Pilgrim 4, p.6
Pilgrim 4, page 6
“What else did he say?”
“He wanted to show me something, some skill with my blood that he said would help me. I declined.”
“Why?” Nomin asked, which wasn’t the direction that he thought the conversation would go.
“I don’t want his help.”
“You may be going up against some of the strongest opponents you’ve ever faced, and if the ruler of Diyu is offering you some assistance…” She slowly nodded. “Perhaps it isn’t my place.”
“Take his assistance and then what? Be indebted to him?”
“Yes, I do see your point. That would be a slippery slope.”
“We will see what my brother throws at me.”
“Why won’t Nomtoi just come after you himself?”
Danzen explained that his father had forbidden this, yet he now wanted to see his two sons fight for the throne. “He won’t accept the fact that I don’t want it. I want to rebuild Sunyata; ruling Diyu is not the way that I’m going to do it.”
“Do you recall what Birin Yeshe always said during the Brotherhood’s annual dinner? About the adaptability of an assassin?”
“I remember.”
“It would be best to remember that.” Nomin turned back to the edge of the overhang. “The bakeneko is hungry, and he won’t stop telling everyone about it. I promised him we would bring something.”
“We do have some rations.”
“It won’t take us very long.”
Nomin dropped down, Danzen doing the same. He landed next to her, and the two ignored the others as they started in the direction of Genshin Valley, the fog clear for the time being.
Danzen had hunted with Nomin this way before, back when they were teamed together. Without sight, her ability to hear even the most minute noises had been heightened. She was as light on her feet as Danzen was, and it wasn’t long before Nomin paused and pointed at a shrub.
Fwitt!
Danzen’s boomerang sword returned with a large rabbit on the end of it. He held it by its ears as he had Usagi just a few days ago. They continued, Nomin pausing once again after they had walked about five hundred feet.
He could see the animal this time, a goat on a rocky ledge and nibbling at a branch with red berries on it. Astra passed through the goat’s neck and returned to Danzen, the carcass smacking against the ground as his blade reached his hand.
“That should be enough,” said Nomin.
They returned to the campsite, where they found that Jelmay had concocted a grill of sorts by cleverly stacking long slabs of stone.
“Just what I was looking for,” he said, licking his lips. “Real meat.”
Danzen placed the goat on the ground, the rabbit next to it, Jelmay gladly producing a knife from his bag so he could strip the animals of their fur. “Too bad I can’t somehow combine this fur with my demon bear hide.”
“I’m not going to comment on that,” said Kudzu as she watched him prepare the meat, the fox licking her lips.
“You know nothing about fashion.”
“I don’t need to know anything about human fashion.”
“It’s a good idea, and you know it. Someone needs to help me with the meal. Lady Pilgrim?”
As usual, Yato assisted Jelmay while Danzen joined Abbot Monpo and Galzo at the mouth of the overhang, where they were speaking to Sansar.
“We have to try to make it through the fog before nightfall,” said the raven as Danzen approached. “It will get thicker the deeper we get. I’m surprised it’s as clear as it is this morning. Very surprised.” He tilted his beak up at the sky.
“Once we reach the end, then what? How far will we have to journey?” asked Danzen.
“It’s hard to say,” Galzo told him, the winged wolf seated on his haunches. “To be honest, it has been hundreds of years since I took this path, and I can’t recall the distance, mostly because of the fog. In a way I just followed my nose, but it is much easier traveling by myself than with a group, as you can imagine.”
“Personally, I estimate it will take us another two to three days,” Abbot Monpo said, a hint of confidence in his voice.
Galzo considered this. “Maybe. We should come out in the Outer Regions, where we can go to the nunnery to regroup. Then we can make our plans to deal with the yokai that is causing this fog.”
“There has been… another development,” Danzen told the group.
Not even six months ago, Danzen would have kept his interaction with his father to himself. But now people relied on him, and he wanted to know what they were getting into. He also wanted them to be aware of the surprise attack that was to come. “Kudzu,” he called the white kitsune, “you’ll need to hear this as well.”
“Maybe you should tell everyone over our meal,” Abbot Monpo said, interpreting that something was awry. “Then you won’t have to repeat yourself.”
Kudzu approached, a slight sparkle to her white fur coat. “Yes?”
“I’ll… explain everything soon. Right now, we need to plan for the next several days.”
“That’s right,” said Galzo the wolf. “We get through the fog, then we continue the journey. I don’t know yet what we will encounter, and what happened back near your monastery concerns me to some degree, the attack. If there are yokai that are against what we are attempting to do, they likely won’t ambush us in the fog. But after we are clear of it, it may become a little more dangerous.” He shook out his head, his ears flapping. “I don’t know. Most won’t venture into this fog, so perhaps we are safe.”
“Not exactly true,” said Sansar. “Last time I flew over this region, I spotted several yokai below, which would mean they have permission from the nue causing the fog. We aren’t out of the clear just because our positions are obscured.”
“Then we will stay on the defensive,” said Danzen. “And remain tied to one another once we leave here. We move as quickly as we can today, get past the fog, and we will deal with any encounters we may face along the way.”
“Yes,” said Galzo. “This is the way. It will be an amazing thing, you know, once the fog is lifted off this region. Who knows what we will uncover. We are, after all, only going through a small portion of it. It extends quite far, miles upon miles in all directions.”
Kudzu grunted in half-agreement. “The sooner we are out of here, the better.”
****
It was bound to happen, the fog settling in once they reached what looked to be the start of a valley, just as they came across another cache of dead bodies that had been slammed into the rock.
“We don’t have time,” Galzo told Jelmay, who was already eyeing their jewelry.
“You don’t have time,” said the bakeneko. “As selfish as this sounds, we could always use something to trade with later on, be it for money or whatever they trade with in the Outer Regions. Bawa did say that there are people that live out there. What better thing to trade than a handful of rare relics?”
“You’re wasting time.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Jelmay told Kudzu as he plucked a bracelet off a skeletal wrist. “I think this one would fit me.” He slipped his paw into it and jiggled the bracelet, Yato not able to contain her laughter.
“Don’t encourage him.” Kudzu moved on, which forced Danzen to walk ahead as well considering he was attached to her by the golden thread.
“We will leave without you,” Galzo warned him as he too pressed away from Jelmay.
Yato, who was affixed to the bakeneko, began to tug at him. “I don’t want to get stuck here.”
“Fine, fine. I’m not going to grumble this time and remind everyone how wrong they are.” Jelmay joined the group, his new bracelet jangling on his wrist. “But once we clear this bloody fog, I’m going on an epic mission to loot every single skeleton I can find. We still don’t know if there are remnants out here or not.”
“Let’s just get through the area first, and then we will deal with what happens after,” Abbot Monpo said in a cordial way, always the peace broker.
As they continued on, the fog grew thicker, Danzen barely able to make out the other members of his party. The yokai communicated through sounds, mostly from Kudzu to Galzo, but occasionally Sansar, and Jelmay even let out a lengthy meow that sounded sarcastic. They were able to see each other, but every now and then the wind would pick up, the fog obscuring the space even a foot or two in front of Danzen.
It was much colder now, and even though Danzen knew the sun was out, everything had gray undertones to it, no discernible smell in the air. The only one who seemed to have adjusted was Nomin, who walked at an almost leisurely pace, entirely reliant on her ability to extend her echo and see what was before her.
Once again Danzen closed his eyes, and while he did get subtle, purple outlines of his environment, they were blurred to some degree. The demonic yokai creating the fog was disrupting Danzen’s echo, he could feel it, which made him wonder if it could somehow sense him.
He truly hoped not.
As he walked, he recalled how his companions had reacted to his revelation over breakfast, that Tengir Gantulga had appeared and warned him of his brother’s next actions.
Nomin and Yato seemed committed to helping Danzen in any way possible; Jelmay’s response had been one of annoyance mostly at his father’s part for not putting a stop to Nomtoi’s actions. As usual, Kudzu was gravely concerned by what Tengir Gantulga had revealed to him, which led Jelmay to tease her to some degree. Danzen didn’t get a sense of how Galzo or Abbot Monpo felt about it, and Sansar hadn’t said anything either, the three-legged raven perched on his shoulder at the moment, quiet as ever.
The sound of the wind caused the group to pause, a screeching nature to it loud enough to cover any of the yokai communication. They huddled together as the wind screamed all around them, and once it settled, they continued on.
“I thought it was an ambush there for a second,” Jelmay said, and while Danzen initially thought that he was joking, one look at the bakeneko told him otherwise. Jelmay’s whiskers were erect, and his eyes were wide, filled with concern.
“We don’t know when Nomtoi’s henchmen are going to strike, so there’s that as well. It could be any time…”
“We will address them when it happens,” Danzen told him.
“You think they will do it in a group, or one by one?” Jelmay asked. “Did your father say something about that?”
“He just said that the first one would attack soon.”
The bakeneko moaned. “I can’t wait for all of this to be over with, and for me to be able to kick my feet up and look up at the sky, knowing Sunyata is there and the world is a better place. I guess I will have to have my house rebuilt first, but all in due time. Damn. I should have had the raven tell Khamdo to get started, yet another mistake on my part. Think ahead, Jelmay, think ahead.”
“It is best for you to focus on the here and now, rather than the future, or the past, for that matter, especially with where we are going,” Galzo told him, the winged wolf panting now, also showing signs of nervousness.
The fog swelled around them, Danzen noticing that the sounds had stopped, the former assassin once again not able to see his companions.
“I’m just saying that I will be happy when all this is over,” Jelmay told the other yokai. “It will be glorious indeed.”
They traveled for another hour or so, keeping close together, the bakeneko the only one doing any talking. Nomin remained stoic as always at the front, Yato had shifted back into mirroring how Danzen and the blind assassin acted when they were in the field, and the other yokai rarely spoke aside from Kudzu’s occasional snide comment aimed in Jelmay’s direction.
The howling began again, the wind whipping through their ranks, much stronger than it had been previously. Tree limbs and other debris flew past, and Danzen heard one of his companions cry out, as if they had been struck by something.
He could no longer see what was happening, his initial response being to grab the thick golden thread tying him to Kudzu, making sure that he kept close to the kitsune. To make things easier, Kudzu practically wrapped herself around his leg as Danzen hunkered down, the wind moving so strongly now that he had to push his head forward and stabilize his feet, his leg muscles bulging.
The wind never let up, nor did the howling, and as it became more maniacal, he lifted Kudzu into his arms, holding the fox over a shoulder. Danzen took a step forward, and another, trying to find the others. Kudzu yipped as loud as she could; Sansar, who gripped his shoulder tightly, squawked in an attempt to communicate with the others.
“I’m going to keep moving!” Danzen shouted, his vision obscured, the former assassin joining in the shout for his companions.
The shrieking grew louder, the fog thicker, and with it a sense of fear bloomed in Danzen’s chest. There were things he was afraid of, but it took a lot to startle him, the sheer power of the wind and the blackness of the fog triggering something deep within Danzen, something akin to how he would have felt if this were a nightmare, moving forward into the unknown, grasping for straws in the darkness.
Pitch black, an infinite dark, Danzen was glad at that moment that there was a sparkle to Kudzu’s coat, which added a slight illumination not far from his face. He kept walking even though he knew he should have stopped, and by the time the fog let up to some degree, Danzen felt the ground slip beneath him.
He fell backward, the rocks beneath his feet giving way and sending him forward, Danzen still holding onto Kudzu, Sansar gripping his robes, the raven batting his wings in his face as they slid forward.
They were deposited at the base of the cliff from what Danzen could tell, the fog still in the air above, the area before them visible to some degree, cast in gray stone. He got to his feet, his initial fear subsiding once he realized that he hadn’t been cut in his epic slide. Danzen set Kudzu down and cupped his hands around his mouth as he called for his companions. He even summoned his Demon Speak power, hoping that it would amplify his voice.
“Jelmay! Yato… Nomin!”
Nothing.
“It appears we have separated from the others…” Sansar said. “Unless… ah, up ahead.”
At first, Danzen thought it was a potential opponent, but then he recognized the way that Yato carried herself, and more importantly, the bakeneko at her side, breathing heavily, his tail erect.
The dust continued to settle as Yato spotted Danzen. She ran toward him, dragging Jelmay along. “Pilgrim,” she said, her hair a mess, robes layered in dust. She had summoned one of her gauntleted weapons, the blade slowly retracting back into its sheath.
“Argh! I cannot wait until we find the yokai that is doing this,” Jelmay grumbled. The bakeneko sneezed, the bangle on his wrist jingling. He placed one finger over his left nostril and summoned a deep breath, blowing snot onto the ground. “My nose is filled with dust. I hate it here!”
“We need to keep moving to the north,” Kudzu said, her ears standing to attention now.
Sansar agreed. “We move to the north, and hopefully get out of this wretched fog. I’m certain that the others will do the same, that, or Nomin will find us. Either way, we head north.”
.Chapter Four.
Danzen, Jelmay, Kudzu, Yato, and Sansar pressed on, the fog finally dissipating after an hour’s walk. Able to finally get a better look at their surroundings, Danzen was surprised to see the sheer number of bones that lay before them, carcasses of animals and yokai that he had never seen before. It was gruesome.
This was a different kind of graveyard than the one they had encountered beneath the underhang the previous night. Something had killed all these animals, and picked the meat clean off their bones. None of the bones belonged to humans, as far as Danzen could discern, the smell in the air with a sour hint to it.
Kudzu lowered her head. “This doesn’t look good…”
“If we just move through without disturbing anything, perhaps whatever made a quick meal of these animals won’t notice us,” said Jelmay, his teeth chattering.
“Is it the demonic yokai? The one who has brought the fog?”
“No, this is something else,” Jelmay told Yato. “I’ve seen something like this before. It’s been years, but…”
Sansar spoke up. “An ogama.”
“What he said.” Jelmay paused for a moment and lifted his nostrils up, taking in another with. “Yes, an ogama. This is bad. This is very bad.”
Yato instinctively summoned her blades, the young assassin ready to engage whatever they encountered. “What’s an ogama?”
“It sounds less sinister than it is. Ugh. As long as we get through this area, we should be fine. And don’t forget you are bound to me, Lady Pilgrim, so be careful with those blades!”
Danzen felt the urge to throw himself into the air as he had done multiple times before, which allowed him to travel quickly. Aside from being bound to Kudzu, he knew it was more important to keep up with the others, specifically Jelmay, the slowest moving of the group.
Without a word, he moved forward with the white kitsune, the bakeneko holding her tail much to her chagrin, an attempt to link the two groups together. Sansar remained perched on Danzen’s shoulder, the raven on high alert.
“Should I be looking for something?” Yato asked, bewilderment in her eyes. It was in her demeanor that Danzen knew she still needed training; while he had a heightened sense of concern, he never wore his feelings on his face, well aware that they could affect his overall power. He’d been raised to believe that a person’s facial expression was a window into their soul, that it was best to keep those windows closed.
“You still have yet to tell us what an ogama is,” she said once no one responded to her question.
“It’s a frog, more or less,” Jelmay told Yato, his focus now on the space directly ahead of them. “It sounds less threatening than it really is. This is no ordinary frog!”
“A… frog did this?”
