Asiul and Isuki sat and listened to Hima's story hoping for some much wanted clarity. "I was a strong kid growing up, got into lots of fights and caused lots of trouble. In fact most of the town knew who I was before I was even a teen. Which unfortunately had it's downsides everywhere I went people assumed I was there to start trouble although in their defence most of the time it was true and this reputation drew people like me in and soon enough I had a gang of sorts. We caused a lot of trouble and I mean a lot of trouble so much so the town thought about running us out. The only person who objected to this was a blacksmith named Jacky. He was the only person who, despite how I acted, saw me as more and took care of me trying to keep me out of trouble the best he could." Hima said when all of a sudden Isuki interrupted "Wait, what about your family? What did they have to say about all of this, they didn't try to stop you or stop the town from trying to run you out of it."
As Isuki spoke he could feel the mood shift as he saw Sooleco look over to Hima with an uncertain and slightly sad face. Hima looked back at Sooleco with a mix of emotions on his face before returning his gaze to the boys and saying "Well I'm sure they probably would have tried to do something about all of it but my father passed away in an accident before I was born and my mother sadly passed away while I was very young to a disease. I was completely on my own until Jacky took me in. He saw better in me however at the time I did not despite this he still tried to look out for me and in fact he taught me everything I know about blacksmithing he was a true master at the craft…I miss him. You see with great skill comes unwanted attention and Jacky had great skill so it's easy to see why those mercenaries wanted his work so bad but the feeling wasn't mutual and sadly after years of refusing them they got tired of hearing him say no so they decided if they couldn't have his craftsman ship then no one could. They decided to destroy his shop and ransack the town for valuables. There was no one to stop them. I don't know if it was a blessing or a curse but that night me and the other kids in my group had gone into the woods to our so-called hide out. In the end they burned his shop down along with our home and many others in the town. Lots of people got hurt and lost their money and belongings but I lost something I didn't know I needed or wanted… I lost the only person I had left that actually cared about me and wanted better for me. I lost a second father.. When I returned back to town that night I found Jacky laying on the ground in the middle of town impaled by one of his own swords. Apparently he had tried to fight them off but was outnumbered and the leader of the group took Jacky's blade that he'd dropped on the ground during his fight and slid it through his chest. Everyone in town looked in horror as I walked up to Jacky's body and for the first time in a long time the people in town were kind to me they tried their best to get me to look away telling me that this isn't something a child should se but I couldn't look away I was in so much pain and so angry I knew was responsible for this I'd seen these mercenaries come to the shop many times before I knew why this had happened which only made me angrier. They had taken my adoptive father from me, my second chance at a normal life with someone who genuinely cared about me and my well being in life but most of all I was angriest at myself for not being there in his last moments to tell him how much he actually meant to me, angry at myself for being to weak to save him or to stop the mercenaries from hurting him. At that moment I decided that I wouldn't be that weak again and that I'd never lose someone like that again. So I took my group of boys who all lost something who all felt helpless and we took it upon ourselves to help the town rebuild and when he finished we left for months training ourselves when we finally returned. My group all found nice quiet jobs to do their part and keep an eye on the town. So did I although I didn't want to settle for a quiet job I wanted only one job the same one my late mentor/father had I wanted to be a blacksmith although I had selfish reasons for wanting this too I hoped that becoming a blacksmith even half as good as Jacky might draw those mercenaries back to our town so I could have what my heart wanted more than any thing else revenge. Years past and the town slowly began to go back to normal, the towns folk still didn't fully trust me and my group for our actions in the past which I understood besides it wasn't there trust or admiration I wanted it was revenge afterall and I'd do anything to get it so much so that i started to build a network of informants who scoured the kingdoms trying to find anything they could about these mercenaries for me and finally after many years one of my informants returned with some interesting news. They told me that the mercenaries that had killed my adoptive father were finally coming back, apparently the tales of my craftsmanship had spread through the kingdom and caught their attention like it had with my fathers and they decided I was worth the trip back here to our small back woods town. My informant told me it would be at least 3 days before they got here most likely, with a grin of happiness mixed with anger I paid my informant and went to find everyone in my group to get there help although most of them had built a somewhat decent life here now and chose to refuse but I understood why they refused this town has always though the worst of us but all of us have worked hard to rebuild or reputation along with the town so I didn't force them to join me and to the ones that did join me we prepared for a fight setting weapons and traps where we could. we told the towns fold what was happening and that for everyone's safety they needed to take their families and hide while they still had the chance unfortunately my informant was wrong and the mercenaries arrived much sooner then we'd prepared for with none the towns folk evacuated we had no chose but to do our best to protect the towns people. We fought tirelessly using the surroundings and our traps to our advantage to try and bring their numbers down an it worked for awhile until the leader of the mercenaries stepped onto the battle field I tried to control my emotions the best I could but the thought of Jacky laying there in a pool of his own blood with a sword he made striking out of his chest just filled me with sorrow and uncontrollable anger and hatred. Eventually I gave in to the pain and charged straight for their leader Michael who looked at me with a smile as if he knew who I was without even asking my name, we engaged in combat striking sword against sword despite me not having as much experience in genuine combat like this I did well to hold my own but I was too clouded by my emotions and was caught off guard by Michael when he began speaking of my adoptive father he looked me in the eyes and said "Well well well what do we have here I recognise you boy you were that little runt that was always running around Jacky's shop and causing problems. What's wrong, got nothing to say or are you just scared you'll end up just like your father on the ground in a pool of your own blood. Why try and be a hero any ways everyone knows you're more suited to be the bad guy like me I mean come on no one in this town actually trusts you do they come on join me and my crew and be our smith what do you say kid. I'll tell you what if you join I'll even spare this town and we'll leave here together. Come on kid, this offer won't last forever so make your decision already." but I wasn't in the mood to talk in a place of sadness and anger. I yelled out "You took my father away from me, you took my home away from me, I lost everything because of you and I'll die before I ever join you." Michael replied " It's a shame to hear that I had high hopes for you. We are alike in a lot of ways, but I can see you won't listen to reason much like ur naive father and much like him you'll fall by your own blade." as we fought while I was doing well at the beginning I was slowly starting to run out of stamina while he on the other hand was doing fine still. My swings became wider and slower and he took advantage of that by knocking my sword from my hand leaving me defenseless and dropping me to the ground. He looked down at me with a smile on his face as he said "Well would you look at this now doesn't this feel familiar, oh thats right thats the same position ur father was in when I stabbed him through the chest with his own blade. Would you like to know what his last words were or how he begged for us not to hurt you till the light left his eyes?" Hearing those words broke me I lowered my head and began to think of all the times me and Jacky had fought and argued how many times I'd left things on bad terms with him and I prepared for the worst outcome when I was suddenly snapped out of my thoughts by the sound of my name being shouted. I turned to see the townspeople that had been hiding in a nearby building now standing in the middle of town yelling my name telling me to get up to keep fighting. Michael laughed as he spoke "Well can't you hear them there calling for you, you wouldn't want to disappoint them now would you come on get a little more fire in ya I want to see what you can really do it'll make it even sweeter to destroy you then." I continued to sit there as the people I'd come to think of as friends continued to fight and even the ones that didn't want to join me in the first place for this fight took up arms to protect what they had here. I was the only one still on the ground wallowing in my own self pity and sorrow until another voice broke through my thoughts the voice of James "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING GET OFF THE GROUND AND GET IT TOGETHER WHAT WOULD JACKY THING IF HE SAW YOU LIKE THIS ON THE GROUND DEFEATED WAITING FOR DEATH HE WOULD NEVER BE OK WITH YOU GIVING UP ON YOUR LIFE LIKE THIS AND YOU KNOW THAT, SO TAKE THIS AND GET UP OFF THE GROUND STOP WALLOWING IN YOUR OWN SELF PITY AND BE THE MAN JACKY ALWAYS SAW IN YOU!!" he yelled to me as he threw a sword to me and as it slid to me Michael grabbed it and unsheathed it as soon as I saw the blade my eyes opened wide and I froze for a second Michael spoke "Wow kid these people either think way to highly of you or way to low of you, I mean come on they expect you to beat me with this old thing hell it doest look like its been off of a shelf in a decade and what is this blood you need to take better care of your blades kid thi" be for he could finish his thought I kicked his foot out from under him knocking him to the ground as I stood up I picked up the sword James had thrown to me out of Michael's hand. I stared into the blade taking it all in the lose handle on it that clearly needed to be remounted, the dull edge on the blade that would be lucky to cut bread, the blood stains on it that had gone so long without being cleaned that it'd likely never come off all the way, and the barely legible signature on the base of the blade that'd be almost impossible to make out if I didn't recognise it. I mean after all I'd seen it just about every day while watching Jacky work in his shop, without a doubt this was the same blade that had taken Jacky's life. I smiled as Michael stood back up and said "What makes you so happy boy have you finally lost all logic in you?" I looked at him and chuckled a little as I replied "I thought you would have figured it out since you and me are just so much alike" I said with a sarcastic tone of voice "Don't you recognise your handy work this is the same blade you used to take my father away from me, it only seems fitting that it also be the same blade that takes yours." Michael looked at me, his playful attitude fading away and being replaced with frustration as if my words and sudden hope had put a sour taste in his mouth. In a tone of frustration he said " All right that's enough boy I've had enough of this just give up and die!" as he lunged towards me I blocked and stepped to the side, I may have gotten the will to fight again but that doesn't mean I got my energy back I had to end this fast before my body gave out. We continued to fight and I tried my best to keep my movements to a minimum hoping for an opening. In desperation I began to try and mess with his head like he did to me. "Wow how sad the mighty mercenary Michael can't even beat a boy like me. How on earth did you ever become the leader of these men? Where's the man that bested my father or are you just playing pretend. Like how little kids play pretend to make themselves feel strong like their parents, is it that you are just a little kid playing pretend hoping mommy and daddy will give you attention again." He snapped his head to me and a look of pure anger filled his face, as I continued to taunt him he became angrier and angrier losing more and more control he started leaving more openings in his defences and with one final remark he fully snapped and lunged at me head on raising his blade to strike me down with one blow but right as he got towards me I pivoted on my right foot moving to his side slicing at his ribs and back as I rapped around him. He turned and lunged at me again, this time I pivoted to the left and sliced his ribs and back again. I dodged and countered a few more times before I dared to head on attack him. He stood there cuts all over his body bleeding so much that I couldn't make out what color his clothes were at the beginning of the fight, barely standing. He lunged at me one last and final time but instead of dodging I took a deep breath and stood my ground and waited until he was close enough. Once he was within a close enough range to me I lunged forward catching him off guard and I reached my left arm out to wrap it around him as I pulled him in close to me and forced my fathers blade through his chest impaling him. He dropped his sword and fell to his knees, looking down at him I asked "How does it feel to be beaten by a boy with the very blade you used on my father does it hurt, is your pride shattered good its what you deserve for the things you've done in this life, all the wrong you've done, all the pain you caused to innocent people like my father and everyone in this town I want you to look at me, let my face be the last thing you see in this world, I want you to remember my face so that in your next life you never even dare to come near me or the people of this town ever again or you'll end up the exact same way. I would ask you for any last words but not even the gods are listening to you now." as I took a grip of my fathers sword, twisting it as I ripped it out of Michaels chest as I watched the light fade from his eyes and begin to bleed out. Wheedling my sword soared in both my fathers blood and the blood of the man that killed him I turned around looking at all the other mercenaries I shouted "I HAVE DEFEATED YOUR LEADER YOU ALL HAVE 2 CHOICES CONTINUE TO FIGHT AND DIE LIKE HIM OR RUN AND HIDE!!!" The mercenaries looked at each other and began to run away. Those who stayed were cut down by my group. With that we had saved the town and I had finally avenged my father, the townspeople later went on to thank all of us and to apologize for how they had treated us asking us to continue to protect them. From then on we all agreed to stay and protect this town and its people so that never again would any of us suffer the pain of a lost loved one. As time went on I became much better at blacksmithing and opened up my own shop here and found a water source that gave a boost to my smithing making my blades even better then before and to protect the water source and the town I set up James and the rest of the boys by the water to keep unsavory types out of it just in case, it also gave them a decent place to look after the town from and thats what lead to how things are now." finishing his story Hima looked to the boys once more a look of mixed emotions filled their faces, you could see sadness from the loss of the man Hima considered a father, to looks of anger at the mercenary Michael for what he'd put Hima through as a boy, to looks of happiness at the mention of Hima finally getting the revenge and closer that he deserved. Tears fell from their cheeks as they looked up at this mountain of a man that looked like nothing could hurt him knowing deep down that he's just like anyone else with emotions he may be from a different world but he is still human not machine he feels lose for his father that drives him to strive to be the better man that his father saw in him.
"Lets change the subject now shall we. I've told you my story now, let's hear yours." said Hima as he looks the boys up and down "You clearly aren't from around here and I don't think I've ever seen clothes like that before either so come on spill it what's going on here?" Asiul and Isuki looked at each other and nodded at what could be the worst that happened besides these people had been very nice and offered to help complete strangers like themselves. So Asiul and Isuki looked back at the group and restated there name "My name is Asiul Ade" said Asiul "And I'm Isuki Hachima" said Isuki Asiul began to speak again "As you have figured out we aren't exactly from here but what you don't understand is were not from a different town or anything we are in fact from a different we assume." and with that Asiul and Isuki told the story of what had happened to them in hopes that this group might have some kind of answer for them