Ryojin- the Bonded Blade

by Noah Ward

  They finished tightening Kaz’s bandages in silence. When finished, the two returned to their stalkers and began trotting to the mountains in the distance. She hoped they would reach their destination after nightfall.

  54

  Bosan

  Asami stood at the long flight of steps carved into the mountain that led to the temple of Daikameda. A single set of footprints dusted each foothold and was quickly being concealed by an oncoming blizzard. She bundled her crimson robes closer to herself and then held out her arm for the falcon to perch.

  The bird landed on her forearm and froze. She placed her free hand on its skull and shut her eyes. A smile touched her face moments later.

  “I always wondered what his ability was…” she said.

  Asami dismissed the falcon with a thought and it disappeared into the snow above. At the far end of the gulley that formed the maw-like protrusion of Daikameda, a lone figure galloped towards her on a keval. A few minutes later, Saito alighted the beast and wandered over to her.

  “Have you dealt with them?” said Saito, nodding towards the temple in the distance.

  “Of course,” said Asami with a slight bow.

  He snatched her arm. “Not like you did in Gashul.”

  Asami shook off his grip. “I told you that was not of my making. They’re bandits, killers, Saito.”

  Saito harrumphed but said nothing more.

  “You will find them most obliging,” she assured him.

  “And what of--” he began before she cut him off.

  “I have no news of Suzaku or Kitsune. I fully trust in their ability to complete their task. And I assume you sent your kamen to aid them, as well. They will be here, do not worry.”

  He didn’t dignify her jab with an answer. “Let us get this over with.”

  The two began surmounting the steps to the temple. As the blizzard picked up, it seemed like they were advancing into a white, swirling vortex that could well have been a gateway to the White Wastes themselves. It all seemed extremely fitting to Asami. It was a shame that Kuma was not here to see it. Not out of any sympathy, but simply as a display of how one put a plan into effect without earning a blade through the skull for it.

  After the first flight of a hundred-or-so steps, they came to the second red gate. Tied to on its weathered posts was the one with the metal cage on his head. Despite the chill, his body did not quiver. He was probably too stupid to interpret the sensation.

  “Come,” she said, after untying him. He loosed a gutteral yelp and then began hopping up the steps like an excited dog.

  The three of them travelled the rest of the way in silence. When Asami did spare a sideways glance at the man, his features were set and determined. However, she had known Saito long enough to see past that, to the apprehension he held for his supposed daughter’s safety. While Asami had been in two minds whether the girl was his--he’d managed to keep it a secret from even her--the evidence was clear. Besides, it would not matter in the end and served its purpose better than she could have ever hoped.

  By now, evening had well passed and night was settling in. The blizzard had increased in tenacity; she could barely see several feet in front of her. The three of them plowed onwards, up step after step, until they finally passed the final gate and arrived at the temple itself.

  When the skies were clear and the moon was out, the temple to Mudan could have been considered quite impressive. The thin path in the mountains belied the plateau the temple stood on. While it was still cradled in a bowl-like opening of land, it was an area surrounded by the taller teeth of a mountain range. Beyond it lay the seemingly endless ocean, the domain of Isumi.

  The temple itself was a modest affair, a mere two storeys high. Its plain, varnished wood, with shuttered windows on the ground level, gave no hint of what lay inside. The area surrounding it had places where pilgrims could place their charms or make their offerings, but all were bereft of anything. No one ventured up here anymore.

  Asami could feel her heart beating faster than before, the climb only partly to blame. The caged man clawed at the temple’s large wooden doors, begging for entry. Beside her, Saito worried the small leather pouch with the krystallis inside.

  Asami took the initiative and strode forwards. She rapped on the door three times and then stood back. A few silent moments passed; the howl of the wind was their companion. Wood rumbled and old hinges squealed as the door in front of them parted with a warm exhalation of air.

  Inside was submerged in near total darkness, and it took Asami a few seconds for her adjusting eyes to pick out several coal burners attached to the walls. She wandered in and waited for Saito to follow, the caged man already having shuffled in without preamble.

  The temple’s interior had a giant statue to Mudan, carved from rough stone, standing by the wall opposite the entrance. Upon closer inspection, however, she discovered that the shogen had originally been hewn from Daikameda’s stone. The anthropomorphic figure was presented as a stonemason. From its muscled torso upwards, Mudan was busy fashioning his likeness out of the rock he was apart of. He held one arm up high, which clutched a hammer; his other hand held a massive chisel that was cutting into the rock. His eyebrows were drawn, focused; his face, impassive.

  A tingling went up her spine. She could not conclude whether this was all part of their plan or a self-fulfilling prophecy that it was here, of all places.

  Movement caught her eye from the left and right. Saito gripped no weapon, but his shoulders tensed.

  “Worry not,” said Asami. She waved her hands, beckoning them forwards. From the shadows, over a dozen bosan appeared. They were armed with various weapons--from katanas to bo staffs to naginatas and more. The men and women varied in age, but even the oldest, past fifty summers, were in good shape.

  “Not usual attire for bosan,” Saito remarked.

  “It’s almost as if they were protecting something,” said Asami with a raise of her eyebrows.

  “Remind me how they did not find this last time,” he said, taking a few steps towards the giant statue.

  “Because Retsudan’s troops believe burning a temple to the ground and torturing its inhabitants is the best way to get what they want.”

  Asami followed behind Saito. The caged man was clawing at the base of the statue, mewling like a lost puppy. She shut her eyes and commanded the bosan. They moved as one before dividing into two groups that each stood to either side of the effigy. From each group, a large man broke free, a giant hammer in his hands. Each man raised their weapon and brought it crashing against seemingly innocuous sections of the carving. Their blows rang out in the empty temple, drowning out the blizzard.

  It did not take them long to smash through the rock to reveal a series of cogs and a lever on each side. In unison, the men yanked their levers. The earth seemed to rumble. The floor of the temple shook. Stone scraped. In the centre of the statue, a giant crack, which started where Mudan’s chisel struck the stone, began yawning open.

  Moments later, a dark passage descending into utter darkness had appeared. Asami kept her distance while Saito took cautious steps forwards. The caged man, however, appeared braver than both of them, for he bolted into the opening.

  Saito peered over his shoulder at her, face drawn in confusion. “What is down there?”

  Asami licked her lips. “The krystallis you seek,” she replied.

  Where there was once only inky blackness there now appeared motes of flickering light. Set into the walls, as if ignited by someone’s sworn ability, they described a set of dusty stairs that led into the heart of the temple--or mountain itself.

  Footsteps echoed. Someone--or something--was approaching.

  Asami was wise enough to keep her distance. While she did not know what inhabited the heart of the Daikameda she knew something guarded the ur-krystallis.

  Footsteps accreted. There was more than one set now. They struck the stone steps like hammers. The bosan did not move from their frozen positions. The tip
of a spear bobbed into view. Then two dark faces. No, it was no trick of the weak light. Their faces were grey stone, as if hewn from rock. Almonds of white light shone from their eyes. One held a spear; the other wielded a flail, a rocky sphere trailing from a length of stone chain.

  The two stood one and a half times taller than any man she’d ever seen. They surmounted the stairs and stood at either side as two more appeared from behind them. One held a massive club as thick as their stone calves, while the other had stone claws attached to its hands. Despite their differing weapons, the stone warriors had one aspect in common--the hunk of brown krystallis lodged in the centre of their chests.

  Asami held a hand to her chest to confirm that her heart was truly beating that fast. It was true.

  Saito backed off just a fraction. The warriors made no attempt to move.

  “These are of your making?” he said, turning to her, eyes narrow.

  Her eyes widened. “They are not. But where do you think my inspiration came from?”

  “Those were folktales, Asami.”

  She smiled. “That is what you and the others believe. Retsudan felt differently. I did not travel across this land in an effort to research hearsay. This is your proof.”

  Saito muttered something under his breath. “Who commands them? What happens if we enter that cavern?”

  Asami’s smile widened. “Mudan commands them. They will kill you, Saito.”

  He whirled on her, though ensured he did not take his eyes from the warriors or the bosan. Already the bosan had begun moving from beside the statue to encircle Saito.

  “But I command the bosan.”

  Saito’s eyes widened.

  Asami flung out her hand. “Kill him!”

  The dozen well-armed bosan converged on Saito.

  55

  Saito’s Last Stand

  “Asami!” Saito screamed as the bosan launched themselves at him.

  A spear-wielder leapt forwards, her trajectory sending her several feet in the air to come crashing down at him, sharpened tip aiming for his chest. Saito whirled out of the way. Mudan’s fist. A flail materialised in hands with a spiked ball on the end. Using the momentum from his evasive spin, he flung the flail upwards. The ball cracked against the bosan’s skull with a crunch and sent her tumbling to the cold floor.

  A man with a blade and another with a dagger rushed in, barely giving Saito a heartbeat to react. Damming the flood. A shield formed on his right forearm and left arm, blocking the katana’s path to his throat and the dagger searching for his stomach.

  Saito sidestepped the dagger’s next thrust and spun around the back of the man. He latched onto his shoulders and flung him into a woman with a set of pronged sai. Twin fangs. Two short blades appeared in his grasp and came together in an X to block an overhead strike from a katana. Saito stepped to the side and pirouetted. His right sword sliced through a man’s neck and dropped him.

  The woman with the sai had shook off the man with the dagger and they both encroached. The two quickly circled him and dashed forwards. Saito bent on his knee and crossed his arms. Mudan’s lance. Spears shot from his shoulders and pierced the throats of the two attackers.

  As he rose, a woman ran at him with a sickle and another hopped in from his right flank with a sharpened fan. Rending peak. The woman with the fan spun to conceal her strike from hip to neck. Saito backed off, then drove his knee towards her stomach. A blade appeared on his thigh and punched her gut. He quickly set his feet again but was unable to stop the sickle from slashing his left calf. Grunting, he whirled on her. Earthen embrace. His right leg shot up in a roundhouse. A dagger materialised from his boot that lodged itself in the side of her head and drove her to the floor.

  All the while Asami was nowhere to be seen. She had vanished into the darkness. Shogens, Mei had been right. But why had she? What did she hope to achieve with the ur-krystallis? Take it to Retsudan so she could start her experiments once again? Saito had done all of this so there was no need for that.

  More of the bosan converged on him. He lashed out, scything them down, until he was sure he’d slaughtered them all. He’d earned several more cuts and bruises along the way, but nothing time would not heal.

  Asami had expected him to die, but he would not give her the satisfaction. He would make her explain her treachery before he executed her.

  Saito turned on the statues, who had not moved despite the violence happening mere steps away. He did not envy trying to get past them. But if he did not make a move, then neither could Asami, giving him ample time to find her.

  “Well done, Saito,” said the woman. She stepped out of the shadows to his right.

  Saito growled and turned for her. Footsteps were pounding behind him, too late for him to react. Massive hands encircled him and took him barrelling towards the stone steps.

  A trap.

  His struggling did him no good. The brutish bosan’s strength was too great.

  The Hermit’s Defense.

  Hundreds of blades emerged from his flesh and skewered the bosan’s skin and muscle. Despite rescinding his grip, the momentum of the crash sent Saito spilling down the steps. He tumbled, body whacking against steps, forming new injuries. He coalesced his defense as best as his tired mind could muster, though most of the damage was already done. He did not know for how long he fell, only that it eventually stopped and left him staring at a glittering ceiling dotted with krystallis.

  His body screamed in pain; he forced himself to push it away. The stone warriors plodded down the steps, their enemy having crossed into their territory. With great effort, Saito shoved himself to stand and absorb this new battlefield before they arrived.

  The steps opened into a large chamber with a domed roof. Stalagmites of krystallis plunged from the ceiling. A bridge connected one section of the space to the next. At the other end, the mouth of the cave offered a window to a massive chamber. Krystallis as tall as buildings shot up and crisscrossed, emitting a cold glow. In the centre of it all was the ur-krystallis.

  If he could reach the ur-krystallis before her…

  Two of the stone warriors bounded down the stairs. Saito backed off and headed towards the bridge. He broke off into a sprint, though did not truly know what he intended to do upon reaching the chamber. Simply hauling the ur-krystallis up and fleeing was impossible--they had equipment for that. Not to mention the fact that he did not truly know how safe it was to interact with the krystallis. While he considered himself tied with Mudan, the ur-krystallis in the chamber was nothing of the sort. Krystallis, in his experience, was closely guarded. The nearest he had been to ur-krystallis had been behind glass with dozens of guards standing in his way.

  The stone warriors solved that conundrum for him. As Saito reached the middle of the bridge, the two that had barrelled down the stairs rushed past him to bar his path. He barely had time to catch his breath before the one with the spear lunged at him.

  Saito hopped back, thankful the other two warriors had not pursued him just yet. However, he did not doubt they were far behind.

  Wounded and nowhere near his best, he conjured his own spear in an attempt to fend the two off. The spear-wielder, relentless, came forward once again while the other warrior with the long club strafed around his rear.

  Saito thrust the spear at the warrior in front of him and, despite connecting with his face, rendered only superficial damage--chipping stone. Bladed weapons would not work.

  As he was coming to this realisation, the one behind him swung. Saito banished his weapon and rolled under the blow. The club whacked against the arm of the spear-wielded, crumbling its arm like wet sand. The creature pitched over the edge and fell silently into the dark depths below.

  At least they weren’t too bright.

  But they had him outnumbered: the remaining two warriors appeared by the steps. He did not fancy taking on a set of claws and flail, though they left him with little choice.

  The warrior with the club swung at his midsection. Sai
to materialised a solid shield, but it crumbled under the crushing blow. Bone snapped. His arm was broken. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he stumbled backwards and awaited the others.

  The remaining two stone men did not keep him waiting long. By nature, the statue with the claws would keep to close the gap, along with the warrior with the club. The giant with the flail would seek to take him out from distance.

  Keeping his broken arm close to his chest, Saito ducked under another swing of the club and then spun to the left as claws whooshed past his head. He closed the gap towards the one with the club, just as it readied and overhead smash. Saito sidestepped the attack. A thick metal rod formed in his grasp. He lashed out at the creature’s leg. Stone shattered. The warrior pitched forwards.

  Forcing himself to bring down one of them had left him exposed, though. Stone claws raked his back, tearing at fabric and skin. Saito screamed in pain, stumbling forwards. Landing on his back, he caught a massive orb bearing down on him. He rolled to the side. Darkness filled his vision. His hand clamped onto the rocky edge of the bridge, heart stuck in his throat.

  Claws struck for his throat. Saito rolled backwards. The stone man was too quick and leapt on his chest. His claws rose for a final strike. The murky brown glow from the creature’s krystallis filled his vision.

  Its heart.

  Kagen’s embrace.

  The stone man jabbed for his throat. Stopped. Its arms fell limp by its sides. Saito shakily withdrew his hand from its chest. The krystallis began crumbling. The blade in Saito’s hand vanished.

  Krystallis defeats krystallis, Saito.

  Before Saito started wondering how he would shift the creature from atop him, the one with the flail did the hard work for him. The orb smashed through the inert statue, scattering it into pieces over the bridge.

  Only one more to go. Then, Asami.

  Hate kept him moving. The thought of seeing Shay buoyed his spirit. Shogens, this was not how he wanted her to see him. His plan was supposed to be foolproof, simple. How had it all gone so wrong?