S3E13: Addicted

Rin was dead, Zagra’s cell was empty, and Kaizoku was nowhere to be found. The castle immediately went into high alert and Tsume and Boa were brought before Nobu to answer for what happened. 

The pair could not speak for the disappearance of their friend and merely insisted that a further investigation would need to be held before any conclusions could be made. Nobu, already suspicious of the ronin due to the incident involving the shugenja, Tetsuya, expelled Tsume and Boa from the castle. He did not know exactly how they were involved or what they knew, but he knew they were somehow connected.

Jikai heard this dismissal and intervened. He was inclined to believe Tsume because of the information he gave him about the poet, Miya Shinkako. Jikai was not convinced Tsume and Boa were connected in any way to the incident which occurred the night before and ordered that they stay in the castle. The ronin asked to be responsible for the investigation and Jikai happily obliged. Nobu begrudgingly accepted that his rule had been vetoed and his will overridden by the true lord of the castle.

Tsume and Boa knew Kaizoku had been plotting Zagra’s escape, so they thought of a cover to protect their friend. After investigating the murder, the escape, and the castle grounds, the pair concocted a story: It appeared to them that Zagra had broken out of his cell and made his way to the wall where he was discovered by Rin. In order to silence her, Zagra attacked Rin, killing her. He then fled the castle. A short time later, Kaizoku discovered what had happened and took off in pursuit of the captive. Jikai and Masaru were satisfied with this explanation, but Nobu silently dissented. However, without concrete evidence disproving their story, Nobu resigned himself to say nothing.

Meanwhile, Kaizoku and Zagra traveled to a secret pirate safehouse along the coast. Three days travel on foot staying off the main roads and hiding from sight. During that time, reality hit Kaizoku: he was a murderer and a criminal running away from the most stable life he’d ever had. And for what? For no other reason than to feed his addiction. Kaizoku decided it was not the life he had wanted. He had had enough.

The two finally made it to the safehouse where they were reunited with yet another familiar face. A pirate named Sho. He was astounded by Zagra’s return, but could not ignore Kaizoku’s sudden appearance. Sho explained that he had heard rumors of a rebellion brewing near Closed Shell Castle. Their company would have a lot to gain by sowing disorder in the region and wanted a man on the inside to help work toward this end. Sho believed Kaizoku could be this man. However, it was clear that Kaizoku was not interested. Sho tried to intimidate Kaizoku by threatening retaliation against him for abandoning his crew, but Kaizoku would not budge. 

Sho finally caught a glimpse at what Kaizoku had been staring at during their meeting: liquid void. He immediately ordered a bottle and offered Kaizoku a glass. Finally confronted by the thing he had been chasing all this time, the former pirate felt nothing but contempt. The horrible things he had done just to get a taste of that which was currently staring him right in the eyes suddenly felt so visceral. The danger he put himself in and the pain he had caused to others were the only things he could think about. It was not an ocean sitting between him and the life he wanted, but a bottle. Kaizoku rejected the liquid void.

Seeing he was not going to make any progress, Sho dismissed Kaizoku. As a courtesy for bringing Zagra back, he would allow Kaizoku to leave unharmed, but if they ever crossed paths again, he promised there would be hell to pay. Kaizoku started heading back toward the direction of Closed Shell Castle.

The night before Reju Jikai’s hunt, Boa was approaced by Nakama. He asked if Boa had made any progress getting Toshiro to join the lord’s hunting expedition. When Boa admitted that he hadn’t, Nakama expressed frustration that he hadn’t made more progress fixing the spiritual imbalance. Nakama was acting feral and unruly. He was restless from inactivity and tired of how slow things were moving. He needed action. Nakama lamented that his best course of action may be to go for Jikai directly. Boa tried to convince him that perhaps Jikai is not the problem, but once again, Nakama would not listen. Nakama vowed that there would indeed be a hunt.

Artwork by Dylon Munoz

Music by Brandon Spain & Podcast of the Five Rings