Recovering from Destruction [Job/Solo]

Job Overview: After the armory was destroyed in the Kou-Reim Conflict, the military is short on supplies. Do your part to help by delivery much needed ore to the blacksmiths and wood to the carpenters.

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Kioshi enjoyed being back in his homeland, a place where no one glared at him like he was responsible for all of the deaths of the conflict between Reim and Kou. While the two countries had found peaceful footing while Kioshi had been in Reim, the tensions were still quite high and the people of Remano had not appreciated seeing foreign faces in their city. Coming back to Kou had been a relief, even if it had meant abandoning a budding romance with the young beauty from the healing center. Part of him wished Bianca had been willing to come to Kou with him, but she had strong ties to Reim, as was evidence by who she knew, even the mighty General Octavius protected the young woman. Perhaps it was best to cut his ties with the young lady, but he still missed her endearing, innocent smile.

Now that he was back in his homeland, he had a desire to help Yoshiro secure his rule. It would not be an easy task, but Kioshi felt the direction the Emperor was trying to take the country in was a positive thing. He had been roaming the capital city, trying to find ways to help when a small opportunity dropped into his lap. It seemed that, at some point during the conflict with Reim, someone had managed to ambush one of the transfer circles and come through. When they had appeared on this side of the circle, they had caused massive amounts of damage, destroying the armory and putting a massive dent in the supplies for the military.

There were several signs up, asking for assistance in hauling supplies in to repair the damage and Kioshi decided to volunteer himself. It would be a good way to keep his body fit and strong while also contributing to helping strengthen Yoshiro’s rule. The people would feel more confident if they saw that he was making efforts to rebuild and keep their military strong, even if he did not intend to forcefully invade another country, he would ensure his country was still protected.

The first task put before him was helping to load lumber that had come down the river onto carts to repair the structure that had been destroyed. Even though there were dozens of people there, working together to haul the wood from the river, it was still exhausting work. While Kioshi was strong with a katana, he did not have the bulk that many of those present had. The others did not mock him for his weakness in comparison to them, they were simply grateful for whatever help they could get. By the time they had loaded down one cart, Kioshi was drenched in sweat and he stripped off the outer layer of clothing to try and take advantage of the breeze coming through the area. They managed to load three more carts before the organizer had called it a day, the sunlight fading quickly. Sleep came nearly instantly for Kioshi that night.

The next morning, Kioshi’s body was sore and his hands were blistered. He dunked his head in a bucket of cold water to wake himself up fully, the icy water giving him chills. Preparing for the day, he headed back down to where the workers were being organized. Given his performance the day before, the organizer took pity on him, sending him to help with ore delivery instead of hauling the massive trees from the river. Kioshi gave a small bow of respect and thanks to the man before making his way by horse to the village he was to pick up the delivery from.

He reached the village by noon and the miners gave friendly waves before showing him to the horse and cart they had prepared for him. Kioshi would leave his current horse at the village to rest and the next delivery, the horse would return to the capital with a fresh load of ore. Wanting to make sure he arrived back in the capital before the sun went down, Kioshi opted not to stay in the village for lunch, instead accepting a small parcel with some bread and cheese in it. With a nod of thanks to the miners, Kioshi gave the reins a sharp snap, the horse responding quickly and pulling the cart full of ore down the dusty road. Kioshi kept a steady pace that would not overly stress the horse, enjoying the scenery on the way back.

He had truly missed the serene beauty of the mountains and forests that engulfed most of Kou. He had been born and raised here, he had learned most of his sword skills here, perfecting his skill day after day, week after week, spanning into years. The rattle of the ore in the cart did not distract him from the sweet, cool air gently whipping down the side of the mountain and tugging his long strands to the side. As the sun began to dip behind a mountain, Kioshi pulled the horse and cart up to the blacksmith’s forge to complete his delivery. The blacksmith gave him a small bow before handing him a pouch with his payment and dismissing Kioshi.

While it had not been in a huge way, Kioshi was slowly trying to build support for Emperor Yoshiro and he would continue to try and spread the ideals of his leader. If there was anything he had learned over the years it was that patience and persistence paid off.

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