Chapter 4: Placing some orders
The next morning, the sun rose to a different village.
By the time Riku stepped out of the inn, the square was already alive with movement.
Children dashed back and forth carrying small buckets, their laughter ringing through the air. A group of villagers clustered around the well, passing down large jugs, cheering every time fresh water splashed over the sides. One man had climbed onto a small pedestal and was making grand proclamations about "blessed water returning with the moonlight."
And at the center of it all was Chief Barou, sleeves rolled up, finger wagging like a battle commander.
"Get that water to the fields first! Not the bathhouse, Ebin! I know you haven't bathed in three days, but crops come first!"
"I haven't bathed in six!" Ebin shouted back, but still carried his bucket toward the hill.
Riku smiled, adjusting his robe as he walked into the fray.
Barou spotted him immediately.
"Ah, our hero awakens!"
"I'm not a hero," Riku said.
"No, but you're the only reason my village is smiling again," Barou replied, beaming. "Come. We're heading to the back ridge. The fields are next."