The Wrath Of the Forgotten (26 page)

A grin remained on his face as he spun around like a top. His tetsubo struck, and then rose again. Creatures fell, but others stepped up in their place. Sweat trailed down his face, into his eyes. Nori’s arms pumped wildly, and the hint of exhaustion lingered in his tissue. Breaths came in wild gasps.

A Kappa beak bit down on his calf. The armor held at first, but it cracked under the immense pressure of the Kappa’s jaw. The tip of the Kappa’s beak plunged into Nori’s flesh. He winced, but knocked the Kappa away. Nori didn’t have to look to see that blood trailed down his leg. Another Kappa slashed against his right gauntlet. Deep grooves covered the surface. After this battle, that piece would need to be replaced. A third Kappa almost cleaved off Nori’s nose.

Nori smacked a Kappa across the face, and sent it over the rail. He cracked another Kappa’s front shell. The Kappa held its chest and slipped away into the river. It didn’t return. While a momentary burst of joy exploded within him, Nori winced. His strength persisted for the moment, but how long could he keep it up? How long had he been going already? Time had no meaning.

The Kappas kept advancing on him, relentless in their desire to spill his blood. His body ached, but not just because of his injuries. Men screamed out behind him frantically, but Nori couldn’t turn his attention away.

A sudden idea came to mind. Would it work? It had to.

Nori shattered the legs of a Kappa, and then front kicked in the chest. As he had planned, the creature fell on its back. The water drained out of the leaf bowl. The Kappa convulsed wildly and flapped its arms about in a panic. Others came to its rescue. Nori intercepted them and swung his war club at them to keep them at bay. He placed his foot on the fallen Kappa’s chest and kept swinging at the monsters that got too close.

The Kappas screamed out in rage, and frantically tried to dislodge Nori away from their comrade. Somehow, he managed to hold his ground. The Kappa’s face turned pale, and it gasped for air… or perhaps water. Kappa faces kept looking down at their friend and then back up to Nori. Hatred and concern painted on their turtle faces.

In a loud voice, Nori screamed out at them, “Leave us alone! We don’t want to fight anymore.”

The Kappas just kept watching him, and Nori decided to take the risk. He dropped the tetsubo, and bent down to the Kappa at his feet. As soon as the weapon left his hands, the Kappas dove in for him. Nori grabbed the sides of the Kappa’s shell and lifted with all of his strength. Even as the clawed hands and beaks collapsed upon his limbs, Nori hurled the Kappa over the side of the ship. The Kappas grabbed him tightly and bit down, but not enough to break skin. Their eyes watched their friend’s trajectory through the air. When the Kappa splashed into the river, the other Kappas stepped back and gave Nori wary expressions.

Nori still heard fighting behind him. He wanted to look back, but he dared not to.

“We don’t want to fight you,” Nori said.

His muscles screamed out for a reprieve. The tetsubo lay at his feet. Nori doubted he would be able to grab it in time.

Nori said, “We want to go home. Nothing more. Please stop fighting us.”

The Kappas drilled holes into him with their eyes. Their silence hammered into his body.

Nori winced. “Please leave us alone.”

One of the Kappas stepped forward, right up to Nori. It locked eyes with him and then screeched. Nori covered his ears and instinctively shut his eyes. Death would come swiftly now. He knew it. He just knew it.

It didn’t come.

When he opened his eyes, he noticed the very last of the Kappas leaping over the sides of the ship.

The other Kappas had disengaged with the sailors as well. Some of the sailors watched the Kappas go. Four specific women beheld Nori with awe-filled gazes.

Each of his limbs felt shackled down with iron chains. His lungs heaved in utter disbelief over the exertion he had just gone though. His soul even felt weary at the effort of producing so much rage.

The sailor in the crow’s nest called out, “Captain! They’re leaving. I can’t believe it, but they’re leaving.”

Nori slowly turned around and gazed out ahead of them. A large collection of lily pads floated on the river, and it drifted away from the Grinning Panda with immense speed. A soft chuckle rumbled up through his belly, up through his throat, and out past his lips. By the time that Apisa, Rayko, Luxi, and Flara moved up to him, Nori had started laughing hysterically.

THE LONGING IN
Tov’s chest pulsated wildly. They were closer now, and it wouldn’t be long now. A chilling gust blasted past Tov as he soared high above the river. Towering mountains lorded over him on both sides. The infinite sky hung just above the gigantic peaks.

Tov descended rapidly, and a torrent of air brushed against his face and hair. He closed his eyes as complete satisfaction blossomed throughout his skin. Why couldn’t life be this serene all the time?

This would be the legacy Tov wanted to give to his people. To fly free without burden, stress, or obligation would be worth more than all of the other promises the Celestial Ones had offered him and the other Yaoguai. He got closer to the water, and the mountains observed him with silent majesty.

The sound of the river soothed the dreadful tingling that had dominated his stomach. For a brief moment, he didn’t have to address questions like, ‘what did he plan on doing once he found the lore,’ or ‘would he kill everyone in sight.’ Tov’s soul tugged in numerous directions, and in truth, he would love nothing more than to leave everyone in peace. All he wanted was the lore.

Damn the humans for forcing him to be the herald for their destruction. The humans were a blight, but at least the planet had endured against their vile corruption. In the middle of nowhere, the perfection and beauty of nature still reigned.

His small gem armband flared to life.

You are within a hundred miles. Be prepared, loyal servant. Be willing to do what you must.

Tov didn’t answer back, but he flew harder. If the lore was that close, he should be at its location within two hours’ time. The blood drained from his extremities. An all too familiar sense of dread grew within his insides. Images of his daughter’s beautiful face flashed before his eyes. At least seeing her would help with summoning the courage to do what must be done. Where that courage would come from, Tov had no clue. It would come from somewhere though, it always did.

His actions surely blackened his soul. Would he ever be able to obtain enlightenment and rejoin his beloved in the afterlife? Would the Celestial Ones be able to wash his sins clean? Tov focused on the clarity of the water and noticed something interesting.

A small cluster of lily pads floated along the river. At first, Tov soared over them. He studied them with curiosity. The lily pads stayed in close proximity to one another, and they actually floated faster than what the current should allow. Dark shadowy ovals followed each of the lily pads.

Tov grinned. With the moon where it was in the sky and considering the time of year, surely those lily pads belonged to Kappas. Tov’s delight faded, and his heart throbbed with a dull realization. With how the world worked at the moment, the Yaoguai would never have peaceful lives like the Kappas. Only with the help of the Celestial Ones could his people finally enjoy their lives without the prospect of being hunted. The Kappas had it easy. Swimming, eating, reproducing. To his understanding, the humans left the Kappas alone. What made these turtles so special? Why did the humans ignore such interesting creatures, and yet they hunted the Yaoguai with such fervor?

Red hot beads formed in the sides of Tov’s forehead. Kappa blood and bone didn’t contain magical properties like Yaoguai blood and bone did. Thankfully, the last Yaoguai hunt occurred over a hundred and fifty years ago, just before Tov was born. When the humans had remembered the Yaoguai existed, his people experienced nights filled with foreboding terror. Like the Celestial Ones, the Yaoguai had been forgotten by the human vermin. That neglect would cost them dearly, and the Yaoguai would be elevated back to where they belonged.

Tov flapped his wings and soared higher into the sky. He still flew below the peaks of the mountains, but the smaller details in the river were now lost to him. A forest emerged in the far distance, just on the edge of the mountains. The peaks still ran alongside the southern bank of the river. Upon seeing the trees, chills resonated within his soul. Right about now, his daughter would be settling down for lunch at home. Knowing her, she would be eating outside on the patio. The sun would be peeking through the leaves, and the wind passing through the branches would cause a melody of natural bells.

The image of a ship appeared in the center of the river, around where the forest ended and the mountains began.

The gem stone on his armband flashed again.

They are close now. Very close.

Tov touched the gem. “
I see where they are. I will not fail you.”

The Masters responded back with “
Be safe. You are going to be needed in the days to come.”

The ship had a large black sail attached to the center mast and two smaller white sails on the front and back of the vessel. Tov’s stomach clenched while his heart raced like a wild stallion. His fingers and toes tingled slightly, was it due to his innate magic or his nerves?

Tov descended lower and made a bee line toward the ship. A human had been standing in a circular bucket atop the mast, and he stared at Tov. The human’s arms waved about wildly, and the people on the ship’s deck started scrambling. Some of them drew weapons, while others made human blockades that protected the ship’s helm.

Tov flapped his wings rapidly as he stopped just above the ship’s deck. He floated above the sailors for a moment before he landed on the deck with a soft
thud
. More of the sailors had drawn weapons, and they bunched together shoulder to shoulder.

Tov pressed his shoulders back and allowed his wings to disappear. He held his head high, and he regarded them as if they were insects. No, that was an insult to insects. These filthy traitors were worse than that. The sailors stared at him with curiosity and unease. Seeing them squirm made the tension in Tov’s stomach lessen slightly.

A tall woman with brown hair stepped out from the crowd. Her eyes sparkled with the ferocity of a storm, and the other sailors made way for her. They watched her with pleading expressions. The woman’s weapon remained in its sheath, but she placed a hand on its hilt.

“Who the Hell are you, and what are you doing on my ship?” the woman asked.

Tov narrowed his eyes and stared past her. The captain snarled and she inched her sword a little out of its scabbard. Most of the people on the ship were men. Three well-dressed women stood toward the back of the crowd. Whereas both the captain and the men had the same sense of ruggedness, the women appeared different.

Tov locked his attention on the immensely tall man standing beside the trio of women. His blood frosted over within his veins. His eyes gradually increased in size. All of the moisture in his mouth evaporated. The giant man was unmistakably an Onistan, and the big bastard even carried an over-sized war club with him and was dressed in battle armor. Was the man really standing there? Or was it his conscience reminding him of the great evils he had been a part of? Tov kept his eye on the Onistan for a moment longer before he regarded the captain again.

“I’d like to avoid killing you all if I can,” Tov said. “I just want something you carry.”

The captain drew her sword and held it out in front of her. “I don’t take kindly to people threatening me or my crew. Especially not from a sickly looking weirdo like you. I’m not stupid. You’re not human. Are you some kind of yokai?”

Tov opened his mouth to speak, but a mousy little voice called out from the back.

“H-he’s a Yaoguai. B-be careful, he’s magical!”

One of the women, the taller of the three, had correctly classified him.

That didn’t bode well, not at all.

He pointed toward the woman. “You seem quite well informed. I suppose you have what I seek then. You will give me the lore you found, or I’ll be forced to murder all of the people on board.”

The Onistan stepped in front of the taller woman, and surprisingly, the other two women stepped in front of him. A shorter blond held up her hands, as if to punch at him while the other, a brown haired beauty, simply held her hands open wide.

The captain stepped in front of his line of vision. “You’re dumber than a bag full of castrated pig cocks if you think you’re just going to murder all of us with ease. Magical or not, you had better leave before I spill your guts all over the deck.”

The taller female looked around the Onistan. “Y-you’re one of the s-scarred ones, aren’t you? You’re serving the Celestial Ones?”

An icy spasm exploded within Tov’s insides. He held out his hand and summoned his energy sword. Some of the sailors gasped. The blond woman’s hands changed into what looked like claws, and scaled covered her forearms.