Echoes of a Shattered Age (21 page)

Akutagawa smiled at her in admiration. “Keep your vigor. It is a large part of your power. No matter the situation, you have always found a way to smile through it. You have a kind of cheerful stoicism, but do not let it lead to your demise.”

On the other side of the camp, Mira and Taliah sat with their legs crossed and eyes closed. The others watched, feeling the buildup of energy in the air. It continued to grow until it was almost overwhelming. Blue and silver light lined the bodies of the two women, and the air around them howled.

Kenyatta held his arm in front of his face. It was like a tiny windstorm. “How long are they going to keep
that
up?” he asked the ninja when she stopped beside him.

“Until they have gathered a high enough energy to transfer it to the weapons without depleting themselves,” she answered.

“You’ve done this before?”

“Not exactly. I’ve charged my sword before, but I have never used a power as strong as this. It is beyond my capabilities.”

Taliah and Mira ceased to glow, but now the weapons radiated energy.

“That feels like a lot of power,” Kita commented, a hint of hesitance in his voice.

“Don’t worry about it,” Akemi said with a wave of her hand.

“You will find that your weapons are different than before,” Mira said. She leaned on her side, spent. “Each is now attuned to the owner alone and has attributes that complement your abilities.” The four companions walked up and took stock of their respective weapons.

Kenyatta’s blades glowed when he held them. They seemed even sharper than before, but lighter and somehow stronger.

Mira indicated the swords. “You will find that the cut of your weapons can now do harm to a demon. They cannot destroy, but they will banish the fiend back to their world.”

Kenyatta nodded as he studied his swords. He could feel the odd power coursing through them.

Kenjiro found that his sword was also stronger and lighter. Taliah moved closer to him. “Yours and Kenyatta’s swords have the least detectable changes of all, but you will discover its new traits in time.”

The shaft of Kita’s staff was a bit slimmer, and now had a wavy form to it, as if it molded to his hand with an ergonomic perfection that seemed impossible.

Mira smiled at him. “Your weapon needed a bit more diversity. You will find that it is retractable and its form interchangeable.”

Kita regarded his weapon with the intrigue of a boy with a new toy. After studying it a moment, he gave it a twist at one end. To his surprise, the long shaft separated into a chain that fell limp to the ground. As with its staff form, the weapon ended with the same bladed tip.

“Not bad,” Kenyatta said, giving Kita a friendly backhanded slap across the chest. “A chain blade will definitely come in handy. I’m almost jealous.”

“You will also discover that it has one other form,” Mira said as she moved away to join Akemi and Taliah.

Akemi held Sekimaru in front of her. It emitted a power like nothing she had ever felt from the sword. “It’s a bit longer now,” she observed.

“And much more powerful,” Taliah added. “Your sword is the most unique, simply by the nature of its creation. It needed the least alteration, but you may find it more excitable than before. I felt a sort of …” Taliah searched for a word she already knew but was hesitant to speak. “… sentience,” she finally said. “Until you have mastered it, I caution you to refrain from allowing it to feed on any demon energy. It was already quite willful, as you know. If you are unprepared to handle it now, the energy surge could be overwhelming and make the sword’s power uncontrollable.” The ninja nodded and replaced the sword to its scabbard.

A call from Sensei Akutagawa brought everyone to the campfire. “You must eat before you depart, but I want to say one thing before we start.” He waited for everyone to gather together and then beckoned for them to sit.

“You will have to depend on each other from now on. You must trust one another and learn each other’s skills, strengths and shortcomings and complement each other accordingly. It is my hope that you will become friends during your travels, as I regard you all as my children. You make me proud and I wish you the best of luck on the greatest mission of your lives.”

For the remainder of the day they ate and talked, and for a time, all were able to put aside the grim circumstances that had united them. As the sun followed its arcing path across the sky, the six companions enjoyed good food and good company, trained with each other under the watchful eye of their esteemed teacher, and finally set up their bedrolls to enjoy what might be the last peaceful night of sleep for a long time.

* * *

Iel watched the six humans from one of the far walls in his room.
They will be ready,
he thought with a smile.

***

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The sun had yet to peer over the eastern mountains as the four companions saddled their horses. After saddling and securing their gear to the horses, Sensei Akutagawa spoke.

He eyed the six that stood before him with that same proud, fatherly smile. “Kenjiro, Akemi, Kita and Kenyatta. I have said this before but I feel it should be said again. You make me very proud. All of you have become true warriors and good people.”

“With a heavy heart, do I watch you depart into what lies ahead, but with a happy heart I know that you go at your best. In one night you each have mastered the new techniques I’ve taught you. Know that these techniques are unique to each of you. I have had the pleasure of watching you grow over the years and am honored to teach you techniques that would normally be physically impossible.”

He looked at Kenjiro and the two islanders on his right. “On this mission you must trust Akemi’s judgment. She is highly experienced in dealing with demons. I will stress again that you must learn to trust and complement each other’s abilities as though you are family.”

He turned to Taliah and Mira. “I have never had the pleasure of meeting you before now Mira, but I wish to say that you are an exceptional young lady and I can sense a power within you that you have not yet realized.”

He turned to Taliah. “And you, Taliah. I have known you through your brother, and like him, you have become like a daughter to me. Though your true potential eludes you for now, you will soon discover a power inside you that is like nothing the world has seen for generations. If you ever need help or guidance you need only to come and see me.” He laughed as Taliah and Mira tackled him with a fierce hug.

The four warriors looked on, smiling. Taliah and Mira were experiencing the same relationship with Sensei Akutagawa that all of them had. It was like having a second father.

Kenyatta leaned over to Kenjiro and whispered, “You aren’t getting misty-eyed over here are you?” The samurai responded with an incredulous frown, but Kenyatta could see that there was a smile behind those stoic eyes. Akemi glanced at the two and smirked. The childish islander was exactly what her brother needed.

Taliah walked to Kenyatta and Kita and gave her brother a crushing hug, then turned to the waiting Kita. Kenyatta’s lip curled back as Kita and his sister shared a rather long embrace.

“Alright, alright, man! Let’s not get carried away now! Ya wan disentangle my sister from your tentacles, ya?”

Sighing, Taliah moved to Kenjiro and Akemi, giving them each a hug. “I consider you family, now. Watch over my foolish brother, as he will watch over you.” She retreated a few steps as Mira addressed the group.

“Just as he has said, Master Iel is watching you, even now. After this is done, he will watch over you and if ever you are in need, you will find help. I treasure the opportunity to have met each of you, and look forward to our next meeting.”

After saying their last minute goodbyes, the four companions mounted their horses, and in minutes had disappeared beyond the hills.

“They have quite a challenge ahead of them,” Sensei said, breaking the silence. “There is no way I could fully prepare them for what lies ahead, but I believe they are ready.”

“They will be fine, I think,” Mira said.

“Come,” Sensei Akutagawa said. “Let’s clean up and return to Kyokoza. There may yet be survivors we have missed.”

After cleaning their little camp, Taliah created a gate in the air as she had done when she met with the four departed warriors, and moments later, the three were gone.

***

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The companions held their mounts at a strong canter and blazed a trail straight across the open landscape. There was a silent tension about the group as everyone mentally replayed their teacher’s last words before they’d left. Finally, they knew who and what the enemy was, but that only left them with more questions. The guardian had hinted that there was more, concerning their abilities, but he hadn’t spoken of it further. In their private thoughts, each wondered if the Ilanyan held the answer to why they were able to do the impossible.

“I can see a lake at the foot of that forest,” Kita said, pointing ahead. “We should stop there.” They stopped their lathered and winded horses near the lake and dismounted. While they approached the small body of water, Kenyatta hesitated. His stomach knotted and seemingly every nerve in his body tingled with anxiety.

“Wait!” He trotted up to stop the others. “Something’s not right about this lake. I don’t think we should get any closer.”

Kenjiro caught something out of the corner of his eye and froze. The water rippled gently and then a large black fin sliced through the surface and then sank once again.

Kita was horrorstricken. “Whatever is attached to that fin is bigger than I care to imagine.”

Everyone slowly backed away from the pond. Kenyatta realized how careful they all were stepping and laughed. “What are we tip-toeing for? It’s not like the thing can hear us and is going to jump out of the water.”

Kita shook his head. “Yeah, well all the same, let’s just find another place to rest.” The group moved around the lake at a distance. This time Akemi got a glimpse of the large fin, and then the larger yellow tail that followed. The tail had grotesque waving tentacles attached to it, and upon closer observation, she noticed that the tentacles seemed to wave consciously, as if they were searching for something.

“Why don’t we move a bit farther away,” she suggested. Upon receiving a questioning look from her brother, she pointed. “Look there, those small tentacles. Look at the way they sway in that pattern. I think they’re smelling the air.”

The group entered a copse a short distance away to take their rest. “According to the map Iel implanted in our minds,” Kenjiro said, “I don’t think we are far from intercepting the Drek’s forces.” He looked at Kita, who nodded.

“We should find a safe place to release our horses,” Akemi said. “Demons find no better pleasure than causing pain and suffering to any living thing, especially animals that are close to humans. They know how we care for our animal companions.”

Kenjiro noticed Kenyatta focusing on something outside the tree line and moved beside him. “What is it?” he asked.

“Over there,” the islander whispered. “I knew there was something trailing us for some time now but it was too far away to be of any real concern. Whatever that thing is, it’s getting a little close to that lake.”

Kenjiro looked in the direction Kenyatta pointed to see a gray, four-legged animal of some sort walking toward the edge of the water. Even from that distance, the thing looked to be larger than a lion. Shaggy gray fur covered its hulking body, and four fangs protruded from its smiling maw. Its glowing red eyes looked as if they were filled with lava. Its claws sliced into the ground as it walked toward the lake.

“Grey Krindra,” Akemi whispered as she silently crept up beside them.

“What’s a Krindra?” Kita asked.

“I am unsure of exactly what it is, but it’s often used by demons, higher or lesser, to track certain targets or just plain hunt them down and rip them apart.” She narrowed her eyes. “It isn’t very intelligent, but it can grate a tree into shreds with those claws.”

A splash of water brought everyone’s attention back to the lake. A long, thick tentacle shot out of the water and wrapped around the beast, and began dragging the Krindra closer to the pond. It roared and dug its claws into the ground, digging deep scars in the ground.

A second tentacle whipped out of the water and slapped at the beast before it too wrapped around the animal. After a bit more of a struggle, the tentacles lifted the kicking, shrieking monster into the air and plunged it into the water. There were a few splashes and then nothing. The pond was as still as they had found it, and it was as though the Krindra had never been.

Kenyatta looked at Kita with widened eyes. “That thing had to weigh at least twelve to fifteen hundred pounds and was yanked into the water like it was nothing!”

“The world is changing,” Kita responded, not taking his eyes from the scene in front of him. “Just as Sensei and Iel said.”

“I hope there are some more friendly changes taking place,” Kenyatta replied, unconsciously moving backward.

The companions rested and shared their rations before mounting and setting off again. They moved slowly through the copse and later came upon a forest. The trees opened and revealed a path wide enough for them to travel two abreast. They increased their pace, no one needing to explain their desire not to spend more time in a wooded area than need be.

For a while, all seemed well, but then, the companions began to feel an uneasiness about the woods. Kenyatta could feel the wrongness in the air. He sighed.
They must know we’re coming,
he thought. He sped his horse up to catch the leader and warn of the danger when the ground burst open and the horses screamed and dug their rear heels into the ground.

The four warriors leaped from their saddles and landed in a crouching defensive formation, two on the left and two on the right. Akemi and Kenjiro’s horses ran into the thicker parts of the brush with the other two in tow. Kenyatta and Kita said a silent prayer of thanks for having selected such intelligent animals.

Out of the ground came a large flaming red hand big enough to grab them all. A Ren even bigger than the one they last encountered broke through the ground and towered over the group. Its chest expanded as it drew in a deep breath, then it thrust its head forward and spat a gout of flame.

The warriors leaped backward into the air, landing behind the flames. Everyone crouched, their weapons ready to strike as the fiery demon moved closer. Just as Akemi leaned forward to initiate the attack, they heard a sharp sound like a thin sheet of metal slicing through air. The Ren lurched forward and then tumbled to the ground and began to dissipate.

Akemi and the others remained crouched and ready, watching in confusion as the Ren dissipated back to the abyss. After it had fully dematerialized, they saw a slender figure standing at ease. Everyone stood and took a more aggressive stance, not sure if their benefactor was friend or foe.

“This is how you welcome an ally?” asked a voice familiar to Kenjiro and Akemi. Kenyatta and Kita remained at the ready until the other two relaxed and sheathed their swords.

“I see a strider does keep his word after all,” Akemi said. “We thought you decided the better of accompanying us.”

“His word is all a man has,” Shinobu replied. He walked up to the group and inclined his head with a smile. “I presume you are the others from Toyotomi that eluded me,” he said, turning his attention to Kenyatta and Kita, who turned questioning looks on the two siblings.

Shinobu spread his hands. “I’d sensed the presence of two others but was unable to locate you. Looks like you’ve met up after all. I am Farstrider Shinobu.” He offered a smirk that brought an unimpressed look from Kenyatta. Kita returned the introductions and they went to recover their horses.

The strider led them to his mount, which was grazing in an open patch of grass. They rode at a walking pace for a time, comparing information and Akemi explaining their meeting at the Eagle’s Eye to the islanders.

“We almost missed the place entirely,” Kita said. “We were told to look for a town named Nijika. We nearly left until deciding to talk to some of the locals and found out that Nijika and Toyotomi were one in the same.”

“Some people have felt the need to hold on to some remnants of an age passed,” the strider said. “Nijika is the old name. You will find that many places have taken new names, as every land has done for centuries. People are divided on the subject.” He shrugged as if it didn’t matter. Kita and Kenyatta didn’t see the point in such reasoning either, but in the end, what did it matter?

“There is a score of monsters the likes of which I have never seen before,” the strider continued. “All moving east of here and destroying everything in their path. They are savage, but there is definitely some direction to their flight.” The two siblings looked at each other and then at Kenyatta and Kita.

Akemi shared their recently acquired information, drawing a smile from the strider. “So you are on your way to intercept these things? I hope you have an idea of what you’re up against, because not only are there a lot of them, but they’re strong; very strong.”

“I have a question,” Kita asked. “How were you able to defeat that thing back there so easily?” Shinobu’s face took on a distant look.

“That is a question that must remain unanswered, I regret.” The matter-of-factness in Shinobu’s voice brought no further questions in that direction, but a little less trust between the strider and the four companions.

* * *

The miles fell away behind them as they crossed the grasslands, rolling hills and fields, and jumping across creeks and ravines. They rode without rest until the sun was directly overhead. “We are close to them now,” Akemi said, her voice going grim. “I can feel the stench of their presence even from here.” She looked at the rest of the group. “Whatever we plan to do, it's going to be now.”

“There is a patch of woods not far from here,” Kenjiro said. “I have no desire to involve my horse in this confrontation.”

“Agreed,” Akemi replied.

“You have quite a bit of confidence in their loyalty,” Shinobu commented.

“We should,” Akemi retorted, giving her panting mount a pat on the neck. The winded horse’s sides heaved in and out as it took in gulps of air. “They have served us well.”

“I see,” came the smiling response, which drew an annoyed look from Kenyatta.

Once they reached the woods, everyone dismounted and unfastened their gear. The horses were turned loose to graze and rest in safety. “How fast do you feel?” Shinobu asked the others. “If we set a quick pace, we can be on them in less than three hours.”

“Then let’s get moving,” Kenyatta said while fastening a water flask to his waist.

Akemi nodded. “We need to reach them before nightfall. I’d like not to fight demons in the night if it can be avoided.” That statement had everyone ready to leave in a matter of minutes.

The group sped across the open fields, stopping only to peer at their quarry from atop some of the higher hills. “There,” Kita pointed out three Bachatttas gliding in the sky far in the distance.

“Scouts,” Kenjiro said with disgust.

“And they can probably see us even from this distance,” Akemi added.

“I know this area,” Shinobu said. “There is a canyon between us and them that stretches for miles in both directions. The good news is that it’s narrow and we could cross it without those things seeing us from the sky. The bad news is that we would be quite vulnerable climbing out.”

“We have few options,” Kenjiro said. “We must cross.”

“Then we start now,” Akemi said.

* * *

Standing in front of his scrying mirror, Brit watched with amusement as the group headed for the canyon. “Courageous of them to try to cross that canyon so close to our forces, don’t you think, Kabriza?”

The Quentranzi general looked into the mirror with little interest. “Would you consider those five humans such a threat that you would have them eliminated?” it asked with that low, rumbling voice that made Zreal’s wings want to shrivel.

“You may yet learn, Kabriza, that I leave nothing to chance. Better to overestimate than to underestimate. No one has or ever will defeat me because I was unprepared.”

The demon narrowed its eyes and smiled at the double meaning in the Drek’s words. Brit could feel the fiend’s eyes burning into his side, but showed no concern. He had Kabriza’s respect, somewhat, and he must remain unmoved and strong in its presence. “I won’t waste valuable resources on humans, but I will take no unnecessary chances either. I will send three welcoming parties to them, each headed by a Krindra.”

Brit and his Quentranzi general stepped through a dark portal and were transported not far outside of his fortress. “I must say again that I admire your style in surroundings,” Kabriza said. “It almost reminds me of home.”

Brit ignored the comment and concentrated on summoning the creatures of the edge of the world, vile grotesque living monsters that were only found in these lands and were rarely mentioned save for old stories and campfire tales. Three Krindras appeared from the brush, and soon after, three groups of hairy brown beasts with glowing green eyes joined them.

Kabriza made a sound that could have been a chuckle. “Those are the same type of Chimsura as the score you lost track of not long ago. Are you feeling luckier in using such mentally dwarfed creatures?” Kabriza glanced at its summoner. “Perhaps you use them because stupid creatures are easy to outwit and easier to control?”

Brit spared a glance at the mocking demon. “That’s why you’re here, pet.”

The fire in Kabriza’s eyes danced wildly at the insult.

The three Krindras and the other monsters backed away from them, growling warily. Brit, most of his attention on his slow-witted but fierce beasts took note but once again showed no concern of his unpredictable ally’s irritation. A few moments later he produced a dark portal and the three groups departed.

* * *

The narrow canyon stretched as far as the eye could see in either direction, but for however long it was, the distance across its width was quite short. The four warriors positioned themselves behind a bolder, and Akemi took a quick peek around the side.

“What do you see?” Kenjiro asked.

“More than I can count,” the ninja answered. “At least several of every kind of demon you could think of, except the Kalistyi.” She shared a look with her brother, then took a longer look.