Spirit Game

Druger\'s eyes softened a little. "Aye. That girl lost her family and clan at such a young age. Lyncon and I took her in along with the other homeless children. I\'m glad she\'s laughing again after what happened to the town. Thanks, lad."

"I didn\'t do much. I should be thanking you for building the village for free."

"You provided us food and shelter. That\'s the least we could do," Druger said and took another swig of his booze.

"By the way, you said that Lyncon and you took in Hana?" Rain asked.

Druger nodded. "That\'s right. Lyncon used to be a great guy until the Seadwellers came."

"I see . . ."

"We built the town for those like us who had lost their homes, families, and had nowhere else to go. We wanted to escape the mainland because it was littered with chaos and war. But who knew that trouble would follow us even here."

"The town seems important to you," Rain observed.

Druger clenched his hands tightly and looked at the bottle in his hand seriously. "That\'s right. That town is our life. We built it from scratch, from a tiny fishing village into a bustling port."

". . ." Rain was silent, took a breath, and asked, "Is that why you\'re plotting to get it back from Lord Izumi?"

"That\'s right, we . . ." Druger trailed off, his drunken state disappearing as he whipped his head in Rain\'s direction.

Rain\'s face remained strangely calm. "You think I wouldn\'t know?"

". . . You . . .

knew?" Druger eyes were wide in surprised, then his faced shifted seriously.

"It wasn\'t that hard to guess," Rain remarked, his voice carrying a hint of satisfaction.

Actually, it was Chi who figured it out. She had been on one of her nightly patrols when she spotted a strange bird flying against the backdrop of the moonlit sky. Intrigued by its unusual presence, she reported it to him immediately.

"I found it quite odd," Rain continued, "that more and more citizens from the port town are arriving here every day. The Barren Wasteland is notoriously vast and treacherous. If I recall correctly, based on what Hana mentioned, you\'re still in the process of mapping out the area here.

"So, how could they have found us without a map? It seems highly improbable, unless, of course, someone is deliberately leading them to our location."

Druger\'s eyes narrowed as he considered the implications of Rain\'s words. He then took a large breath before he faced Rain while shaking his head. "You should have just remained ignorant."

In a blink, Druger pulled a flute in his pocket and blew it.

Rain was startled when all fifty residents of the port town suddenly got up. #4 and Pup couldn\'t do anything when they kidnapped the statue from them, while Thraigar, still fast asleep, was quickly tied up by the others.

No wonder that guy was captured, Rain lamented. He slept like a rock.

Meanwhile, Chin and Chick were out hunting Raklings and other beasts to bring back, while Chill and Chin were in the ocean collecting salt and fish.

He really picked the best time to confront Druger, Rain thought, laughing a little. He had his own agenda though.

"I\'m sorry about this, lad," said Druger, quickly outmaneuvering Rain until he was sitting on Rain\'s back, locking his hands in a tight hold.

"But we have to save our town one way or another. Don\'t worry, if you cooperate we will not harm you and the others."

"Um . . . I have to say this: whatever you\'re thinking, I suggest that you stop. This Izumi guy has, like, a battalion of soldiers, right? Two warships!

You\'re marching to your deaths if you try to forcefully take your town back. There\'s a better way at this. Maybe we can talk to Lord Izumi?"

Druger stared at Rain seriously, his eyes revealing a resolve that could not be shaken.

"We\'re done talking!" Druger\'s voice trembled with intensity. "That town is everything we have. We\'ve already made up our minds to take it back. If we have to cross into the afterlife to reclaim what\'s ours, then so be it. We\'re tired of everyone taking everything away from us!"

Rain could feel the raw pain and unwavering determination in Druger\'s voice. He took a deep breath, trying to reach him. "What\'s the point of taking back your town if you\'re going to die in the end? Living is what\'s more important. If you\'re alive, you can still start over."

"Rain, lad, you\'re still young," Druger said, his voice softening for a moment. "You don\'t understand what us . . . products of war have been through. We\'ve been running away, living in constant fear of attacks.

Always on the run, always in fear, always submitting . . . we\'re tired of it all. We finally found something we could call home, and now . .

. we\'re going to take it back no matter the cost!"

Druger\'s voice cracked, and he gritted his teeth, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "We have been planning this for years, but we couldn\'t do much inside the port town where every eye reported everything to Lord Izumi. But when you showed up, we finally had a chance to set everything in motion again."

"You needed my protection out here and a place to plan your strategies unhindered," Rain said in a matter of fact tone.

"That\'s right," Druger confirmed, his voice steady but filled with emotion. "But there is one more thing we need from you . . ."

"Druger!"

An angry, disbelieving voice echoed in the air. It came from Hana, who was marching towards them, her eyes slitting like a reptile\'s and her voice hissing in frustration.

"What do you think you\'re doing? What are you doing?! What is all this?!"

"I take it that Hana didn\'t know about this plan?" Rain asked, glancing at Druger.

"Hana is . . . young. She\'s going to be safe here with you," Druger replied in a low voice, signaling the others to take Hana and tie her up.

"What?! What\'s going on? Answer me, Druger!" Hana tried to fight back but couldn\'t do anything against the fifty citizens of the port town.

Soon, Rain and the others found themselves tied up in their own home while Druger and the rest confiscated their weapons and armor, and began to plan their next move.

"I know it\'s a bit early than planned, but there\'s no time like now," Druger started.

As Rain watched the happenings, he couldn\'t help but mused to himself. Looks like their shelter had turned into a rebels\' hideout.