by Nikita Thorn
The old man turned to meet Seiki’s eyes. “I did not break my vow, Seiki. I understand why you feel you must ask, and I can tell you that I did not.”
There was something powerful in how he said it and Seiki averted his gaze. “I’m sorry, Master Tsujihara. I believe you. I just had to make sure.” He was relieved that this was not the kind of past the quest was asking him to dig into.
“The Shogun is under much pressure, you know,” the old man continued. “He may have made some terrible judgment in the past, but I do not hold it against him. After all, defending the city is a tremendous burden.”
He sighed as he looked toward the left, beyond the West Gate, where it was completely black. Somehow, the moonlight did not seem to illuminate that part of the scene, and Seiki stared into a patch of pure darkness.
“This war has been raging for decades,” the old man said. “With no end in sight.”
“The Demonic Clan,” said Seiki. “So this is the past, then.”
Master Tsujihara smiled. “I know you encountered them when I sent you to Commander Nakatani. You did Shinshioka a great service when you saved the Ambassador, Seiki.” He then turned back to appreciate the moon.
“She did a pretty good job in saving herself,” Seiki answered. Then he waited a while, but the old man said nothing else. “Really, now. No history lesson on the Demonic Clan, Master Tsujihara?”
“Now that you’ve encountered them, there is nothing I know that you don’t,” said the Master, with perhaps fake annoyance. “They try to take over Shinshioka. Most of them say nothing as they try to kill you. The leaders talk and they are after Seeds of Light, which they corrupt into Seeds of Shadow, which seem to give them power. But no one knows what they actually are.”
Seiki laughed at the rather honest if unelegant explanation. “That is… very straight-to-the-point.”
“And they have unique darkness-related abilities,” added Master Tsujihara. “To keep up with the theme, you see.”
Seiki chuckled and shook his head as the old man flirted dangerously with the edge of realism. “Yeah. Their commander has this fear effect that—”
Seiki stopped as a disturbing feeling flooded him. The darkness beyond the West Gate seemed to be devouring every source of light and keeping the moonlight at bay, and there was something truly sinister about that sight. Seiki took a deep breath as he shifted his gaze toward the moon instead, taking in its white calmness.
“You know, Master Tsujihara, that effect,” he confided. “I feel like that every night.”
The area seemed suddenly incredibly quiet.
“I hate going to sleep,” said Seiki after a long pause. It was often full of nightmares of falling into a pit of darkness. “Because afterward, I keep waiting to wake up, but then I realize I’m already awake.”
The old man was still silent, and Seiki hoped that he was listening and at the same time hoping that he was not. He buried his head in his hands. “I really have no idea what I’m going to do, Master Tsujihara.” There were still two thirds of his life ahead of him, and that thought was terrifying.
That’s when he felt the old man’s hand land on his shoulder. “Talk to people around you, Seiki. You might think you know all there is to know, but if you really set your mind to exploring every option, you might find that the world has more to offer than you thought it could.”
Seiki stared at him. Master Tsujihara poured another round and handed him his cup. “Let’s drink to the future,” said the old man.
Seiki started laughing very hard. “What a future that is going to be, Master Tsujihara! But I guess why not?”
The pleasant burn washed through him again as he swallowed the wine.
You are now 80% drunk.
“You know, I like this place a lot,” said Seiki. He felt very warm and comfortable now, and a part of him was wondering if he was indeed inebriated. “I should come here more. You wouldn’t mind me practicing here, would you?”
“Of course not,” said the old man.
“And you’d better teach me all these other abilities soon. I’ll level.” For some reason, he could not stop talking. “I met this guy, Hiro. He’s good. They’re trying to recruit me, but I don’t know, Master Tsujihara.”
Seiki yawned. “I don’t think I’m ready.”
“It starts with believing that you can do it,” said Master Tsujihara.
“Doesn’t really follow,” commented Seiki.
Master Tsujihara filled the two cups again. “Come. Have another drink.”
Seiki looked at him. “You’re really doing this.” He wondered what would happen when you were a hundred percent drunk.
“Explore every option,” said Master Tsujihara.
Seiki laughed. “Fine. If that’s what we’re doing.”
He downed the liquid and lay back on the roof, which gave him a perfect angle to observe the white, gentle full moon.
“I knew someone once who really appreciated the full moon,” the old man said. “You know, we all have to do what we think is right. You too, Seiki.”
The moon was mesmerizingly detailed with its canyons in shades of faint gray, and Seiki remembered thinking that it was one of the most beautiful scenes he had ever seen.
The next thing he knew was that something icy had brushed against his hand and everything was unbelievably bright. Seiki opened his eyes and felt the hard tiles underneath his body. He sat up and found himself still on the roof. The sun was high in the sky and warm on his body, and Master Tsujihara was nowhere in sight.
Then he noticed an arrow sticking out from one of the tiles beside him. A quick check revealed a tiny graze on the back of his hand that was quickly fading, confirming that the arrow had been what had woken him up in the first place.
He had seen the arrow before. This one also had a message wrapped around it. “So apparently you’re a good shot too,” said Seiki under his breath to the absent Shousei. He did not even bother to search for the man, since he knew well that if he wanted to be seen, he would make his own entrance.
He unfolded the piece of paper to read.
Follow the wall north for four hundred paces.
Seiki wondered if that was where he had to go to secure his next ability from Shousei. If it was indeed that, he was not as enthusiastic about it as he thought he should be.
“Seiki!”
Sato’s head had appeared above the edge of the roof. “You seen Master Tsujihara?” he asked as he looked around the roof for the old man.
The tray and the cups were gone, and Seiki made a mental note to ask Master Tsujihara later about the wine. He was not even sure if it was real sleep he had just had, but it was blessedly dreamless.
Seiki shook his head. “Not since last night.”
Sato sighed in slight annoyance. “Is he out the East Gate again? I need to ask him about the flooring. How are we going to get the dojo up and running again if he keeps disappearing?”
“You’ve made good progress,” Seiki said. “For one day.”
“Definitely not one day,” Sato muttered. Then he craned his neck back. “What is this now?”
Sounds of hooves were drawing near, and soon five riders in Shinshioka Army’s black and red appeared at the entry of the back courtyard. Seiki instantly recognized one of them.
“Is Master Tsujihara here?” Lieutenant Kato shouted as he spotted Sato on the ladder.
Sato turned to look. “No. We would like to know where he is too.”
Seiki leaned over the edge of the roof. “Lieutenant Kato!”
The lieutenant, now fully recovered from his injury, saluted Seiki. He let out a short breath as he glanced around, in thought. Then he said, “Commander Nakatani asked me to come fetch Master Tsujihara, but he said if the man’s not in maybe you could go in his place. It’s rather urgent.”
“What is it about?” asked Seiki.
“I wasn’t told. Come on.” The lieutenant nodded.
“Could use a quest,” said Seiki to himself. Somehow, he did not think he had completed the last one.
Quest accepted: To the Palace Again [Level 8].
To the Palace Again [Level 8 Quest Information]: go with Lieutenant Kato to see Commander Nakatani in the Palace District. You will receive: 55 XP.
More experience for drinking than this, Seiki noticed with amusement as he climbed down the ladder. The sleep did him good and, despite everything being brighter than usual, he felt refreshed. Thinking back to the last quest, Seiki could not help but wonder if he had learned anything from Master Tsujihara that he did not already know.
“Tanaka,” said Lieutenant Kato to one of his four subordinates. Tanaka, a serious-looking man with a mustache, knew what his superior meant and dismounted.
“Seiki, do you know how to ride?” asked the lieutenant.
Seiki was starting to guess what this was about. “I think I have an idea how to.”
Lieutenant Kato took that as a yes. He ordered another soldier, called Ogawa, to stay with Tanaka in case the old Master came back. Tanaka led the gray horse to Seiki who—following examples he had witnessed from various sources—slid his right foot through the stirrup and helped himself up onto the beast. The mount snorted gently and shook its head from side to side.
The lieutenant quickly gave him the basics on how to steer, how to speed up and slow down, and how to brace himself during gallops, which Seiki was certain were severely simplified versions from their real life counterparts.
“Follow me,” said the lieutenant as he urged his horse out the courtyard door. He started with a walk, into a canter, then a gallop, and Seiki followed him. It was easier than Seiki had imagined, but still took some mild effort in balancing himself.
They made their way down the empty South City alley and soon emerged on Trade Street, which was also completely vacant save for a few citizens. Seiki figured the whole city must have been instanced for his riding training.
“Can’t let me loose on the streets just yet, right, Lieutenant?” Seiki joked.
“Now that you’ve got the basics, we can start,” said Lieutenant Kato, as he instructed Seiki to focus his energy on his feet. While Seiki did, he felt his energy flowing out and Tanaka’s horse sprinted forward.
Congratulations! You have learned a new skill: Riding! [Level 1]
The energy was draining quite quickly, and when they reached the second intersection it was almost completely used up. Lieutenant Kato slowed down. “As you become a better rider, you will learn how to use less and less energy so you can sustain speed for longer periods.”
The lieutenant raised three fingers. “Your speed depends on three factors: your riding skill, the terrain, and the quality of your horse. Master Hoto just outside the West Gate can teach you more about it. He also has fine horses for sale.”
“How much would that cost?” asked Seiki.
“I wouldn’t know. Ranked officers are given official mounts. If you are properly in the Shogun’s Army, he will offer you one.”
Seiki remembered he had something to ask. “Do obake mounts run over water?” After all, Suguru’s mount, just like the man, had no shadow.
Lieutenant Kato seemed surprised at the question. “In fact, they do, after the rider has obtained a certain level of skill.”
“Ah.” Seiki saw the attraction now.
“The horse will most likely throw you off once it gets injured, and you cannot use damaging abilities when mounted, unless you’re on the battlefield,” the lieutenant went on.
“Except if you’re a samurai,” said Seiki.
Lieutenant Kato looked at him in slight puzzlement. “Why, yes. Once they are at a certain level of skill, they do learn one horseback attack outside of the battlefield.”
“You said ‘they’, lieutenant,” said Seiki. “Aren’t you one?”
The lieutenant laughed. “You certainly ask a lot of questions.” He then spurred his horse ahead and Seiki’s energy had recharged enough for him to practice sprinting after him again.
It was an interesting experience to have the whole city instanced just for him, and Seiki asked to try going a bit out of the way to practice. Lieutenant Kato did not seem to mind and told him he would wait at the Palace District gate.
Seiki galloped off on the relatively desert streets of West City and could feel joyous laughter creeping up on him as the wind blew in his face and tousled his hair. Like running, there was no muscle fatigue in riding beyond the energy used for sprints. He wondered of what quality this horse was and how much faster he could eventually go.
Time seemed frozen and the sun remained high in the sky. After riding to his heart’s content, Seiki made his way toward the Palace District, where Lieutenant Kato and his men were waiting with admirable patience.
“Let’s go,” he said simply, not in the slightest bothered by the fact that the quest was supposed to be urgent.
The lieutenant led Seiki through a number of turns and courtyards to one building on the side that he had not yet seen. On the lawn front of the building were several groups of soldiers, who stood to attention as the lieutenant passed them.
Lieutenant Kato got off his mount at the front door of the two-storied building painted red with a black roof. It was not quite as big as Taira Mansion, but it had an important air about it that was somehow rather fitting.
They found Commander Nakatani in one of the inner chambers.
“Thank you, lieutenant,” said the Commander as he beckoned Seiki to sit down. Lieutenant Kato was about to take his leave, but the Commander told him to stay.
“I’d like your opinion, too,” said Commander Nakatani. The lieutenant then took position beside them.
“Seiki,” said the Commander. “I sent Kato to fetch you, since I wish to discuss something.” He was staring at Seiki so intently that Seiki realized that it was not Master Tsujihara he had wanted to see in the first place.
Seiki glanced at Lieutenant Kato, who seemed a bit surprised, but said nothing.
“I know Tsujihara was not there, Kato,” said the Commander as if he had read the man’s mind, before turning his attention back to Seiki. “I think there is something you ought to know.”
Seiki glanced uneasily at the lieutenant again. This was a quest, so Seiki would have come anyway. He was not quite sure why this mildly sinister air was necessary. Lieutenant Kato seemed as puzzled as he was.
“Shinshioka once had a mighty army called the Morishige Army,” said Commander Nakatani. At this, the lieutenant shifted uncomfortably.
“In those times, it was led by Commander Kato,” Nakatani continued. “One day, without warning, an army of demons came down the mountain in relentless waves, and wherever they rode shadows fell. They outnumbered us three to one, and our losses were high.”
Seiki assumed this was the history lesson he was supposed to get from Master Tsujihara.
“Not knowing what they were, we worked day and night to find answers. A priestess discovered a clue in an ancient text and managed to locate within the Imperial Treasury several pearls of light, and we found that the shadows shrank away from their radiance. With the power of the pearls, the tide started turning, and we pushed them back further and further into the mountains. One day, there was a decisive battle on the foot of the Shadow Mountains.”
Lieutenant Kato coughed. “May I excuse myself, Commander?”
“No, I think it’s time you hear the full story,” said Commander Nakatani. The young lieutenant clenched his fists and averted his gaze. Seiki had heard this story in bits before from the escort quest.
The Commander continued, “Commander Kato led an army of fifty thousand men, with the intention to wipe them out once and for all with the largest of these pearls, or as they became known later, Seeds of Light. The demons fled, and the army pursued them deep into a valley in the mountains, when another kind of darkness fell. This one had a name: Kagenushi, the lord of shadows. I think
you met him, Seiki.”
Seiki nodded.
“The demon offered to let them live, if they were to hand over the light pearl. Commander Kato was prepared to have it destroyed rather than let it fall into the demon’s hands. I think you know what happened next.”
Seiki nodded again, sparing the young lieutenant the details of his father’s death. From what he remembered, Commander Kato refused to give in, and was slain by the shadow lord.
“After that, the demon started killing our soldiers. A wave of his hand, and a hundred would drop dead, as he demanded the pearl.”
Seiki’s jaws tightened. He had seen an example of that with his own eyes.
“Then Captain Okamoto spoke up and offered to make the trade: the light pearl for the lives of fifty thousand men.” He paused and sighed. “The demon kept his word, and the army was spared.” The commander’s voice turned bitter. “But the Shogun was greatly displeased, and afterward he ordered Captain Okamoto to be executed as a traitor.”
Seiki had not expected that of the Shogun. Lieutenant Kato seemed to have heard this part and showed only great uneasiness but no surprise.
There was a short silence and Seiki remarked that the commander was looking at him.
“Among those who spoke up against this decision was Okamoto’s friend and comrade in arms: Captain Tsujihara.”
Even without hearing the full story yet, Seiki did not like where this was going. “So is that why Master Tsujihara left the Shogun’s service?” he asked as calmly as he could manage.
“Yes.” Commander Nakatani stared at the ground for a second. “This might be difficult for you, Seiki, but I have someone I would like you to hear from.”
The door opened and a man in merchant clothes came in. It took Seiki a while to recognize Minami from the carpentry shop. He sat down beside the commander with a grim expression.
“Yesterday, I received an anonymous message on an arrow,” said the Commander. “Suggesting that I spoke to Minami-san here about a particular fire, one that Tsujihara failed to mention in his letter when he recommended you to me.” He gestured to the carpenter. “Would you mind telling this young man what you told me earlier?”