A traveler without a destination!

[Shin]

It was hard for Chen to come to understand the tragedy that had fallen on the world, news of dark creatures and countries falling over night were simply to grand of tales to be fully comprehended by the man who had spent the majority of his life learning of the world through books that had been decades old at the time. What made the stories especially hard to believe was the fact that, despite Cizoks own internal struggles, the peninsula continent was rather unscathed. Chen had to admit that he didn't really know much anyways, he had only recently come to Cizok and after spending a couple months with Master Akodo was on his own again, heading north to leave Cizokian borders.

Chen walked alone and off of the well traveled roads with a pace the suited someone that had no particular destination in mind. His course varied as he went, sometimes he went a little more east and sometimes a little more west but he was always headed at least slightly north. To the common person he appeared little more then a beggar his forearms, ankles and heels were wrapped in cloth and he wore no shoes. The trousers he wore were torn just above the ankles and his shirt was nothing more then a dirtied vest. Over the vest he wore a brown weathered travelers cloak.

The clothes he wore spoke of poverty but Chen physically was impressive by anyones standards. He didn't stand very tall at just over five and a half feet but he was well taken care of to say in the least, every muscle was defined and perfectly shaped by years of training. It was his broad shoulders that helped to hide two hooked shaped blades that were strapped in an X shape across his back over his shirt but under his cloak.

He carefully looked out over the rolling hills that were speckled with trees, brush, and other natural features one would expect in the wild. He leaned heavily on his walking staff as he decided which way to go. Scratching the rubble on his chin his keen ears picked out the babbling sounds of a brook in the distance. He tapped the empty water gourd at his side to make sure it was indeed empty and he hadn't been walking thirsty this entire time, with his stomach making up his mind for him he turned farther west and continue his slow pace to not only fill his gourd but hopefully find something to eat as well.

[Paroxysm]

The further west one traveled, the more they would notice the scenery change, and especially as they came closer to whatever free-flowing water was in the area--groups of animals, varying in species, would become noticeable, happily minding their own business, but quickly fleeing when a foreign scent was introduced upon the air. Even still, the signs of a forest would become visible, it was in this forest that a group of people lived, or more correctly put--it was on the outskirts of this forest that a small settlement could be seen. This micro-village, as new at was, was at this point nothing more than tents and shacks built from the raw materials of the forest, a section of the forest was already stripped bare, and wooden logs were neatly stacked and arranged off to the side of the small village and beside this stack, and around a few unfinished houses; would be the male residents of this would-be civilization.

These men, scarcely dressed, seemed to idle about, discussing their daily life, and what next to build--what next to work on. Near them, playing with sticks; would be children, giggling and joking and roughhousing as kids were known to do, and gossiping women keeping a watchful eye over the young. Although small, this was obviously a functional society, and in five or ten years, this place could easily become a hub of traffic. However, as it was now, it was just starting to be built, and very few travelers found their way here.

Of course, as luck would have it, the brook that Chen sought would take him through this village, it was close by, in fact; it was visible and audible! He would perhaps be the first of many travelers to find themselves in this nameless village and as he approached, as he came within viewing distance, the men who had been near the logs would turn to face him, walking whatever distance remained between the traveler and themselves, a disgruntled look about their faces.

“What’d ya want,” a harsh Cizokian tone bustled its way through the larger of the men’s throat, he would appear to be the leader at first, but, in fact; it was the smallest man in the group--standing in the very back--that was the leader, this would, however; be unknown to Chen.
“Not’ere to cause trouble, I hope.”

Spitting into the ground, the dark-skinned man puffed out his chest, his brow furrowing into a fine look of anger, and his muscles tightening in anxiousness. These people were not the most trusting, but it would be understandable--or it would be if Chen was aware of the trouble that Cizok had faced lately, several wars, a revolution, massacres, and tragedies. Events like these could wear on a person, corrupt them, and change them. For the most part, this large man, who immediately accused and assumed that Chen was here to cause trouble, was not a bad guy, not really, he wasn’t. In fact, he had the look of a hard worker, a good man, the type of man who had a family, and would raise that family well. One of the kids playing could very well be his, one of the women his wife.

“Ain’t got no tongue to speak?”
The man started again and was a second away from moving another step forwards when a hand was placed on his shoulder, one may have disregarded this action, but not the dark-skinned instigator, no; he stopped completely--as though an icy chill ran through his entire body. He stopped and he seemed to shrink down, what could have been the start of a fight was instantly prevented with but a mere gesture from the smaller, almost feminine man.

The small man, with an almost feral grace, slinked innocently back into his original position, as though he had never moved, and the dark skinned individual seemed to have calmed himself considerably. All that remained was a reaction or reply from Chen.

[Shin]

The scenery was beautiful to say in the least, with the wild animals and the forest obvious in the distance it reminded Chen of his home island where the landscape was very similar. For a moment it made the monk feel a little home sick he missed his parents, brother, and sisters of the order. Chen watched the animals as they scurried buy had he eaten meat he might have been wiling to try and catch one or two of them.

When the village became apparent against the backdrop of the forest so did the sounds of men at work and children playing. Chen realized that this would be his first contact with a group of people other then in a major city, he wondered what the outcome would be, what kind of people they were to live out in the middle of no where.

Instead of one or two people breaking from the group he realized that the whole group of men were coming towards him. Intimidating to say in the least. He walked the couple dozen of steps or so towards them and then stopped. He greeted them as was customary not only on his home land but in Cizok as well, by bowing.

Before he could speak a man, either the leader or the boldest among them, spoke to him first. His tone sent Chen on guard, the large man seemed hostile to him. Again before he could answer he was interrupted, rude Chen thought. Chen was about to clarify his intentions when for the second time the same man went ahead and interrupted him.

Chen could read body language easily, and the man before him seemed incredibly tensed and ready to explode on Chen. Hoping to avoid any confrontation Chen gently patted the air in front of him as he put on his friendliest of grins, which if it weren't for his over abundant amount of muscles would probably seem less cocky and more friendly. Still, he tried.

He didn't fail to notice the reaction of the large man in response to the smaller man touching him, the leader perhaps? Or someone he was generally afraid of at least. But since it was not the small man that addressed him he kept his attention, as was polite, on the dark skinned man before him.

"Please, give me a chance to speak before you make hasty judgments." Shin pleaded with the man before him. "I happened to stumble upon your village by chance while being drawn by the sound of your brook." He explained and pointed towards it. "I am simply trying to fill my water skin and find something to eat among the waters edge."

Chen stayed as pleasant as he could, he was a humble person but had troubles understanding anyone outside his order. These people and their open hostility and wariness were a bit of a shock to him, had they happened upon his door step they would be treated with open arms. He placed both hands on his six-foot tall walking stick and leaned heavily on it, resting his weary legs as much as possible.

[Paroxysm]

The large, dark-skinned man paused for a moment. He was calmer now and realized Chen meant no harm to them, at least not yet, he didn’t, but things could change. They always changed. Still, they were not savages, regardless of how they may have appeared; they were merely people defending their homes, even if it was preemptive defense.

“We,” the large man spoke in a much calmer voice, albeit with a natural roughness. “I apologize. Times are rough, it was … Just forget it. ”

The large man bowed his head slightly in shame, but quickly forgot it. He wasn’t one to dwell on mistakes or confrontations, what had happened, happened, and there was no changing that. Rudeness aside, it didn’t look like Chen was going to hold it against them, either.

“Feel free,” the man spoke to Chen again, suggesting he should freely fill his container with water, to his heart’s content, at that. “There’s plenty of water to go around,” he shrugged, “but there isn’t any fish in the creek and there’s no trade to be had here, not yet.”

The large man momentarily went silent, not to gauge Chen’s reaction, but to think of what to do. They weren’t selfish people in the least, they had come here with all they owned, and this meant their valuables and things that might be needed to sustain life--such as food.

“There isn’t much selection right now… ” He said, finally. “But we’ve got pickled vegetables and salted meat, there’s a bit more than we can eat,” the dark skinned man would finally smile, showing that he was missing a few teeth, but was otherwise healthy. “Gotta work for it, though. Nobody gets anything for free, everyone chips in. S’how we keep things going.”

The other men didn’t seem to mind this suggestion, including the smallest of the group, who seemed to focus on Chen in a much more intense manner, but he never spoke and he never let on to his thoughts. There was no telling what went through this one’s mind, not in the least. Indeed, he was set apart from the others, his features were more refined and spoke of Cizokian upper class, yet he was here, in a fledgling village.

Regardless, Chen was free to decline the hospitality, either through modesty, or reluctance to work for such a measly selection of food. The people wouldn’t have held it against him, they may have even preferred it, they weren’t too trusting of strangers, as was already apparent, but they wouldn’t outright turn a hungry man down, either.

[Shin]

"No need to apologize." Chen said with another bow. "I know very little of what is going on in this country." Chen admitted with a shrug. Chen certainly shared some of their Cizokian traits but there were others as well, the exacts would be hard for anyone to pick out, in dog terms he would simply be classified as a mutt.

"I will have to decline the offer of fresh meat, but hard work in exchange for fruits and vegetables is more then reasonable." Chen pushed off of his staff, once again gripping it near the top like a walking stick and gestured towards the town with his free hand.

"Allow me to walk up stream a bit and fill my water skin and refresh myself and I would be more then happy to help where I am needed."

If they didn't stop him Chen would make his way towards the stream, veering away from the village a little bit to head up stream where the water would be more clean and clear. The reasoning behind it was simple really, villages often dumped their waste in the rive to be carried away and while he wasn't sure if this village practiced that it was better safe then sorry.

[Paroxysm]

The men mostly ignored what Chen had said, they heard it, obviously, but they felt it was simple enough to comprehend and that the beginning of conversation would merely delay the day’s work and Chen, himself. There was much to be done, this day, and so with but a gesture to show Chen where they would be waiting on him, the villagers would begin moving to a nearby field, a clearing of land already set apart, and designated to become farmstead. Indeed, a good portion of the earth had already been treated, tilled, and seeds sown. This would be today’s first work, it was better to work the land early in the morning and afternoon, it was a good way to beat the heat, and Cizok could often be brutal--even for those used to such temperatures.

Despite the absence of Chen, who had went to check out the brook, the villagers, minus the supposed leader, started to direct themselves to an untilled section of the field, the area around the field was bare, mostly, but a shed of tools and a shack full of wood were present nearby--for the sake of convenience.

Having everything they required to begin the day’s work with, they villagers, still conversing amongst themselves, would begin to either tear into the earth, or walk about the field and clear obstacles out of the way. Aside from the farmhands, a single mule, fixed with a tilling blade and harness, could be seen moving up and down the cleared sections of the field, separated by a single, red thread.

When Chen finally came back to begin his work, this would be the sight that welcomed him, and should he need no directions on what to do--he was free to jump right in, wherever he thought himself needed, or he could perhaps see what else needed to be done, as there were other groups of people about the small village. Ultimately, the choice of what to do would be up to the man, he could work in the field, or he could gather a bit more information about the village--the history behind it--or simply ask for the latest rumors, it didn’t matter. So long as he got at least a bit of work in, he would be treated to lunch and dinner, and a place to stay until tomorrow, as well.

[Shin]

Chen walked with a little more purpose as he headed towards the stream, he took the time to fill his gourd and drink as much as he dared to satisfy his thirst and then promptly made his way out to the fields where he saw the rest of the men working.

This was to say in the least, new to him. Chen wasn't a farmer and none of the books he read covered the topic in any detail. While he could understand the basic functions of what everyone was doing he decided to do something simple and went to join the men clearing the fields.

He would work without complaint as long as everyone else worked, he followed suit in picking up the large boulders and fallen trees and tossed them wherever everyone else was tossing them. Chen was a diligent worker and with a job as simple as this he was quite fast and to no surprise strong enough to lift many of the heavier things by himself.

Though when the opportunities presented themselves Chen would ask about current events and try to figure out the villages story without asking to personal of questions. It would really be nothing more then idle chatter for those that would talk, and for those that simply ignored him and kept to their work he would respect that.

[Paroxysm]

This particular field of work would last for a while and only the occasional break would be taken, a short break, at that, lasting only as long as it took a person to drink, after all; there was a lot to get done--they had a deadline to get things finished. If they didn’t finish by this deadline, life would be miserable when seasons changed, and nobody wanted that. However, that did not mean the day’s work would be boring, in fact; several of the men would indulge Chen in conversation, as they worked, one of these men would be the dark-skinned, broad shouldered fellow from earlier.

“What brings you out here, …”
The brute paused while speaking, he didn’t recall getting the other man’s name, but the pause was brief and may have gone unnoticed, regardless; he started to continue where he left off.
“We don’t get many visitors here, you know,” he gestured outwards, towards a lightly traveled path, it could have easily went unnoticed until now, without it being pointed out, but it was definitely there. It was proof that not many traveled these parts.
“Not yet, anyways.---”

“---A lot of us came here after the revolution,” another man piped in, dragging a large tree-limb out of his way, and throwing it several feet in front of him. “Homes burned down, some of us injured, and starving. Wasn‘t much else to do but start over, rounded up some people, Man-san got us some government support, somehow, and off we went. Only been here a handful of months, but we‘ve already accomplished this much.”

Gesturing around himself, the man slowly eased away from the two large men, dragging yet another limb, and tossing it aside. Clearing debris was about all he could do, really. He wasn’t as good with the land as some of the others, but he was learning quickly.

"Kano," the brute said, filling the silence that had crept up on the two.
"That's my name."

[Shin]

"I am seeking myself."

Chen instinctively answered, though it may have seemed a cryptic answer it was the best way and only way Chen knew how to describe his purpose. That didn't make it any easier to understand though, Chen wasn't even sure he understood it half the time he merely followed his feet with a blind faith.

"That is," Chen paused in his work, taking the chance to drink more water. "I am on a quest to enlightenment."

"I imagine not. You're village is a little ways out of the way from the main path, I think." Truth be told since Chen wasn't from around these parts and he hadn't been following the main path he wasn't sure exactly where it was, he merely assumed that since he had traveled farther west that it was east of this location.

"I am Chen." He said with a smile that always seemed to be plastered across his facial features. "You and the other villagers have really accomplished a lot in such a short amount of time. It is impressive."

[Paroxysm]

Kano nodded to himself while Chen was speaking, he understood quests to find one’s self, even if he had never been on one, after all; he was Cizokian. Things dealing with the spiritual aspect of life were common enough that even a simple minded peasant like him knew about them. Regardless, the large man would pat his hands on his legs, and look about the field.

“Yeah,” he replied. “Yes, we have.”

It was obvious that the man was proud of the work his people had done in such a short amount of time. They were working the land and starting back up what the war had taken from them. There was little to not be proud of.

“Well we’re done here.”
Kano said gleefully, they weren’t really done, of course, but it was fine to call it a day just this once … They had a visitor who was working for food, it wouldn’t be right to expect him to work an entire shift. Still, a good portion of the men would remain to tend the field, or to clear debris. Only Kano and Chen would be excused, which may not have seemed fair, but nobody would really mind.
“Let’s see about getting you something to eat, Chen-san.”

It may have seemed odd that Kano, who was previously ready to organize a lynch on Chen, was now as calm as he could be, even understanding, and hospitable. Of course, he had his reasons for the behavior, and all it took was a simple touch to calm him down. It could be described as unsettling, really, but for the most part it probably didn’t matter.

“We haven’t had our first harvest yet,” the man would speak as he slowly led Chen away from the field, assuming Chen followed. “But Man-san got us a ton of supplies, n’we send a runner to pick up extra things, too. Forest also provides us with some of what we need.”

As they walked, the talk would carry on in this manner, nothing important would really be said, but Chen could at least get a better idea of how life was lived in the village.

[Shin]

Chen wasn't about to turn down a meal, not after going all day yesterday and all of today without having anything to eat. His stomach growled loudly in anticipation. He did think it was a bit odd that him and Kano were the first off the fields, but he wasn't about to argue.

Chen listened politely as they walked, he asked a question here and there, nothing of consequence or overly personal. As they neared town he remembered briefly the small man that had calmed the situation down before it could escalate. Briefly going over the small gesture, merely a hand placed on a shoulder, carried more weight then Chen had seen behind many swords.

"The small man from earlier today." Chen tried to explain. "The one who speaks with his eyes. Who is he?" It would be the first question Chen asked that delved into a certain individual of the town. He would understand if Kano decided not to answer, but Chens curiosity was certainly peaked.

[Paroxysm]

Kano seemed to pause a step, a brief moment, really, but noticeable. This pause was momentary and very brief, as he smoothly transitioned back into walking, the two would be coming upon a storehouse of sorts, it was the largest building in the village, and had the most attention to detail--it was expertly built, and housed most of the village’s supplies. This included food, of course.

“T-that’s …. That was Man-san. He’s, he’s a little strange.”
Kano stopped short of the storehouse with Chen, he thought for a moment, wondering what Chen had meant by speaking with his eyes, it was an odd phrase, to say the least, one that the man had never heard before, but he didn’t feel the need to question it, either. He could guess what it meant.

“He helped us organize all this … Got us help, like I said, from the government, n’all he asked was if he and his sister could join us, so they’ve been part of our group ever since, but … I, we don’t … We found him outta Akinai, with his sister. Nobody knows what he was doing there, but he was real messed up and now he isn’t.”

This was perhaps a bit more personal than Kano had wanted to go, it wasn’t about his person, of course, but it was about the man he called Man-san. This was not a person that was usually discussed with outsiders, luckily for Chen, however; he was one of the first. So there was no real taboo on it.

“There’re a few rumors about him and what happened in Akinai that night, the revolution brought a lot of things into Cizok, you know? Not the least of which were demons, not that Man-san is a demon, mind you, but he’s something, all right. That’s all I can say, really. Let’s get you something to eat.”

It may seem as though Kano was ready to dismiss the subject now, switching instead to a topic that perhaps Chen would find just as interesting as Man-san, if he was hungry enough, that is. The simple matter of the fact was that Kano didn’t know who Chen really was; he still held some suspicions, despite being a bit more forthcoming than before. The last thing the village needed was for two individuals to start a ruckus or brawl to liven things up, really. And Man-san …

“We have pickled vegetables, like I said before,” Kano opened the storehouse and would lead Chen inside, leaving the door open, but also lighting a lantern so the two could see better. “We have rice, flour, and wheat, as well, and meat--but I don’t think you wanted any of that,” the man shrugged, taking a few steps further in. “Nuts and I think we got some berries the other day, but the kids might’ve already gotten to them, the little rats, really help yourself to anything, you worked for it.”

[Shin]

Chen was an incredibly observant person, at least when it came to reading a persons body movements, so Kanos slight hesitation was not missed. Which only prompted Chen to listen much more intensely then he would have before. Chen gathered much from how Kano spoke of Man-san, but mainly he gathered while Kano trusted him at least he was not one hundred percent sure about the man.

Chen made a mental note to look for him later, perhaps start a conversation. Judging merely based on his interaction with Kano earlier and how Kano spoke of him it would no doubt prove to be interesting ordeal. Of course Chens stomach, not caring in the slightest about this Man-san, growled more loudly the closer they got to the storage building.

"Thank you." Chen kept his smile as he moved inside the building.

Hmm, what to grab? Chen thought to himself as he moved among the storehouse looking over the food there. He wasn't really a picky eater, but he was extremely conscious about taking from people who didn't have much to give. And while his assumption wouldn't be one hundred percent true, since the village seemed to be doing well, he would only take the fruits and vegetables that there was a large amount of.

All in all he wouldn't take a very large amount, just enough for him to make a stew with. He had learned that while it may not taste the best a stew would help spread the food farther and fill the stomach better. Chen didn't eat meat, as it was forbidden by his teachings, he did eat fish. Growing up in an island monastery fish was one of their main sources of food. So if there was any fish he would grab some, though he did remember them telling him there were no fish in the steam...

When he was done he would make his way out the building. He wasn't really sure what to do, he doubted the place had a standing Inn. "Once again, thank you. It has been some time since I have had a full stomach."

[Paroxysm]

“Not a problem,” Kano answered instinctively. Of course, if Chen needed things to prepare his food in, he would also find those materials in the storehouse, assuming he hadn’t already grabbed them, in honesty Kano had already walked out of the storehouse, allowing Chen to pick what he wanted casually, and without a watchful eye. This was perhaps a bit too trusting, but Kano figured if the man had wanted food that badly, he’d have simply demanded it, rather than work for it, he earned his food, really.

“How long do you think you’ll be staying in the area?”
Kano turned to face away from Chen, occupying himself with closing the storehouse, his hand resting gently on the opened door of the building, “the nights here aren’t bad, but there are some wild animals. Boars and wolves, mostly. None of ‘em is all that friendly and mighty pissed at us and all our hunting.”

While speaking superstition, the man, Kano, finally pushed the door to a close, and started locking and securing it.

[Shin]

Chen thought about the question for a moment, he hadn't even planned on stopping here at all. But he was on a journey and a destination that was unknown to him, though he didn't think staying in the village for a little bit would harm anything. Perhaps living along a small community for a while would broaden his horizons.

"Just for tonight I think. There is a long road ahead of me." In the end Chen decided it would be better to get out and experience other cultures, that and he simply wanted to enjoy the open road. He had been cloistered up for so much of his life he felt the need to simply be free.

"As for tonight, I believe I will set up camp near the village but closer to the river. Wild animals generally stay away from humans." Chen wasn't too worried about a few wild animals, they were instinctual creatures and easily dealt with.

"I will probably collect a few fallen branches, start a fire and begin my stew." He said smiling at the idea of getting a full meal finally. "Then I will likely be gone with the rising sun, there is much to learn out there..." He left his sentence vague and begin his trek towards his intended location on the rivers side.