Pilgrim 4, p.34
Pilgrim 4, page 34
“Drop me!”
The three-legged raven hesitated, and when he did Danzen rocked his shoulders forward, indicating that he was ready.
Sansar released Danzen.
The wind rushed all around him, the former assassin closing his eyes as he quickly approached his target, which was outlined in purple, his sword held with both hands now, Danzen curling his knees up to his chest.
Whoosh!
He struck his target so hard that it knocked the wind out of him, Danzen digging his sword in all the way up to the hilt, the nue lurching forward. The monstrous yokai tried once more to swat him away, but the wound Danzen had brought down onto the crown of its skull was too much for it to handle.
The creature fell, and as it did Danzen jumped backward, letting his sword go with the enormous yokai as its face collided with a sharp curve of uprooted bedrock, the sound of its final gasps sickening.
Danzen landed on the nue’s back and stumbled down from there. As soon as he reached solid ground, he fell to a single knee and unsheathed his Blade of Darkness just in case the monster was still alive.
It soon became apparent that this wasn’t going to be the case.
.Chapter Four.
“Whew!” Jelmay stood before the nue with his hands on his waist, a surprised look on his face. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall, isn’t that right, fox? Speaking of which, where should we start? I don’t know about you all, but when I see this thing, all I can imagine is the inevitable kip I’m going to get for its parts.”
“We need to find somewhere else to stay for the night,” Kudzu told the bakeneko. “We’re not here to loot it.”
The fog had already started to clear as Jelmay approached the head of the nue and examined its teeth, acting as if he hadn’t heard her. “It’s going to be hard to get those things out of there.”
Galzo landed near the bakeneko, the winged wolf settling, his ears flitting back as he looked at the colossal yokai. “Kudzu is right. This creature has been keeping yokai out of this area for hundreds upon hundreds of years. As you know, there are always those looking to move into a territory once the ruler of the land has fallen. I would suspect that is the case here, and I would suspect that news will travel quickly. I need to bring the pack.”
“Bah. We have plenty of time,” Jelmay told the wolf. “There has to be something of value here, something I can unload at a dealer who specializes in yokai parts.”
“Why would you even consider doing that?”
“Why? To fund this operation,” he told Kudzu. “Who do you think is buying all those fancy robes and frog leather belts, not to mention paying for all of our lodging, food, and drink. If we’re going to save the world, we need to do so in style. You never hear me complaining. Why? Because I don’t mind making sacrifices for our little ragtag team of future champions. But the money has to come from somewhere.”
“You have money on you. I saw you counting it last night. If I recall, you were licking your lips and chuckling to yourself as you did so.”
“True, that’s the best way to count money. And it’s also true that I have some in various banks across Kishu Kingdom. The best way to maximize your investment is to spread it out, you should know that by now considering you are at least three hundred years old. Ugh. At least let me take its claws or something. There has to be something of value here. I would skin it, but…” Jelmay looked up at the massive creature. “That could take days. How about this? Give me your sword, Pilgrim, so I can cut away some of its claws. I’ll leave the teeth, as a compromise. How’s that? I’m sure that I can rope some hapless human into thinking they are an aphrodisiac, or perhaps a cure for erectile dysfunction. You know how humans are, especially men, always looking to overcompensate. Heh. I’ve made some of my best—”
“—Here. And hurry,” Danzen told the bakeneko as he handed him Nomin’s replica blade, which would be able to cut through the nails.
The bakeneko’s whiskers drooped. “I… I don’t get to use the new sword?”
“This one is just as sharp.”
Jelmay grumbled as he turned toward one of the yokai’s front paws.
“How far up did you go?” Yato asked as she approached Danzen.
Her hair was in disarray, and there were smudge marks across her face, but she didn’t look to be injured. Nor did Nomin, who stood nearby, still with her sword drawn, just in case the yokai somehow came alive again.
“Pretty high.”
“You dropped onto its head. It was like… like a stone falling from Sunyata.”
“I can’t believe you did that.” The white fox looked up at Danzen. “Sometimes you can be reckless.”
“It had to be done.” Danzen wasn’t the type to defend his actions, but if he were, he would have swept his hand at their surroundings, the stones now jutting out of the ground, all the trees that had been knocked over, their root systems vast and tangled. It could’ve been worse.
“I hope we never have to face one that large again.”
Danzen didn’t know what to tell Kudzu. The amount of chance involved in his line of work was unsettling, even if there was some bleed over with skill. The most practiced and trained combatant could be overwhelmed by the details of any given situation, and add to this the nature of his blood and what he was trying to do.
“The sheer size…” This voice belonged to Bawa, the globe at the tip of his tail with a light-purple hue to it now, not unlike the color Danzen associated with the remnants. “Its carcass will be here forever. It may be stripped of its parts by animals and yokai as time passes, but hundreds of years from now, this will still be here.”
“Which is yet another reason we need to collect what we can from it,” Jelmay called over to Bawa. The bakeneko had already sawed off two of the nue’s claws, and was working on a third. “These things are going to be heavy. Kudzu, we may need you to take your human form so you can help me carry them.”
“You know that’s not happening.”
“Lady Pilgrim?”
“I can help you, Jelmay.”
“And for that, I’m going to reward you. I don’t know what I will get you yet, but it will be something. I wish I had more of the ogama skin. But I could only carry so much last time. Maybe there is something I can have crafted from these claws. Time will tell, but you are getting spoiled courtesy of your favorite bakeneko.”
“Twenty minutes,” Galzo told Jelmay. “I need to return to Genshin Valley, Bawa to the nunnery, and the rest of you onward to Arsi. Get what you can, and then leave this creature be. Looting the bodies of our fellow brethren is a way to bring shame on all bakeneko.”
“Fellow brethren? I share nothing in common with this creature.” Jelmay started to laugh. “You aren’t going to shame any of us, Lord of the Dogs, not even the foxes. If anything, a real bakeneko would stay here overnight working to get every single part he could. He would also kidnap the bird and force him to tell him what he knew about this particular yokai, because I’m sure he knows something. Speaking of which, why didn’t anyone tell me that the bird could become so large?”
“It was mentioned,” Sansar said, who was now back to his normal size and perched on the nue, watching as Jelmay continued looting the corpse. “You likely weren’t listening.”
“If this is the case, then why have I been walking this entire time? You could have just carried me.”
Yato laughed under her breath. The younger assassin generally attempted to maintain the same composure as her peers, but Jelmay always had a way of cracking her up. To prevent herself from laughing even further, she moved to the other side of the mammoth yokai, Danzen turning to Nomin once she was gone.
“Do you sense it?” the blind assassin asked him.
At first, Danzen didn’t know what she was referring to; but once he closed his eyes, he saw energy radiating from the yokai. He realized now that the remnant that the nue had consumed had not only amplified its power, but it may have aided Danzen in hitting his target. The creature should have been obscured completely by its own fog, yet Danzen had been able to see a faint outline of its form, a glow during his plummet. It made sense now.
Keeping his eyes shut, Danzen approached the yokai, Nomin joining him as they walked next to its rib cage. He located the remnant’s illumination and plunged his sword into the body of the beast, Danzen having to cut away quite a bit of flesh and organ tissue before he finally was able to see the glowing remnants.
“Pilgrim gets it,” Jelmay said, the bakeneko so focused on his looting that he hadn’t realized why Danzen had started to gut the yokai.
“Let me,” Nomin said as Danzen stepped aside. The blind assassin sunk her hand into the opening he’d made and returned with a stone about the size of a book. “It’s one of the ancient ones…”
“It is,” said Danzen. Galzo approached, as did Bawa, the two yokai looking up at the remnant.
“It would be best for us to take that back to the nunnery…”
“I can accompany Bawa,” said Sansar. “I’ll carry it in the air so he won’t be disturbed. Once I reach the nunnery, I’ll leave it with Menya and Abbot Monpo and find the rest of you in the marshlands.”
“We won’t be too hard to find,” said Jelmay. “Just look for the white fox, a trio of assassins, and the handsomest bakeneko this side of Namdak.”
“I’ll… be sure to keep that in mind.”
Even with the blood smeared across it, the remnant was beautiful, its power causing Danzen’s stomach to knot up as he held it. Working with Yato, they used some of the nue’s fur to make a sack of sorts to hold the remnant, which they gave to Sansar.
Danzen approached the bakeneko. “Jelmay, we need to leave.”
“But I was just getting started…”
Kudzu picked up from here. “I’m sure there will be more to loot along the way. And… I’ll assist you if we run into anything else. How’s that? We can go now, I’ll help you if we encounter anything on our way to the marshlands. Deal?”
Jelmay looked up at her and smiled, his whiskers lifting. “You got it, fox.”
****
Traveling all night was something they had done before the northern passage, the group falling into a spell of silence as midnight approached and passed, dark clouds overhead signaling a chance for rain. It never came, but there were points when lightning and thunder lit up the sky with flashes of electric blue, the landscape cast in shades of deep purple, gray, and black, Danzen and his crew never stopping.
The horizon was always present, always changing, moving from forest to rocky fields, to lakes, and eventually a marshland. It was here where they had to be careful, Jelmay warning them about the giant alligators that were said to live in the area. There were fishermen who were brave enough to come out this far, but most stayed away, keeping closer to Arsi, where they could unload their wares and use numerous boats traveling up the Sakai River.
After parting ways with Bawa, Galzo, and Sansar, the group stopped for about an hour in the marshlands. Jelmay simply plopped down onto a wet lump of grass and let everyone know that he was going to rest. “I’ve been carrying these claws for what feels like days…”
“That was totally your choice,” Kudzu told him.
“And you didn’t even give us time to see if there were any other jewels or whatever that I could potentially take out there. The northern passage is long, but not as wide it seems, meaning all the good things are behind us. What’s the point of liberating this place if we aren’t sharing the spoils of war?”
Danzen returned his focus to a place he would likely never reach in the distance. Ahead of them lay Ginza, and the future that had a potential to disrupt everything he was hoping to accomplish. Behind them was the northern passage, which they had successfully opened, allowing for remnant transport between Genshin Valley and eastern regions, avoiding where most of the humans lived. It was remarkable what they had done, it had the potential to change their world, especially once humankind figured out the passage was open.
But rather than celebrate, they were right back in the thick of it, Danzen seemingly returning to a former life that would never leave him as he prepared to kill or die trying.
“We can’t rest here,” Nomin said. “But I believe there will be a place for us soon.”
“You’ve been to the marshlands?”
“I have,” she reminded Jelmay. “It is one of the easier ways to avoid detection when leaving Arsi.”
“Fine, but someone’s going to help me with this bag, and by help me I mean help Lady Pilgrim, because she is the one carrying it.”
“I’ll help.” Danzen took the demon bear hide from Jelmay, which was now full of claws. They eventually came to a place that they would be able to rest for a spell, a stretch of land where the soggy ground seemed to be drier. There were even trees here with wonderful pink flowers that filled the air with a smell reminiscent of honey.
The wood wasn’t dry enough for them to make a campsite, most of the group finding a place to rest and doing so as the sun started to rise. As always, Nomin stood guard, Danzen only able to sleep an hour or two.
Once he was awake, he joined the blind assassin.
“Are you ready to practice?”
Danzen nodded.
“Time moves strangely.”
“Did you sleep any?” he asked.
“I don’t sleep. Ever.”
“I noticed.”
“If we hurry, we can reach Arsi by tomorrow morning. I’m sure everyone will want to rest then.”
“I need to visit a blacksmith.”
“Kunta?”
“He’s the best I know.”
“There are better.”
“There always are.”
Danzen got into position and began bending his echo, thinking of his mother as he brought his new sword forward, energy rippling through it and around the legendary weapon. From his mother, his thoughts transitioned to Soko, some of the villagers back near his home, Khamdo and Enkhmaa, Dalan and Eva Yin. His history came to him in flashes, Danzen remembering White, the assassin who would drill him on infiltration. This led on a memory path of some of the more daring things he had done in his past, like hiding in rafters, or spending a day in a coffin just so he could take out a contract set to meet at a funeral home, endless stalking.
There were too many scenarios for him to recall, Danzen silencing them as he once again focused on his practice. He had to prepare, he had to be stronger and more cunning, and above all, he had to make sure no one died once they reached Ginza.
Part Eight
.Chapter One.
The marsh was behind them now, the city of Arsi spread before Danzen’s companions, split in half by the Sakai River. The outskirts of the city had grown to the point where they were forced to build up certain sections of the marsh, men loading in soil and erecting the homes on stilts, mosquitoes in the air even though it was pressing into fall, all of them avoiding Danzen.
His companions weren’t so lucky.
“Blasted things!” Jelmay slapped the back of his neck, the bakeneko now in his nondescript human form. “Take her blood,” he said, motioning towards Kudzu. “Not mine. Stupid yamachichis!”
“Yours is just too sweet for them. What can I say? It must be all that sugar in your diet.”
“If I have to tell you again that I am of average size for a bakeneko…”
“Enough.” Nomin rarely said anything to either yokai, but the two had been bickering for the last several hours, the blind assassin finally deciding to say something about it.
“Enough? Just because you’re back from the dead doesn’t mean you get to be rude all the time,” Jelmay shot back at her.
“I lived my entire life without meeting bakeneko.”
“And? What’s that supposed to mean? I lived my entire life without meeting a half-blooded assassin who goes by the name Pilgrim, and who has somehow managed to turn his life around and start inspiring others even with all the blood on his hands. I’ve also lived my entire life without meeting a blind assassin who has somehow returned from the dead, one that walks and acts like a ghost, not to mention the fact she wears all white and is eternally hard to get a read on. Need I go on? What are you trying to say?”
“Maybe it was my way of saying that bakeneko should be seen and not heard.”
Kudzu laughed at the statement. “I’ve always thought the same.”
“You’re no better, at least when the two of you are traveling together. You seem to enjoy tormenting each other.”
Kudzu’s ears instantly flitted back.
“Don’t you pick on her! You’re… you’re just jealous because you don’t have any friends.” Jelmay kicked at a stone. “Well, maybe that’s not true. I think Pilgrim is your friend. Right, Danzen?”
Danzen didn’t respond, nor did he pay any attention to Yato’s quiet chuckling. There was no point getting into this conversation. He kept his eyes on Sansar, who circled in the air above, the three-legged raven prepared to alert them if there was anything they should be cautious of. They were purposefully approaching the city as early as they could, the sun still rising, Danzen less worried about Soko’s scouts seeing him now that she knew he was coming.
It remained the ultimate question: should he seek out her help, or should he shun her completely? Everyone seemed to have an opinion on it, but one thing was clear to Danzen. Not bringing Soko into the fold would only provoke her, and at the same time, doing so would provoke those around him.
He still hadn’t decided what he should do.
Arsi was starting to wake up by the time they truly breached the city limits, fishermen carrying in their overnight catches, children helping their mothers with the morning chores, everything from sweeping front porches to bringing in things like eggs and milk from goats and cows. It was amazing how quickly the city transitioned from rural to cosmopolitan, the livestock and humble dwellings replaced by recently paved streets, public works, and a few small gathering spaces lined with manicured shrubs. Cafés with outdoor seating, hotels with maze-like gardens, banking. Many parts of the city were segregated by industry, like the pleasure house area, its road marked by a red arch that everyone entering was forced to pass under, or the government buildings, behind stone walls and iron gates.
