Chapter 20: PROTECTOR


    <hr>


    That night, I swapped places again with my decoy double. Sora came for the exchange, and we crept back through the tunnels to Thunder Temple.


    “Where are the twins?” I asked.


    “Preparing for their mission,” she said, a few steps ahead of me.


    I barely registered what she said, lost in my thoughts.


    “Sora, I think the Samurai are going to torture me.”


    “Yes, Ember, that’s what they do with prisoners who won’t talk. Any other profound insights you want to share?.”


    “What if they figure things out?”


    “We have time. They’ll first give you an official chance to preserve the appearance that they’ve followed the rule of law.”


    “And after that?”


    “That’s a future problem—for you.”


    I needed to change the subject.


    “What were your trials like when you—”


    Sora whirled and clutched me by the throat, holding a burning card to my face.


    “Is everybody so nosey wherever you’re from? Never ask me about my past. We are stuck with you because the Jingozi forced you into our lives. Don’t tempt me to execute you on the Shogun’s behalf.”


    “I’m sorry,” I quivered, tears filling my eyes.


    “You cry too much,” she shoved me down. “Save that weakness for your herald. Maybe you’ll find the pity you’re not getting from me or our faction.”


    She stormed off.


    * * *


    Day [27/40]


    Time Remaining Until Execution: [25 Days]


    Taikumi called me into the war room and was about to start. But he paused to observe my countenance, still shaken from my encounter with Sora.


    “My child,” he said, “what’s wrong?”


    “Why is Sora so cruel to me?”


    Taikumi frowned, pausing to measure his following words.


    “She didn’t tell you?”


    “Tell me what?”


    “She used to be like you.”


    “Huh?”


    “She was a vessel. She hosted one of your kind seven years ago.”


    “No way,” I said. “Wait, you know where I’m from?”


    “Yes, but only Sora and me.”


    “How?”


    “That’s not important,” he said. “Though it explains why Sora is one of our fiercest warriors. She was endowed with great powers. But despite all her gifts, she now harbors a great hatred towards the Jingozi. I often fear it will destroy her from within.”


    Taikumi put his hands on my shoulders and furrowed his brow.


    “I’ve said enough, my child. Let’s keep this our secret for the moment. Do this old merchant a favor and pour us some tea. We have exciting work to do.”


    * * *


    “Ember,” Taikumi began, “there’s something you must understand about the Ninja faction. We aren’t just warriors of the shadows. We’re protectors of the people. Our origins lie in a group of commoners and former samurai who banded together to fight corruption and injustice. The authorities turn a blind eye to the suffering of the common folk, and so it falls upon us.”


    “So, we’re like vigilantes?”


    “In a way, yes. The Ninja faction balances the scales, ensuring those without power have a voice. We take on contracts from the commoners with nowhere else to turn.” He held up a stack of notes. “These are requests from the people. Each represents a plea for help, a story of injustice that must be set right. It’s our duty and honor to answer these calls.”


    I plucked one of the papers. It was a hastily written note in a foreign language.


    “What do I need to do?”


    Taikumi smiled.


    “You will accept missions. Each will test your skills and growth, allowing you to serve while progressing as a Jingozi apprentice.”


    “What about the other Ninjas?”


    “Everyone, including Sora, Kaito, and Hikari, has taken on political missions to harass the Shogunate. We can’t risk your capture while you’re in training.”Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    “I have a request if I can.”


    Taikumi raised an eyebrow.


    “I don’t want to kill anybody,” I said.


    “We are Ninjas…”


    “I am defense meta.”


    “I see. It’s most unusual for a Ninja to choose such a path.”


    “You said Ninjas are the ‘protectors of the people.’ Well, I’m your girl.”


    He snorted and followed up with a deep belly laugh.


    “Very well, Ember. Your request is accepted.”


    NEW QUEST: NINJA GUILD


    Complete 10 Ninja Guild Missions


    Bonus experience for extra missions completed before the time limit.


    Progress: [0/10]


    Taikumi handed me my first mission note, which I could now read.


    NEW MISSION: SHOPKEEPER EXTORTION


    Stop thugs from extorting the shopkeeper.


    “This is a plea from a shopkeeper in the market district,” he said. “He’s been harassed by a group of thugs demanding protection money. The authorities won’t help him, so he turned to us. Your mission is to stop their extortion and ensure the shopkeeper’s safety.”


    * * *


    I was relieved to be outdoors for a change. Being cooped up underground and in prison cells was driving me crazy.


    Night had fallen, and the rain poured down. From the shopkeeper’s rooftop, I scanned the area, my eyes adjusting to the darkness with Kitty draped around my shoulders. We were both soaked, yet somehow she still managed to fall asleep. The market was quiet, the usual hustle and bustle replaced by the steady patter of rain. The shopkeeper had described the thugs’ routine—they showed up at night to collect their so-called protection money.


    While I waited, I spent Zii cycling through my deck, swapping for the ideal cards. Not knowing if it was a good idea, I burned spells like my strikes, just in case. Reorganizing my hand and spinning cards for maximum defense, I wouldn’t risk another Kaito incident.


    I checked my hand one more time.


    Hand: [2/4] [4/5] [5/6] [1/7] [4/7]


    My meta buff would add +2 to the defense score, and I planned to make the most of it.


    Four men in grungy beige Gi strolled towards the shopkeeper’s stall. I assumed the one holding an umbrella was the leader. They laughed and joked as they approached.


    “Here they come, Kitty,” I whispered, rubbing her chin. “Remember, I’ll call if I need you, and no lethal force.”


    They reached the stall to start their usual antics. The shopkeeper, an elderly man with a kind face, stepped out to confront them, but he had no money to offer. His defiance only provoked more jeers and mockery. The cocky leader wagged a finger, dropped the umbrella, and brandished an axe.


    My smoke bomb exploded before them. They stumbled back, coughing and disoriented. I stepped off the ledge, landing between them and the shopkeeper.


    “Who the hell are you?” the leader choked.


    Ignoring him, I focused on the first thug, channeling a card-powered open-palm strike to his chest. He flew across the street, slamming into a storefront, collapsing unconscious on the pavement. The other thug and the leader charged with axes raised. I ducked and rolled beneath their swings.


    I threw another card, its energy humming as it struck the leader’s wrist, sending the axe spinning out of his grasp. He howled in pain, his hand now half severed, practically dangling by tendons from his wrist.


    Am I still using too much power?


    With a swift kick, I swept the second thug’s legs out from under him and hit him mid-air with another card, sending him crashing into a stack of crates.


    A lantern struck me from behind, dousing me in oil and fire. Kitty had already glinted out of danger.


    NINJA KIMONO: FIRE PROTECTION [PASSIVE]


    Cost: 2 Zii


    I’d totally forgotten about my armor.


    Sizzling in the rain, I strode toward the last thug like a stuntman on fire. He panicked and tried to run, but I fired a Jingozi card, aiming for his legs. The card tripped him, sending him face-first into the pavement with an audible crunch.


    As I caught my breath, the fire died down. I turned to face the leader, who glared at me, blood still spewing from his wrist.


    “You’ll pay for this,” he hissed.


    “Not tonight.”


    I tied the thugs together with the rope from my inventory. The shopkeeper emerged from behind a cart.


    “Thank you,” he said, his voice trembling. “I didn’t think anyone would help.”


    “You’re welcome.”


    But now, there was a problem. What was I supposed to do with these four thugs? Should I leave them here—hang them from a pole with a note?


    “You’ll regret asking for help! The Iron Fists always collect our debts! We’ll be back!” the leader cursed into the street, now filled with onlookers holding umbrellas.


    Something in me boiled over.


    “No, you won’t,” I said.


    With four more flicks of my wrist and four max-charged cards, I made sure they’d never walk on two legs again.


    MISSION COMPLETE: SHOPKEEPER EXTORTION


    Stop thugs from extorting the shopkeeper.


    QUEST UPDATE: NINJA GUILD


    Complete 10 Ninja Guild Missions


    Progress: [1/10]


    Remaining Time: [25 Days]


    * * *


    “Taikumi,” I said, bubbling with excitement, “I did it. I stopped the Iron Fist gang—a dumb name, by the way—the shopkeeper’s safe. He was such a sweet old man. You should have seen it!”


    “Well done, then, Ember. You’ve completed your first mission.” Takumi tossed me a pouch of coins.


    “What’s this?” I asked.


    “We may be protectors of the people, but we don’t work for free,” he said. “That is your cut. The rest goes to the guild.”


    “Wow, we get paid to do justice? This is amazing.”


    “Remember, every mission is different, and overconfidence can be dangerous.”


    “I understand, sir!” I saluted. “I won’t get cocky.”


    My head went woozy, and I collapsed. Kitty scrambled off my shoulders as Taikumi caught me.


    “Easy, my child,” he said. “It looks like you’re low on Zii.”


    I checked my resource levels.


    Zii: 11/100


    Cards: 16/36


    He was right. In all the excitement, I ignored how much Zii I spent cycling my deck for the right cards and the fight itself.


    Taikumi eased me into a chair.


    “Good, Ember. As you can see, there’s always more to learn and improve.”


    * * *


    I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. The events of the night replayed in my mind like a broken record. The thugs'' screams rang in my ears, their broken legs carving into my memory. I had stopped them, yes, but at what cost?


    Kitty curled up next to me, purring softly. I absentmindedly stroked her fur, my thoughts a tangled mess of justifications and doubts.


    "Did I go too far, Kitty?" I whispered.


    She blinked at me and squeaked. Of course, she couldn''t answer, but she''d be my sounding board tonight.


    "They were hurting people, extorting them. They deserved to be stopped," I reasoned. "But did they deserve never to walk again?"


    I rolled onto my side, facing the wall. Part of my was aghast with myself. The image of the leader''s half-severed hand flashed before my eyes. I squeezed them shut, trying to block it out.


    "With great power comes great responsibility," I murmured, recalling the famous quote from Spider-Man. Drawing wisdom from a superhero movie seemed silly, but the words oddly resonated much more profoundly now.


    As a Jingozi apprentice, I now wielded power beyond anything I''d ever imagined, even when I arrived here. My cards could incapacitate, maim, and even kill with frightening ease. It was an absurdly far cry from my days as a poker player and social media influencer.


    "But doesn''t that power come with the responsibility to protect those who can''t protect themselves?"


    I thought about the shopkeeper''s grateful face, the relief in his eyes. How many others like him suffered under the thumb of criminals like the Iron Fists—the Jingozi?


    "Maybe this is why I was chosen. To be a protector, to use this power for good."


    But the doubt lingered. Was permanent injury truly justice? Or, as cliche as it sounded, was I becoming the very thing I sought to stop?


    As exhaustion finally began to take hold, I found myself rationalizing my actions. "I''m protecting the people," I mumbled, sleep creeping. "What''s that quote again? Sometimes, you have to fight fire with fire, right?"


    Suddenly, my world seemed much more complicated.