by Dante King
There were too many of them even for us. I glanced up, and saw that the Byakko were now separated from us by a wave of Gaki and tree demons. Down below, the Gaki were streaming toward the house.
Suddenly, I saw a figure appear on the porch of Toshiro’s house. It was a tall figure, dressed in bright yellow samurai armor, with a tall helmet and a sword in each hand.
“It’s Toshiro!” I shouted, as I recognized the relaxed, prepared gait of the old samurai warrior. He raised his swords into the air and the swarming Gaki fell back, then he charged them, swinging and twirling from left to right in a deadly dance.
At the same time, with a great roar, Yasei and his remaining Byakko charged in from the position they had gained above the center of the battle. General Koshu and the twenty mercenaries who had survived this far began to fight their way back toward Toshiro and the house.
“We have to close that crack, Cara!” I shouted. “Come on!”
We ran over to the gaping rent in the rock, hacking our way through the screaming Gaki who poured like an unholy tide from underground. With each swing of my axe I cut ten of them in half; another ten scuttled up to take their place. We reached the crack, stamping on the crawling Gaki to get there.
“How do we do this?” Cara yelled to me.
“I don’t know, but... do you feel that?”
There was a tugging at the edge of my awareness. It was the Ironside Persona, reaching toward the Kitsune Persona.
“I feel it!” Cara said, “but I don’t know how to use it!”
“Let’s buy ourselves a little time! Use ice and fire to blast the Gaki inside the crack!”
We looked down into the gap. It dropped down, a long, deep shaft with cold, vicious blue light shining up and lighting the whole scene. At the bottom of the shaft there was a gargantuan cavern, and every inch of it crawled with Gaki and other, larger shapes that I couldn’t make out. The Gaki poured up the walls up of the shaft, crawling up it on all fours like ants.
Cara sent a flurry of ice shuriken stars down the shaft and followed up with a blast of fire arrows. The resulting explosion smashed hundreds of climbing Gaki to pieces, slowing the relentless upward flow. That bought us time to explore the pulling we felt between our Personas. I reached out and took Cara’s hand, and we stood over the crack which seemed to lead directly into the realm of hell.
“We have to combine the power of the Personas,” I called. “Can you feel how to do it?”
“I... yes, yes I can. I don’t know how I know, but I do!”
I felt her reaching back to me with the power of the Kitsune Persona, and then she cried out wordlessly as something fundamental clicked into place. As if a key had turned in a lock and a door swung open, Cara and I were aware of each other to a level of intimacy which hadn’t even been reached during our lovemaking.
The Personas combined strength and stealth, axe and sword, the power of Ironside and the power of Kitsune. It was an incredible feeling, and instinctive understanding flooded through Cara and me at the same time. Our hands were joined, but we both raised our weapons in our other hands, and lightning flashed around us. It crackled in mighty forks from the black sky and from the earth around us before meeting at the tip of my axe and Cara’s sword. We both felt it building to a peak.
“Now!” I roared, and together we brought our weapons down, flinging the mass of raw power into the chasm.
Lightning ricocheted off the stone walls, and the climbing Gaki fell by the thousand tumbling down the walls of the shaft and knocking others off as they fell. The lighting held, crackling down into the chasm, and then we felt the earth shift under our feet. There was a rolling boom, and the great chasm slammed shut.
We leaped back from the shockwave, then glanced around the battlefield. There was no time to congratulate ourselves on our victory; we had stopped the flow of new enemies into the valley but there were still many hundreds of swarming Gaki and hundreds of tree demons too. Toshiro and the mercenaries were fighting together now, but they were being pushed back toward the house. Yasei and the Byakko were fighting near the top of the ridge, but they had been driven upward as well.
“We have to try and save Toshiro!” I shouted to Cara. We turned in that direction and sprinted down the hill toward the house, but at that moment, there was a sudden ringing of horns that echoed across the valley. Everyone, friend and foe alike, stopped fighting and glanced up in the direction of the horn blast.
There were riders on the ridge.
A great mass of cavalry had appeared there, led by a tall figure in bright armor with a high helmet and a trailing blue banner. As I watched, this figure raised a spear and cried out an order, and the whole mass of riders formed up and charged into the valley.
The Byakko, their morale boosted by the appearance of new allies, redoubled their attack, smashing through the gathered tree demons in front of them. Below, Toshiro gave a great shout and threw himself at the massed Gaki and the remainder of the armored Tengu. The mercenaries and General Koshu followed behind him. Cara and I smashed into the flank of the group that were packed outside the house, and the swarm there was cut to pieces.
Sunlight flooded the valley, as the hosts of enemies broke and ran screaming from us. They had nowhere to go. The great cavalry wedge swept over them like a wave over the sand.
Yasei and his Byakko limped their way toward the house, and Toshiro raised a hand and pushed his helmet back from his face. He stepped up to me and clasped my hand in a warrior’s grip. Cara hugged him.
We turned to watch as the riders mopped up the fleeing enemies. It didn’t take long. They formed up again and stopped a little way up the hill. In the bright sunlight that followed the darkness, their red armor shone like flame. One figure detached itself from the group and rode toward the house, slowly. Yasei, whose Byakko were gathered around him a little way off, let out a low rumble from his throat.
“Who are they?” asked Cara under her breath.
“They look like a masterless company,” Toshiro said. “That blue banner bears no lord’s insignia. I don’t know what it can mean.”
The leader advanced toward us, a tall armored figure with a full-face helmet. As the rider drew up before us, an armored gauntlet reached up to remove the helmet.
It was a woman.
Her oil-black hair tumbled free from her helmet, and she shook her head like a cat coming out of water to free it. She was stunningly beautiful, with high cheekbones, full red lips, and very large, dark eyes. Her tan skin and dark eyes showed that she was one of the people of Yamato. She looked around at us in silence for a moment. Her eyes fell on me, and her gaze ran appraisingly up and down my armor. I reached up and removed my helmet, and her eyes widened in surprise. My fair skin and hair marked me immediately as being not from Yamato. Then she smiled and looked down at Toshiro.
“Well, my old friend,” she said. “What have you been getting involved in?”
Chapter Fourteen
“Lady Kai,” Toshiro said as he bowed his head to her. At the mention of the woman’s name, General Koshu and the mercenaries all muttered among themselves briefly, before they bowed their heads as well.
Cara and I glanced quickly at each other. This woman had certainly changed the course of the battle. I was grateful to her, but for all that, I didn’t feel inclined to bow to her. Cara and I were Saxen; in our land, to bow to another was the lowest form of subjugation. No warrior would do it, even in a situation like this.
“Thank you for your help in the fight,” I said, stepping forward. “You arrived just in the nick of time. Where have you come from? Everyone else here seems to recognize your name, but I’m new to this land.”
A smile pulled at the corner of her sensuous mouth. “That much is clear,” she said, eyeing my armor and my face.
Toshiro came forward and spoke to me. “Lady Kai is leader of the Broken Sword company, an independent warrior group from one of the far northern islands. We... we know each other of old.”
�
��That we do.” Lady Kai jumped from her horse to the ground in a fluid, graceful motion.
I looked her up and down. She was nearly of a height with me, dressed in light armor of linked red-dyed leather and lacquered plates. It covered her enough to give protection, but still left a lot of skin open to the elements. A sheer expanse of smooth, muscular leg plunged from her hip to her calf-high boots. The top half of her armor covered the front of her breasts, but left their sides and her cleavage very visible.
“If I may,” Toshiro said, “I suggest we go inside with Lady Kai and take some refreshments, and we can explain the situation to her.”
“I think I’ll let you do that, Toshiro,” I said. “You can fill lady Kai in as well as I can, and I guess you two have some catching up to do. I’ll see to things out here.”
Keen as I was to learn more about this mysterious and beautiful samurai woman, I was even more eager to find out what upgrades we could get after our recent battle. I could feel my Renown nearly overflowing, and there was a suggestion of something else which I could not quite put my finger on. By the tension in Cara’s stance and the gleam in her eyes, I could tell that she felt it too.
“Very well,” Toshiro said. “Come and find us at the training court when you’re ready.”
When he had gone, I turned to General Koshu, who bowed low to me and started to stumble through an abject apology.
“Please, General, there’s no need for that,” I said, reaching a hand to his shoulder to raise him up. “You were only following orders, and when you realized your mistake, you made up for your error and joined the right side.”
The General bowed his head to me again, and I caught a glimpse of his grateful expression.
“And that goes for all of you, too,” I continued, turning to the mercenaries. “You did the right thing in the end, and that’s what counts. Now, help to begin clearing up the mess of the battle. It’ll take many days to do, but you should make a start. You’ll want to collect your own dead to begin with.”
I put General Koshu in charge of the mercenaries and left them to get on with it. They were a very different sight from the arrogant warriors they had been earlier. Only 20 of the original 200 remained, and they were a chastened lot.
Once they had left me and begun their task, Yasei came over and stood before me. Now that we were not in battle, I had the chance to look at him more closely. He was magnificently strong, a huge, powerful animal with a thick coat of white fur, striped with black. Blood, mud, and soot blotched his coat, and he had a long, thin slash running down his flank. Of the Byakko who were with him, only 50 remained of the original 200. Still, they had fared much better than the mercenaries who’d rode them into battle.
“Leofwine,” Yasei said, his voice booming inside my mind as before. “You have freed me and my people from our enslavement. What would you wish of us? Some of our number desire to return home to the north, but fully 20 wish to remain with you. I am one of those who would wish to stay. We have seen the taint of the Kanosuru, and we would help you drive it from this land.”
“I’ll discuss it with my partner,” I said, and Yasei bowed his head.
I walked a little ways off with Cara, so the tigers wouldn’t overhear.
Before I could start to explain what Yasei had said to me, Cara spoke.
“It seems like a good idea to have these warrior beasts with us,” she commented.
“You can hear Yasei’s voice too?” I asked in surprise.
She nodded. “In my mind. How could that be?”
I considered for a moment. “I think it’s something to do with how we share the Personas. We’re bound together now, you and I. Yasei speaks to us in the same place as the Persona binding happens; the spirit realm.”
“Well,” Cara said as we watched them go, “when I first saw them, I never thought they would end up being on our side.”
“Nor did I. But I’ll take Yasei up on his offer.”
With Cara by my side, I returned to the tiger commander.
“Those who wish to leave may do so,” I said. “Of those who remain, well, you say there are 20 of you. There are 20 of the mercenary riders remaining too. Would your Byakko be willing to take the mercenaries as riders again? Freely?”
Yasei paused for a moment to consider my proposition. It was a weighty thing which I was asking, for him and his kin to not only follow me into battle against the Festering, but to do so while mounted by their former captors.
“We would,” Yasei answered after a few moments. “But, there is a condition.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to make a deal without qualification,” I returned. “Tell me, what else do you need?”
“A special kind of rider.” Yasei’s eyes glinted with fervor. “You, Leofwine. I would wish to have you as a rider. Permanently, if you’ll have me.”
A grin tugged at my lips. I glanced at Cara, and she seemed equally impressed with the offer. My men back in Saxe would have been blown away to hear a beast such as this speaking, but to have one accept me as a rider permanently? It was likely to make some heads explode if I ever had the chance to ride Yasei through Saxe with my men watching.
“Very well,” I replied. “I’m honored.” Instinctively, I inclined my head to Yasei. It was a small bow, but for some reason with this noble creature, it did not feel wrong. It felt like a mark of mutual respect rather than of subjugation.
“We are weary and wish to rest now,” Yasei said. “After we have rested, those who wish to depart will do so, and the rest will stay. Call me when you need me.”
He turned his huge form and lumbered away from me, off toward the lake. As he went away, the others followed him. Every single mighty beast passed close by me, and each one dipped his massive head to me as he passed.
“It seems that we’ll have an army greater than any we commanded in Saxe,” Cara said.
“Baby steps,” I said with a smile. “Still, the warriors of this land are worthy of the name. They are almost as skilled in combat as our people.”
“Almost,” Cara said before she stepped forward to kiss me on the mouth.
I returned her kiss and held her to me for a few moments. It felt good to have bonded with her in this way. For so long, we had both desired each other, but fulfilling our passions had taken traveling to this world where we weren’t beholden to our oaths.
“What did you think of Lady Kai?” Cara asked me, and I could hear some hidden meaning in her words.
“A great warrior,” I said. As my next words came, I fought off a smile. “Wonderful breasts, and her legs shine like bronze.”
“Ah, I noticed those, too. Do you think she would be open to the customs of Saxe?”
“We’ve barely known her for a few minutes and already you’re thinking of her sharing our bed?” I asked in mock outrage.
Cara punched me playfully on the chest. “Don’t think I can’t see what you’re thinking, Leo. You might have only entered me last night, but I have fought alongside you, drank mead into the early hours of the morning, and laughed with you for many years.”
“That’s true,” I said. “Then, can you tell me what I’m thinking now?”
I placed a hand on my belt and stared into her eyes.
“Not sex,” Cara mused. “Power.”
“That’s right,” I said with a broad grin. “Come, let us see what we have gained from our increase in Renown.”
Cara and I walked down the valley together, away from the house and the debris of the battle. When the Festering had been driven away from the valley, the trees had transformed back into their regular forms. They were spread out, and between them the tall grass waved in the slight breeze. Birds fluttered to and fro in the branches, and the sun shone down through the leaves to dapple the ground.
We walked for ten minutes, until we could no longer see the battlefield. Stopping in a clearing, we faced each other.
“Are you ready?” she asked me.
I nodded.
Excitement flashe
d into Cara’s eyes, and my spirits mirrored her enthusiasm. Together, we reached for the Personas.
Instantly, the glade changed. It was as if we had been transported to a different version of the same place. Instead of the sunny morning, night sky and a net of bright stars hung over us. Instinctively, I knew this was the same spirit realm where I had met Ironside and the Kitsune, the place where I’d received the Personas from them.
There was a stealthy rustling noise, and a dark figure approached us from the shade of the trees. I heard Cara’s intake of breath, and she reached out and took my hand. I squeezed her hand reassuringly. A tree spirit emerged from the trees and marched slowly toward us.
He was as tall as a man, but much broader. He looked like an ancient, wind-blasted tree that had seen too many winters. Hidden inside his branches, there was the suggestion of a wise face, but no detail could be seen except for bright green eyes glowing steadily at us through the dimness. The tree spirit was a strange presence, but there was nothing of the horror of the demons we had fought earlier. He was very strange, but he was not evil.
“You have cleansed the valley of the Festering,” he said in a rumbling, creaking voice. “Soul Binder, we have not seen your kind for many generations, but now we can offer you something in return for your service to us. The Festering taint is abroad in this land. We wish to see it driven out. I bestow upon you the Persona of the Tree Spirits to aid you in your quest.”
I heard a rustling sound like leaves in a rising wind, and a floral scent washed over me and permeated me. Emerald light shone out all around me, then washed from my fingertips back up my arms and into my body.
There was a sudden flash of light, and as quickly as that, we were back in the glade. The spirit realm was gone, and all was as it had been.
Cara blinked, and her eyes widened. “Oh, Leo! You’re wearing a new Persona!”