176 5.65 sBanditss Confusing Other Bandits. (1/2)
The guard came and passed me a note from Yonezawa and it read STM Yonezawa 321. Oamagai...! We'd better get the warehouses up and running with the assembly line and get the 1st shift to be notified of their commencement date.
We had so many orders to fulfil but the STM is still in midair and yet to be mass-produced. But at this rate, I won't be able to complain because logistics and safety are yet to be tightened and nothing should be compromised when lives are at stake here.
Cargo can be replaced but human lives cannot!
We have to wreck our brains to outsmart these villains. I waited till Hiko-sama had returned from the Treasury and remembered a decoy in sea battles using sail ships of the yesteryear. If Captain Blackbeard could fool the trading ships, we could also follow his example and fool the villains.
When Hiko-sama returned with the ambassadors, I discussed with them my ideas.
”Seniors, I want to share something. What happens en route to Shibata is no laughing matter. Luckily I can sense an arrow coming at me and I was able to avoid it. Now I wanted to ask you these. When you all were in an expedition, you met with bandits and other enemies right?”
”Yes, we do on a number of occasions. Why do you ask? Were you intending to take an act of revenge or annihilating them to make the journey safer?”
”Not really, seniors. We don't even know them how are we going to revenge on them? Furthermore, we were not hurt in any way and at most, the one who gets hurt most would be the ranger, as the more he struggled, the more the stick is gonna poke through his ass!”
The men laughed at what I had done earlier to the poor lone ranger because I positioned the stick right at where his legs were and the more he struggles, the more pain he would feel.
”I mean is, we would put on a disguise the moment we leave this village and remove the disguise before entering the next town. Have you seen any flags these bandits carry or the type of masks they put on? It's like the time you were carrying the black flag with a big red X in the centre.”
”Oh that flag, I remember. The flag we carry is an international sign for those in expedition or scout. It doesn't represent anything.”
I drew a skull and two crossed bones in it and asked if anyone sports this type of flag before? They looked at it and said they hadn't seen it before. Then how about masks like these...”
I drew a mask with horns like a ram and a mask that looked like a geisha.
”We haven't seen such a hideous mask before. And this mask it looked like a youkai to me.”
I looked at the geisha-like mask I had drawn with a very tiny mouth and eyes and I wondered how the men gonna look through it with tiny dots for eye holes.
”We have to put in an act from now on. We make the flags and fly it in too of the wagon. Then if anything happens like this again, we acted like we are from another bandit group and called out how dare they shoot at their fellow bandits. And curse their mothers and fathers and so on.”
”If they happen to look over and saw our flags we call out to them to come over so we gonna flogged their butt's and when they are near, we jumped on them and carry off to the next town to be trialled and sentenced.”
”Tell me if you have another idea because sometimes my idea sucks. Don't tell me we are going to ride on a fully armoured wagon or carriage?”
The men discussed and they agreed on my idea on making the skull with crossbones. I explained to them this was the international flag for sea pirates. While they were discussing I drew some political logos that looked like a bolt of lightning, a Blacksmith hammer, two hands shaking, a pyramid with an eye in the centre, a no smoking sign, handicap toilet sign.
They saw what I drew a d I told them some are dangerous signs, some political signs and another one is for an outhouse for people with big butt's. They saw the last one and can't help laughing and I asked Hiko-sama to tell about what I saw last night at the cosmetics shop.
After Hiko-sama had told the story to them, they all burst out laughing because I had such an imaginative mind... And I asked Hiko-sama to tell about the hairy flat-chested woman and the demon that ran away.
After Hiko-sama had told the story, everyone was basically laughing hysterically and the cooks were thinking they can laugh like this before drinking sake and when they drink they become serious. These men are so unpredictable.
I saw a messenger and asked to pass two notes. One is for the tailor to come here and the other is to inform the brewery to send 3 jars of sake. I paid and he immediately ran to his destination when I have a silver to him.
15 minutes later the tailor arrives. I showed her the skull and crossed bones and to make a silkscreen print on black cloth and white printing. She asked if this is the company logo and I said its is not but is a sign we are carrying hazardous products.
She was sceptical at first and then we laughed saying we are going to be bandits to fool the bandits. She doesn't understand it and I told her to make three of these flags measuring 2m x 1m landscape design.
I asked her to make several bandanas for us and design it with the smiling face of a skeleton, just the smiling teeth and nose. I held up a cloth to my face and covers the nose and mouth and told her to make a skeleton nose here and a skeletal mouth over my lips in white and black cloth. Make a sample first and let me see to approve.
The flags are the priority so make one first and let me see. We going to fool the fools, who wanted to make us like their fools, but in the end, make them look like fools instead, we decided to eat until we are full. The tailor looked at me and was utterly confused and Kami repeated the words and then he laughed out loud again. The tailor excused herself after hearing me making the orders and told me that she will work on a sample and pass be to see first.
”You have a way with words, kid. I like your style. But I like it when you hang on to the horse's neck and somersault.” Kami praised me for the act.
”Actually, Seniors. I did that to protect the horse from being arrowed and parry it away before hitting the horse's heart. Do you see the 'baluku' on the guy's head? I just use a rock and hurled at him. I only used the Odachi blunt part to parry two arrows twice.”
”Oh, we didn't know that. You can actually sense the arrow before it comes into range?”
”Yes, Seniors. I did a lot of meditation and can see danger before it hits me. Come, let me show you an example. I will wrap my eyes with this cloth and you can come at me anytime when you are ready.”
Kami accepted the challenge thinking that I am pulling his leg and said I can sense danger. I went to take a long and thick stick from the firewood and passed to Kami.” Use this as a katana. It has been a long time since I spar with anyone.”
”I'm warning you, kid. I won't hold back with this stick.” Kami told me as I wrapped my eyes with the thick cloth. To make it more realistic I turned around a few times and stop and I knew I am in the wrong direction.
Then I saw a white flash on my right coming down towards me and I evaded. Another came from my left in an upwards swing and I evade again. A horizontal swing came close and I jumped over it and rolled to the ground. A downward strike coming down on my head and I took a few steps back.
”Alright, kid. That's enough. The show's over.” I heard Hiko-sama said when I had proved my point. I opened up the blindfold and the bright light blinded my eyes and I sat down. The sake has arrived and I paid for it.
”Interesting, kid. How can you see if you are blindfolded?”
”I also don't know how to answer it. What I can see is a white flash of light that liked like an after image but in slow motion that's why I can evade so easily.”
”I meditated a lot and maybe that heightens my senses.”
”Oh yeah, just now you were calling the time at 3 o'clock. We don't understand you because the time was only 9 plus in the morning.”
I explain to them the meaning when I shouted ”Enemy! 3 o'clock.” and told them to take out the pocket watch and held it horizontal to the ground. In any position that you are, straight means 12 o'clock. Behind is 6 o'clock, left is 3 and right is 9. This is used to expose where the enemy is. We don't tell our Comrades. Enemy high in the hill in this or that direction, watch out he is using arrows bla bla bla bla... The enemy when they heard us shouting like that, can doze off and also call out to us. ”Hoy, are you done blabbering. When will you attack us? You've been talking like that for 3 hours nonstop and I want to go back and eat first, ok?”
I was acting out the scene in a comical way while culling my hands and shouting in a downward manner acting as the enemy and cupping my hands as I expose the position if the enemy too.