The driver returned, and after he’d confirmed Nagi and Saya were there, the cogwagon got moving. Nagi gazed out of the shaking vehicle in a daze; he’d felt somewhat out of it for a while now. At some point, Saya drifted to sleep. Before he knew it, the cogwagon had turned off the main road and was approaching a narrow mountain path just about the size of a single vehicle.
Did they have to go down such a path to get to the capital? Nagi thought it over. The two of them were fugitives. It made sense to use a less traveled route to avoid prying eyes. Nagi could feel fear in the pit of his stomach. He had been taught as a child to never use such paths because bad things would inevitably pop up there.
Like ghosts, for example.
And also...
“Stop!”
It was as if reality was tracing Nagi’s thoughts. People poured out one after the other from the trees and stones on either side. They wore leather armor and were armed with spears, axes, and hatchets. Their faces each had a spotted birthmark on them.
Bloodmarks.
The driver, as if reading Nagi’s mind, shouted, “It’s the Tainted!”
Nagi had a bad feeling about this. “Saya, wake up!” he yelled.
According to what Nagi had learned from the village elders, the Tainted weren’t a peaceful bunch. They lived hidden within mountainous regions and attacked travelers. It was said that their homelands couldn’t grow wheat and were inhabited by ferocious, wild beasts. That was why it was easiest for them to make a living by attacking people.
Saya jumped up at Nagi’s voice. The Tainted warriors were quickly boarding the cogwagon. Nagi drew his knife from its sheath, but it was too late. Saya had a spear thrust before her.
“Drop your weapon.”
Unexpectedly, it was a girl. She looked a little older than Nagi. Her chestnut hair was tied up behind her. She had a sweet and innocent face, but that impression vanished the moment he saw her big, black eyes. The light within them was far too strong, making her seem more beast than human.
There was something like a spotted, dark-red birthmark on her throat. The spots drew a complex pattern along the side of her neck all the way up to her ear. This was a bloodmark, proof she was one of the Tainted.
Her quick and sharp movements betrayed no hesitation. She was sure to mercilessly slit Saya’s throat if Nagi moved. He shot a quick glance over to the driver, who also had a similar blade pointed at him.
“Don’t move. You move, she dies,” the Tainted girl said.
Nagi obediently dropped his knife. After tying them up, the Tainted took them and the cogwagon. The bag he had with the Halahala and money in it was also stolen.
They were brought to a settlement within the forest. It was larger than Nagi’s village, but he didn’t see it at all until they were pretty close. It was concealed by the terrain. This was apparently a Tainted village. They likely hid here and attacked those who passed by, just as they had done to Nagi.
He despised them, deep down. Much like the rumors, they were a bunch of ruffians. What he hated most, however, was that they didn’t fulfill the duty of blood offerings that caused commoners like Nagi to suffer so.
Although he couldn’t see Saya’s face very well because of her hood, she seemed calm. The three of them were forced to stand in a line in the village square with their hands tied behind their backs. They were surrounded by armed Tainted warriors. It didn’t look like they’d be able to escape. There was a small figure in the center of the Tainted who Nagi guessed was the village chief.
His skin was covered in wrinkles and his hair was completely white. Nagi knew this was proof that he was nearing the end of his lifespan; that was what it meant to age. These people were called elders. This man looked to have aged far more than Nagi’s chief, Badrino, showing how close he was to death.
The Tainted girl held her spear up threateningly at the driver. “Answer only what I ask. Why do you know of that road? Who are you people?” she asked.
“I can’t say,” the driver replied in a stiff voice.
“You don’t tell me, you die. I’m not bluffing.”
“I still can’t say.”
Nagi believed it was likely his loyalty to Cobalt which kept the driver from disclosing his secret.
“Then I’ll send you to the next world,” a Tainted man growled, stepping forward.
He was big enough that Nagi had to look up at him. His body was slender, yet buff. He was clearly a well-trained hunter.
Raising his enormous axe, the man lopped off the driver’s head in one fell swoop. It fell to the ground with a thud, causing Saya to gasp.
They’re insane. Both the Tainted and the driver. Why did they have to do such a thing?
“Right, I forgot to tell you. I’m Bandore, Garuga Village’s number one warrior. I’m sure you at least want to know the name of the man who killed you.”
The man who called himself Bandore spoke to the tumbling head, then brought his axe down once more. Flecks of blood and gray matter spattered everywhere, including Nagi’s body. The stench of gore washed over him.
Then, the girl pointed her spear at Nagi. “If you don’t want to end up like that, then talk. Who are you people?”
There was no way Nagi had the same loyalty as the driver.
“Will you let us go if I tell you?”
“We’ll release you if you’re not our enemy. We don’t want to take any lives unless we have to. The same goes for stealing, of course.”
“Didn’t you just kill someone?”
“We had no choice. This man called us a grave insult.”
“What was that?”
“The Tainted... We’re not tainted. We are the Crestfolk.”
That simple utterance was all that had brought about the driver’s brutal demise.
“I’m Nagi Strano.”
“Strano? You’re from Strano Village?” the girl asked, apparently familiar with the name of his village. “Why are you out here?”
Her high-handed manner irritated him.
Why do I have to put up with this kind of attitude from a bunch of damned Tainted?
“Before that. Now that I’ve named myself, isn’t it proper for you to do the same? Or is that something you only tell people after you kill them?”
Nagi’s suddenly provocative behavior fanned the girl’s anger.
“I’m the one asking questions here!”
She swept at Nagi with the handle of her spear.
“Nagi!” Saya screamed.
“Tess, stop.”
“But, Chief, he—”
“Calm yourself. You cannot accomplish anything with a disturbed heart. This boy has not treated us with the same level of disrespect as the driver. Perhaps it was too soon to entrust this investigation to you,” the elder said in a calm voice. He turned to Nagi. “My name is Zamin. I serve as the chief for the Crestfolk of Garuga Village.”
He had a deep and gentle voice that seemed out of place here. Zamin and Tess. Nagi carved their names into his mind. His cheek was throbbing with pain. The taste of iron spread throughout his mouth. Nagi could feel himself getting more and more heated up.