Although still a prisoner of war in a sense, Tokuda lived out some of the war at the demi-human campsite. While he was there, he was given some special privileges by the Red Bear that otherwise wouldn't have been given to a normal prisoner. However, over time, he realized that he was the only prisoner in this camp, so there wasn't anyone that would be jealous of him for these special privileges as he took advantage of them when we could.
One such privilege was that he had the Red Bear himself teach Tokuda a little bit about levitation magic. After doing a magic test, Tokuda realized that he had a small amount of magic potential, although nothing to the effect of being able to cast spells. However, the Red Bear decided to teach Tokuda a bit about levitation magic, which would be extremely handy for Tokuda. After a few lessons, Tokuda was able to finally use magic to levitate some items, which made it handy for him while doing things that required arms and hands, such as eating and drinking.
Another one of these special privileges was that he could have combat training, but he would be forced to always train with dulled blades. Even then, Tokuda's jaw wasn't strong enough to wield normal swords, so he began with dulled knives and began working out his jaw, trying to get a feel for fighting with his head instead of his arms. The Red Bear couldn't always oversee training Tokuda, so he sometimes left it to the other demi-humans at the camp. However, the ones that trained him always gave him a good beating just for being a human, so he had to train while constantly feeling like his body would collapse on him. However, over time, he became stronger overall. By him enduring the pain, he became more tolerant to pain, and his jaw would increase in strength, and eventually, he would be able to tightly grip a normal sword with his teeth. Even in sparring matches against other demi-humans, Tokuda only lost grip of his sword a couple of times. However, he still struggled to fight with his head, although he got his hope back that maybe, just maybe, he could still fight without arms.
Sometimes after his training and when the Red Bear wasn't off fighting, they would go to the hills and just talk. Tokuda came to really enjoy these small moments of peace while struggling to improve himself in his own personal hellhole. Sometimes, Tokuda would remind himself that the demi-human that he was talking to is, in fact, his enemy, and this enemy has killed a lot of humans. However, Tokuda found it hard to believe that the smiling and seemingly good-natured demi-human before him is actually the head general of the Demi-Human Federation that got his reputation from his acts on the battlefield. Despite his doubts, he was just happy to find someone who seemed to really understand where he was coming from and shared some of his ideals.
As Tokuda thought about this, the Red Bear suddenly said, "You know, Tokuda, if anyone was to kill me in this war we're fighting, I'd want it to be you." Tokuda, confused, and sort of worried about why he was telling him this, asked, "W-What do you mean, Red? That came out of nowhere!" The Red Bear then sighed and said, "I remember one of the things that you said when we were first on top of this hill. Something like 'to end this war with my surrender or death,' right?" Tokuda nodded, remembering that he did say something like that. The Red Bear said, "It's been stalemate after stalemate with these recent battles. Both sides aren't giving up ground easily, and both sides are only piling up the corpses. There might be a winning side eventually, but the number of sacrifices to get it are much higher than it should be." The Red Bear trailed off that last sentence and only gazed at the plains afterward. Tokuda understood this, but he still wasn't sure what the Red Bear was getting at. Before Tokuda could say anything, the Red Bear then said, "Oh, that reminds me! I got a surprise for you. Come with me." The Red Bear got up quickly and began jogging towards the camp, and Tokuda quickly followed.
The Red Bear led Tokuda to the blacksmithing area of the camp. At the time, there was only one dwarf currently working, and he seemed to be in the middle of fixing up a piece of armor. The Red Bear then called out, "Murdan! You done with that sword?" A slightly younger-looking Murdan set down the armor piece he was working on and turned towards the Red Bear and Tokuda, slightly surprised that they would visit him like this. Murdan then said, "I am, youngin'! Lemme go get it for ya!" The Red Bear then quickly said, "Oh, I'll come with. There's something I'd like to quickly add onto it." The Red Bear then turned towards Tokuda and said, "Stay here real quick. I gotta make sure that your surprise is in order." Tokuda then said, "But you said it was a sword, so that kind of ruins the surprise, doesn't it?" The Red Bear realized what had happened, and looking shocked at himself, said, "CRAP! Listen, pretend you didn't hear a word I said, okay? It's not a sword. NOT. A. SWORD." Tokuda couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Alright, alright. I believe you. It's not a sword. I don't have a clue as to what it could possibly be." The Red Bear then said, "Say it like you mean it. Add more emotion to it." So, Tokuda did. Feeling satisfied, the Red Bear smiled and said, "Good. I'll be right back." With that, the Red Bear and Murdan left to go get the sword.
The sword was on a table that had a wide assortment of other items on it. Murdan led the Red Bear over to it, and the Red Bear inspected it with a smile, saying, "A good job as always, old friend." Murdan looked proud, saying, "I take pride in my work, and I make it top-notch, especially for ya, youngin'!" Murdan then seemed a bit worried, asking, "Red, are ya sure ya wanna give a prisoner something so dangerous? He is yer enemy, after all." The Red Bear then began to fasten red leather on the hilt of the sword and said, "You've never had a real conversation with him, have you?" The Red Bear chuckled, then said, "You know, it's funny. I've always thought I'd find someone on the battlefield with a like mind as me. I just didn't think it'd be my enemy." The Red Bear then finished putting the red leather onto the hilt and said, "Quite ironic, isn't it?" Murdan nodded in agreement, although he had his doubts about whether Tokuda was really the man the Red Bear thought he was. The Red Bear then said, "It's odd that I seem to trust him, too." The Red Bear put the sword in its crimson red scabbard and looked over at Murdan, saying, "If you're skeptical, maybe you should have a conversation with him." Murdan shrugged, saying, "Possibly. I'm just yer man making weapons and armor, so my hands are full from that." The Red Bear then chuckled, saying, "Maybe one day, then, when we're all drinking and not having to worry about a war!" Murdan nodded, and the two of them then headed back to where Tokuda was.
Tokuda was spaced out for the most part, staring up at the sky, until he heard footsteps approaching him. He looked in the direction of the footsteps and saw that Murdan and the Red Bear were coming back to him, and the Red Bear had a sword in his hands. Tokuda couldn't help but smile when he saw the sword in the Red Bear's hands. The Red Bear then stopped in front of him and said, "Use your levitation magic to inspect the sword." Tokuda nodded, and the Red Bear set the sword down on Tokuda's lap. Tokuda inspected the scabbard, liking the deep crimson color of it. Then, using levitation magic, he pulled the sword out of the scabbard rather easily and inspected it. It was a beautiful blade, much better than the ones that the human army kept around at least. The hilt of it was covered in red leather, and he liked that as well. Tokuda then noticed the two symbols engraved into the base of the blade, which were "友達". It seemed as though they were just random scribbles to Tokuda, but nonetheless, he asked the Red Bear, "What is this?" The Red Bear then said, "A long time ago, my father was part of the party that fought alongside the most recent hero that slew the Demon God. In some of their adventures, they stumbled upon strange symbols carved into a wall. No one but the hero could understand it, but he could only understand a small portion of it. According to the hero, the carving in the wall was by a long-dead hero that once lived in this world. Among the small amount of words that he was able to read was the word 'friend.' That's what those little scribbles mean." The Red Bear thought for a moment, saying, "I believe the hero told my father that the language was called 'Japanese,' if I'm not mistaken." Tokuda looked at the two symbols more carefully, then said, "Friend, huh?" Tokuda couldn't help but smile at that, saying, "I'll treasure this gift. It's probably one of the best things I've ever gotten in my life." The Red Bear smiled, saying, "Glad to hear it, friend!"
Despite the Red Bear himself giving it to Tokuda as a gift, Tokuda couldn't wield it at all while inside of the campsite for obvious reasons. However, even if he couldn't wield it as much as he wanted to, he was still rather happy at the fact that he did, at the very least, get something. As he was thinking about these things, the entrance to his tent suddenly came open, as if the wind itself has come inside. Tokuda was confused at first, but he saw a faint shimmering image in the doorway of the tent. Then, a familiar voice said, "So you were here the whole time? So much for being a general candidate, Tokuda." The shimmering image in the tent closed the flaps behind it, and the invisible person revealed himself to be Charley, as he appeared out of thin air. Tokuda's eyes widened in surprise, exclaiming, "Charley!" Charley rushed forward and quickly put his hand over Tokuda's mouth, saying, "Shut up, Tokuda. They might hear us." Tokuda then realized what he meant, as he heard some demi-humans talking loudly outside. Tokuda quieted down, and Charley took his hand off of Tokuda's mouth and sighed.
Tokuda then quietly asked, "Did you come to rescue me?" Charley scratched his head and said, "Not exactly. General Ren sent me as a scouting party to see what was going on. However, I had a feeling you were still alive, so here I am." Charley then paused, saying, "The others were worried about you, you know. When you disappeared from the battlefield." Tokuda then said, "I know, and I'm sorry. I got too caught up in my own vision of glory and it landed me here. But never mind that, can you get me out of here or not?" Charley shook his head, saying, "I've only got one invisibility potion left. However, news of your survival will persuade General Ren to attack this camp and end this war once and for all. A surprise attack, and they'd never expect it." Tokuda nodded, as that made sense. However, although he was the enemy, he felt strange about the idea of suddenly attacking the Red Bear. Without giving time for Tokuda to say anything, Charley said, "Expect an attack within a couple of days. When that happens, we're getting you out of here and ending this war for good." Charley then suddenly seemed a bit out of character once he noticed Tokuda's missing arms, aggressively saying, "These good-for-nothing demi-humans are gonna get what's coming to them. These goddamn animals need to be put down for what they did to you. Be ready to get your revenge, Tokuda." Charley then drank his last invisible potion and made his way out of the tent, leaving Tokuda to his thoughts. A surprise attack, huh, thought Tokuda. Tokuda was so lost in thought that he didn't hear heavy footsteps or see a quick blur of red armor walking away from outside of his tent.
A while later, Tokuda found himself sitting on the hill with the Red Bear. Tokuda simply stared into space, lost in thought. The Red Bear noticed this and asked, "What's wrong?" Tokuda then snapped back to reality, saying, "Nothing, really. Just thinking is all." Tokuda knew he was lying, as he couldn't bring himself to tell the Red Bear about the possible attack. The Red Bear then said, "I see." That brought about a silence between them for a moment, but it was a rather peaceful silence. That silence was interrupted when another man sat down beside the Red Bear, and it was none other than Murdan. Murdan had a bag next to him, and he set that to the side. Murdan then said, "Ya know, youngin', I've been doing some thinking, and I decided to give yer advice a try, Red." The Red Bear laughed, saying, "Good, good! Tokuda won't bite!" Murdan then asked, "So, Tokuda, I know this isn't the first time we've met, but I wanna officially 'meet' ya, I guess." Murdan stuck out his hand and said, "I'm Murdan, a freelance blacksmithing dwarf. If there's a place that needs some weapons and armor, yer usually gonna find me there making a pretty good amount of coins with my skillset." Tokuda then said, "I would shake your hand, but, ah, my arms are kind of gone." Murdan looked extremely embarrassed and ashamed of himself, quickly pulled back his hand and said, "Sorry, youngin'! I forgot about that! I should've thought about that!" Tokuda chuckled, saying, "It's alright. I'm Tokuda, by the way." Murdan cleared his throat and said, "Well, nice to meet ya, Tokuda." The Red Bear then said, "See? A bunch of dudes just hanging out ain't so bad!" Murdan then said, "And what better thing to do than drink with yer friends, eh?" Murdan then revealed what was inside of his bag, and it was a few tankards of beer, all seemingly freshly poured. The Red Bear's eyes lit up, saying, "Oh! Is it the good kind this time?" Murdan smugly smiled, saying, "Of course!" With that, the three of them drank on top of the hill and had a good time, chatting away and forgetting that these were times of war. Tokuda seemed to feel something nostalgic about this situation, and it brought about good feelings. Soon, Murdan, Tokuda, and the Red Bear all lost themselves in the drinks as they continued to chat and laugh, as the sun set on the horizon.
Tokuda couldn't remember much of what happened after that, but he awoke to the sound of a bell ringing loudly and lots of marching. Tokuda slowly got up, wondering what was going on. He found himself staring at the ceiling of a tent, not knowing how he got back to his tent. Suddenly, he heard the sounds of battle outside of his tent. Tokuda quickly got up and went outside of his tent. As he looked around, he realized that the human army had actually invaded the demi-human camp, and many humans and demi-humans were engaged in combat with one another all around the camp. Tokuda then quickly went back inside his tent, grabbed the custom-made sword that he received from Bear from his small hiding spot, and went outside to look for his friends.
As he ran around, he saw glimpses of the small battles taking place, but none of the humans fighting them had the faces of his friends. He kept looking around desperately, trying to find a familiar face, but no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find a single one. While he was searching, he got caught up fighting some demi-humans here and there, and his swiftness was no match for them. He made quick work of the demi-humans he came across, not letting anyone stand in his way of potential freedom. However, as he did this, an unsettling thought came across his mind. In this very moment, the Red Bear is technically my enemy now, thought Tokuda. Now thinking of the Red Bear, he looked around and spotted him fighting a group of human soldiers, making quick work of them. Tokuda then ran towards the Red Bear, unsure of what would happen next.
Tokuda stopped a little ways from the Red Bear, as the Red Bear had just finished off a group of human soldiers. The Red Bear then turned towards Tokuda, saying, "I hate that it's come to this, friend." Tokuda, for some reason, wanted to stop this fighting. Tokuda desperately said, "Listen, Red. We don't have to do this." The Red Bear then readied his battle axe, asking, "Do you remember what I told you, that if I had to be killed, I'd wanna be killed by you?" Tokuda stood there, still desperate to end this peacefully. "It doesn't have to end this way. What about the drinks that we were gonna have after the war?!" The Red Bear smiled sadly, saying, "I don't think I would've lived long enough for that. That's why I had Murdan bring us those drinks last night." Tokuda stood there, motionless and in shock. The Red Bear continued, saying, "I overheard the conversation that you had with that guy yesterday inside of your tent. He's a true friend that will go behind enemy lines just to check up on you." Tokuda then said, "That's impossible." The Red Bear then said, "Tokuda, I wanted to be good friends with you, even after the war, but the circumstances would've never allowed it. Due to this, I realized that your place belongs with them, not me." Tokuda, looking pained after hearing those words from the Red Bear, shouted, "WE'RE FRIENDS EVEN NOW, ARE WE NOT?!" The Red Bear looked even more pained than Tokuda, asking, "We are, and for that reason, may I ask a favor of you?" Tokuda nodded, unsure of what the favor would be. The Red Bear pointed his axe at Tokuda and said, "Duel me, here and now." Tokuda was trembling at this favor, not wanting to turn his blade against the only demi-human who showed him kindness in this godforsaken war. The Red Bear then said, "Only you have the power to end this war for good, but I'm not gonna let you have it so easily. I do have a dream to fulfill, as well as a wife and kid I need to return to. I also don't want to be branded as a traitor either." Tokuda was shaking. He knew what he had to do, but he didn't have the strength to do it. The Red Bear then said, "I'm sorry that this is how it ends, Tokuda, but I will do what I must." With that, the Red Bear rushed Tokuda with amazing speed, and Tokuda instinctively drew his sword with his levitation magic, gripped the hilt of it with his teeth, and blocked the axe.
Tokuda jumped back and said, "You're asking the impossible! There's no way I could kill a friend!" The Red Bear then charged once more, unleashing a fury of attacks. Tokuda struggled to keep up with the attacks, desperately blocking each one of them. The Red Bear then said, "Fight back." Tokuda shouted, "No! I'm not gonna fight a friend!" The Red Bear then winded up a heavy attack and attacked, pushing Tokuda back a bit. The Red Bear then charged again, saying, "This is war, Tokuda! We're enemies!" Tokuda prepared to block, saying, "Not to me! You're a friend! There has to be a better way to solve this!" The Red Bear then unleashed yet another round of furious attacks, saying, "This is the only way! The way that war wants us to solve it!" Tokuda then shouted, "No! Listen to me!" The Red Bear then jabbed the dull end of the axe into Tokuda's stomach, making Tokuda stagger back a bit. He's really trying to kill me, thought Tokuda. Tokuda then realized that if this continues, he really will die. Tokuda slowly got up onto his feet and looked at the Red Bear. The Red Bear looked pained, saying, "Will you fight now, friend?" Tokuda then said, "I don't want to, but I will." The Red Bear then said, "That makes two of us, then."
With that, Tokuda was the first to charge, and their blades met in the middle, deadlocking them for a bit. The Red Bear was overpowering Tokuda, so Tokuda swiped his blade to the left and jumped back, getting space between them. Then, Tokuda unleashed a fast volley of attacks on the Red Bear, who blocked all of them with surprising ease. The Red Bear then countered an attack, punching Tokuda in the face and sending him flying backwards. Tokuda crashed into a tent, and the Red Bear slowly approached Tokuda. Tokuda scrambled to get up and took a fighting position, his sword still in his mouth somehow. The Red Bear charged and lunged forward, bringing his axe down over Tokuda, who narrowly dodged a fatal blow but was cut in the leg. No time to think about it, just keep fighting, desperately thought Tokuda, as he began ignoring the pain from the cut. Tokuda realized that the Red Bear's axe was lodged into the ground, so he took this opportunity to end it. However, the Red Bear was more than just an axe. The Red Bear saw Tokuda coming out of the corner of his eye and let go of his axe and began fighting using close-quarters combat. Tokuda slashed at the Red Bear, but the Red Bear was quicker, as he dodged and brought down a hard punch on Tokuda, sending Tokuda's head right into the ground on impact. Tokuda felt the air leave his body when he felt the impact of the ground, and he gasped for air, trying to get some back into his body. The Red Bear said nothing and proceeded to try to get his axe out of the ground while Tokuda was down.
Tokuda's vision began to blur, as he looked up and saw that the Red Bear had his back to him, attempting to get the axe out of the ground. Tokuda, feeling like he had no strength left in him, struggled to get up. Slowly but surely, he finally was back up on his own two feet, bruised and battered all over his body. Tokuda's vision returned to normal, clearly seeing the Red Bear's back now. The Red Bear finally got his axe unstuck, then turned around, asking, "This is it, friend. This next blow of mine will determine the outcome. Are you ready?" Tokuda calmed his breathing, took a fighting stance, ready to deliver his final attack. The Red Bear saw a certain determination in Tokuda's eyes as he prepared, smiling to himself on the inside as he remembered the events that took place on the hill yesterday.
*Flashback to Yesterday atop the Hill*
The Red Bear looked over to see that Tokuda was passed out after drinking the beer. The Red Bear laughed, saying, "Seems like Tokuda is a lightweight!" Murdan laughed too, saying, "I don't blame the youngin'! This here is some quality beer!" The Red Bear then looked out into the open field, watching the sun set on the horizon. The Red Bear then said to Murdan, "Do you remember how I said that I haven't found anyone to take my place in this war of equality?" Murdan thought for a moment, then said, "I believe so." The Red Bear then looked over at Tokuda and said, "I always used to ask the question: who? Who would it be? Who would shoulder my dream in the event that I get taken out before I can see my dream come to fruition? But in the time that I've spent with Tokuda, I think I've found my answer." Murdan was a bit tipsy by this time, so it took a little bit for him to put two and two together. Once he finally did, he said, "Wait.. ya don't mean..." The Red Bear nodded, saying, "Yep." Murdan then exclaimed, "That's fuckin' madness, youngin'! A human, taking over yer dream of an equal world?! No demi-human will get behind that!" The Red Bear then said, "Maybe not, but I trust Tokuda will be the one to do it. Or, at least, help to make it a reality." The Red Bear then looked out in silence at the open field once again and quietly said, "My death might be the only way to fully end this war." Murdan shouted, "WHAT ABOUT YER WIFE AND KID, YOUNGIN'?! THEY NEED YA BACK AT HOME AFTER THIS! WHAT ABOUT THE DRINKS WE'RE GONNA HAVE AFTER THE WAR, YOUNGIN?!" The Red Bear then quietly answered, "The hardest choices require the strongest wills and unwavering resolve. If Tokuda can defeat me, then he's worthy of taking my dream on his shoulders. He'll end this war, become a war hero, and have more influence on the humans that way. If he can't defeat me, then he wasn't worthy to begin with, and the war continues onwards. Besides, Murdan, I'm looking at the future of demi-humans and humans alike, not just the present. One sacrifice to make the world a better place for my wife and son? One sacrifice to make the entire world a better place? That's not a bad deal." Murdan then said, "Ya put a lot of thought into this, youngin', I can tell. But what if he defeats ya and just turns out to be like every other human? Ignoring yer dream of peace and equality?" The Red Bear then said, "I can guarantee that won't happen." The Red Bear smiled and looked back at the sunset once again. After a quiet moment, the Red Bear then stood up and picked up Tokuda's body, saying, "He's not like the other humans." The Red Bear then turned towards Murdan and said, "An attack is coming tomorrow. You should leave." Murdan simply said, "If ya say so, youngin'." The Red Bear then said, "Go get my wife and child in the village I told you about. If it plays out like I think it will, I'll need you to look after them if you can." Murdan, too tipsy to really argue anymore, said, "Sure." The Red Bear then took Tokuda back to his tent and placed him on his bed.
*Back to the fight in the present*
The Red Bear, now seeing that Tokuda was ready, took a fighting stance of his own. The Red Bear then quietly said, "You were a good friend, Tokuda. I wish the circumstances were different." Tokuda quietly responded, "Same to you, Red. Same to you." With that, Tokuda took a deep breath, getting into a position that was similar to a runner's position. This was the signal for the Red Bear to attack. However, Tokuda was quicker, as he silently said, "Ghost Walk" and seemed to disappear from the Red Bear's line of sight. After a brief moment of looking around, not hearing or seeing any trace of Tokuda, the Red Bear suddenly felt a sharp pain in his side, and he collapsed to the ground. He looked down to see that he had been stabbed deep, and sticking in his side was Tokuda's blade. The symbol meaning "friend" was coated in blood. Ironic, thought the Red Bear.
Tokuda quickly pulled out the blade, knowing that he had struck a fatal blow. Blood began to pour out from the wound in the Red Bear, and Tokuda got on his knees next to the Red Bear and repeatedly said, "I'm sorry." The Red Bear then reached out and put his hand on Tokuda's head, saying, "You have nothing to be sorry for, friend." Tokuda could feel tears coming on, and one then fell out onto the fatal wound of the Red Bear. The Red Bear then wiped away the trail of the tear from Tokuda's face, asking, "I have one last favor to ask of you. A dying wish, as you humans like to call it." Tokuda, still tearing up, quietly asked, "W-What is it, Red?" The Red Bear then said, "You're a good man, Tokuda. You believe in equality as I do, and even managed to become friends with the general of the Demi-Human Federation, who is supposed to be your enemy." The Red Bear suddenly coughed up blood, and Tokuda could only stare in silence as more tears began to form. The Red Bear got ahold of himself, then continued, saying, "You remember my dream, right? The one where demi-humans and humans can finally live in peace together? I want YOU to make that dream a reality." Tokuda then stammered, "N-No, I can't do that. I'm not worthy of that. Besides, it's something we can do together, right?" Tokuda, on the verge of truly breaking down, desperately said, "Come on, we can make that dream a reality together! Don't dump that kind of thing on me, you lazy, unfair son of a bitch!" The Red Bear managed a small chuckle, coughed up a bit more blood, then said, "Friend, you are worthy. You may not see why, but I do. You may not think you have what it takes, but I know you do." Tokuda then struggled to say, "What about your wife and kid?" The Red Bear coughed up more blood, then managed to say, "Tell them that I'm sorry, and take care of them for me if you find them. I want you to make this world a better place for them." Tokuda kneeled there in silence for a bit, saying nothing. The Red Bear then asked, "Tokuda, you're still there, right?" Tokuda, silently crying to himself, used levitation magic to make one of the hands of the Red Bear touch Tokuda's cheek and said, "I'm here Red. I'm here." The Red Bear felt a tear drop from Tokuda's face onto himself, and the Red Bear then felt the tear trail on Tokuda's face. He was silent for a moment, then said, "Good. Good. You've ended the war, hero. I pray that you're able to accomplish what I couldn't, my friend." Suddenly, Tokuda felt the Red Bear's arm get lighter while levitating it, realizing that the Red Bear had gone limp. The Red Bear drew his final breath, and then he laid there, motionless, staring up at the sky with glassy eyes and a relieved smile on his face, looking oddly at peace. Tokuda let the Red Bear's arm fall to his side, wishing that his own hands were covering his face, so he could stop the tears from coming out of his eyes.
The battle raged on around Tokuda, but Tokuda didn't care. He killed his friend, the one that had shown him kindness despite him being an enemy. The one that had gifted him a new blade engraved with the word "friend" in Japanese. The one who made him realize that not all demi-humans are bad. The one who accepted Tokuda for who he was, looking past a race and instead focused on who he was as a human being, as a man. These thoughts only fueled the emptiness and sadness that Tokuda felt at this moment. Before he knew it, the battle was over and the victory cheers of the human army echoed throughout the camp, yet Tokuda felt as if he had experienced extreme defeat, as he was still kneeling before the body of his former friend, the Red Bear.
Alexander was the first to find him, and he saw Tokuda kneeling over the body of the Red Bear. Excited, Alexander rushed over to Tokuda and said, "Tokuda!? I'm glad you're alright, man! Say, did you kill that dirty demi-human general finally?" Tokuda nodded, not really processing the question fully. Alexander laughed, saying, "The war is finally over, huh?" Tokuda nodded once again. Alexander then shouted, "Gentlemen! The war is over! Tokuda has slain the Red Bear! Three cheers for the hero of the war!" Cheers began to echo louder than they did before, and Tokuda could do nothing except stare at the Red Bear and remember his words. You've ended the war, hero. I pray that you're able to accomplish what I couldn't, my friend.
Tokuda was able to snap out of his trance a little while later after being dragged off by Alexander to see the other guys in the camp. Some of the soldiers around the camp saluted Tokuda, and he simply nodded back. Aaron and Barron gave Tokuda a warm welcome back with a mug of beer that they found in one of the destroyed tents. Tokuda had a hard time drinking it, as it was the same beer he had with the Red Bear and Murdan the night before. Charley stayed silent, although he seemed pleased that Tokuda was back, and Alexander was being Alexander as usual. No one seemed to want to ask about Tokuda's missing arms, although Tokuda caught them looking at where his arms used to be every now and then. Nonetheless, being around these familiar faces helped lift Tokuda's spirits up some.
The rest of the day went by in a blur, as Tokuda watched the soldiers as they cleaned up the aftermath of the battle. He had a little time to himself, but this time was cut short when General Ren suddenly ordered all troops to the main area to make an announcement. Unsure of what this announcement would be, Tokuda made his way to the main area with the rest of the troops.
Once there, a little bit later, General Ren cleared his throat and said, "Listen up, soldiers. We've got new orders from higher up. Now that the war has been pretty much won due to the Red Bear being slain, it's time we ensure that something like this never happens again." Tokuda glanced around, and everyone was unsure of what General Ren would say next. General Ren then said, "Our orders now are to take over demi-human villages to root out any conspirators with the Demi-Human Federation. Any actions that occur within these villages that we take over will become wartime acts, meaning that things like plundering and even murder will not be considered criminal actions in the eyes of the human army." Tokuda's eyes widened in surprise, not believing what General Ren just said. He looked around in disbelief, seeing if there was anyone that disagreed with this order. However, he only found evil grins on the faces of the ones he called his comrades. General Ren then said, "We leave tomorrow morning. Glory to the human army!" The soldiers then echoed in unison, "Glory to the human army!"
Tokuda, after hearing that order, realized he could no longer stay here and take part in this underhanded genocide. Tokuda left the main area, racking his brain to figure out what to do. Tokuda soon came up with his plan and went to try to convince his friends to abandon the army with him.
He went to Alexander, who seemed to be the most reasonable out of everyone in the Spearhead squad. Alexander was sharpening his great sword when Tokuda entered his tent. Alexander, however, said nothing, and simply looked at Tokuda. Tokuda shook his head, saying, "I can't go along with these orders. They're senseless orders, and they only intend to murder innocent people not involved in this war! I'm leaving the human army, and you should join me as well!" Alexander stopped sharpening his blade, seeming like a different person now, and said, "You can't be serious. Those savage demi-humans, you call them 'people?'" Tokuda looked long and hard at Alexander and said, "Yeah. I do." Alexander then chuckled, then said, "What did these beasts do to you, Tokuda? Sure, they took your arms, but did they take your sanity as well? Look at yourself! Look at what they did to you! Do you think 'people' would do something so savage?" Tokuda then said, "Not all of them are savage, Alexander! Especially the innocent ones not involved in the war!" Alexander shouted, "NONE OF THEM ARE INNOCENT, TOKUDA! NOT EVEN THE CHILDREN! This is our chance to finally purge the lands of that demi-human filth! Don't you want revenge for what their kind did to you?!" Tokuda stepped back, horrified at what he was hearing. The same Alexander, the one that he fought beside for years, now appeared to be someone he no longer knew. Tokuda knew that Alexander never really liked demi-humans, but it seemed ever since Tokuda got captured, Alexander's hatred for them was increased tenfold. Alexander then said, "You'd abandon not just your friends, but your own race just because you're afraid of getting innocent blood on your hands? We're already knee-deep in the blood of our enemies, Tokuda! What's a little more blood in the sea of blood we already made?" Tokuda stared at him in shock and disbelief, certain that the man standing before him was no longer the man he used to know. Alexander, in a very ominous tone, said, "Good soldiers follow orders, Tokuda. I'll kill you if you can't comply." Tokuda then said, "I'm not getting innocent people involved in our war." Alexander then said, "Soldiers who don't follow orders deserve death, but between me and you, I've been meaning to make the score 21-20. This is the perfect opportunity, so let's fight to the death and end our little 'friendly competition!'"
Alexander then quickly grabbed his greatsword and brought it down onto Tokuda, and Tokuda dodged, then used his levitation magic to get his sword out and place it in his mouth. Amused, Alexander said, "Fighting like a savage now, are we?" Tokuda attacked, but Alexander quickly parried his attack, and both of them aggressively attacked each other. The fight soon found itself outside of Alexander's tent, and they started fighting their way through the camp. The soldiers who saw them fighting simply stared at them. They didn't seem like their normal selves, as many of them would start placing bets and laughing about how the two of them were going at it again. The bystanders of the battle didn't seem to take it seriously, but they noticed that both Tokuda and Alexander were fighting with more passion than in their previous battles.
Fighting through the camp, Tokuda and Alexander exchanged blow after blow, not giving each other time to think about their next move. Only their fighting instincts and experience in battle is what kept both of them alive. The fight lasted longer than any of their previous duels, and both fighters were getting quite tired. Tokuda relied solely on speed, and Alexander fought with power, but Alexander was slowly overpowering Tokuda. The two locked swords once again, and both fighters stared each other down, breathing heavily and not saying a word. However, Alexander grunted and began pressing into Tokuda, slowly pushing Tokuda and his blade down towards the ground. Seeing he was losing ground, Tokuda quickly rolled out of the way and tried to get Alexander off balance. However, it seemed that Alexander was a bit stronger than their previous duels, and he seemed to learn from his past mistakes as he quickly regained his balance and attacked Tokuda once more. Tokuda was cut while trying to dodge, but it wasn't a deep cut. Alexander's fighting form got sloppy, and a careless mistake caused his greatsword to get lodged into the dirt, and Tokuda used this to his advantage, using his speed to get behind Alexander. Using all his force, he quickly built up speed and rammed into Alexander with all his might, knocking the air out of Alexander as the two of them went crashing into the ground. Before Alexander could recover, Tokuda quickly pinned both of Alexander's arms with his legs and used the flat side of his sword to deal a powerful and quick blow to Alexander's head, knocking him out cold.
Tokuda got off of Alexander, breathing heavily, as that was the hardest he fought with Alexander in a duel between them both. The crowd that gathered around them said nothing, then dispersed just as quickly as they came. Tokuda blinked a couple of times, finding it odd that they no longer seemed like their cheerful selves whenever Tokuda and Alexander finished a duel. However, this was no time for Tokuda to be sitting around. He had to leave, and he had to leave when no one was looking. Fearing that Alexander may rat him out before he could leave, he decided to do something about him before leaving the area. Using his levitation magic, he dragged Alexander's unconscious body towards a large empty barrel. He used his levitation magic to gather some rope and tied Alexander up and also gagged him by using levitation magic to shove an apple in his mouth. Then, Tokuda dumped Alexander's body in the barrel with a loud thump sound and pretended nothing had happened for the rest of the day. Of course, he was questioned by the others in the Spearhead squad, but Tokuda told them that he might've gone to vent his anger somewhere. To his surprise, the others bought the story, and no one suspected him of anything.
Later that night, Tokuda put his plan into action. He took the Red Bear's axe with him, and he was able to sneak out of the camp without anyone knowing. Tokuda made his way up to the hill where the Red Bear had taken him many times before, but never at night. Tokuda looked up at the sky to see that the sky was lit up by billions of stars. Tokuda wondered if the Red Bear was one of those many stars, looking back at him as he looked up at them. After stargazing for a moment, he went to the peak of the hill and planted the Red Bear's axe into the ground, with the axe acting like a gravestone for a warrior. Tokuda kneeled down in front of the axe and said, "You know, Red? You never told me your real name. Surely 'Red' or the 'Red Bear' weren't your actual names now, were they? I wish I got it before you passed on so I know who to mention when I turn this world into a place of equality." Tokuda was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm gonna do what it takes to make it the world that you wanted. I don't know how long that'll take, since I'm fighting with a one-man-army currently, but one day, I'll change it for the better." Tokuda then remembered something and said, "I don't know if I can take care of your wife and kid, but if I do see them, I'll try my damn best." Tokuda was silent once again, then said, "Rest in peace, Red. I'll carry your dream and make it a reality, so you'll never be truly dead to me, friend." With that, Tokuda stood up, nodded at the gravestone as his own respectful salute, and went on his way.
The next day, Alexander was found by a group of soldiers passing by, and he reported to General Ren about what had occurred. The human army branded Tokuda as a deserter, but no effort was put forth into bringing him back into the army for proper punishment. "He up and disappeared like a ghost, gone as fast as the wind," as many would say who were part of the human army that day. Word of his efforts spread, and he gained recognition, although most people had no idea what he looked like. They only knew him from the description that those who saw Tokuda: an armless figure that disappeared without a trace. They branded him the "Armless Ghost," the war hero who would become a legend among the humans and the ultimate villain to demi-humans in the godforsaken struggle between humans and demi-humans known as the Humanity War.121Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0C9EY335G
