[u][b]Bandits - Village entrance - Kaji, Kiryu, Umiko, Vosswald & Villagers[/b][/u]

The bandit leader, realizing that he was almost about to shoot a child, suddenly noticed the full extend of the situation. He pulled away and raised his firearm to the sky.

"Everyone! Step back!"

His men halted their advance and were now looking back at their leader.

"But boss! He killed Saito!" "I'm not dead!" "And he also hurt Shiro!" "I'm getting better..."

"Haven't we seen enough death in our lifetime? We'll deal with him later! Now look after these two!"

The bandits reluctantly lowered their weapons but not before iiercing Kaji with an angry glare. The giantess voiced her displeasure about having to stop.

"Aww... But I wanted to fight!"

"You can do that later, Sakura."

She gave a pout and joined her comrades. The bandits tried to help their injured comrades. Unfortunately neither of them was trained in healing. Nevertheless they tried as best as they could, which sadly wasn't much.

"Kenji and Shiro are fine but Saito..."

The leader dropped his gun and rushed over. Saito was looking pale. Around him a pubble of blood was forming which became larger by the second. One of his friends was holding his hand. Shiro tried to cheer them up and assure them nothing was wrong.

"I told you... I'm fine..."

"Somebody do something! Help!"

The villagers didn't know what to think. Just moments ago these people tried to act tough and rob them. Now they just seemed helpless and frightened. They were suddenly reminded that these bandits were people just like them. Who knows what lives they lead before they became bandits and why they decided to follow this path in the first place.

Vosswald decided to use this opportunity to take the tanegashima the bandit leader dropped. He brought it to his face to compare it with his own much smaller flintlock. It was a little outdated and still used a fuse. Nevertheless it looked sturdy and he decided to hold onto it for now. He wondered if he could increase its effectiveness by modifying it to use a flint.

Meanwhile...

[u][b]Ayame & Chiasa - Healer's Hut[/b][/u]

Ayame was surprised to find out that Chiasa seemed to be more than she appeared at first glance. Not only was she beautiful, she was also a much better healer than herself. It took some time but together and with the help of her grandfather they managed to stabilize their patient.

"I hope you have learned a lot today, Granddaughter."
"Yes, I have. Thank you, Grandfather."

At this moment Ayame remembered something. She turned her head to address Chiasa.

"I have to apologize. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ayame. I live here with my grandfather. He is the healer of this village."
"Hello, young lady."
"I'm trying to learn the craft so I can take his place one day..."
"I'm getting old. It makes me glad that my granddaughter decided to follow my footsteps. Healers are always needed. Especially in these dark times."
"We could use another healer like you. Why don't you live here, with us? I'm sure nobody would mind, isn't that right, Grandfather?"
"Oh, not at all! I certainly wouldn't mind a pretty young lady such as yourself living under this roof."
"Perfect! So what do you think? The least we can give you is a warm meal and a bath. I'm sure there is still some left."