Yuta
Echigo Province, Japan
1578
It was a dead night at the local inn. The tables were empty and all that could be heard was the furious scrubbing of the inn keeper up front. He looked to have gotten into a brawl. Above his right eyebrow there was a large knot, so large that it forced his eye to shut a little. The bridge of his nose was faintly purple and blue. His lips were so swollen and he had a welt on his jaw so big, a single touch might cause it to burst.
He was sure to be here.
I walked inside and took a seat by the front. The inn keeper sighed, clearly not in the mood to take any customers.
"You've had a bad day huh?" I asked. "I'll make your life easier. Give me whatever."
"Drink and pay up," he said slamming the alcoholic drink in front of me.
I took a swig. Of course he gave me the worst liquor. "A man came by here. His name was Tisun."
"Piss off. I don't know that name," he brushed me off.
"I'm trying to be nice here. Surely you've seen him, or met his fist." I gestured to his face. "He's middle aged, has short hair, and is blind in his left eye."
He paused for a moment. "I-I haven't seen him. Now piss off," he said and started cleaning the bottles on display.
I sighed. They always had to be difficult. In a flash, I splashed my drink in his face and pinned him against the wall. I wrapped my gloved hand tightly around his neck. "I'll say it again. Tisun, an older man blind in his left eye. He was in town."
"S-so? Many people come through here." He struggled against my hold.
I strengthened my grip around his neck. "Try to remember."
"Okay okay! That guy was here. He never gave me his name. There was this bracelet-"
I was taken back by his last sentence. "Bracelet? What bracelet?"
He reached into his pocket and took out a silver bracelet. That bastard. He practically threw it away. I snatched it from the inn keeper's hands and stored it in my pocket.
"I tried to sell it to make up for the damage, but no one would take the damned thing."
Of course they wouldn't. To a poor man's eyes, it is a fake. Little do they know it is one out of four of its kind. It is made of the highest grade of silver and handcrafted by the most talented jeweler in the country.
"Where did he go?"
He put his hands up in defense. "I don't know I swear. You're not going to use that on me are you?" He was referring to the sword at my waist.
"If you cooperate, I won't have to." I said sternly.
I forced him to take me to the room which was down the hall, the last door on right. It was in shambles. Large shards from a shattered mirror were scattered across the floor. A table lay overturned, with its legs ripped from their place. Dirt from a potted plant stained the tatami floors. The screen walls had several holes the size of a fist.
Definitely the work of Tisun.
I released the man. "Don't move."
He quickly nodded and watched nervously.
I continued my search and at first, it seemed that there was nothing of interest until I found many shiny green shards by the window. It was a crystal with many impurities -- something that wouldn't even be suitable for an accessory. Though it was small, I felt that it might be a lead.
"Did you know he had this with him?" I showed him the shards. "Tell me everything that happened."
"Not at all. He was very secretive when he arrived and told me not to check up on him. I kept my word until I heard the commotion. When I tried to stop him, he attacked me. All my customers ran out in a panic. I went to get help, but by the time they got there, he had already left. He was just so mad. I've seen my fair share of drunken meltdowns, but this was by far the worst."
Tisun's rage was indeed unlike no other. Ruling out this gem as a clue would be foolish especially when dealing with the likes of him. Someone as materialistic as him wouldn't be carrying this around for no reason. To keep the shards together, I wrapped them in a small cloth and stored it in my knapsack.
As I left, the man spewed dozens of insults and curses at me. I paid him no mind as I was solely thinking about the green gem. It was undoubtedly a clue and it was up to me to piece the puzzle together.
Tisun, it doesn't matter how far you run. You will pay. Your blood will be on my blade.
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