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Do it! Whack him!

Yeah! Swipe him from the right!

That's right! Just like that! Hell yeah! Beat up this outsider moron!

Good one! Show this outsider the true strength of the Tiacauh Warriors!

Whoa, that's ruthless... Are they sworn enemies or something?

Huh? Enemies? Who cares? We'll find out once they're done!

Exactly. It's just a fight! What's the big deal?

Eh, speaking of, I've never seen you around. You new here?

Right, I'm a merchant doing some trading here and there. Just got here today.

I heard there are quite a few tribes here, and figured I could make some money...

Oh! A merchant! That means you're... uh... you sell stuff, right? Good! We welcome people who sell stuff here!

But slow down a little. Whatever you've got, it can wait till after the show!

But this...

Eh, look! Got him! Beautiful!

Tiacauh warriors always win!

...Tch.

This how you guys treat all your guests?

Hah, don't make me laugh.

You're the one who started it, and you want to be treated like a guest?

I already told you. I really didn't see you.

The transport's door's a bit too tall. I thought you'd gotten on already.

I'll swap the door out for a transparent one later.

Cut the crap. Let's go!

I'm my tribe's strongest warrior... and we'll find out right now which of us is stronger.

Do it, shorty! Show me the vigor you had when you wiped the floor with us!

That's right, shorty! Jump up and use that super quick punch of yours to beat him up!

Maybe you want to take care of them first?

...That's none of your business!

Hiss...

You're unarmed, but I have a weapon.

So what?

You can't win.

I'll say this now. I'm not letting go of my weapon.

Have it your way.

But you don't get to decide who's going to win! You'll have to take it up with my fists!

What a savage...

It's been so long since you left this place, but you haven't learned a thing other than the common tongue.

But I can see that... a place like this...

...suits a headstrong prick like you just fine.

Hey, sounds like he's complimenting us!

That's right! Only here in Acahualla can a warrior be born this tiny... but with such big fists!

Huh? He's complimenting us? T-Then... are we still doing this?

*cough*... I don't think that's a compliment...

You barbarians...

Hmph... say all you want.

The Tiacauh warrior's tone has a hint of stiffness. Her eyes sweep the crowd in front of her.

She pauses momentarily as her gaze lands on a certain person.

I'll remember this. I'm going to come settle the score with you later!

If you outsiders are going to look down on us Tiacauh warriors, then maybe you should get out of Acahualla!

Yeah, that's the idea.

If it wasn't for you barbarians not having even the tools to fix up a car... Uhh...

(We wouldn't be wasting our time here!)

...We wouldn't be wasting our time here.

Well, who knew your metal junk would break down during the trip?!

Hey, you over there.

Stop looking around. I'm talking to you!

Huh?

M-Me?

Right, you. You said you're a trader, right?

Uh, yes. Yes, I am.

You've got anything that can patch up wounds? Give me some of that. The kind that works extra fast.

Is there something you want? I'll trade you for it.

Um... You need to <i>pay</i> for it.

What a pain... The last trader we had was okay with trading for things. How come we can't do that?

Maybe because you threatened the last guy with your fists?

Stay out of this!

Are you sure we can't trade? I have lots of good stuff. If you're okay with it, I can bring you to my place and trade you something there. That's the hottest place in all of Acahualla!

If you indeed have something good to offer, then of course we can barter.

Yeah!

That actually worked?

Well, this is business. Naturally, we need to be flexible. Haha.

So, do we leave now to this... Aac... Acah...

Acahualla.

Right, Acahualla. The hottest place in Acahualla. I need to take a good look at this place. Perhaps I will be able to make a few deals there.

Haha, I'm sure you will!

Follow me!

What, now? Are they seriously gonna stop, just like that?

Where are they going? No one goes that way normally. What are they doing that way? Hunting?

Who knows... Eh, if there's no fight, let's get going. Let's see if that redhead outsider finished putting together that 'Forest Mk. VII' yet!

Let's go! Inam's not around for the next couple of days. I want to take that giant thing we got apart to see what's inside!

*pant*...*pant*....

A-Are we there yet?

Almost.

Stay close. There are lots of wild beasts around here. I can't guarantee your safety if you get lost.

Huh? Didn't you say we were going to the hottest place in town? How come there are beasts?

What's so weird about it? We're Tiacauh warriors. Of course we live in places where there are beasts.

It's only when you can head into the rainforest and beat the most ferocious beasts on your own that you have proven yourself as a warrior!

Well, if that isn't amazing...

You were fighting that Feline man earlier without any weapons. Do all the warriors here fight like that?

More or less. Some use spears since that's easier to fight beasts with, but I don't need them.

All I need are my fists!

Haha, with how amazing you are, I'd say you really don't need anything else.

Right, I heard what the Feline was saying too. Something about a broken down transport?

So you came back here with them, from the outside?

...You caught even that?

Eh, well... I just happened to overhear it.

Also, your common tongue is superb. Where did you learn to speak it? Outside Sargon?

If you heard it, you heard it. What are you so tense for?

A while back, a bunch of outsiders came here and told us they could take us outside to make some big bucks.

Oh, I see! And you followed them?

Hell no! Do I look like I'm <i>that</i> bored?

I only went with them because they had a lot of tough fighters with them!

But in the end, they kept assigning me to protect some worthless loser who always stayed inside some metal box. No way I'm doing that! Outsiders are so weird. They're all a bunch of wusses, but they keep calling the shots.

That's why I didn't even ask for any money and came right back.

Normally, those stupid lumps would've been long gone, but they're dawdling around because they keep saying their metal box has broken down.

Who knows how to fix those metal boxes anyway?! And there are all those weird metal thingies. I've never even seen those things!

I mean, it's not like you guys would have any repair equipment...

What did you just say?

*cough*... I mean... repairing transports is no cake walk.

Have the Acahualla warriors ever considered acquiring some tools for convenience?

Such as?

Such as, uh, that Feline's transport... or some kind of robot that could automatically help you with your tasks.

Not interested.

What would I do with those? I'm willing to bet those gaudy metal trinkets wouldn't last a single punch of mine.

Well, that's weird.

What's weird?

To tell you the truth, I came to Acahualla to try my luck at business because I heard rumors about this place.

But... I guess there's probably not many opportunities for that.

Huh? What do they say about us outside?

Is it how prestigious the Tiacauh warriors—

Uh, that's got nothing to do with it.

Tch.

I heard the tribes here are large and prosperous, that they've mastered quite a lot of robotics technologies, and they've even started trading with the outside.

From the looks of it, they were nothing more than rumors.

But it's too soon to jump to conclusions. As a merchant, you have to be patient and attentive. I'd still like to have a look around.

Maybe I'll run into a big tribe like from the rumors!

...What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I'm lying?

Where's this coming from?

You—

—Wait, don't move!

Hide behind me.

What?

Hurry! Stop dawdling!

—A big one's coming.

Phew...

Alright, we're safe. Come out.

You actually managed to beat that huge pack of beasts all by yourself...

That's nothing. Didn't I tell you? You'll only have proven yourself as a warrior if you can beat the most ferocious beasts on your own!

This pack's huge, otherwise I would've had an easier time.

Thanks.

No need to thank me. I was the one who brought you into the rainforest.

...Didn't you say you weren't going to guarantee my safety?

...Ah.

*sigh*...

Fine, let's get your wound taken care of. Give me a moment. Let me look for some medicine and bandages.

Here, they're yours to keep. We'll call this your payment for protecting me earlier.

Oh! You sure about that?

I'm sure. Take them.

Eh, this really isn't quite like what they said outside.

In hindsight, I guess I shouldn't have trusted those rumors.

Hold on.

Why shouldn't you have trusted those rumors?

What? Do you mean...?

Our tribe's big and prosperous! There's no doubt about that!

We can have up to forty or fifty people going out on a hunt at once!

Watch out! Why are you losing your footing all of a sudden?

I-It's nothing. I walked a bit too much, and my legs are getting sore... Are we there yet?

What's the rush? We're getting close. It's just up ahead.

I guarantee it'll open your eyes.

You're back. How was it?

...Worthless.

What happened to your face?

Eh, don't get me started. I ran into a bunch of barbarians who've got nothing but muscles growing in their brains. They said I had to fight their warriors to go inside the village, then they immediately welcomed me with a punch in the face.

The village was small and rundown. They hardly have any people there, and they haven't even seen transport repair tools before. What a waste of time!

Did you find anything on your end?

Nothing. I took a stroll in the other direction and found a redhead Vulpo fixing his transport. He said he was going to take me on a ride once it was fixed.

I followed him around a little, and there were only some rundown houses.

Though it kind of felt like he didn't want me poking around too much. Something didn't feel right about that.

If you ask me, I think there's nothing to the rumors.

You sure? You remember what the Padishah ordered us to do, right?

Of course, but the results couldn't be more clear.

At the very least, we've found no developing power here, and there's nothing we can gain from this place either. The Messenger stationed here wasn't lying.

But according to the gossip...

I just think something doesn't add up about all this.

You said it yourself. It's just gossip.

The Messenger here... Our intel calls her Inam. She liked to trade and barter to begin with, so I'm not surprised the rumors got blown out of proportion.

Besides...

If the lords ameer take control of the territory here and it doesn't meet their expectations, having painted a rosy picture is only going to get us in trouble.

...Fair enough.

You're right. They're a bunch of barbarians who do nothing but compare who's got the bigger fists. How could they possibly have fooled the two of us?

Let's go back to the city and let the Padishah know.

All taken care of?

Yeah.

How were things on your end?

We hid all the machines and metal choppers in a cave nearby. Nobody saw us.

And we reminded everyone in the tribe not to talk about machinery in front of any outsiders.

Good work. Now we just need to wait till Inam's back.

She left a letter and disappeared without a trace. Tch.

Right, that wound on your face...

I'm fine.

Sorry, you can punch me back at the training grounds next time.

Really, don't worry about it.

Chiave probably would've been better at putting up that show, though.

We didn't have a choice, since there was more than one of them. I asked Chiave to take care of the other person.

Actually, we could've gotten through this without that fight, but...

But?

I couldn't help myself.

I'll bash your face in at the training grounds next time.

Haha, just kidding.

But now those guys definitely consider us a bunch of barbarians who only think about fighting.

I took that guy to an old, abandoned settlement that's only used as a rest stop by warriors traveling outside the tribe, and he suspected nothing.

You can't say that for sure.

It's fine as long as he can't be sure of anything either.

As long as they don't get to the bottom of it, they won't report anything to their higher ups.

—That's what the Doctor said.

True.

They're just lackeys. They're bound to avoid the riskier option.

That's right! Besides! With me on the job, nothing can possibly go wrong!

Man, that was exhausting. You know how much work it is to take apart a transport and then put it right back together?

Sorry, but that's the only excuse I could come up with.

If you need me to pay for it...

No need! It's a piece of cake! We used to do this stuff all the time back when we were running cons... I mean, when we ran our old business. Don't believe me, ask Broca!

Wait... Hahahahaha! Broca, your face! Hahahahaha! That's hilarious!

...Shut up.

Hahahahahahaha!

Ahem. Okay, back on topic.

Now that they're gone, we should be able to keep the status quo for a while longer. Inam, Zumama, and Gavial are all away. We'll have to settle for this.

Those guys won't give up that easily.

I guess that's true. If this was going to be that simple, Inam wouldn't have asked me to hold the fort.

Yeah... I'll have my tribesmen keep an eye out around the rainforest. If any of them come back, we'll deal with it somehow.

Whoa.

...What?

Man, I didn't expect the boss, that Inam, to trust you so much!

I only ever see you follow Blaze around. You don't even talk to the other operators from here all that much. I really didn't think you'd come all the way back like they did the moment you got that letter.

It's true. I don't keep in contact with my tribe much.

Thankfully, I was in Columbia not too long ago. Inam gave me a call and asked me to bring a bunch of discarded metal choppers.

I'm not really too sure why she trusted me with this...

You brought all those here?

You have an eye for them. They can be put to good use once they're fixed up.

Why wouldn't she trust you? She saw how much you've grown. It's a good thing!

I followed you guys here thinking I could help come up with ideas when push came to shove, but looks like you didn't need me at all.

You're always fighting Broca, so I thought you were the kind of girl who rushes right up to your opponents to beat them up.

I did kind of do that, too.

Huh?

Never mind.

Acahualla's changed a lot, and the tribe has all these funny looking... machines. I really have no idea how they learned to put them together.

I thought Zumama's stuff was weird enough, but at least those things were shaped normal.

The ones they made are pretty interesting, if you ask me.

As long as it's practical.

That's true. At the very least, life's gotten much better with these machines.

Really? If you guys came up with a machine that planted crops and hunted on its own, your Tiacauh warrior fists wouldn't mean anything for much longer.

You seriously don't care even a little?

Hey, Chiave!

Eh, I'm just curious!

I lost the right to determine my tribe's direction the moment I left my tribesmen behind.

If the Tiacauhs chose this, then there's no problem. I don't understand what these machines are all about, but I trust the people here.

Yeah.

Fair enough.

Besides, I've thought about things while I was on Rhodes Island.

...If everything could be solved by beating up your enemies, I wouldn't have so much to worry about.

There was this time when... uh... I accompanied the Doctor as a bodyguard to a business meeting with a company, and they really tried to boss us around right from the start.

It happens.

I couldn't help myself, so I beat them all up.

...It happens.

Ahh... Yeah, that can be a pain in the ass to deal with.

How come the Doctor didn't stop you?

Of course they did, so I beat them up while the Doctor was asleep.

Hey, hold on. I think I heard about this.

So you were the one who wanted to give the Doctor more rest and stood guard outside the door, and ended up beating up all the guys who came looking for trouble?

Don't remind me...

The deal almost fell through because of that, but we managed to save it at the expense of the Doctor's sanity.

...Anyway, I gave everyone lots of trouble that time.

Good thing the Doctor was there. They didn't give you a hard time, right?

Not at all. Actually, after we got back to Rhodes Island, they told me that fists really do mean everything.

Huh?

But our fists have to be big enough for that to work... and we don't always have what it takes yet, so we have to come up with other ways to solve our problems.

Fair point.

M-Makes sense...

Hold on.

Did you hear something just now?

Phew, finally.

Stop musing. We need to get to work.

Hm? How come there are all these machines here?

Is that...

Hey, Kemar, good to see you.

Judging by the look on your face, I'm guessing nothing bad happened.

Everything turned out okay in the end, I guess...

Good. Then I suppose you chased them all away? I knew you were the right one for the job.

I have plenty of other things I need your help with, but for now...

I need all of you to help us clear some space for a village. Acahualla is going to see a large crowd of visitors from the underground soon.