by Travis Bughi
“Wow,” Gavin said. “That’s the mountain, right? I mean, on one hand, I hope it’s not, because that thing is huge. On the other hand, I hope it is, because I don’t want to see something bigger. This Lady Zan—”
“Xuan.”
“Yeah, her. She said this is like the king of all mountains?”
“That’s the mountain, Gavin,” Takeo said.
“Ah, good. . . Damn it.”
They reached the base by dusk with just enough light to cast ominous shadows over their camp. They made as little sound as possible and lit no fire, remembering Lady Xuan’s warning that this place was infested with all manner of terrible creatures.
“Judging by height alone,” Takeo said, “it would take us a solid two weeks to climb this beast if we knew the path. Considering we don’t, it’ll probably take us twice as long. That is, of course, assuming the mountain ends where it reaches into the clouds. There will be snow, too, once we reach the top. It will be hard to breathe, and food and water will likely become scarce if not non-existent. It’ll be similar to our trip through Khaz Mal in the winter, only this will be a straight climb to the top with the occasional platform of rock to break up the monotony. At least, that’s my guess.”
“Any other time,” Gavin said, “I might suggest we hike around the mountain first to look for an easier way up. However, considering the size of this monster, we’d just burn through the packed food Lady—the lady—gave us.”
“What’s with you three?” Nicholas grinned. “You all look scared. I’m excited. This will be my greatest achievement yet. I will make this mountain bow before me. This will be part of my legend.”
“Krunk is scared of heights.”
“No, you’re not, Krunk,” Gavin sighed. “You just have to pee.”
Krunk blinked, squinted one eye, and then balked. He stood and trotted off into the grass.
“How in the world did you know that?” Takeo whispered.
“I didn’t,” Gavin whispered back. “He probably is scared of heights. Now, though, he’ll think it’s just because he has to tinkle. That should distract him from the fear, hopefully anyway.”
“I’ve never known any creature to be so dumb.” Nicholas stared in the direction Krunk had gone.
“I’ll buy you a mirror in the next village,” Gavin replied.
Takeo laughed.
In the morning, they began their ascent. Their climb began slowly, nothing more than a gradual grade along a steady, sometimes rocky slope. Occasionally their path dipped into short pockets that either needed to be traversed or skirted, but for the most part, they climbed. Sometimes they would run into a sheer wall of rock with no discernable way around.
At moments like those, they’d choose one to set aside his pack, take a rope, and climb it. At the top, the climber would then secure the rope so the others could climb up with all the gear. It only took a few of these incidents for them to realize that Nicholas was a superb climber.
Tall with long arms, an array of gnarly muscles, and a complete lack of fear, Nicholas scaled mountain sides like they were man-made ladders. His hands and fingers gripped tiny ledges, crevices, or sometimes what appeared to be nothing at all, all the while hauling his massive weight into the air as if he were no heavier than Takeo. Sometimes, the three of them would get dizzy just watching him, their necks straining at the constant effort of looking straight up.
“You have to understand,” Nicholas said, trying to explain his natural affinity, “this is what I know. This, and fighting. On a viking ship, I pull an oar all day long. When not doing that, I grab bars or doorways overhead and pull myself up. I get down on the ground and push myself away. I carry rocks, I pull on rope, and I lift from the ground with my legs. For eons, vikings have held physical strength up as an ideal. Don’t you think we’d have perfected the art by now?”
“True, but that doesn’t explain how you know where to grab,” Gavin countered.
“Well, we do live in coves amongst mountains.” Nicholas shrugged. “I’ve been climbing for a while now, but trust me, it might not look like it, but this mountain is giving me a challenge. Unfortunately for this rocky monster, that just makes me happy.”
The mountain must have been listening, because on the morning of the fifth day, they had their first encounter with the creatures Lady Xuan had spoken of.
They had chosen to shelter from the wind under another rock wall, which they’d reached after it was too dark to know whether they would be able to scale it in the morning, but that hadn’t troubled them. They had laid out their blankets and slept peacefully through the night.
Takeo was the first to awaken. He stretched and observed their current position. Here on the south side of the mountain, their path would be well lit throughout the day, and even in the dim morning light, Takeo could tell there would be no switchbacks or gradual climbs today. Nicholas would have to scale the face of the mountain once again, a task that would take some time to complete. Takeo stretched again but didn’t think to stir any of his companions just yet. They needed their strength.
However, that opinion changed when he caught a flash of movement, and his head whirled to stare in that direction. He concentrated on the spot, scanning vigorously. There was another flash of movement between two rocks, and Takeo caught the distinct puff of a komainu mane before it disappeared amongst the morning shadows. It was some distance away, perhaps a few stone throws in a straight line along a jagged path of ridges and crevices, which were obstacles that might slow or stop the komainu, but probably not. All Takeo knew for sure was that komainu traveled in packs.
Quickly and quietly, he rustled the others awake, pressing a finger to his lips and giving them a hard stare. They caught the look in his eye and remained silent until all were awake and Takeo could pull them in to explain the situation.
“There’s probably two to five of them, I’ll bet,” he whispered, just louder than the chill morning breeze. “Nicholas, get up the wall as fast as you can. Don’t waste any time, but be careful. One sound and they’ll hear us. They might already know we’re here. They have a powerful sense of smell, and if—”
The wind changed direction, rushing past them toward the komainu.
“Damn,” he cursed low. “Nicholas, now!”
Nicholas jumped up so fast he nearly forgot to take the rope with him. He tied it about his waist, scanned the rock, and then leapt onto its face. Takeo turned, and a moment later, three komainu pounced onto the boulders he was watching, sniffing at the air, their heads outstretched as if trying to get a better look at what their noses told them.
Ferocious and powerful, their thick and muscular bodies handled the mountainous terrain with little inconvenience. Their heads appeared too large for their bodies, and their mouths were cavernous holes with jaws so powerful they could chop a human in half. Takeo knew from experience that their sense of smell was so great that he and the others would never be able to lose them.
“Those ones are wild, aren’t they?” Gavin asked, reaching for his shield. “They’re drooling.”
“They always drool, even the tame ones,” Takeo said. “That shield won’t do you any good against three of them.”
“What do we do?” Gavin grabbed the shield anyway.
“Pack up our gear, get ready,” Takeo swallowed, “and hope Nicholas reaches the top before they reach us.”
The komainu roared and leapt from the boulders. But despite this horrifying sight, Takeo, Gavin, and Krunk rolled their blankets up and packed them away. The three kept risking glances over their shoulders as the komainu leapt from rock to rock along as straight a path as they could to reach their meal. They made bounds that seemed impossible, and for a moment, Takeo thought them doomed until the komainu skidded to a stop at a gap that seemed too wide for them.
The beasts paced along the edge, growling and chattering while looking across the gorge. One teetered on the very edge, looking like it was about to go for it, then changed its mind and paced again. Anothe
r broke off from the rest, bounded up a few ledges, but found no better crossing. The last went down and paced out of sight. Takeo’s breath caught in his throat at the distinct sound of a heavy thud, too close for comfort.
That komainu had found a way across, and its friends eagerly followed.
“Nicholas!” Takeo shouted.
“I’m here! Here!”
Takeo looked up. Nicholas was gone, his body over the ridge, and only the rope was visible, dangling down.
“I’m just trying to find a boulder to tie onto!” the viking shouted.
“No time!” Takeo yelled back, his voice echoing off the cliff face. “Hunker down and hang on. We’re coming up.”
They threw Nicholas’ gear on Krunk’s back and forced the ogre up. Krunk complained about having to pee but climbed nonetheless. He braced his feet against the rock and pulled for all he was worth.
Gavin motioned for Takeo to follow, but the samurai shook his head.
“I’ve fought komainu before,” he said. “Go, and don’t argue.”
Gavin swore and leapt onto the rope, hauling himself up as quickly as he could. Takeo slung his own pack and went to grab the rope, but heavy paws slammed against the ground just a pace behind him.
In one motion, Takeo grabbed the rope with his left hand and turned, drawing his family sword with his right, just in time to see one komainu darting towards him, mouth wide open and teeth glistening with drool. Takeo swept the katana across the beast’s mouth, slicing its tongue, and it barked and leapt away, blood mixing with drool, splattering the mottled grey rock with red. Two more komainu appeared a second later.
Takeo clasped his feet around the rope and pushed while pulling with his left hand. With his right, he gripped his weapon firmly.
Rule one.
One of the new komainu snarled and pounced, claws like daggers extended out to snatch its food. Takeo twisted to avoid the strike and lashed out with his bloodied sword. He caught the komainu’s paw, spilling blood across the rock wall. The komainu’s claws just missed him, tearing his clothes, but drawing nothing more than a pink line down his thigh. Takeo swung his katana at the remaining komainu before the thing could take advantage of the situation.
Climb! Climb, damn you!
Takeo hauled himself up the rope using both legs and one hand while he swung about with his sword, sweeping it in broad strokes to keep the komainu at bay. He moved too slowly, though, hardly inching along, and the komainu began toying with him, swiping at him in unison from either side. He caught one paw, parrying it away, but another set dug into his pack and nearly yanked him off the rope. Instead, he just twirled around and began swinging his katana like mad.
“Hang on, Takeo!” he heard from above.
The rope in his hands gave a mighty tug and was almost ripped from his hands a second time, but by some combination of determination, luck, and white-knuckled fear, Takeo held on as he was hauled up into the air. The komainu roared and began leaping up, their massive mouths snatching for his dangling body. Takeo kicked and swung again, dodging one, then another, and stabbing the third with his katana. The second tug hauled him up higher and beyond the reach of the komainu’s jaws. Beneath Takeo, the beasts began to pace and whine pitifully, drooling as they stared up.
Tiny trembles pulsed through Takeo’s body. That’d been far too close.
At the top, he threw his sword over first before hauling his body over the ledge. A multitude of hands grabbed hold and dragged him up.
Like Takeo, who lay resting on his pack, Nicholas and the others were breathing hard. Nicholas was covered in sweat, and his hands were alight with blisters.
“That was close,” Gavin said needlessly.
“You three are heavy,” Nicholas panted. “That’s all I have to say. My hands hurt, and I’ll be damned if my ears won’t stop ringing.”
Takeo’s breath caught, and his heart seized in his chest. He scrambled to a seated position and stared wide-eyed at Nicholas. The other three paused.
“Did you say ringing?” Takeo asked.
“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?” Nicholas replied.
“Grab your weapons. There’s a gashadokuro headed this way.”
Chapter 21
“Does anyone else hear a ring?” Takeo said.
“Krunk hears ringing.”
“Wait,” Gavin said, “is this that giant bone thing you were telling us about? The one as big as a cyclops?”
“Yes.” Takeo scrambled to his feet. “If you hear ringing, that means it’s searching for you. If two of us hear ringing, though, then it’s already found us and heading this way.”
No sooner than Takeo had said that, he heard a faint ringing in his own ears. One glance at Gavin’s suddenly widening eyes said that the knight heard the same thing. Takeo risked a glance over the side of the cliff. The three komainu were sprinting away as fast as their powerful legs could carry them, jumping from rock to rock with their tails between their legs.
Takeo envied their speed.
“Let’s go. Run!” he yelled, sheathing his katana and searching for the first available path.
His eyes found a flat one that led between two rock walls. He instantly struck that from his mind. The path wouldn’t be narrow enough to block the gashadokuro from chasing them. Further to the right, a narrow ledge disappeared around the corner of another cliff face. He sprinted for it.
Gavin was right behind, followed by Krunk, with Nicholas stopping only long enough to pick up his pack and rope. The viking coiled the rope into a haphazard circle that could be strapped over one shoulder.
“All I hear is ringing,” Nicholas yelled. “Where is it?”
A heavy thud, like the sound of a limbless tree falling in the forest, echoed across the mountains and stabbed into their hearts. The echoes confused its location and distance, and Takeo couldn’t be sure where it came from. His blood ran cold, and he felt beads of sweat forming at his temples.
Takeo had never feared a fight, but a battle with a gashadokuro would be no fight at all. The things weren’t alive. They had no skin to cut, no blood to bleed, not even a brain to think.
And yet they hungered.
Takeo rounded the narrow ledge and found a single path that led through a series of corridors eroded into the mountain. He hesitated only enough to suck in a gasp of air before charging down that way, his pack bouncing against his back and his katana swaying at his side.
Another thud echoed against the rocks, and still Takeo couldn’t tell where it was coming from. He looked up, down, left, and right, but no bone-white monstrosity appeared. The others were scanning, too. They ducked instinctively as another thud made the rocks above them shift loose and fall. The ringing in Takeo’s ears grew louder, and he picked up his speed. Their path took a slow bend and came to another cliff face. Beside it sat a narrow crevice between two walls that looked just barely big enough for Krunk to pace through. On the other side, Takeo saw a ledge large enough for ten men to camp comfortably.
Relief washed through him.
“Packs off. Do it now,” Takeo commanded, unslinging his own and chucking it through the crevice.
Krunk, Gavin, and Nicholas mimicked the samurai without a word, shedding their gear and hurling it through the passageway. Takeo went through next and then pointed at Krunk. The ogre, being pushed by Nicholas and pulled by Takeo, barely made it through, scraping red a few areas of purple skin. Gavin went next, followed by Nicholas. They were not a moment too soon. The gashadokuro leapt from the ledges above to land in the corridor they’d just occupied.
The rocky mountain, as sturdy as it was, quaked from the terrible impact the giant made. When its boney heels smashed to the earth, Takeo stumbled as the ground beneath his feet trembled.
Before him, just beyond the gap, the massive creature, easily half the size of a colossus, stood ready to annihilate them. It was nothing but a skeleton, no guts, no muscles, no blood, brain, or hair. A bleached white skeleton that made grinding and clacking no
ises as it moved.
Its hands ending in sharp claws, its mouth a mess of shattered teeth, and its eye sockets as hollow as its ribcage, the gashadokuro dropped open its jaw and screeched.
All four of them slapped hands to their ears as the shrill, high-pitched noise washed over them. Nicholas even fell to the ground, breathing hard and scrambling back on his elbows. When the gashadokuro stopped screeching, Takeo realized Nicholas had been screaming, too, and he went on screaming for several moments.
“How?” Nicholas demanded, aghast, pausing for breath. “How can it do that? It has no lungs.”
“By the angels, what is this thing?” Gavin swore. “What do we do? Where do we go? How can it move?”
The gashadokuro lunged at the opening, unfazed by the difference in size. Its massive rib cage wedged into the rock and got stuck, and the creature began shrieking again. It reached out with long, boney arms and made to grab the nearest of them.
They leapt back, well out of range, hands still pressed to their ears. Takeo’s head began to hurt from the shrieking, and he knew that anymore of this and his ears might begin to bleed.
“I don’t know!” Takeo screamed over the shrieks. “We have to do something!”
“Can we kill it?” Gavin yelled.
“With what? Arrows?” Takeo shouted. “Swords? It doesn’t bleed! We always just run and hide!”
The gashadokuro began to flail wildly, bucking against the mountain and kicking insanely. Each strike with its boney heals and hands made the mountain quiver and Takeo’s heart skip a beat. The gashadokuro screeched again, put its hands against the rocks that pinned it, and began to push with all its might.
The rock began to crack.
“No,” Takeo said, eyes widening. “Damn it, no.”
“Shit!” Gavin yelled, slinging his shield and drawing his sword. “Damn it, Takeo. Why’d you have to back us into a corner?”
“I didn’t know it was one.”
“Well, you got any kind of plan now?”
Takeo looked around but there was nowhere to run. This platform he’d led them to only had two ways out: either through the crevice the gashadokuro blocked or up the rock face that held them prisoner. Actually, that wasn’t true. There was one more way out: off the ledge behind them and to their most certain deaths far below.
