Pilgrim 4, p.30
Pilgrim 4, page 30
“We haven’t seen each other in a long time,” said Kanjen. “Since well before the fall.”
“So he’s not the same one that led Jimmu to the Kishu Kingdom, is he?” asked Jelmay.
“No,” said Sansar. “That was my father. And yes, Kanjen is right. We haven’t seen each other since that time.”
“But you did come from Sunyata, right?” Jelmay asked. “Both you and your father.”
“That is correct.”
“Yet you never speak of it.”
“That is also correct.”
“I suspect if you are with this half-blood, that there must be some good reason.” The yokai flapped his wings in an effort to get to his feet. He was pudgy and short, but something about the way he held himself told Danzen that he was much more powerful than he was letting on. This was confirmed once Danzen briefly shut his eyes, the energy radiating around Kanjen vibrant and bright.
“We do have a goal in mind, something we are striving toward,” Danzen told him.
“Oh?”
“Do we really have to do all this again?” asked Jelmay. “I mean rehashing our whole story. Sorry, it’s been a long day, and to find out that you could have just flown over to us…”
“No, bakeneko, I’m much too old to fly. Besides, as you pointed out, I am a tanuki, so perhaps it is best if I stay on the ground. No, it is better that you come to me.”
“In that case, he could have just flown to you. Bah! What I’m trying to say here is that I think we are wasting precious time. Right, Pilgrim?”
Danzen didn’t want to agree with Jelmay, but what the bakeneko had said was true. He had a goal in mind, and a target waiting for him back in the west. The former assassin also was feeling increasingly anxious that something may have happened to the others back at the nunnery. He didn’t want to dwell on this, but it was there. Nomtoi seemed to know where he was at all times, which meant that he knew where his companions were as well. This made him wonder if something else was preventing his half-brother from lashing out. Perhaps his father was playing a heavier hand in this than he was letting on…
“I suppose I should officially meet all of you,” Kanjen said as he nodded to the two kitsunes, Kudzu now seated, her white ears folded back, Bawa still standing on all fours. The mendicant yokai began introducing himself, reminding everyone after they told him their name that he had a terrible memory, that he likely wouldn’t recall what they had said later on. “That’s just the way it goes, in one ear and out the other.”
“I’m just going to ask him,” Jelmay said under his breath, as if he were having a conversation with himself. The bakeneko placed his hands on his back and puffed his chest out to some degree, smiling. “Well, now that we all know each other, and we are all apparently friends, old friends, even, we need something from you. Or better, we would like to borrow something. Something… something…”
“We are looking for the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds,” Danzen said, once Jelmay continued to fumble over what he was trying to tell the yokai.
“The what now? The Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds? Yes, yes, a sword made completely by remnants.”
“Then it would be a crystal? Or crystal-like?” asked Kudzu.
“No, not exactly. It looks just like any other sword, because it is… well…” Kanjen looked to Midrah. “Care to explain?”
Midrah turned to Danzen. “Remember the remnant that I gave you earlier? This is an example of a piece from Sunyata, before the fall.”
“I have it right here.” Jelmay took a moment to retrieve it from his bag. As it had in the abandoned shrine, the remnant glowed in an otherworldly way, bright enough to illuminate the inside of the cave.
“This one isn’t like the remnants that people kill for now. This kind of remnant can become anything that you would like with some practice.”
“What do you mean?” asked Kudzu.
“Someone ranked at one of the higher tiers can modify the remnant and form other items. This would be how the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds was created. First taken from Sunyata while it was still in existence, then formed into a sword and forged by an expert. How do I know? Well, I am the one who commissioned it!”
“So… where is it?”
“You really think I would just tell you where it is?” Kanjen turned to Jelmay and started laughing. “Of course not, bakeneko. I will need to know more about what it is you plan to do, and why you need this legendary weapon. Also, I detect that you have a rather different past,” he told Danzen, “but I don’t say this with judgment. The ultimate test will be if you can stand up to the challenge I have devised, one that will put you and your current power level to the test. If you do not pass, I won’t be able to part with this weapon.”
“What kind of challenge?” asked Danzen.
He yawned. “We will see to that detail in the morning. Now, prepare a fire. I’m getting cold. We can chat and rest, but I must warn you, it is past my bedtime.”
****
Even though he knew he should get some sleep, Danzen ended up taking watch that night, the former assassin seated outside the cave, legs crossed beneath him as he kept his eyes on the valley below. He saw movement several times, yokai that he couldn’t quite make out due to the distance, yet everything was peaceful, the morning sun beautiful as it appeared on the horizon in a line of pink.
He wondered what challenge Kanjen had in store for him, Danzen eventually drifting off once the sun was already on its way up, his companions stirring. He slept for an hour or so as they made tea, the group speaking in low voices, including Jelmay, allowing Danzen to get some much needed rest.
Upon awaking, he saw that Kanjen was already starting to wind down a series of steps that would take him to the forest below, the older yokai balancing much of his weight on a shriveled cane. Danzen joined at the back of the group, Kudzu and Bawa in front, followed by Jelmay and Midrah, Sansar hovering overhead.
As they walked, Jelmay plucked red berries from the shrubs that lined the pathway, ones Danzen hadn’t seen the previous night. He kept eating them, his lips covered in red juice by the time he turned to Danzen and smiled. “Are you ready to get a new sword?”
“No.”
Most of the group stopped, aside from Kanjen, who kept waddling on, the bird seemingly deaf.
“What do you mean, no?” asked Midrah. “I thought that was the entire reason for you coming here.”
“My previous weapon was very…” Danzen bit his lip and looked up at the foliage above, glints of sunlight stretching through the leaves. “It was very important to me.”
“Surely, whatever it was, the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds will be better. It is a sword made of a remnant.”
“Astra was forged by a remnant.”
“There is a very big difference,” Midrah said as she started up again, moving in her strange way. She didn’t sound offended, mostly sure of herself, but Danzen knew that she wouldn’t understand the relationship he had with his previous weapon. It had bonded to him to some degree, always returning to his hand, and never coming close to cutting him on its return path. Thinking of Astra made him wish he had bent his echo that morning, yet he had fallen asleep instead, which may have been a bad idea considering what he was about to get into.
“Where are you taking us again?” Jelmay called ahead, and once Kanjen didn’t respond, he scooted his way to the front to speak to the hermit yokai, startling him.
“You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that,” Kanjen scolded the bakeneko.
“Sneak up on you? You knew we were here.”
Kanjen started to laugh. “I suppose… I suppose you could make that argument. What is it that you want, bakeneko?”
“I find myself asking that question all the time…” Kudzu said under her breath.
“I want to know how you’re going to challenge us, or him. Wait, you aren’t challenging all of us, are you?” Jelmay asked, his ears flitting back to some degree.
“Are you the one that wants the sword?”
“I have my own.”
“Then you won’t be challenged, and you don’t need to worry about what the challenge may entail.”
“Bah! There is no need for secrets.”
“No need?” Kanjen made a whistling sound. “There is plenty need for secrets.”
“You aren’t going to get it out of him,” said Midrah. “You’ll just have to wait until we get there.”
There turned out to be a space near the center of the valley, the group walking for well over an hour until they reached it.
Large rocks were stacked nearby, which were a bit out of the ordinary considering most of the valley was flat. Danzen had noticed the formation last night, but it had been dark enough that he hadn’t really paid much attention to it. Seeing it now, he saw that some of the boulders were nearly twice as tall as he was, like a mountain had exploded and deposited them here.
Kanjen turned to the group just about the time that Sansar landed, the three-legged raven hopping up next to Danzen.
“I present to you your challenge.” Kanjen gestured toward the boulders, and as he did a swell of energy pressed forward, spinning around the stones as they started to move, the ground quaking.
Danzen’s natural instinct was to withdraw his blade as the stones started to stack upon one another, forming a towering, humanoid rock creature rimmed in purple energy.
“Destroy the stone golem and the sword is yours. And just you.” Kanjen swept his wing toward Danzen’s companions, which had the effect of pushing them all away from him, their feet sliding on the grass. “This challenge is only for the half-blooded one.”
****
The stone golem brought what resembled two fists above its head and slammed it into the ground, everything shaking around Danzen, the energy rippling forward.
The former assassin skipped out of the way, initially with Nomin’s replica short sword drawn, recalling that it could cut through anything. The problem was going to be getting close to the stone golem, which had enough power radiating around it that Danzen was sure it would force him away.
He tried anyway, Danzen lunging forward, pressing off the ground and launching into the air. Whoomph! He dropped on top of the stone golem, immediately driving his sword in, which pressed straight through the stone as if it were flesh.
He held on as the golem tried to beat him away, Danzen forced to kick off the creature and land behind it. The wound he had given the golem seemed to do little to hurt it as the monstrous stone creature turned to him and shot forward. Danzen jumped out of the way to avoid its charge, running as the stone golem tore into the soil around him.
He sheathed his sword and went for his Blade of Darkness, not knowing how much power it would have against his opponent. Another problem immediately presented itself: the only shadow currently being cast was from the stone golem itself, which forced Danzen to circle around the creature as it tried to stop him.
He finally got to a position where the golem was in front of the sun, its shadow extending out toward him.
Whoosh!
Danzen went for an epic strike with his glaive, putting all his power behind it. The force of his shadows cut into the ground, dirt bursting into the air, the golem stumbling backwards as if the strike had actually hurt it.
But the creature quickly recovered.
It came for Danzen yet again, the impact of its giant stone fist on the ground tossing Danzen to the side. He landed on his back and flipped over onto his stomach, his neck making a cracking sound.
Danzen had lost his Blade of Darkness.
His world seemed to spin as he narrowly got out of the way before the stone golem could crush him. To avoid its next strike, Danzen launched himself into the air and ran up the rock’s proverbial arm, transferring to the portion that resembled the head of the creature. He crouched, his eyes scanning the ground so he could find his Blade of Darkness.
The stone golem fell onto its side in an attempt to buck him off, the former assassin jumping in the opposite direction.
Danzen hit the ground hard and rolled, able to grab his Blade of Darkness in the process. Slightly winded, he turned back to the creature.
“Get it, Pilgrim!” Jelmay called from the sidelines as he sidestepped the stone golem until it was in front of the sun again, the shadows now pooling at the tip of his Blade of Darkness.
Danzen charged forward, his Blade of Darkness going over his shoulder as he gathered as much shadow power as he could. He brought it forward, and was able to cut its left arm off at what would be the shoulder of the creature.
The stone fell to the ground, Danzen slipping around to the back as the stone golem tried to stomp at him.
Ignoring Jelmay’s cheers, he circled around to the front and jumped just in time to avoid another stomp. Shadow gathering once again, Danzen sent an arc of energy to the right, now cutting off the stone golem’s other arm at the shoulder.
But the stone golem wasn’t done, nor did it seem to experience any pain.
It began lifting itself and falling, collapsing its entire body, Danzen not able to gather enough shadow in time to do something about it.
The creature managed to bring itself up to its legs and do it again and again, the ground trembling as Danzen worked to gain an advantage. How would he kill this thing? Would cutting off all its limbs do? Or did he need to…
Danzen paused, knowing exactly what needed to happen next.
He lowered his weapon, ignoring the gasps from both Kudzu and Jelmay.
The stone golem approached, teetering like it was about to fall on Danzen. With his eyes closed, Danzen gripped the air with a single hand as if it were tangible.
Just as the stone golem was inches away from collapsing onto Danzen, his power surged forward and shattered the creature.
He blinked his eyes open as a cloud of debris settled all around him, his hood now over his head by accident, Danzen with his legs wide, weapon still aside.
“Yes, yes…” Kanjen approached Danzen, still leaning his weight on his cane. “You want the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds, do you?”
Danzen nodded.
“Then, it is yours.” Kanjen lifted his cane and flicked his wrist once, his cane morphing into a sheathed blade with a white grip and a golden hilt. Not only that, the bird disguise he’d been wearing all along filtered away, Danzen now looking at an older tanuki, short in stature, with tufts of white hair on his face. “Use it wisely, half-blood.”
Part Seven
.Chapter One.
Danzen Ravja didn’t know how to feel about the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds. For one, the name wasn’t going to work for him. He’d already heard the others talking about it, stumbling over its long title. He recalled that Elder Bahjee had mentioned its ancient name, but that wouldn’t work either.
Truthfully, he wanted to name it Astra. But it was too soon, and he wasn’t yet sure of what the sword was capable of, if it could even operate as a boomerang weapon.
After receiving the famed blade from Kanjen, Danzen and his party began the trek back to his mother’s nunnery. He hadn’t tested the sword yet, figuring he would save that for their arrival at the nunnery, nor had there been much more conversation with Midrah or Kanjen about it, both of whom had remained in the valley.
He could tell that the others wanted him to try the weapon out, but Danzen was a patient man, and even if he had earned the weapon, there was a part of him that still felt guilty for replacing Astra. He missed the way the grip felt in his hands, how reliable his famed blade had been, even its porous scabbard. At least the scabbard could be made next time he visited Arsi. After all, it was the blacksmith Kunta who had made his previous sheath.
The landscape morphed as they traveled through the woods of the Outer Regions, the group bypassing Verba. Danzen occasionally placed his hand on the weapon, certainly aware of its power. There was a gravitational aspect to the blade, an intense pull of energy that reminded him of the smaller, ancient remnant that they had received from Midrah in the abandoned shrine.
It had been odd how easily Kanjen had given Danzen the weapon, almost as if it had been something he prepared to do for a long time. The tanuki didn’t seem to be attached to it in any way, and he also didn’t seem to need the cane to support his weight, nor did Kanjen say much after handing it over, aside from letting Danzen know where he would be, his cave in the mountains beyond.
“We could always take a rest,” Jelmay suggested after they had traveled for about two hours without stopping. “It’s not like we have anything better to do than get to the nunnery at some point. And what then?”
“There will be food.”
“Actually, you aren’t wrong,” he told Kudzu, licking his lips. “And the food will be better than what I could scrounge up out here. Bah. It’s always something, isn’t it? And let me guess, we are going to deal with Ginza next, right? I tune out half the conversations that don’t involve me.”
“There is a case that opening the northern passage first may be a better strategy,” said Sansar, referring to a conversation that Danzen had briefly heard him having with Bawa. “I know that you have a timeline to work with, Pilgrim, but this could give you the opportunity to test your weapon. Further, if you do open the northern passage, you can head south over the marshlands to Arsi, bypassing Odval and Bahlingar.”
This was something that Danzen already knew would be the best course of action. He still had several days left to decide what he should do with Soko, and he knew that she would likely wait at the shrine for him even if he was a day late. He also liked the idea of getting used to his Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds, Danzen knowing better than to enter a fight with a new weapon.
“So we deal with the nue first then, eh? Then Ginza…” Jelmay considered this while scratching his lower back, his paw beneath his vest and just above his missing tail, which had been cut off by Tensei, the assassin who had trained with Yato. The bakeneko rarely spoke of his missing appendage any longer.
