BOOK IV, CHAPTER 4
28 Jun 2010 6 Comments
in 2nd Volume: Night and Day, Book IV: Twilight Dreams Tags: adventure, animal, anthro, drama, exile, fantasy, fiction, forest, furry, hanami, japanese culture, kemono, mammals, outcast, religion, samurai, Tasakeru, twilight dreams, web fiction, web serial novel, zero
CHAPTER 4
Battle at sunset
A time that decides her fate
The cycle begins
“Hayaoh’s wrath was terrible to behold; his bellowing war cries shook the mountains and roiled the seas. His hatred for the shadows burned him like a searing flame as he searched the land high and low for any trace of Shizuka or the shadows that had taken her. Though it scorched his fur and flesh, Hayaoh could feel no warmth from that flame… it was as if his body had turned to ice. He did not know what to make of this bitter, burning chill, for the great samurai had never before known fear such as this. He was lost, a leaf borne by winds, and he knew that he would only find his way again with Shizuka by his side.
“So set was he in his fury that he stormed the Beneath itself in search of her, where he found the shadows crouched over Shizuka’s still form. Hayaoh drew his sword and challenged them to battle, and they accepted with a cackle of glee, for though Hayaoh’s blade was swift and true, the shadows had no substance and could not be cut. Still the samurai fought on helplessly as Shizuka grew weaker, for the shadows had filled her veins with darkness like a foul poison.
“At long last, Hayaoh fell exhausted, having slain not a single of their number. He had reached the very limits of his strength. In his desperation, he begged the Gods for light to banish the darkness…”
[The Legend of Hayaoh, squirrel folktale, circa year 500]
The only sounds that could be heard were the gentle strumming of the harp and the light snoring from Legion’s direction, where he had curled his enormous tail around himself and gone to sleep. Naole found the quiet unsettling, and she fidgeted restlessly on the cushion Aria had provided.
Aria had not spoken since Naole had finished telling her the strange story of her abduction, Legion’s birth, and their escape from the Black Rose Tower. She sat with her eyes closed, her fingers plucking out an eerie, wandering melody on the harp. The wolfox seemed to be in deep concentration… so much so that she startled Naole when she finally spoke. “Is something wrong?”
Naole cursed inwardly. She realized she must have been staring at the wolfox again. “No, nothing! I… I just-”
“You have never been this close to a wolfox before.” Aria opened her eyes and smiled gently, setting down the harp. “I make you uncomfortable.”
“No, no! T-that’s not it at all!” Naole stammered, though the assessment was absolutely correct.
“Please, child. I understand.” She folded her hands and placed them in her lap. “Many older than you have done far worse than stare or show discomfort in my presence.”
“I don’t mean to,” said Naole, her ears turning back. “I’ve never thought your people were… er…”
“‘Aberrations’? That is what the Silver Order calls us, correct? Most others refer to us as ‘stains’, or other names I care not to repeat. It is simply the way things are.”
“I’m sorry,” said Naole, bowing deeply. Lame as it sounded, it was the only response she could think of. “I really am grateful for your giving us food and shelter. We both are,” she added, smiling as she watched Legion’s whiskers twitch in his sleep.
“Your friend is quite remarkable,” said Aria. “You have taught him very well, I think.”
The squirrel gently patted Legion between his ears. “It’s hard to believe it’s been less than two weeks. I feel like I’ve known him for so much longer…”
“Mmm.”
There followed several more minutes of silence between them.
“So are you an Outcast too?” Naole decided to break the tension before it built again.
“Of sorts. I have dealings with the other wolfoxes on occasion, but they prefer to keep their distance.”
“Why is that?”
Aria stared up at the glimpses of afternoon sky visible through the canopy of leaves. “They call me by many titles: seer, fortune-teller, muse, oracle. They say that I can see the future.”
Naole’s eyes widened. “Is that true?”
“Not entirely,” the wolfox sighed. “What I see are the pathways, the many outcomes that are possible at any given moment. I see them stretching out before me in infinite lines like the roots of trees, ever-growing, ever-shifting as time decides its course…”
“That’s… that’s amazing!” The squirrel goggled at her. “If anything, that’s better than seeing the future! So why do they stay away from you?”
She met Naole’s gaze with those sorrowful grey eyes. “My sight is never certain,” she said softly. “I see the possibilities that the future will hold, but never which ones will happen. Always the paths are changing… the others are always afraid that I will foretell disaster.”
A chill ran down Naole’s spine. “Is… is that what you’re seeing now?”
“As I said, I am uncertain.” Aria reached for the harp at her side. “Many paths before us lead to directly to a great calamity, an immediate danger to all sentientkind. Others lead to our salvation, though some are rife with sorrow, and still others provide balm to sorrows past. I can see these outcomes, but only the Gods will decide them…”
Zero’s eyes snapped open. In an instant his hand was at his back, reaching for the hilt of his sword by instinct… only to find that it wasn’t there. The reality of his last waking memories crashed back down on him, and his shoulders sagged.
His battered body ached from the sudden movement as he gazed up at the ceiling. From the mingled scents of paper, leather, and metal, he knew he was in Ashpaw’s den. Low murmurings of conversation were coming from the next room; he picked out Ashpaw’s baritone and Drake’s rumbling growl easily. Moving as quickly as he was able, he lifted himself from the makeshift bed composed of cushions on the floor and threw off his blankets. Limping slightly, he crossed to the door and opened it onto the badger’s sitting room, where he and Drake were seated at a circular table.
“It’s pointless,” Drake was saying. “You know it is. So why do you persist in thinking we can still-”
“Because I refuse to lose hope,” Ashpaw interrupted, rubbing his brow. He spoke with the weariness of a sentient twice his age. “However foolish it may be.”
“Ashpaw. I need a new blade,” said Zero by way of greeting. The two elder sentients looked up sharply at his words.
“And just what are you planning on doing with it?” The white wolf folded his skeletal hands over the knob atop his walking stick.
“I’m going to go straight back to that tower and-”
“Yes, because a display of brute force worked so well for you the first time.” The contempt in Drake’s voice seared Zero like acid.
“Drake. Be civil,” said Ashpaw. From his side he picked up the hilt and half-inch of jagged steel that was all that was left of the Takaichi family sword, and with a sigh he laid it on the table. His rich brown eyes stayed locked on it as he spoke. “I’m afraid there is nothing I can do, my friend.”
“Mange,” said Zero. “If you can forge a morning star, you can make a new sword blade, I know you can.”
“This is no simple repair, Zero,” Ashpaw said calmly. “The length of the blade is still inside the tower. Forging an entirely new blade would take weeks at the least, with no guarantee that it would be anywhere near the quality of the old one. That would be if I had the ore and steel to construct a new blade in the first place… which I don’t.”
The broken sword rattled as Zero slammed his hand on the table. His injured hands smarted in protest, but he ignored them. “Then give me a new weapon! Something, anything!”
Drake scoffed. “What’s the point, Takaichi? You can’t force N’Ktane out with a weapon. Any fool can see that. Or are you actually willing to spill Hanami’s blood to save her? In that case, go ahead.”
Zero fixed the wolf with an icy stare. “Watch your tone, old one.”
“Or what?” His bones creaked as Drake rose to his feet with difficulty. Even leaning forward on his walking stick, he towered over the squirrel. “You know that has to be an option. If you truly care about the girl like I think you do, you’ll do anything to stop her from suffering.” The flickering light from Ashpaw’s fireplace reflected in his eyes. “Anything. Including taking her life.”
“I’m not going to kill Hanami!” Zero stood up as well, glaring at the wolf. “I can still save her!”
“How?” Drake sneered. “Face the facts, Takaichi. You don’t even know if there’s anything of her left to save! You’re holding on to a fantasy, a dream that just because you care about her, you can still get her back!”
Zero felt his temper boiling within him, nearing a breaking point. He took a step forward, clenching his fists and ready to tear the wolf apart… and his boot nudged something heavy. Looking down, he saw an old, weather-beaten book lying on the floor. He leaned down to pick it up, his eyes widening as he recognized the cover instantly, not even needing to read the title: Collected Lore of the Early Years.
Ashpaw frowned at it from his seat. “Odd, I thought I had shelved that. Zero?”
He held the book and stared at it transfixed, forgetting about Drake for the moment. “Gods, I haven’t seen a copy of this in years… I used to read to Naole from it every night. The Legend of Hayaoh was our favorite…” Falling back to his own seat, Zero gingerly opened the book, his fingers finding the right page by memory. “I was thinking about that story earlier when we climbed the tower, about Hayaoh and Shizuka…”
Ashpaw nodded. “Stories do tend to come to mind at the oddest times.”
“I wanted to be like him as a kit,” said Zero, tracing the familiar words with his fingertip. “Like Hayaoh. Always strong, always sure of his way. He would never accept failure.” His eyes wandered from the page. “Like the things I’ve done… I failed my spirit brothers during the Week of Blood; I failed Naole when I let Stalker take her. And now I’ve failed Hanami.”
“Life isn’t Godlore, young buck,” growled Drake. “I know that story. Hayaoh never loses, that’s the reason it’s a fantasy, a kit’s tale. You’ve had your failures, we all have, but this one you still have a chance to make right. You haven’t failed Hanami yet. You can still end her suffering.”
“The Gods would never forgive me,” said Zero, his voice hardening again. “I would never forgive me.”
“You’d be surprised what you can live with,” said Drake quietly. “And as for the Gods, it doesn’t matter. They don’t exist anyway.”
Thud. The book slipped off Zero’s lap and fell back to the floor as he gaped at the wolf in horror. “You… you didn’t just say that…”
Drake turned and stared into the fire. “I don’t know whether they’re not real or if they just don’t care. In the end, either you do what you must, or you don’t, and let others suffer for it. The Gods are irrelevant.”
“Take that back.” The voice had come from the doorway. Faun stood there aghast, clutching a small book under her arm with a familiar flower tucked into its pages. Her emerald eyes flared as she stomped across the sitting room to where Drake stood. There was a ringing crack as her gloved palm struck the wolf’s cheek. The vixen’s voice trembled as she spoke again. “Don’t ever… ever say things like that. The Gods are why we’re all here, why we found each other. They helped me on the streets, and Zero during the Week of Blood… and they helped Hanami.”
Drake stood dumbstruck, too surprised to say anything.
Ashpaw blinked in disbelief. “Faun?”
Faun slammed the small book onto the table and snatched the Mage Flower from within its pages, holding it aloft. “You asked me to go back to Woodhaven and look for clues, right?” She glared ferociously at Ashpaw, who nodded in reply. “So I found this: it’s her journal, and it explains everything.”
Zero stared at her. “You read her-”
“Not important right now, Takky! Hanami thought that the Gods were punishing her for using the Mage Flower too much, but it was that shedding whore of a spider playing with her mind, using her guilt and her memories to give her nightmares.” The vixen spit on the floor in disgust. “Flowers was going to leave Tasakeru. She left the Mage Flower and her journal behind, with a note that said the journal would tell everything… where she got the flower, and why she was exiled. It’s a damned confession, and it’s because of N’Ktane that she thought she needed to write it. You want proof that the Gods are watching? Here it is. I’ve marked the pages you need to read.”
By the time they had finished poring over the journal’s contents, the fire had faded to embers. The four Outcasts sat around the table, the males in shock while Faun trembled with repressed rage.
“So now we know what led to this,” said Drake finally. “It still doesn’t prove anything, save for the fact that the spider is more cruel than we ever thought. The question remains: what do we do now?”
“Unless one of you has become an expert mage in the last hour, there’s not a lot we can do,” growled Faun.
A mage, thought Zero. His eyes grew wide as he stared at the Mage Flower lying next to the open journal, his mind whirling. “I’ve got it. By the Gods, I’ve got it! We don’t need a mage!”
Ashpaw glanced in his direction. “We don’t?”
His hand shaking as he took the stem in between his fingers, Zero stared at each of the others in turn. “She was only able to fully control Hanami once she gave up the Mage Flower. So if we make her take it back…”
Faun slapped her forehead. “Mange, Takky, you’re right… Renubis told me as much, he said something about Hanami being its ‘chosen bearer’! It must have been protecting her all along, from the samurai that one time…”
“… and it fended off Stalker, and N’Ktane’s earlier attempts at possession,” Ashpaw finished. “It stands to reason that the flower may give her enough strength to shake the spider’s control from within. Well thought, Zero!”
“I’m no rabbit, but it sounds logical enough. It’s a good plan, if it works,” Drake said flatly. “But how do we get close enough to her to force her to take it?”
“By creating a distraction,” said Zero, rising to his feet. “Faun, I hope you’re stocked up on bombs, we’ll each need all we can carry…”
Hanami hung suspended like a fly in amber, a prisoner in her own mind. She had only been able to watch and scream in defiance as N’Ktane used her body to torture Zero. For now, all was quiet in the tower. She (or they) sat in a rough-hewn throne that had grown out of the tower wall at the N’Ktane’s command, both squirrel and spider waiting for the inevitable moment when the Outcasts would return. In the meantime Hanami strained to move with all her effort. If she could just wriggle her hand, or even a finger…
“It’s no use trying to struggle, my dear,” N’Ktane whispered, using Hanami’s own lips to speak to her. She could have simply thought the words, but even that would have been some show of mercy. “You’re weak. Useless. You always have been, and always will be. At least I shall put this body to a better use.”
I’ll never stop. Hanami thought back with as much force as she could muster. I’ll never let you win. Neither will the others.
“Then they will die.” N’Ktane steepled her fingers and grinned. “Takaichi will be the last. Do you know what I will do then, Hanami? I will take this body to Shinboku, and sow chaos from the shadows, until your society crumbles and every sentient mammal is dead and rotting.” She shivered with pleasure at the thought. “Only then, after everyone and everything you know lies in ruins, only then will I release you, and go back to my rest in the Beneath.”
Hanami choked back an angry sob. He’ll stop you.
“I welcome his attempt, my pet.”
BOOM. The floor shuddered underneath her feet as something detonated against the outer wall. N’Ktane remained calm, commanding the tower to form a doorway for the Outcasts. Settling back into the throne, she mused that the best prey had to be the kind that would willingly deliver itself to the web, and chuckled at the thought.
Outside, Faun stared at the doorway with apprehension. “Well, she knows we’re here. So much for catching her off guard.”
“It leaves more bombs for us to use, at least,” said Ashpaw, trying fruitlessly to see inside without stepping over the threshold. The entrance to the tower was so pitch-black that it seemed to draw the fading afternoon sunlight into itself.
Zero clutched the hilt of the broken sword resting in its scabbard on his back, then grimaced as a burning sensation flickered over his palm. Ashpaw had used a cache of healing spellstones to close his wounds, but magic could do nothing about the pain.
“You’re certain you can still fight?” asked Drake, raising an eyebrow.
“I can stand, and I can throw,” said Zero. “So I fully intend to pay her back for everything she’s done. How about you, old one?”
“Might take me a while to make it up the stairs, but I’ll be there this time.”
A smile tugged at Zero’s lips. “Be sure you are.”
The four Outcasts drew together, exchanging glances. Each of them tried to think of the proper words to say, but no words would come. Zero gazed up at the sky, at the clouds turning pink as the sky began to redden, nearing sunset. Closing his eyes, he let out a breath and took the first step forward toward the black. A low wind began to blow.
No sooner were the four of them past the threshold when a red glow washed over them, drawing them upward with a sudden violent motion. As quickly as it had come, it was gone again.
“Greetings once more,” said N’Ktane.
The spider had somehow brought them all to the top floor, which had assumed the shape of a wide, vast hallway, far too big for the tower’s diameter. She stood up from a rock throne at the back of the hall, now clad in a long black evening gown, elegant but simple in its design. Hanami’s tunic lay discarded in a corner, pinned under the blade of Zero’s sword, which was stuck an inch deep in the floor.
Faun laid a warning hand on Zero’s shoulder as he tensed at the sight. “Easy, Takky. Focus,” she muttered. “Stick to the plan.”
“I knew you would come back.” N’Ktane’s crimson eyes sparkled with malevolent light. “You’re far too stubborn to simply accept the fact that you’ve lost her.”
“Not yet we haven’t,” Zero snarled. “Now!”
The four scattered. In unison they hurled the bombs Faun had given them at N’Ktane. The tiny, marble-like spheres stopped in midair a foot away from her, seized by the red aura of her power. “Did you really think that-”
Her sneer was cut off as the bombs detonated all at once. A blanket of concealing fog filled the hall, and the Outcasts vanished into it like ghosts. Now blinded, N’Ktane lashed out with her claws, opening her mind to scan for their presences. Catching snatches of thoughts from four different directions, she took a few hesitant steps, feeling for the closest victim… and failed to notice a second volley of bombs thrown at her feet. N’Ktane was pummeled by a howl of sound, a high-pitched whine from detonating shells that lingered in her ears, rendering her near-deaf as well as blind.
A shape loomed out of the fog, arms spread wide. It caught N’Ktane from behind in a tight embrace, pinning her arms to her sides. The spider shrieked and launched a psychic assault on her attacker –
the warm stone of the abandoned crypt, so much gold
mama, i’m hungry… want to go home
flowers laughs at the joke and offers tea
Though echoes of the whine were still deadening her ears, she heard the feminine cry of pain from behind her, and the attacker’s grip loosened. N’Ktane spun around, kicked the reeling vixen to the floor, and raised her claws. Four hands caught her arms from either side, one pair massive and one pair withered and frail. N’Ktane’s anger boiled over as she cast her red auras around the three, and threw them all to the corners of the room with the force of her mind. “Hiding in the mist won’t do you any good, mammals!” she bellowed after them, cackling as she heard three bodies slam against the tower walls.
Dimly she heard footsteps from the fog. Another attack was coming. She braced herself for another strike from behind… and was caught off guard as Zero Takaichi shot out of the cloud bank like an arrow for a frontal assault. Their bodies entangled as he tackled her to the floor.
Zero felt her claws cut into him, tearing through the fabric of his jacket as if it were paper. He caught one flailing wrist and squeezed hard enough to nearly break it – Forgive me, Hanami – forcing it roughly down to the stone. Flashes of pain and crimson light lanced through him as the spider struck wildly at his mind. Though each flash stabbed at him like a dagger, he kept his weight upon her body, scrabbled inside his jacket for the Mage Flower with his free hand. Just as long, slim fingers closed around his neck, he managed to force the flower’s stem into the hand that he had pinned…
The doe squirrel let out a great, shuddering gasp. She convulsed violently underneath him, but he kept her fingers held around the Mage Flower. He wouldn’t let go until she –
She let out a sigh that seemed to come from somewhere deep within her. And as Zero watched, her hair began to brighten, turning back to sun-bright gold. She closed her eyes as if going to sleep, and when she opened them once more, they were pale blue…
Zero sobbed with relief and slackened his grip. “Hanami!”
Looking up at him, she smiled – not with N’Ktane’s wicked grin, but with her own smile – and gently whispered his name.
That was when he felt her claws gouge furrows in his stomach. With a groan of pain he slumped to the floor, feeling warm blood seeping into his robes.
She stood and laughed with delight, her melodic voice twisting into N’Ktane’s mocking cackle as her hair and eyes turned crimson once again. “Really, Takaichi? That was your plan? I thought you were smarter than that.”
Failed. His plan had failed. Zero struggled to his feet, his face a mask of mingled rage, pain, and sorrow. Blood spattered on the granite floor. “You… snake… This is… unforgivable…”
The red aura seized him and held him spread-eagled. “It was a noble attempt, at least. I’m sure Hanami appreciated it. Unfortunately for her, I intend to keep using her body for as long as it will last. Even I don’t know how long that will be… perhaps in a few decades, she’ll even grow to resemble me…”
Zero screamed and writhed in agony as the spider invaded his mind with a grotesque image. It was an image of Hanami’s body, changed beyond recognition. Her fingers had elongated into tapered claws, and long, thin, hairy legs extended from her back… The image burned mercilessly into his mind like a brand.
“I’ll never relinquish her,” whispered N’Ktane. “Never.”
He fell to the floor, released from the aura. Zero’s limbs felt as if they were weighted down by lead. Once more he attempted to push himself upright, his wounds searing with the effort. Breath escaped his lungs as she kicked him savagely, rolling him onto his back with the impact.
N’Ktane leaned over him with a look of mock pity. “Nothing else to say, Takaichi? Would you like it to end now?”
With the last vestige of his strength, he drew his ruined sword from its scabbard and held the jagged edge at her neck, his breathing ragged. Zero’s eyes stared directly into hers. The fog bank began to clear.
Ashpaw picked himself up and felt his bones creak. The light of the sunset streaming through the hall’s windows and the fading fog illuminated a scene from a nightmare: a bloodied Zero with his broken sword at N’Ktane’s… Hanami’s throat. A moan escaped him. “Lord Alder, no…”
Faun could barely move. The combined shock of the spider’s mental attack and the impact with the wall had left her every nerve on fire with pain. Sluggishly she opened her eyes and saw the two enemies at a standstill. Weakly she raised a hand… she could help, if she could only reach. Takky… Flowers…
Drake cursed his old and useless body as he felt around for his walking stick. With it, perhaps he could stand, do something besides lie on his back and wait for the end. A sudden quiet made him look toward the center of the hall… and his heart sank to the pit of his stomach. Takaichi’s going to kill her. If she doesn’t kill him first. A depth of despair he had long thought buried rose within him as he watched.
“Do it,” said N’Ktane softly. “End her suffering, I won’t stop you. Hanami and I will both go Beneath, and you can follow soon after, if you so wish.”
The blade held still as the seconds ticked by. The red light of the setting sun faded as it sank below the western horizon.
Zero shuddered and lowered the sword.
N’Ktane stood once more, smiling. “So you make your choice. In gratitude for your kindness, I shall grant you death. Farewell, Takaichi.” She raised her hand, spreading her claws for a killing blow.
I’m going to die.
He watched as the claws began to descend.
I can’t save her.
She would kill him, then the others. There would be no Godlore ending, no victory from the jaws of defeat. He would never be able to free Hanami, never see Naole again. Wildly, inexplicably, he thought of Hayaoh in the depths of the Beneath as the claws drew nearer.
Light.Gods, give me light.
Her hand stopped, the claws an inch from his open eye. All had gone quiet and still, save for the beating of his heart. The world was frozen, caught between one second and the next.
“Is that truly what you wish for, Zeromaru Takaichi?”
The voice that spoke to him was strange, low and resonating, coming from everywhere and nowhere, from the sky, from the earth, and from within him, all at once. Zero blinked and dared to breathe. “What…?”
“It is a simple enough question, I think.”
The buck frowned. “Serpent? Am I dead already?”
Booming laughter rang in his ears. “The Serpent? Is it the Serpent who watches over all great warriors? Is the Serpent the one who you prayed to as a samurai, before you ran away?”
Zero’s eyes widened in realization. “I don’t believe it.”
“It is rather beyond belief, isn’t it, young buck? But I am indeed the one who guides all that was, is, and will be, in all the countless ways that the outcomes unfold.”
“Why?” asked Zero, baffled. “Why would you speak to me?”
“Because you asked, young buck. Because the circumstances are right that I may make you an offer… A contract, as it were.”
“I don’t understand.”
“No, you do not. Perhaps you never will fully understand, but I digress. Before I set the terms, I must ask you: do you truly love this girl, with all of your heart and soul, all of your being?”
He only hesitated for a moment. “… Yes. I do.” Zero was surprised at how much speaking those words strengthened him.
“And would you give anything, anything at all, even your soul and your very life, for the power to save her from the darkness?”
This time there was no hesitation. “I would.”
“Then you are a brave sentient indeed, Zeromaru Takaichi, and worthy of being my keshin[1].”
He blinked. “Keshin?” The word was old and strange.
“The keshin will be given a portion of my power, to assume my form upon the Earth. He will do with this power as he sees fit, with no guidance save for his own conscience. Therefore, he will henceforth bear the burden and consequences of using my power, whatever those may be. And in return, he will enact the Cycle of the Gods…”
“Cycle of the- and you’re choosing me for this?” Zero didn’t bother to hide his skepticism.
“Only if you agree to the terms of the contract,” said the voice. “It is your choice. Otherwise… you have fought long and hard enough by far to warrant favorable judgment by the God of Death.Your end will be painful, but your soul will soon pass on to the Joined.”
It only took a few seconds to ponder it. Zero smiled. “Let’s hear the terms.”
“Very well. First, will you pledge to use my power to protect and cherish the one you truly love, the one that you have sworn to me is worth any amount of sacrifice?”
“I will,” said Zero.
“Second, will you swear to see the enactment of the Cycle through to its end, through all pain and heartbreak it may cause, even if it costs you that which you hold most dear?”
“I will,” said Zero.
“Third and finally, will you bear the heavy burdens and trials that will come with the usage of my power, trusting in yourself to use it well and wisely? Choose your answer carefully, Zeromaru Takaichi. You may still go on to your rest.”
Zero looked at the frozen world around him, then back up at N’Ktane, cruelly wearing the body of the girl he realized he loved. He pictured her in his mind, replacing the savage grin N’Ktane was wearing on her face with her true smile, the one that brought him joy whenever he saw it. He thought about N’Ktane continuing to use her face and her body to torture, kill and ruin everyone and everything they knew.
The decision was simple. “I will.”
It happened in the space of an eyeblink. Zero’s broken sword pulled up his tired arm of its own volition, faster than he ever should have been able to draw, blocking N’Ktane’s claws a hairsbreadth before they touched him. The jagged end of the old and battred blade began to glow white-hot, as if being held over a forge. That glow spread down the blade to the hilt and pommel, the leather and metal slowly changing shape. N’Ktane drew back in utter shock, watching as the sword lifted Zero off the ground like a marionette, pointing itself to the heavens. Zero looked up at it, shining like a star in his oddly calm eyes, and whispered a single word…
“Keshin.”
The top of the Black Rose Tower exploded. Fragments of the walls and ceiling rained down on Tasakeru Forest for miles around as a great pillar of golden light rose from the dust cloud that had been the tower’s roof. It continued to rise, higher and higher, a beacon visible from every part of Sankami. Hundreds of ears heard the thunderous roar of the explosion, and hundreds more eyes watched as the beam of light grew up, and up, and up…
In the grove, Legion had thrown his hands over his elongated ears at the sound of the explosion, curling his huge tail around himself and quivering.
Naole held him tight as she and Aria gazed at the glow pervading even the thick canopy of branches above them. “Aria, what is that?!”
The wolfox was silent for so long that Naole wondered if she had heard the question. She was about to repeat herself when Aria simply said, “Change, and new outcomes…”
Far, far away, across the ocean, a lone figure walked through a grassy field that none in Sankami knew existed. He was dressed in ancient clothes, the lower half of white ceremonial robes and a golden headdress that covered all of his sharp, angular face save for a pointed snout and upswept ears. Renubis stopped and turned around, sensing the currents of energy in the wind, as he had learned to do so very long ago while training to be a sorceror. The jackal could not see the great pillar of light from so many countless miles away, but he could smell it… Raw power was being unleashed, the likes of which the world had only seen once before.
“Oh my,” he said.
Dust hung everywhere, and shattered rock littered the floor. The top of the tower was no longer a wide hallway; its magic had melted away once its structure was breached. All that was left was a circular floor and the long, long staircase leading up to it. Ashpaw lay sprawled at the top of that staircase; he had been thrown there by the shockwave. Coughing, he waved a massive hand in front of his face, trying to clear the dust. He wondered why he suddenly felt the wind in his fur… then he looked out over the staircase and saw clear sky where the wall should have been.
“S-Stripes?”
A slim body was crawling out of the wreckage. Ashpaw took Faun’s hand and gently lifted her up, thanking the Gods that she was seemingly unharmed.
“What just happened?” asked Faun.
“I have no idea,” said Ashpaw.
Clunk. The sound made them both jump, but it was only Drake shuffling towards them, poking his way cautiously forward with his walking stick. “Reinaka, did you-”
Faun cut him off. “Nuh uh. I don’t have anywhere near that kind of firepower.”
The wind picked up, carrying the dust cloud away. A bright light was at the center of it, pulsating softly. Ashpaw peered at it; it was vaguely sentient-shaped. He nearly dropped the vixen in astonishment as the details became clearer…
Standing amid the rubble was an enormous boar badger, clad in golden armor, the kind badgers had not worn in centuries. A long red cape flowed from his collar, swirling around his feet like a living thing. And his stripes were ablaze with flame, flickering constantly around his intense, golden eyes. He stood, vast enough to shadow Ashpaw with his bulk, and the young badger faintly saw a ghostly outline of a tree around him, with burning branches…
Faun turned to see what he was staring at… which was the most handsome, breathtaking todd she had ever seen in her life. Her mouth fell open as she beheld him, standing naked in perfect glory. His fur and hair were as bright gold as grain, rippling gently in the wind that was steadily blowing the dust away. Nine splendid, snow-white tails spread out behind him like an enormous fan, each seeming to dance with its own rhythm. Her tongue seemed to have dried up; she swallowed a few times and managed a dry croak. “Kyuubi…?”
Drake’s walking stick fell with a clatter to the stone floor. In the midst of the dust cloud was a brute wolf, white-coated like himself, but young, strong and proud, with tattoos of the stars and night sky inked upon his fur. He held a vast golden bow in one hand, and a quiver of blazing arrows in the other. The wolf turned to look at Drake with one glowing eye of solid gold… his other was a closed and empty socket.
Tears fells from the ancient wolf’s eyes. Drake solemnly lowered himself to his knees, as gracefully as his frail body would allow, and bowed his head, averting his eyes from the sight.
But what N’Ktane saw when she was finally able to pierce through the glow around the figure, and what the other three Outcasts saw when they did the same, was not a badger or fox or wolf.
It was a buck, dressed in flowing white robes edged with scarlet, laquered spaulders on his shoulders. Tied around his forehead was a white headband, decorated with a brilliant red sunburst in the center. In his hand he held a gleaming new sword, its blade unmarred by any break or scratch. Its handguard was composed of two interlocking, graceful shapes that formed a gently curving X. The figure was surrounded by light, his body shone with it. Slowly Zero opened his eyes, and they were not his normal chestnut-brown, but gold…
N’Ktane stood back, shaking her head. “No. Takaichi, what have you done…”
The Shogun did not answer. He took a step forward, raising his sword. His face remained stoic as a mountain, but those eyes burned as he gazed directly at her…
“Stay away!” The spider threw all the power she could into a mental attack, one that would have felled any sentient alive.
The Shogun didn’t even blink. His sword split down the middle, one half leaping into his free hand, and then there were two swords, each with half of the X-shaped handguard. Both blades were faintly glowing now, the left one red and the other white…
Terror gripped N’Ktane like a vise. She bared her claws as the Shogun drew ever closer. The heat of that light that surrounded him was hurting her eyes…
An eerie sound filled the remains of the top floor. The red-glowing blade began to hum as the Shogun raised it, and bizarrely, it sounded something like birdsong… The blade erupted in flames, and every particle of dust still floating in the air stopped moving.
The spider felt her body freeze as well. In her mind she wailed helplessly in confusion, not understanding what was happening, but still afraid, afraid of this deadly, silent God that had replaced the Takaichi she knew. Never before had fear held her so paralyzed; she couldn’t have found the strength to move even if time were not locked in place.
Now the Shogun lowered his flaming sword, only to raise the white one in his right hand. Wind began to swirl around it, breaking the silence of the time-locked void. That wind seized N’Ktane, not body she had stolen but her spirit, and began to inexorably drag her away. The spider’s essence frantically clawed at Hanami’s body, trying to catch hold and stay inside it, but the pull only intensified as the wind built into a howling gale. N’Ktane’s grip failed entirely, and like a leaf she was swept up into the storm, spinning around and around the glowing white blade. She screamed without making a sound as the sword came down in a flashing arc, its edge splitting her in two.
N’Ktane fell deep into an endless darkness, back to the Beneath.
Time snapped back into place. Less than a second had passed. The three Outcasts blinked; there had been a sudden flash of flame and blinding light, then silence save for the sound of the wind blowing over them.
Faun rubbed her eyes. There was still a golden glow in the center of the tower, too bright to see through. “Did… did I just go crazy, or are we dead?”
“Neither, I think,” said Ashpaw.
Drake glanced at each of them in turn, his cheeks still wet. “You saw him, right…?”
All of them nodded, and each spoke a different name.
Looking back at the golden haze, Faun shuddered. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”
Gradually, the light faded as the stars began to peek out in the evening sky. A figure was slowly stepping out of it, walking forward bathed in its radiance from behind… no, it was two figures, one carrying the other. The first was resplendent in white and scarlet robes, his glowing eyes gazing down at the girl who rested in his arms. The breeze caught the girl’s sun-gold hair, lifting it to reveal a face deep in peaceful sleep.
The Outcasts stood in the twilight, hushed in wonder and awe.
END OF BOOK IV
NEXT
[1] keshin: A concept of Japanese Buddhism, roughly meaning “embodiment of a divine being”. It’s the closest equivalent word I could find. – BHS
CHAPTER 4
Battle at sunset
A clash to decide her fate
The cycle begins
“Hayaoh’s wrath was terrible to behold; his bellowing war cries shook the mountains and roiled the seas. His hatred for the shadows burned him like a searing flame as he searched the land high and low for any trace of Shizuka or the shadows that had taken her. Though it scorched his fur and flesh, Hayaoh could feel no warmth from that flame… it was as if his body had turned to ice. He did not know what to make of this bitter, burning chill, for the great samurai had never before known fear such as this. He was lost, a leaf borne by winds, and he knew that he would only find his way again with Shizuka by his side.
“So set was he in his fury that he stormed the Beneath itself in search of her, where he found the shadows crouched over Shizuka’s still form. Hayaoh drew his sword and challenged them to battle, and they accepted with a cackle of glee, for though Hayaoh’s blade was swift and true, the shadows had no substance and could not be cut. Still the samurai fought on helplessly as Shizuka grew weaker, for the shadows had filled her veins with darkness like a foul poison.
“At long last, Hayaoh fell exhausted, having slain not a single of their number. He had reached the very limits of his strength. In his desperation, he begged the Gods for light to banish the darkness…”
[The Legend of Hayaoh, squirrel folktale, circa year 500]
The only sounds that could be heard were the gentle strumming of the harp and the light snoring from Legion’s direction, where he had curled his enormous tail around himself and gone to sleep. Naole found the quiet unsettling, and she fidgeted restlessly on the cushion Aria had provided.
Aria had not spoken since Naole had finished telling her the strange story of her abduction, Legion’s birth, and their escape from the Black Rose Tower. She sat with her eyes closed, her fingers plucking out an eerie, wandering melody on the harp. The wolfox seemed to be in deep concentration… so much so that she startled Naole when she finally spoke. “Is something wrong?”
Naole cursed inwardly. She realized she must have been staring at the wolfox again. “No, nothing! I… I just-”
“You have never been this close to a wolfox before.” Aria opened her eyes and smiled gently, setting down the harp. “I make you uncomfortable.”
“No, no! T-that’s not it at all!” Naole stammered, though the assessment was absolutely correct.
“Please, child. I understand.” She folded her hands and placed them in her lap. “Many older than you have done far worse than stare or show discomfort in my presence.”
“I don’t mean to,” said Naole, her ears turning back. “I’ve never thought your people were… er…”
“‘Aberrations’? That is what the Silver Order calls us, correct? Most others refer to us as ‘stains’, or other names I care not to repeat. It is simply the way things are.”
“I’m sorry,” said Naole, bowing deeply. Lame as it sounded, it was the only response she could think of. “I really am grateful for your giving us food and shelter. We both are,” she added, smiling as she watched Legion’s whiskers twitch in his sleep.
“Your friend is quite remarkable,” said Aria. “You have taught him very well, I think.”
The squirrel gently patted Legion between his ears. “It’s hard to believe it’s been less than two weeks. I feel like I’ve known him for so much longer…”
“Mmm.”
There followed several more minutes of silence between them.
“So are you an Outcast too?” Naole decided to break the tension before it built again.
“Of sorts. I have dealings with the other wolfoxes on occasion, but they prefer to keep their distance.”
“Why is that?”
Aria stared up at the glimpses of afternoon sky visible through the canopy of leaves. “They call me by many titles: seer, fortune-teller, muse, oracle. They say that I can see the future.”
Naole’s eyes widened. “Is that true?”
“Not entirely,” the wolfox sighed. “What I see are the pathways, the many outcomes that are possible at any given moment. I see them stretching out before me in infinite lines like the roots of trees, ever-growing, ever-shifting as time decides its course…”
“That’s… that’s amazing!” The squirrel goggled at her. “If anything, that’s better than seeing the future! So why do they stay away from you?”
She met Naole’s gaze with those sorrowful grey eyes. “My sight is never certain,” she said softly. “I see the possibilities that the future will hold, but never which ones will happen. Always the paths are changing… the others are always afraid that I will foretell disaster.”
A chill ran down Naole’s spine. “Is… is that what you’re seeing now?”
“As I said, I am uncertain.” Aria reached for the harp at her side. “Many paths before us lead to directly to a great calamity, an immediate danger to all sentientkind. Others lead to our salvation, though some are rife with sorrow, and still others provide balm to sorrows past. I can see these outcomes, but only the Gods will decide them…”
* *
Zero’s eyes snapped open. In an instant his hand was at his back, reaching for the hilt of his sword… only to find that it wasn’t there. The reality of his last waking memories crashed back down on him, and his shoulders sagged.
His battered body ached from the sudden movement as he gazed up at the ceiling. From the mingled scents of paper, leather, and metal, he knew he was in Ashpaw’s den. Low murmurings of conversation were coming from the next room; he picked out Ashpaw’s baritone and Drake’s rumbling growl easily. Moving as quickly as he was able, he lifted himself from the makeshift bed composed of cushions on the floor and threw off his blankets. Limping slightly, he crossed to the door and opened it onto the badger’s sitting room, where he and Drake were seated at a circular table.
“It’s pointless,” Drake was saying. “You know it is. So why do you persist in thinking we can still-”
“Because I refuse to lose hope,” Ashpaw interrupted, rubbing his brow. He spoke with the weariness of a sentient twice his age. “However foolish it may be.”
“Ashpaw. I need a new blade,” said Zero by way of greeting. The two elder sentients looked up sharply at his words.
“And just what are you planning on doing with it?” The white wolf folded his skeletal hands over the knob atop his walking stick.
“I’m going to go straight back to that tower and-”
“Yes, because a display of brute force worked so well for you the first time.” The contempt in Drake’s voice seared Zero like acid.
“Drake. Be civil,” said Ashpaw. From his side he picked up the hilt and half-inch of jagged steel that was all that was left of the Takaichi family sword, and with a sigh he laid it on the table. His rich brown eyes stayed locked on it as he spoke. “I’m afraid there is nothing I can do, my friend.”
“Mange,” said Zero. “If you can forge a morning star, you can make a new sword blade, I know you can.”
“This is no simple repair, Zero,” Ashpaw said calmly. “The length of the blade is still inside the tower. Forging an entirely new blade would take weeks at the least, with no guarantee that it would be anywhere near the quality of the old one. That would be if I had the ore and steel to construct a new blade in the first place… which I don’t.”
The broken sword rattled as Zero slammed his hand on the table. His injured hands smarted in protest, but he ignored them. “Then give me a new weapon! Something, anything!”
Drake scoffed. “What’s the point, Takaichi? You can’t force N’Ktane out with a weapon. Any fool can see that. Or are you actually willing to spill Hanami’s blood to save her? In that case, go ahead.”
Zero fixed the wolf with an icy stare. “Watch your tone, old one.”
“Or what?” His bones creaked as Drake rose to his feet with difficulty. Even leaning forward on his walking stick, he towered over the squirrel. “You know that has to be an option. If you truly care about the girl like I think you do, you’ll do anything to stop her from suffering.” The flickering light from Ashpaw’s fireplace reflected in his eyes. “Anything. Including taking her life.”
“I’m not going to kill Hanami!” Zero stood up as well, glaring at the wolf. “I can still save her!”
“How?” Drake sneered. “Face the facts, Takaichi. You don’t even know if there’s anything of her left to save! You’re holding onto a fantasy, a dream that just because you care about her, you can still get her back!”
Zero felt his temper boiling within him, nearing a breaking point. He took a step forward, clenching his fists and ready to tear the wolf apart… and his boot nudged something heavy. Looking down, he saw an old, weather-beaten book lying on the floor. He leaned down to pick it up, his eyes widening as he recognized the cover instantly, not even needing to read the title: Collected Lore of the Early Years.
Ashpaw frowned at it from his seat. “Odd, I thought I had shelved that. Zero?”
He held the book and stared at it transfixed, forgetting about Drake for the moment. “Gods, I haven’t seen a copy of this in years… I used to read to Naole from it every night. The Legend of Hayaoh was our favorite…” Falling back to his own seat, Zero gingerly opened the book, his fingers finding the right page by memory. “I was thinking about that story earlier when we climbed the tower, about Hayaoh and Shizuka…”
Ashpaw nodded. “Stories do tend to come to mind at the oddest times.”
“I wanted to be like him as a kit,” said Zero, tracing the familiar words with his fingertip. “Like Hayaoh. Always strong, always sure of his way. He would never accept failure.” His eyes wandered from the page. “Like the things I’ve done… I failed my spirit brothers during the Week of Blood; I failed Naole when I let Stalker take her. And now I’ve failed Hanami.”
“Life isn’t Godlore, young buck,” growled Drake. “I know that story. Hayaoh never loses, that’s the reason it’s a fantasy, a kit’s tale. You’ve had your failures, we all have, but this one you still have a chance to make right. You haven’t failed Hanami yet. You can still end her suffering.”
“The Gods would never forgive me,” said Zero, his voice hardening again. “I would never forgive me.”
“You’d be surprised what you can live with,” said Drake quietly. “And as for the Gods, it doesn’t matter. They don’t exist anyway.”
Thud. The book slipped off Zero’s lap and fell back to the floor as he gaped at the wolf in horror. “You… you didn’t just say that…”
Drake turned and stared into the fire. “I don’t know whether they’re not real or if they just don’t care. In the end, either you do what you must, or you don’t, and let others suffer for it. The Gods are irrelevant.”
“Take that back.” The voice had come from the doorway. Faun stood there aghast, clutching a small book under her arm with a familiar flower tucked into its pages. Her emerald eyes flared as she stomped across the sitting room to where Drake stood. There was a ringing crack as her gloved palm struck the wolf’s cheek. The vixen’s voice trembled as she spoke again. “Don’t ever… ever say things like that. The Gods are why we’re all here, why we found each other. They helped me on the streets, and Zero during the Week of Blood… and they helped Hanami.”
Drake stood dumbstruck, too surprised to say anything.
Ashpaw blinked in disbelief. “Faun?”
Faun slammed the small book onto the table and snatched the Mage Flower from within its pages, holding it aloft. “You asked me to go back to Woodhaven and look for clues, right?” She glared ferociously at Ashpaw, who nodded in reply. “So I found this: it’s her journal, and it explains everything.”
Zero stared at her. “You read her-”
“Not important right now, Takky! Hanami thought that the Gods were punishing her for using the Mage Flower too much, but it was that shedding bitch of a spider playing with her mind, using her guilt and her memories to give her nightmares.” The vixen spit on the floor in disgust. “Flowers was going to leave Tasakeru. She left the Mage Flower and her journal behind, with a note that said the journal would tell everything… where she got the flower, and why she was exiled. It’s a damned confession, and it’s because of N’Ktane that she thought she needed to write it. You want proof that the Gods are watching? Here it is. I’ve marked the pages you need to read.”
By the time they had finished poring over the journal’s contents, the fire had faded to embers. The four Outcasts sat around the table, the males in shock while Faun trembled with repressed rage.
“So now we know what led to this,” said Drake finally. “It still doesn’t prove anything, save for the fact that the spider is more sadistic than we ever thought. The question remains: what do we do now?”
“Unless one of you has become an expert mage in the last hour, there’s not a lot we can do,” growled Faun.
A mage, thought Zero. His eyes grew wide as he stared at the Mage Flower lying next to the open journal, his mind whirling. “I’ve got it. By the Gods, I’ve got it! We don’t need a mage!”
Ashpaw glanced in his direction. “We don’t?”
His hand shaking as he took the stem in between his fingers, Zero stared at each of the others in turn. “She was only able to fully control Hanami once she gave up the Mage Flower. So if we make her take it back…”
Faun slapped her forehead. “Mange, Takky, you’re right… Renubis told me as much, he said something about Hanami being its ‘chosen bearer’! It must have been protecting her all along, from the samurai that one time…”
“… and it fended off Stalker, and N’Ktane’s earlier attempts at possession,” Ashpaw finished. “It stands to reason that the flower may give her enough strength to shake the spider’s control from within. Well thought, Zero!”
“I’m no rabbit, but it sounds logical enough. It’s a good plan, if it works,” Drake said flatly. “But how do we get close enough to her to force her to take it?”
“By creating a distraction,” said Zero, rising to his feet. “Faun, I hope you’re stocked up on bombs, we’ll each need all we can carry…”
* *
Hanami hung suspended like a fly in amber, a prisoner in her own mind. She had only been able to watch and scream in defiance as N’Ktane used her body to torture Zero. For now, all was quiet in the tower. She (or they) sat in a rough-hewn throne that had grown out of the tower wall at the N’Ktane’s command, both squirrel and spider waiting for the inevitable moment when the Outcasts would return. In the meantime Hanami strained to move with all her effort. If she could just wriggle her hand, or even a finger…
“It’s no use trying to struggle, my dear,” N’Ktane whispered, using Hanami’s own lips to speak to her. She could have simply thought the words, but even that would have been some show of mercy. “You’re weak. Useless. You always have been, and always will be. At least I shall put this body to a better use.”
I’ll never stop. Hanami thought back with as much force as she could muster. I’ll never let you win. Neither will the others.
“Then they will die.” N’Ktane steepled her fingers and grinned. “Takaichi will be the last. Do you know what I will do then, Hanami? I will take this body to Shinboku, and sow chaos from the shadows, until your society crumbles and every sentient mammal is dead and rotting.” She shivered with pleasure at the thought. “Only then, after everyone and everything you know lies in ruins, only then will I release you, and go back to my rest in the Beneath.”
Hanami choked back an angry sob. He’ll stop you.
“I welcome his attempt, my pet.”
BOOM. The floor shuddered underneath her feet as something detonated against the outer wall. N’Ktane remained calm, commanding the tower to form a doorway for the Outcasts. Settling back into the throne, she mused that the best prey had to be the kind that would willingly deliver itself to the web, and chuckled at the thought.
* *
Outside, Faun stared at the doorway with apprehension. “Well, she knows we’re here. So much for catching her off guard.”
“It leaves more bombs for us to use, at least,” said Ashpaw, trying fruitlessly to see inside without stepping over the threshold. The entrance to the tower was so pitch-black that it seemed to draw the fading afternoon sunlight into itself.
Zero clutched the hilt of the broken sword resting in its scabbard on his back, then grimaced as a burning sensation flickered over his palm. Ashpaw had used a cache of healing spellstones to close his wounds, but magic could do nothing about the pain.
“You’re certain you can still fight?” asked Drake, raising an eyebrow.
“I can stand, and I can throw,” said Zero. “So I fully intend to pay her back for everything she’s done. How about you, old one?”
“Might take me a while to make it up the stairs, but I’ll be there this time.”
A smile tugged at Zero’s lips. “Be sure you are.”
The four Outcasts drew together, exchanging glances. Each of them tried to think of the proper words to say, but no words would come. Zero gazed up at the sky, at the clouds turning pink as the sky began to redden, nearing sunset. Closing his eyes, he let out a breath and took the first step forward toward the black. A low wind began to blow.
No sooner were the four of them past the threshold when a red glow washed over them, drawing them upward with a sudden violent motion. As quickly as it had come, it was gone again.
“Greetings once more,” said N’Ktane.
The spider had somehow brought them all to the top floor, which had assumed the shape of a wide, vast hallway, far too big for the tower’s diameter. She stood up from a rock throne at the back of the hall, now clad in a long black evening gown, elegant but simple in its design. Hanami’s tunic lay discarded in a corner, pinned under the blade of Zero’s sword, which was stuck an inch deep in the floor.
Faun laid a warning hand on Zero’s shoulder as he tensed at the sight. “Easy, Takky. Focus,” she muttered. “Stick to the plan.”
“I knew you would come back.” N’Ktane’s crimson eyes sparkled with malevolent light. “You’re far too stubborn to simply accept the fact that you’ve lost her.”
“Not yet we haven’t,” Zero snarled. “Now!”
The four scattered. In unison they hurled the bombs Faun had given them at N’Ktane. The tiny, marble-like spheres stopped in midair a foot away from her, seized by the red aura of her power. “Did you really think that-”
Her sneer was cut off as the bombs detonated all at once. A blanket of concealing fog filled the hall, and the Outcasts vanished into it like ghosts. Now blinded, N’Ktane lashed out with her claws, opening her mind to scan for their presences. Catching snatches of thoughts from four different directions, she took a few hesitant steps, feeling for the closest victim… and failed to notice a second volley of bombs thrown at her feet. N’Ktane was pummeled by a howl of sound, a high-pitched whine from detonating shells that lingered in her ears, rendering her near-deaf as well as blind.
A shape loomed out of the fog, arms spread wide. It caught N’Ktane from behind in a tight embrace, pinning her arms to her sides. The spider shrieked and launched a psychic assault on her attacker –
the warm stone of the abandoned crypt, so much gold
mama, i’m hungry… want to go home
flowers laughs at the joke and offers tea
Though echoes of the whine were still deadening her ears, she heard the feminine cry of pain from behind her, and the attacker’s grip loosened. N’Ktane spun around, kicked the reeling vixen to the floor, and raised her claws. Four hands caught her arms from either side, one pair massive and one pair withered and frail. N’Ktane’s anger boiled over as she cast her red auras around the three, and threw them all to the corners of the room with the force of her mind. “Hiding in the mist won’t do you any good, mammals!” she bellowed after them, cackling as she heard three bodies slam against the tower walls.
Dimly she heard footsteps from the fog. Another attack was coming. She braced herself for another strike from behind… and was caught off guard as Zero Takaichi shot out of the cloud bank like an arrow for a frontal assault. Their bodies entangled as he tackled her to the floor.
Zero felt her claws cut into him, tearing through the fabric of his jacket as if it were paper. He caught one flailing wrist and squeezed hard enough to nearly break it – Forgive me, Hanami – forcing it roughly down to the stone. Flashes of pain and crimson light lanced through him as the spider struck wildly at his mind. Though each flash stabbed at him like a dagger, he kept his weight upon her body, scrabbled inside his jacket for the Mage Flower with his free hand. Just as long, slim fingers closed around his neck, he managed to force the flower’s stem into the hand that he had pinned…
The doe squirrel let out a great, shuddering gasp. She convulsed violently underneath him, but he kept her fingers held around the Mage Flower. He wouldn’t let go until she –
She let out a sigh that seemed to come from somewhere deep within her. And as Zero watched, her hair began to brighten, turning back to sun-bright gold. She closed her eyes as if going to sleep, and when she opened them once more, they were pale blue…
Zero sobbed with relief and slackened his grip. “Hanami!”
Looking up at him, she smiled – not with N’Ktane’s wicked grin, but with her own smile – and gently whispered his name.
That was when he felt her claws gouge furrows in his stomach. With a groan of pain he slumped to the floor, feeling warm blood seeping into his robes.
She stood and laughed with delight, her melodic voice twisting into N’Ktane’s mocking cackle as her hair and eyes turned crimson once again. “Really, Takaichi? That was your plan? I thought you were smarter than that.”
Failed. His plan had failed. Zero struggled to his feet, his face a mask of mingled rage, pain, and sorrow. Blood spattered on the granite floor. “You… snake…This is… unforgivable…”
The red aura seized him and held him spread-eagled. “It was a noble attempt, at least. I’m sure Hanami appreciated it. Unfortunately for her, I intend to keep using her body for as long as it will last. Even I don’t know how long that will be… perhaps in a few decades, she’ll even grow to resemble me…”
Zero screamed and writhed in agony as the spider invaded his mind with a horrible image. It was an image of Hanami’s body, changed beyond recognition. Her fingers had elongated into tapered claws, and long, thin, hairy legs extended from her back…
“I’ll never relinquish her,” whispered N’Ktane. “Never.”
He fell to the floor, released from the aura. Zero’s limbs felt as if they were weighted down by lead. Once more he attempted to push himself upright, his wounds searing with the effort. Breath escaped his lungs as she kicked him savagely, rolling him onto his back with the impact.
N’Ktane leaned over him with a look of mock pity. “Nothing else to say, Takaichi? Would you like it to end now?”
With the last vestige of his strength, he drew his ruined sword from its scabbard and held the jagged edge at her neck, his breathing ragged. Zero’s eyes stared directly into hers. The fog bank began to clear.
Ashpaw picked himself up and felt his bones creak. The light of the sunset streaming through the hall’s windows and the fading fog illuminated a scene from a nightmare: a bloodied Zero with his broken sword at N’Ktane’s… Hanami’s throat. A moan escaped him. “Lord Alder, no…”
Faun could barely move. The combined shock of the spider’s mental attack and the impact with the wall had left her every nerve on fire with pain. Sluggishly she opened her eyes and saw the two enemies at a standstill. Weakly she raised a hand… she could help, if she could only reach. Takky… Flowers…
Drake cursed his old and useless body as he felt around for his walking stick. With it, perhaps he could stand, do something besides lie on his back and wait for the end. A sudden quiet made him look toward the center of the hall… and his heart sank to the pit of his stomach. Takaichi’s going to kill her. If she doesn’t kill him first. A depth of despair he had long thought buried rose within him as he watched.
“Do it,” said N’Ktane softly. “End her suffering, I won’t stop you. Hanami and I will both go Beneath, and you can follow soon after, if you so wish.”
The blade held still as the seconds ticked by. The red light of the setting sun faded as it sank below the western horizon.
Zero shuddered and lowered the sword.
N’Ktane stood once more, smiling. “So you make your choice. In gratitude for your kindness, I shall grant you death. Farewell, Takaichi.” She raised her hand, spreading her claws for a killing blow.
I’m going to die.
He watched as the claws began to descend.
I can’t save her.
She would kill him, then the others. There would be no Godlore ending, no victory from the jaws of defeat. He would never be able to free Hanami, never see Naole again. Wildly, inexplicably, he thought of Hayaoh in the depths of the Beneath as the claws drew nearer.
Light.Gods, give me light.
Her hand stopped, the claws an inch from his open eye. All had gone quiet and still, save for the beating of his heart. The world was frozen, caught between one second and the next.
“Is that truly what you wish for, Zeromaru Takaichi?”
The voice that spoke to him was strange, low and resonating, coming from everywhere and nowhere, from the sky, from the earth, and from within him, all at once. Zero blinked and dared to breathe. “What…?”
“It is a simple enough question, I think.”
The buck frowned. “Serpent? Am I dead already?”
Booming laughter rang in his ears. “The Serpent? Is it the Serpent who watches over all great warriors? Is the Serpent the one who you prayed to as a samurai, before you ran away?”
Zero’s eyes widened in realization. “I don’t believe it.”
“It is rather beyond belief, isn’t it, young buck? But I am indeed the one who guides all that was, is, and will be, in all the countless ways that the outcomes unfold.”
“Why?” asked Zero, baffled. “Why would you speak to me?”
“Because you asked, young buck. Because the circumstances are right that I may make you an offer… A contract, as it were.”
“I don’t understand.”
“No, you do not. Perhaps you never will fully understand, but I digress. Before I set the terms, I must ask you: do you truly love this girl, with all of your heart and soul, all of your being?”
He only hesitated for a moment. “… Yes. I do.” Zero was surprised at how much speaking those words strengthened him.
“And would you give anything, anything at all, even your soul and your very life, for the power to save her from the darkness?”
This time there was no hesitation. “I would.”
“Then you are a brave sentient indeed, Zeromaru Takaichi, and worthy of being my keshin[1].”
He blinked. “Keshin?” The word was old and strange.
“The keshin will be given a portion of my power, to assume my form upon the Earth. He will do with this power as he sees fit, with no guidance save for his own conscience. Therefore, he will henceforth bear the burden and consequences of using my power, whatever those may be. And in return, he will enact the Cycle of the Gods…”
“Cycle of the- and you’re choosing me for this?” Zero didn’t bother to hide his skepticism.
“Only if you agree to the terms of the contract,” said the voice. “It is your choice. Otherwise… you have fought long and hard enough by far to warrant favorable judgment by the God of Death.Your end will be painful, but your soul will soon pass on to the Joined.”
It only took a few seconds to ponder it. Zero smiled. “Let’s hear the terms.”
“Very well. First, will you pledge to use my power to protect and cherish the one you truly love, the one that you have sworn to me is worth any amount of sacrifice?”
“I will,” said Zero.
“Second, will you swear to see the enactment of the Cycle through to its end, through all pain and heartbreak it may cause, even if it costs you that which you hold most dear?”
“I will,” said Zero.
“Third and finally, will you bear the heavy burdens and trials that will come with the usage of my power, trusting in yourself to use it well and wisely? Choose your answer well, Zeromaru Takaichi. You may still yet go on to your rest.”
Zero looked at the frozen world around him, then back up at N’Ktane, cruelly wearing the body of the girl he realized he loved. He pictured her in his mind, replacing the savage grin N’Ktane was wearing on her face with her true smile, the one that brought him joy whenever he saw it. He thought about N’Ktane continuing to use her face and her body to torture, kill and ruin everyone and everything they knew.
The decision was simple. “I will.”
It happened in the space of an eyeblink. Zero’s broken sword pulled up his tired arm of its own volition, faster than he ever should have been able to draw, blocking N’Ktane’s claws a hairsbreadth before they touched him. The jagged end of the old and battred blade began to glow white hot, as if being held over a forge. That glow spread down the blade to the hilt and pommel, the leather and metal slowly changing shape. N’Ktane drew back in utter shock, watching as the sword lifted Zero off the ground like a marionette, pointing itself to the heavens. Zero looked upward at it, shining like a star in his oddly calm eyes, and whispered a single word…
“Keshin.”
The top of the Black Rose Tower exploded. Fragments of the walls and ceiling rained down on Tasakeru Forest for miles around as a great pillar of golden light rose from the dust cloud that had been the tower’s roof. It continued to rise, higher and higher, a beacon of light visible from every part of Sankami. Hundreds of ears heard the thunderous roar of the explosion, and hundreds more watched as the beam of light grow up, and up, and up…
In the grove, Legion had thrown his hands over his elongated ears at the sound of the explosion, curling his huge tail around himself and quivering.
Naole held him tight as she and Aria gazed at the glow pervading even the thick canopy of branches above them. “Aria, what is that?!”
The wolfox was silent for so long that Naole wondered if she had heard the question. She was about to repeat herself when Aria simply said, “Change, and new outcomes…”
Far, far away, across the ocean, a lone figure walked through a grassy field that none in Sankami knew existed. He was dressed in ancient clothes, the lower half of white ceremonial robes and a golden headdress that covered all of his sharp, angular face save for a pointed snout and upswept ears. Renubis stopped and turned around, sensing the currents of energy in the wind, as he had learned to do so very long ago while training to be a sorceror. The jackal could not see the great pillar of light from so many countless miles away, but he could smell it… Raw power was being unleashed, the likes of which the world had only seen once before.
“Oh my,” he said.
Dust hung everywhere, and shattered rock littered the floor. The top of the tower was no longer a wide hallway; its magic had melted away once its structure was breached. All that was left was a circular floor and the long, long staircase leading up to it. Ashpaw lay sprawled at the top of that staircase; he had been thrown there by the shockwave. Coughing, he waved a massive hand in front of his face, trying to clear the dust. He wondered why he suddenly felt the wind in his fur… then he looked out over the staircase and saw clear sky where the wall should have been.
“S-Stripes?”
A slim body was crawling out of the wreckage. Ashpaw took Faun’s hand and gently lifted her up, thanking the Gods that she was seemingly unharmed.
“What just happened?” asked Faun.
“I have no idea,” said Ashpaw.
Clunk. The sound made them both jump, but it was only Drake shuffling towards them, poking his way cautiously forward with his walking stick. “Reinaka, did you-”
Faun cut him off. “Nuh uh. I don’t have anywhere near that kind of firepower.”
The wind picked up, carrying the dust cloud away. A bright light was at the center of it, pulsating softly. Ashpaw peered at it; it was vaguely sentient-shaped. He nearly dropped the vixen in astonishment as the details became clearer…
Standing amid the rubble was an enormous boar badger, clad in golden armor, the kind badgers had not worn in centuries. A long red cape flowed from his collar, swirling around his feet like a living thing. And his stripes were ablaze with flame, flickering constantly around his intense, golden eyes. He stood, vast enough to shadow Ashpaw with his bulk, and the young badger faintly saw a ghostly outline of a tree around him, with burning branches…
Faun turned to see what he was staring at… which was the most handsome, breathtaking todd she had ever seen in her life. Her mouth fell open as she beheld him, standing naked in perfect glory. His fur and hair were as bright gold as grain, rippling gently in the wind that was steadily blowing the dust away. Nine splendid, snow-white tails spread out behind him like an enormous fan, each seeming to dance with its own rhythm. Her tongue seemed to have dried up; she swallowed a few times and managed a dry croak. “Kyuubi…?”
Drake’s walking stick fell with a clatter to the stone floor. In the midst of the dust cloud was a brute wolf, white-coated like himself, but young, strong and proud, with tattoos of the stars and night sky inked upon his fur. He held a vast golden bow in one hand, and a quiver of blazing arrows in the other. The wolf turned to look at Drake with one glowing eye of solid gold… his other was a closed and empty socket.
Tears streamed down the ancient wolf’s face. Drake solemnly lowered himself to his knees, as gracefully as his frail body would allow, and bowed his head, averting his eyes from the sight.
But what N’Ktane saw when she was finally able to pierce through the glow around the figure, and what the other three Outcasts saw when they did the same, was not a badger or fox or wolf.
It was a buck, dressed in flowing white robes edged with scarlet, laquered spaulders on his shoulders. Tied around his forehead was a white headband, decorated with a brilliant red sunburst in the center. In his hand he held a gleaming new sword, its blade unmarred by any break or scratch. Its crosstree was composed of two interlocking, graceful shapes that formed a gently curving X. The figure was surrounded by light, his body shone with it. Slowly Zero opened his eyes, and they were not his normal chestnut brown, but gold…
N’Ktane stood back, shaking her head. “No. Takaichi, what have you done…”
The Shogun did not answer. He took a step forward, raising his sword. His face remained stoic as a mountain, but those eyes burned as he gazed directly at her…
“Stay away!” The spider threw all the power she could into a mental attack, one that would have felled any sentient alive.
The Shogun didn’t even blink. His sword split down the middle, one half leaping into his free hand, and then there were two swords, each with half of the X-shaped crosstree. Both blades were faintly glowing now, the left one red and the other white…
Terror gripped N’Ktane like a vise. She bared her claws as the Shogun drew ever closer. The heat of that light that surrounded him was hurting her eyes…
An eerie sound filled the remains of the top floor. The red-glowing blade began to hum as the Shogun raised it, and bizarrely, it sounded something like birdsong… The blade erupted in flames, and every particle of dust still floating in the air stopped moving.
The spider felt her body freeze as well. In her mind she wailed helplessly in confusion, not understanding what was happening, but still afraid, afraid of this deadly, silent God that had replaced the Takaichi she knew. Never before had fear held her so paralyzed; she couldn’t have found the strength to move even if time were not locked in place.
Now the Shogun lowered his flaming sword, only to raise the white one in his right hand. Wind began to swirl around it, breaking the silence of the time-locked void. That wind seized N’Ktane, not body she had stolen but her spirit, and began to inexorably drag her away. The spider’s essence frantically clawed at Hanami’s body, trying to catch hold and stay inside it, but the pull only intensified as the wind built into a howling gale. N’Ktane’s grip failed entirely, and like a leaf she was swept up into the storm, spinning around and around the glowing white blade. She screamed without making a sound as the sword came down in a flashing arc, its edge splitting her in two.
N’Ktane fell deep into an endless darkness, back to the Beneath.
* *
Time snapped back into place. Less than a second had passed. The three Outcasts blinked; there had been a sudden flash of flame and blinding light, then silence save for the sound of the wind blowing over them.
Faun rubbed her eyes. There was still a golden glow in the center of the tower, too bright to see through. “Did… did I just go crazy, or are we dead?”
“Neither, I think,” said Ashpaw.
Drake glanced at each of them in turn, his cheeks still wet. “You saw him, right…?”
All of them nodded, and each spoke a different name.
Looking back at the golden haze of light, Faun shuddered. “I don’t understand what’s happening…”
Gradually, the light faded as the stars began to peek out in the evening sky. A figure was slowly stepping out of it, walking forward bathed in its radiance from behind… no, it was two figures, one carrying the other. The first was resplendent in white and scarlet robes, his glowing eyes gazing down at the girl who rested in his arms. The breeze caught the girl’s sun-gold hair, lifting it to reveal a face deep in peaceful sleep.
The Outcasts stood in the twilight, hushed in wonder and awe.
END OF BOOK IV
NEXT
BOOK V: NIGHTFALL
[1] keshin: A concept of Japanese Buddhism, roughly meaning “embodiment of a divine being” – BHS
Jun 29, 2010 @ 05:35:19
Excellent stuff. :3
Some of the content in this chapter has set my creative juices a churnin’. Not in that way though.
Catch me on MSN or Yahoo at some point today!
Aug 12, 2010 @ 04:52:57
Wow…
Amazing!!!!
Aug 30, 2011 @ 13:47:25
This chapter was a masterpiece… there isn’t any other word for it.