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The life of a sellsword was one of constant movement. One never stayed in the same place for too long. One always followed where business went in order to survive. Travelling the land, looking for jobs to take, all in exchange for a bed for the night and an occasional sum of money when it mattered. That was the rule, the nature of the occupation.
So what would happen if a sellsword had to stay in one place by necessity?
Sai was probably becoming the real time answer to that.
Here she was, in the far flung future world of 2099, watching over Spider Islands with a group of volunteers for the role of watchmen, and she still felt at a standstill. She figured a change of scenery would help put that feeling at ease, but it was only a momentary easing. The feeling still persisted, and Sai wasn’t all too fond of it.
She was supposed to be travelling. Wandering with her wolf, finding new villages and meeting new people, fighting the yokai that plagued her world. And then, at the end of the day, she would rest, and then she would leave at sunrise. Off into the woods and hills, onto the next village, earning her next meal when she could.
To say that the situation she found herself in now would be an understatement.
“Not used to being on a team?”
Startled out of her thoughts, Sai turned to face whoever was behind her, catching sight of the slender marksman known as the Black Widow. Not long before she had been thrown into this world, she had met a similar woman with red hair known as Kuriko, whose mannerisms hid a deadly precision behind them. The assassin before her, however, proved to be a far more trusting and more open individual.
“It is not that,” Sai rebutted, shifting her gaze back towards the temple. The Web of Life and Destiny glowed its warm orange, illuminating the temple as always. To think, each strand represented a world like hers, ones full of life, was, admittedly, fascinating. It made her wonder what all was out there, what all could be found.
“Then what would it be?” The Widow asked, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.
Sai pulled her scarf over the lower half of her face as her eyes fell. “I… am not entirely sure you would be able to understand.”
“With how long I’ve lived, I can at least try to.”
Ah, right. The Black Widow that stood before her had lived well over a hundred years, her aging slowed by the technology of her home. And that was one of the aspects that had puzzled her so. The worlds that were a part of this collective, this Timestream Entanglement as it was called, were all far flung futures in her eyes. Almost everyone else that was involved had worlds like this as their norm, but her?
As the singer, Luna Snow, had put it, she “had been ripped right out of the history books.”
“Have you ever woken up,” Sai started, surprised by the hesitance in her own voice, “only to see that the world around you has changed?”
The look in the Widow’s eyes changed to one of sympathy as her gaze softened. “Back when I started taking all the anti-aging treatments, yeah. Some days I’d wake up, and I’d just… lie in bed, thinking about how much time has passed. I’ve outlived a good chunk of my friends, and seeing them again, and in their prime no less, reminds me of how much I miss them.”
“I see….”
“I take it that what happened with the Collector was similar?”
Sai had explained her situation to the group before. The man from space, the one who introduced himself as the Collector, had taken her away while she was doing battle with a swarm of yokai. She had been made an attraction at his “theme park,” kept under lock and key while the denizens of the stars gaped and leered at her like some kind of creature. She hated it. She wanted to be free of the torment and to return home, to finish her job and rest for the night. She would’ve gone mad at that cursed place had it not been for one person:
Mantis.
A being from the stars herself, she, like Sai, had powers born of her mind, and they had forged a mental link strong enough to communicate beyond their barriers. She had been taken prisoner like Sai, but thanks to their bond, they were able to plan their escape. The land shark known as Jeff had been a surprise tag-along in the process, but Sai had to admit, he was an invaluable ally, and an even more invaluable friend.
“In essence… yes,” Sai admitted, finally meeting Widow’s gaze, “the main difference is that you had the luxury of the passage of time. You were able to see the world as it changed. It is because of both the Collector and Doom that I am here, now, still stuck on a learning curve of basic understanding. So much has changed, and yet, I cannot go out to see it. ”
Widow raised another curious eyebrow. “So that’s what this is. You’re feeling stuck more than anything else.”
“I am a sellsword, Widow. I am not meant to be tied down to one place. I travel. I am supposed to see the whole of my homeland before I lay down to rest one last time. To stay , to place roots into the ground… it is not my life. Not yet, at least.”
Sai’s gaze turned back towards the temple. What she had just released had been a sentiment she had been carrying for the past few weeks, and it turned out to have been weighing down on her far more than she realized. And even as she was saying her words, she realized how hypocritical she was being. She may not have had a home in any of the villages of Japan, but she had placed roots in her homeland regardless.
It wasn’t the feeling of freedom she longed for.
She was homesick.
Had she really been so blind to her own emotions? Was that longing to explore just a desire to find a way home, to leave this business with the Entanglement behind? She knew the stakes. She knew that her home would eventually be in danger too, so why feel this way? Why were her own emotions getting in the way?
“In that case,” Widow stated, cutting through Sai’s thoughts. The sellsword turned her attention back to the assassin, this time being the curious one of the two. “I have an idea. It won’t be the same as getting you home, but it might make things feel a little closer to home.”
“And what would that be?”
“I want to hire you.”
Sai did a double take at the blunt statement. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I want to hire you, to make your involvement a professional matter, just like how you handle business back home. That being said, I also implore you to get involved beyond a professional level. Everyone here’s survived this long because we weren’t alone, and the same goes for you. Don’t deny it when Jeff’s following you around like the puppy he is.”
As if on cue, a little four-legged creature walked up to the duo, cooing happily at the sight of the sellsword. He was a blue-hued land shark, eyes wide with joy as he leapt into Sai’s arms, and in truth, she was happy to see the little yokai.
“Hello Jeff,” she said, rubbing his round, bulbous head with affection.
Jeff, for his part, leaned into the touch, almost purring in satisfaction. Widow, on the other hand, had the audacity to grin that smug marksman grin of hers. Sai let out a huff of defeat. The widow had cornered her after all.
“I accept your proposition,” she muttered.
The Widow's grin grew wider. “Good. Now you’ve got more of a reason to get involved with everyone here. Especially Mantis.”
A small blush crept itself onto Sai’s face. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
“From what I’ve seen, telepaths tend to form deep bonds with the people they’re connected to. Just ask Scott and Jean when they get here.”
And with that closing remark, Widow walked away, leaving Sai with both her thoughts and an overly eager land shark. She did have to admit, making this a job did help, at least a little.