Kim and Tomako continue to breathe the air.

“They don’t just want you dead—they want us both put in the ground…”

To be continued!

**Chapter 12 < | > Chapter 14**

## Author Notes

#### F-Zero GX Reference

A very non-subtle reference to the video game *F-Zero GX* exists right before the the horse race between Kim and Tomako begins. Due to the similar challenge of reaching a checkpoint as a victory condition, the dialogue spoken by the two is directly lifted from the interaction between Captain Falcon and Samurai Goroh just prior to their own race in Red Canyon. This was intended fan service for the readers of F-Zero: Seppuku.

#### Krucif Only League Inspiration

To little surprise, the Krucif Only League is inspired by the Ku Klux Klan, but largely only in what they wear and the intimidation tactics they use. I wanted the Krucif Only League to have more complexity than simply hating non-Krucifixans, and so I sought to emphasize that members of the Krucif Only League, although having varying motives for joining, largely are united by a hatred and paranoia of Imperyeans due to the centuries of warfare brought to the peninsula. The mindset of a Krucif Only League member would be that the Krucifixan monarchy is not taking enough preventitive measures to guarantee the security of Krucifix from Imperyea, therefore, the Krucif Only League seeks to take preventative defense of the country by riling up the peninsular population and keeping all Imperyeans out of the country, believing that insiders are susceptible to assisting future invasions. So, while I did give the Krucif Only League a clear reason for existing, the reader is still supposed to mostly oppose them as violent radicals who will more than likely gain a political presence in the country if left alone for too long.

#### Outside Design Assistance

As a token of appreciation, longtime Siontix Realm reader and commenter, then taking the handle Revivedracer209, was given the reigns in designing Fulin Ji-Hoon. A design for Fulin was presented through an illustration depicting the scene when Tomako severs Fulin's hand. This was the first time that someone in the Siontix Realm was asked to design a character and would establish a precedent from that point on. Revivedracer209 would go on to draw Fulin again later in Season 2.

## Chapter Illustration

This chapter illustration depicts the scene Kim drags Tomako into a Snyky'an inn to show her off; more specifically, it shows the exact moment that Tomako says something to make Kim uncomfortable. This illustration finally moved EngelReise illustrations away from soft shading and played around with lighting in a way not seen before in the Siontix Realm. Tomako's face is iconically depicted in a very robotic manner that would never again return past this point, as Tomako's character would change to be a little more expressive as the story continued.

This image was made entirely through Adobe Photoshop.

## Characters Introduced

#### Fulin Ji-Hoon

Fulin Ji-Hoon (Surname: Fulin) is the antagonist of Season 2 and is a childhood rival of Kim Young who is present at the inn when Kim comes to brag about having an Imperyean pocket servicer. Fulin, wanting nothing more than to ruin Kim's reputation in the village, works quickly to outmaneuver his rival in words, and when push turns to shove, Fulin's hand is sliced off by Tomako's sword, turning Fulin's rivalry with Kim into one demanding violence. Fulin would return later that night with a gang of horsemen part of the Krucif Only League anti-Imperyean group. While the intention was certainly to have Kim and Tomako killed, genuine fear of Kim's expertise with a bow and Tomako's sword led to the gang departing with open threats. Fulin, now eyeing an opportunity to rid himself of his oldest rival as well as gain massive prestige for killing an Imperyean, makes it his ultimate mission to see the two dead.