As we were leaving our homes, I remembered something. I ran into my house and put a spare pair of underwear in my inventory. I did not want to have to walk around a very open valley with a naked clone of me. That would be so embarrassing. We walked to the hill before the bandit camp so I could point it out. He nodded his head. We creeped up to it and got to the edge without anyone noticing them approach. From there, we got a proper look into the camp. There was hardly anyone here. There were at least 6 of them holding it down though. That was good enough for us to attack. I made sure that I was backing up Darrien. None of them could even touch him. He was a total monster with the kusarigama by now. Even the one sneaking up behind him was bound up by my chain. It kept the bandit in place long enough for Darrien to turn around and finish him off. After we finished with the 6 it was time to leave. We could look for more but it would be a waste. The left the area right before a cry went out and startled us both. Someone had discovered all of the dead bodies.
Bandits were weak but they kept coming back. It was a fact of life. They had been alerted and a lot of them would be in the area for a little bit. It could be a challenge for the others. Krit, Knat and Deuce wanted the kills. It was when we were totally safe in the valley that we were able to make the hand off. As soon as I made contact with the bloodied kusarigama, it poofed into his mortal form. Just like before, it was a perfect clone of me. The naked copy looked directly at me before giving me a very small bow. "It's an honor to see the deity who gave birth to me. I am a vessel of your will." he said. This clone looked tense and upset from the start. "Are you alright!?" I asked him. He sighed deeply. "I'm out here in the middle of this valley with no clothes. People aren't going to see me as a powerful incarnation of a powerful Blade Spirit if I show up like this." he said with a gesture to his nude body. I had a big fix for that. I gave him the boxer briefs I had left over in my inventory. The other clone did not seem to mind being naked. This clone sighed again. "Thank you!" he said.
I smiled warmly at him. "I made sure to bring an extra pair of underwear just for you." I said. He simply grunted. I took that as a cue and walked with him to Ethana. He leaned forward with hunched shoulders. It appeared that he was just a grumpy person. When we got to the shrine, I saw that Slashette was there. A young Osna boy had left an apple in front of the shrine to Knat as he walked with his mother. She picked it up and expected it. Looking left and then right, she noticed us and nearly dropped it on the floor. We approached and she offered the apple to me. "A boy left this offering for Lord Knat! Seeing as he is away, would you like to eat it instead, Lord David?" she asked me. I shook my head. "If it was left for Knat, you should give it to him. I'm sure he would like to know people were thinking of him." I told her. She nodded her head. "Are you sure that she won't eat it on the way?" the clone asked, glaring at her. I rolled my eyes behind him. "Where is the guardian for the shrines? I intend to give this new incarnation over to them to look after." He came running in.
