“Seki,” Asai ground out.
Koda cocked her head to one side. “What about him?”
“We were supposed to go to the Emperor’s Retreat, that new restaurant that opened today, and he just informed me that he has a game match with his team.” Asai pouted. “Men.”
“Team?” Koda was lost for a moment. “The group he plays sims with?”
Asai threw her hands up. “Yes. They have formed teams and are having a tournament. One of the teams dropped out, so he moved the match time to that slot because the sim was already reserved. It is the same time as our reservations.”
“He does realize that you have some control over the sim reservations?” Koda asked, her voice dripping with ice.
“He claimed he forgot about the reservations, and his team has already made arrangements to be here. I swear, he and his friends are like small children where their games are concerned.”
“I’m sorry, Asai. I know you were looking forward to this. Would you like me to go with you?”
Asai shook her head. “No, I am too angry. I wouldn’t be an enjoyable companion. You and Horst take the reservation; it’s at seven. I think I will spend the evening in my room. Maybe a good soak will help me to not want to beat Seki when I see him next.”
“Are you sure?” Koda asked.
Asai nodded. “Yes, I will make him take me another day. It will be his treat that time.”
Koda snickered. “That will be a lesson in itself. They have some expensive dishes if I remember.”
Asai nodded as she started to leave.
“Oh, Asai?” Koda called as she started out the door.
She stopped and turned.
“Which sim is it that they are having a tournament in? We might want to look at organizing one ourselves. We could offer prizes like sim time and snack bar credits.”
“Space Station Zebra,” Asai replied.
“Ah, that’s a popular one. I guess that’s why Seki and his guys pushed so hard for the alien team to be made available as playable characters. I’ll look into organizing something next month.”
“Eve had some suits made that give them positive feedback for hits and allow for non-lethal hits too. He is like a little kid over that stupid game,” Asai grumped as she stalked out the door.
“Takumi,” Koda called when she was sure Asai was out of hearing.
“How may I be of assistance?” Takumi replied.
“Pull up the Space Station Zebra reservation for Seki Yamagoto’s team,” she instructed.
“I have the information,” Takumi informed her.
Koda grinned. “Increase difficulty level for the player designated as Seki by fifteen percent. Decrease weapons accuracy for that same player by twenty-five percent. Increase player feedback settings by ten percent.”
“The level of neural feedback you have designated is within tolerances but will increase the player's discomfort. Do you wish to proceed?”
“Yes, proceed as stated.”
“Player Seki Yamagoto’s parameters changed and confirmed. Do you have any further changes?”
“No, thank you, Takumi. That should do nicely.” Koda chortled. “Oh, and Takumi?”
“Yes?”
“Record player Seki Yamagoto’s session and send it to my console when the sim is complete.”
“Session is set to record,” Takumi replied.
“Thank you.”
Bet he will wish he had gone out to eat with Asai when that game is done, Koda thought. Nobody upsets my cousin and gets away with it.
Eve was surprised to be interrupted by Takumi. “Is there an issue?”
“Koda Rii has issued override protocols for player Seki Yamagoto in an upcoming simulation,” Takumi informed her. “The settings are within acceptable safety levels, but there is an increase in the neural feedback level assigned to that player.”
“Was there a reason given?” Eve inquired. “Is she testing some aspect of the game?”
“Negative, she didn’t give a reason, but Asai Yagi’s biometric readings were higher just prior to the change being made, and there is a ninety-nine-point-six-three-percent certainty that these readings involved Seki Yamagoto’s actions.”
Eve accessed the video footage and played back Asai and Koda’s conversation. When she was done, her eyes narrowed. “What parameters did Koda Rii mandate?”
“Player Seki Yamagoto will experience a fifteen percent increase in overall difficulty, a twenty-five percent decrease in weapons accuracy, and a ten percent increase in neural feedback,” Takumi listed.
Eve considered the information for a millisecond. “Administrative override. Increase player feedback to eighteen percent, and increase his adversaries’ weapons accuracy by ten percent when targeting player Seki Yamagoto.”
“Override settings confirmed. I take it that player Seki Yamagoto is about to get a visit from St. Payback.”
Eve chuckled evilly. “Exactly.”
“Would you like to be copied on the recording Koda Rii has requested of the gameplay?”
“Absolutely.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Liaoning Province, China
Pain. Gut-wrenchingly intense agony coursed through Miko once again. His voice was raw from the screams that had been ripped from it as his body was wracked over and over with the pain. The harsh laughter followed each time he was reduced to gasping for breath when he couldn’t scream anymore.
He had lost all sense of time. He could have been tied up for hours, days, or weeks. All his mind and body knew was the world of agony followed by the relief brought on when the bitter substance was forced between his clenched teeth, then the cycle started over again. He had pleaded to be allowed to die—anything to stop the burning agony that was breaking his mind. He wasn’t even given respite when he passed out, his body driven to its limits.
Each time he was brought back from the brink, he heard the familiar voice taunting another. “You have brought dishonor on yourself through your sick perversions. For that alone, you should be the one under our care, but our queen has forbidden me from treating you as you deserve. She will only allow us to play with your lover while you watch, helpless to do anything to save him. Are you proud of what you have done?”
There was no answer from the figure before him. He stood as he had from the start, unmoving and unresponsive to the voice. The man’s features were still blurred, like a bright spot of light obscured his face, only now he could make out something; two lines that ran down his cheeks—lines the color of fresh blood.
“Again!” the voice commanded, and Miko’s body jerked involuntarily against his bonds as the pain returned.
Miko was on his feet, his breathing harsh and his heart racing. He felt the now-too-familiar blood sweat soaking through his clothes. The memory of the pain he had experienced in the dream was so real that he still felt it in his semi-awake state.
He shuddered as he fought his way out of the haze. That voice—I know it. The owner's name is right below the surface. Why can’t I remember it if this dream is the memory it seems to be? Who is the man? His appearance is familiar. How do I know that his hair is soft? Who is he, and what is he to me?
Miko had continued to follow the river as it passed through fallow farmland and eventually into the foothills of a small mountain range. He knew that it would eventually lead to the sea. He had no real plan for once he arrived there; he would decide at the end of his trek across the sparsely settled countryside.
It had been several days since the encounter with the two Weres he had beheaded and left as a warning on the road. He had not encountered any more of them, as the talkative one had promised. He still remained wary as he ran along the river bank each night, stopping frequently to extend his senses out as far as he could, thankful he came up empty each time.
One abandoned house he checked had delivered a cache of clothes that fit him. Nothing fancy, just simple work clothes, but they were in good repair. When he was searching for something
to pack the clothes for travel, he had come across an unexpected bounty: a pair of hudiedao, or butterfly swords as they were also called, lovingly wrapped in oilcloth at the bottom of a wooden chest.
The swords were well cared for, and the hilts showed signs of years of use. Each blade had been honed to a razor edge capable of cutting flesh with the slightest pressure. The swords now rode his hips on a wide leather belt that held them in plain leather sheaths, the distinctive D-shaped hand guards and short blades ready for use at a second’s notice. Miko had never felt the need to carry weapons in the past, but Heinz and Chang had insisted he learn to use swords and other weapons.
He had never practiced with two swords, or any as short as the ones he now carried. However, one of his men had introduced him to Filipino stick fighting, a form he enjoyed using as a workout. The swords were shorter and a little heavier, but he was certain the concept was the same.
He had practiced with a katana against Chang, Isamu, and Ogawa and had become faster and more skilled over time. He could easily defeat Chang and match Ogawa blow for blow to win as often as not.
With Isamu, he had become able to defend himself to some extent, at least until Isamu tired of the exercise and ended it in a manner that fit whatever mood he was in. After Heinz’d had to give him blood to heal a serious wound, he had ordered Isamu to show restraint in their future sessions. The restraint only went as far as not striking potentially lethal blows. It did nothing to stop Isamu from wounding him multiple times until he was too weak to continue.
Isamu, what a sadistic… Miko stopped short, his eyes wide as realization struck. Isamu; he is the voice in my dreams.
He continued walking, only to stop again a few seconds later. “Ogawa!” he exclaimed out loud. “It was Ogawa who acted as the torturer’s apprentice. He was the one causing the pain!”
He closed his eyes in an attempt to remember every detail, trying without success to recognize the man who was watching his suffering. His lover, if Isamu’s words could be believed.
Miko was snatched out of his reverie when a low snarl came from behind him. He turned in time to see a tiger leap from the underbrush and spun to the side, avoiding its headlong charge, only to be knocked to the ground when a heavy body slammed into him from the other side. His back caught fire as sharp claws cut deep into it.
Miko rolled to the side, escaping the clutches of the second tiger. He hit the ground hard, barely avoiding the claws of the first tiger as they came at his head. He surged to his feet as a third tiger came flying at him from the darkness, his eyes blazing red and his fangs fully extended, ready to do battle.
The tigers had planned their ambush well. Miko snarled as the cats moved in for the kill. He spun in place, searching for a defensive position. The road here curved away from the river, running through a natural cut with heavy growth limiting visibility on the high banks to either side. With his options limited to forward or back and the tigers moving toward him, Miko made the decision to rush the one behind him in the hope of getting to a position where he could face the tigers without offering any of them his exposed back.
He feinted at one of the tigers, spinning quickly to rush back and catch the cat blocking his path by surprise. When he was within a few feet of the crouching tiger he cut to the right, feigning fear, and ran along the edge of the road. Overhanging limbs grabbed at his clothes as he rushed past.
The tiger sprang at him, its jaws wide and claws extended, intending to latch onto him and drag him down.
Miko smirked as he easily changed directions to run back toward the cat. He accelerated to vampire speed, and his hand shot up as the airborne tiger passed over him.
The tiger screamed in pain when the razor-sharp hudiedao entered its body below the chest. Miko used the forward momentum of its leap to eviscerate it. He brought the other sword up, blocking a slash by a second tiger before his first sword finished the cut.
His hand stung from the force of the tiger’s paw striking the flat of his blade, knocking it to the side. When the tiger sought to press its advantage, Miko brought his other blade around and slashed its face, angling the blade to cross over an exposed eye.
The Were faltered and turned its bleeding head away from the blade, only to feel the burn as Miko brought the other around in an arc that cut across its back. He was clear of the ambush and turned to face the last uninjured attacker as it rushed toward him.
This one was larger and more cautious than the first two had been. Instead of barreling headlong into him, the cat feinted left and then jumped to the right at the last second.
Miko went down to one knee. The tiger’s claws ripped the muscle of his left calf to shreds as it raced by before he could strike it.
He threw himself flat when he felt more than heard the tiger attempt to leap on his back. The cat sailed over him and he rolled several times in the opposite direction to create distance while his leg healed, thankful for whatever Heinz had done to give him faster healing.
The big cat slid across the loose stones and twisted his body, finally coming to a stop facing Miko. The tiger screamed its rage into the night, frustrated that it had missed again.
Miko stood, gently lowering his weight onto his damaged leg to test it. It supported him, but his healing, although faster than before, was slower than he would have liked.
The brief respite ended when the cat snarled and raced toward him again.
Miko crouched, both swords held ready as the enraged tiger charged. He waited until the cat was almost in range, then positioned the lower blade to block and raised the other for a quick slash.
The cat veered off at the last instance, going wide to his left.
Miko turned to follow, not wanting to leave himself open for another slash from the deadly claws. He felt a pressure change behind him right before he was hit from behind by a heavy weight. His damaged leg radiated pain as the partially-healed muscles gave out under the strain. The weight pressed down on top of him, pinning him to the ground as he struggled to move out from under it.
He kicked with his good leg and twisted his body enough to free one arm, bringing the short sword up to stab his attacker in the side. He was rewarded by a grunt, but the Were did not move. A snarl to the side let him know the second cat was back for more.
Miko twisted the blade, sticking it into the tiger that had managed to pin him. He felt it twitch and brought his injured leg up, gritting his teeth against the pain, and pushed. The weight moved slightly, and he managed to wiggle out from under it.
The other tiger’s teeth locked onto the arm that held the blade buried in the tiger that was pinning him.
Miko was dragged across the rough road, the stones littering it tearing the flesh from his back and sending another wave of pain through him as his barely healed skin was torn open again. The blade he held was wrenched from his hand as the tiger continued to tear into his arm, dragging him away from the injured tiger.
Miko twisted violently to free himself from the strong jaws that held him. With no way to gain leverage while being dragged, it only served to do more damage to his already battered and bleeding limb.
The cat dropped Miko’s arm and moved in to pin him to the ground. Miko was weak from blood loss and crazed by the pain, his fangs extended and his eyes glowing bright red. He felt the cat’s breath on his face and brought the hudiedao up instinctually to block the fangs coming toward him.
The tiger lurched back, barely avoiding the razor-sharp blade. It gave Miko enough respite to roll over and rise on his knees.
The cat came at him, jaws open for the kill.
Summoning his last reserve of strength, Miko held the blade low in his uninjured hand, knowing he only had one chance to end this. The cat’s front paws came down and dug deeply into his shoulders as the jaws went for his throat. Miko screamed his rage as he shoved his broken, mangled arm into the beast mouth, holding the jaws a hair’s breadth from his neck while his body took the strain of holding the tiger’s weight.
&nbs
p; Miko brought the blade up in a swift motion, penetrating the cat’s chest hard enough to feel bone snap when the tang met the body. He twisted the blade, hoping to cause enough damage to at least get away if he couldn’t kill it outright.
The Were grunted from the impact and snarled in pain as Miko viciously twisted the blade. One paw lifted off Miko’s bleeding shoulder as the cat tried to pull back, while the other tore furrows in the skin on his chest.
Miko continued to push and turn the blade, opening the wound in the tiger’s chest more with each twist, ignoring the pain of his injury.
Finally, the cat went still, its breath wheezing as blood sprayed from the wound. Miko shoved it away, barely missing being knocked down when it collapsed onto his kneeling form. He took a steadying breath and pulled his blade out of the wound. Grasping it with the blade pointing down, he drove it into the tiger’s skull over and over until he felt it slide on the roadway beneath.
The tiger shifted back into human form, and Miko smirked when he saw the man was missing most of his head. He struggled to his feet and staggered to the one who had knocked him down. It was still a tiger, so he grabbed it by one ear and drove the blade through its closed eye. The tiger stiffened and shifted, leaving Miko holding a nude body.
The third attacker was in human form on the side of the road where it had fallen. Miko started to gather the bodies to leave another message, but he was so damaged that he hardly had the energy to remain standing. He shook his head and started trudging down the road.
Knowing he needed to feed and rest, he went to the first house he came to about a kilometer down the road. Extending his senses, he detected two humans inside. He wrenched the door open and found two men sitting in front of a hearth with a low fire burning.
Without preamble he leapt, knocking the first man to the floor and grabbing the other by his shirt. The man screamed when he saw Miko’s red eyes and mouth full of fangs. The scream died in a gurgle as Miko sank his fangs into the man, drinking deeply.
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