The stick that had just 'rained' from the window was crooked and irregular as if it had been detached from an old tree. After a sudden creaking noise, it seemed to shorten quickly, spinning on itself like the tip of a top.

Suddenly, a strange being came through the window, hurling its companion into the room. A boy was thrown onto the bed and, falling on his back, did an agile somersault in mid-air, landing on his feet on the floor.

​​

After completing its spin, the demon who had carried its tamer from the roof of the building into the apartment revealed its bizarre appearance. The long wooden staff was but one of its two legs. Just as the legs lacked feet, the arms without hands were made of two thin wooden sticks.

The body of the demon instead, was covered by a layer of yellowish straw and ropes woven over each other, recalling the shape of a rudimentary peasant dress. Above the neck, two large buttons and a white zigzag thread were sewn on top of a spherical bag of dirty fabric, connected to the neck by a noose formed by a rope.

Incredibly, the demon that had just made its appearance in front of the stunned Yoichi was a perfect copy of a scarecrow. It wore a hat very similar to that of Gompachi and the other old men of the village, and its funny appearance was emphasized by its wobbly gait.

"The hail last week destroyed some of the roof tiles. I absolutely had to fix them, I couldn't let my brothers and sisters get wet during the night," exclaimed the young tamer as he came in through the window, talking to Gompachi.

He looked friendly and a little out of his mind. His blond and red hair was vaguely reminiscent of his demon scarecrow's straw dress. The young handyman's eyes were brown and on his face, the typical teenage beard similar to that of his only peer in the room.

"Heheh... you're always taking care of your siblings, Takuma. When you do that, you remind me of your father," the old village leader chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

"Tut! I have to keep myself trained somehow, grandpa! This place is so boring! There's never anything cool to do and.... uh? Who's that?" young Takuma asked, who noticed Yoichi's presence after a few seconds.

The young tamer from Goldhaven looked at his peer and merely gave a smile, leaning his head forward. Taking advantage of that moment, he noticed some details of Takuma's outfit.

The red-haired boy was wearing rough cloth pants torn at the ankles and a whitish tank top soiled with mud, dirt, and other strange yellowish stains. Beneath the pants, Takuma was barefoot. His feet were lumpy and calloused, full of tiny scars. It looked like the bizarre tamer had never worn a pair of boots.

Yoichi's greetings were preceded by Gimpachi's introductions. Not even knowing the real reason why the village leader had asked him to follow him to that house, Yoichi didn't quite know what to say.

"This is Yoichi," Gimpachi exclaimed, pointing his wrinkled old hand at his guest. "Yoichi, this is my grandson Takuma. He will come with you to Oakenfair," the old man stated confidently, nodding with the large visor of his hat.

"What?"

"What?"

Almost at the same instant, the two tamers uttered the same word with the same amount of astonishment. Immediately after, they looked into each other's eyes, wondering why Gompachi had said such a thing.

"You need someone to help you find Shusaku. You, on the other hand, are bored with Grimbrook and spend your days here doing useless things. If you leave together for the north, you will both be satisfied," the old man rejoiced, pleased with his words.

For a few seconds, a rather awkward silence fell over the room. The creaking of the scarecrow's wooden legs echoed within the narrow walls of the place.

After a few seconds of waiting, Yoichi cleared his throat. "Gimpachi-Senpai, I thank you very much for your thoughtfulness, but it is not necessary that..."

"Don't say gibberish, Yoichi!" the old man in the hat interrupted, slamming one foot on the ground and shushing his interlocutor. "Takuma, haven't you wanted to show everyone your tamer skills since the age of six?" he asked.

"Yes, grandfather. However, I don't even know this boy. I don't know who he is, where he comes from, and why he has to travel north. I don't know, I had imagined the moment I left Grimbrook a little different," Takuma muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"The trip to Oakenfair will help you get to know each other better. Yoichi is a professional tamer and belongs to a guild in the capital. You know the Valley of the Northern Waters better than anyone else because of my teachings. In exchange for your help, Yoichi will be happy to explain to you how to join a guild," Gimpachi explained. "True, Yoichi?" he asked, suddenly turning to face him.

A chill ran down the young tamer's spine. "Um, yeah. Sure, why not?" he chuckled, still embarrassed by the strange conversation.

What the hell was wrong with this old man? One minute we were conversing in a tavern and the next... he's forcing his grandson to accompany me to Oakenfair! Is this really my lucky day or is something shady about to happen? Yoichi pondered, knowing there was no more time to waste.

The old headman's words rang out like the gentle melody of a harp in the ears of his rambunctious grandson. Like a rocket, Takuma sprinted toward Yoichi, stopping inches from his face.

"Aaargh!" Yoichi gulped, who wasn't ready for such a close encounter.

"Do you really belong to a Goldhaven guild? What guild is that?" Takuma inquired, with a giant smile painted on his face. "I know almost every guild in Tentochu, and I've been dreaming of being a guild tamer since I was six years old!" he added.

"Um... the Nightblades," Yoichi replied shyly. "Have you ever heard that name?" he asked, curious.

Takuma snapped back, sitting down on the bed. With one hand under his chin and looking up at the ceiling, he reported, "Nightblades. The guild leader is Takamori Sada, a former member of the Emperor's Heralds. The strongest warrior on the other hand is a young man called Nobunaga.... I don't think I know much information about him."

As if his brain was a complex database, Takuma managed to surprise Yoichi by showing him that he knew the two most important members of his guild.