War Games

by Nikita Thorn

  “Uh, okay.” Mairin sighed. “So… no ghost troops.”

  Kentaro was studying the tar-like substance in the middle of the pot, and at that comment he looked up. “Mairin,” he said, sounding even more amiable than usual. “I want to try something.”

  “Yes?”

  “Your toy,” said the houshi.

  “What toy… Oh, no way!” she cried.

  “It’s otherwise useless, and it fits the pattern as the next one down the series,” said Kentaro. “And if it doesn’t work, I’ll fish it out for you.”

  Seiki glanced at the rest of the group to see if anyone knew what they were talking about, but most of them seemed to have as little clue as he did.

  With a sigh, Mairin reached into her pocket and produced the Glass Conch, which Kentaro slowly placed on the still surface of the black tar.

  “Bye-bye,” muttered the kitsune unhappily as the transparent red conch shell sank into the mixture.

  Without warning, the pot exploded in a bright and surprisingly high-pitched pop, sending up a gigantically disproportionate billow of black smoke shooting toward the ceiling of the cavern like a pillar of dark clouds. The force threw them all backward, and Ippei had once again Braced out of instinct. This time, however, the explosion did no damage.

  Seiki examined his unit, worried that they might land in a patch of poison. But he realized that the pools had all evaporated in the same explosion, leaving the ground perfectly clean.

  Kentaro, looking a little spooked, picked himself up. “I wasn’t exactly expecting that to happen.”

  Slightly confused, the group approached the earthen tub once more. Just like the poison on the ground, the liquid in the tub had completely disappeared, leaving on the bottom of the pot three pinkish rectangular cards that everyone was already quite familiar with:

  Polished Shell Card of the Whirlpool [Instance Item] – Borrow the forces of the nature. All attacks deal 50% extra damage and returns 5% energy for the next minute.

  Polished Shell Card of Drifting Ice [Instance Item] – A chilly wind blows from the north, slowing enemy movement speed and lengthening all movement-impairing effects on enemies by 100% for the next 5 minutes.

  Polished Shell Card of the Winter Mist [Instance Item] – A mysterious mist rolls in from the ocean, cloaking all players and troops in complete stealth for the next 30 seconds or until they take damage.

  “Oh, more cards.” Mairin sounded a little happier now that her toy had not been sacrificed for nothing.

  Ippei picked them up to inspect. Just like the first three cards, as soon as he put them in his inventory, identical cards appeared in Seiki’s bag.

  “Shame we can’t keep them,” said the samurai, before turning toward Kentaro. “Good job on that last bit, or we would have missed all this.” He rubbed his hands together. “Well done, everyone. This is a tricky instance.”

  “I still don’t get the puzzle,” Seiki said.

  “Me neither,” Yamura said.

  “Me neither,” Koharu said.

  Seiki turned to Ippei, but his friend simply shook his head. “A medicine man’s secrets are his own.”

  A small mysterious smile was on the houshi’s face. “I think I like this instance.”

  “Mairin, hint?” said Koharu.

  As the kitsune deliberated on whether to explain or to keep her friends mystified for a little longer, they were interrupted by Kiku’s discovery of another item in the corner of the tub. It was a tiny diamond-shaped crystal, tinted slightly blue.

  Crystallized Potion of Fractured Light [Instance Item] – Crush the crystal to provide the user and their unit with immunity against Obora poison for 2 seconds.

  Not knowing exactly how two seconds were going to be much help, they let Seiki hold onto it, saying it was his instance, and since he was the only one who claimed that two seconds was actually a very long time. Unlike the cards, the crystal was not shared within the group and did not duplicate itself in his friends’ inventories.

  On the ground near the bottom of the tub, they also found another written order:

  Our Lord is pleased with the progress in your experiments, especially with the discovery of the light-resistant properties of Obora Slime. The extra materials you requested to harness the full potential of this substance will be delivered in three days.

  Mairin raised her brow in amusement. “So this guy was moving up in the demon world.”

  Kentaro looked thoughtful as he read the paper. “These demons are more complicated than I thought. I didn’t think they would be this civilized. I mean, this is a research facility, isn’t it?”

  Seiki laughed. “I wouldn’t call it exactly that.”

  Yamura looked at the houshi. “Don’t tell me you feel sorry for them.”

  The houshi shrugged. “They’re just doing their jobs, right?”

  “Aren’t we all?” said Ippei. “Look at how hard I’m working just so the Shogun would let me play my magic card game.”

  “I hate to admit it, but I’m starting to like your magic card game,” said Mairin.

  The samurai smiled. “Could do with another houshi unit as well, you know,” he said to no one in particular, to which Kentaro made no reply.

  Since there was nothing else in the room, they decided to move on. As expected, they found another tano-shrine in another crack in the cave wall a little down the corridor. Considering the pattern so far, they guessed there would be a third room coming up.

  Surprisingly, after continuing down the cave, they found themselves in front of an old large metal door, which somehow reminded Seiki of Gin’s clan door down in the East City sewage, but much less colorful. The surface of the door itself was covered in a layer of rust, except for around the keyhole on the left, suggesting that at least that bit had seen much recent use. The two obake confirmed they could not Fade through, and Mairin’s attempt to look through the keyhole yielded nothing useful.

  “It’s dark, but I think it’s another room,” said Mairin. “Oh, wait, it’s… it’s a floating eyeball.”

  “Eww,” cried Koharu in horror. “Really?”

  “Of course not,” said the kitsune. “But I wish. Give me something spooky, you know.”

  From here, the cave turned sharp left and led to a dead end, with another small opening in the cave wall. Since there was only one way forward, they carefully crept in.

  The room started as a narrow crescent, before widening into a large chamber at the end, like the bottom of a pear. The cave ceiling rose into a large vault, and in the middle sat a large square metal structure that suddenly jogged Seiki’s memory in a rather unpleasant way. It was a cage, almost fifty feet across, its four sides wrought with thick and tangled barbed metal wires, which, while crude and haphazardly woven, appeared very sturdy. Unlike the first two rooms, this one was brightly lit by the numerous torches mounted very high all along the wall, and Seiki unconsciously slowed down as he realized it was essentially a sports arena.

  A lone figure stood in the middle of the metal enclosure. Over nine feet tall, the demon was heavily armored, with black leather pieces strengthened with metal covering his whole muscular body, revealing very little of his shadow-colored skin. True to his name, the Demonic Spearmaster [Level Unknown] carried a long weapon with a gigantic multi-edged spiked head, which looked like a primitive fishing harpoon.

  The group had come to a spontaneous stop right at the mouth before the room widened. “Now this finally looks like a proper boss,” said Ippei under his breath as he studied the scene. “And that spear will probably one-shot you.”

  Before he could speculate what the encounter was going to be, the demon turned in their direction. A smile split his thin black lips.

  “Step in, ronin,” the Spearmaster said. “I’ve been waiting.”

  CHAPTER 21

  With shrill tormented metallic squeaks, the middle section of the front barbed wall lifted off the ground, revealing a rectangula
r doorway, like that of a gigantic rodent trap.

  The Demonic Spearmaster smiled again as he casually wound the end of the chain around a hook protruding from the left side of the cage to keep the door drawn open, before letting it clank noisily in place. The weight of the door shook the whole structure, its haphazard metal bits rubbing together in a loud screech.

  “Welcome,” said the demon, almost pleasantly, gesturing with his free hand.

  Now without the barbed wall obstructing the view, Seiki could make out more details on the demon. Strong-built, more than eight feet tall, his right hand held a multi-edged spear. Strapped to his back was what appeared to be a shield of some sort, its thick diagonal strap clearly visible over his chest armor. And on his belt was a series of four throwing knives, lined up neatly in their leather sheath.

  Seiki noted that the demon’s limb guards were covered with small black metal spikes, which seemed more for decoration than real use, but nevertheless made them dangerous for close combat. That bit, however, was perhaps not surprising, considering demons were most likely not meant to be grappled with in the first place.

  “I presume you’re looking for this?” The Demonic Spearmaster spun his weapon around. At the end of the large wooden shaft was a long decorative leather tassel. And attached to the wood by a metal ring, and hidden in the midst of the whip-like black strands was a large iron key.

  “Uh, nice keychain,” said Yamura. “I’m sure you’ll never lose the key.”

  Koharu giggled.

  The demon ignored them. “I’m in charge of that door, and this key never leaves my hand. At Lord Kagenomuchi’s order, no one enters without my permission.” The demon swished his spear through the air twice, making the key jangle against the ring. “So, if you want it…” He turned his red glowing gaze toward the group as a smile curled on his lips. “Step in.” His smile widened into a hungry snarl. “First-Rank Unit Chief Seiki.”

  Seiki clenched his fists as the demon swept his crimson gaze over him like a predator eyeing its prey. He had never had a dungeon boss address him by name before, and even when he thought he should not be surprised—considering this was ultimately his instance—the effect was still a little uncanny.

  Saburo grunted and opened his mouth to say something, but Rumi stopped him.

  “Oh, I know you. How?” The demon continued in a conversational tone. “Like I’ve said, I’ve been waiting. And this should give you an answer.” In his hand appeared a small slim item, which he instantly tossed toward them. Kentaro gave a start as he prepared to counter possible incoming damage on the group. But the item, wooden and fragile, hit the floor and bounced once with a soft harmless plink, before coming to a stop in front of them.

  Seiki took two steps forward and bent down to pick it up, his mind racing as he recognized the familiar Hanae’s Hairpin [Memorabilia], now with the top edge chipped off. It was clear evidence that Okamoto had been through here.

  “Where is he?” Seiki asked the demon, his jaws tightening.

  “Dead,” said the demon, enunciating the word clearly.

  Seiki suddenly felt as if he had just taken Shousei’s heart-freezing poison again. It had never even crossed his mind that this instance was about something other than rescuing Master Tsujihara’s boy. He drew his Hikari from its sheath. “How?”

  The Demonic Spearmaster burst out laughing. “Now that’s the look I wanted to see. You humans are funny creatures. That’s what he wanted me to tell you when he gave me that thing. ‘Tell him that he’s too late and that I’m dead. Then please tell him to turn back.’ That’s what he pleaded. He even asked me to spare your life.” His laughter was cut short as it morphed into a cold smile. “Which I will. Do you want to know why?”

  “Okay, so he’s not dead then,” whispered Koharu.

  Seiki took a step forward toward the cage. “Where is he?” he asked again.

  Mairin shook her head. “Seiki, don’t. The thing is a death trap.”

  The demon ignored her. “That, I cannot tell you. All I can say is that your answer might lie beyond that door.” He rattled the key again. “Now, I’m sure you want this, and, like I said, since your friend very passionately begged me to spare your life, I will. Of course, Lord Kagenomuchi will not be pleased with that, but that can’t be helped.” Spinning his large spear around again, the demon looked fondly at its multiple spikes. “This poor thing has been quite lonely ever since I lost my last playmate. And I can tell it’s getting a little… thirsty.” He swished it through the air once more, barely able to contain his glee as he looked back at the group. “So, let’s play a little game, shall we?”

  “No, thanks,” said Ippei. “Just shoot him, Yamura.”

  “No, no, no, you don’t want to do that,” said the demon, stopping the ryoushi before he could grab an arrow. “I’ll show you why.” He pulled one of his throwing knives from his belt and tossed it onto the ground in front of him, before plunging his spear straight at the blade, shattering the knife into silver smithereens as the dirt exploded upward all around the point of impact.

  The ground trembled, and Seiki felt an unexpected vibration rush through his body like an electric shock, and his mind turned blank for a split second. The next thing he heard was a gasp that went through the group as they came to their senses at the same time. Seiki cussed under his breath as he realized what it was.

  “All right,” Ippei said to Seiki with a sigh. “Bad news is that it’s not only you who has a spike stun.”

  “Stuns are the worst,” muttered Kiku.

  “And that range,” said Kentaro worriedly.

  The demon laughed. “So, you want the key, you play by my rules. I hope we understand each other on that point.”

  “Can we just fast-forward through this monologue?” said Ippei.

  Ignoring the statement, the demon continued. “You see, I’ve been incredibly bored ever since I was… forced to part with my friend, after some very entertaining months we had together right here. You can still witness the evidence of our fond memories all around.” He laughed as he gestured toward the metal spikes protruding from all sides of the cage. Seiki was still too far away to see what the demon was referring to and could only guess he meant blood stains.

  Koharu shifted uncomfortably. “Is he saying that he just spent months torturing someone in this cage?” she whispered.

  “It’s the Demonic Clan,” said Yamura. “Of course they do stuff like that.”

  “Theatrics,” said Seiki, his eyes fixed on the scene in front of him. At least, this clued them in on one of the environmental hazards they would need to look out for. The cage was not large, so this meant he would need to watch out for any pushback effects.

  “Do you know why Lord Kagenomuchi trusts me to guard the key? I never turn my back at my enemies. Of course, most don’t live longer than a few seconds against my spear.”

  Mairin pursed her lips. “Okay, talkative for a something-master and not a kage-something.” Seiki was not sure he completely understood what she meant, but Kiku obviously did, since she nodded. “They only promote good talkers.”

  “They do too in real life,” said Ippei.

  The obake smiled. “Exactly, samurai-san.”

  Still absorbed in his introductory speech, the demon kept talking, as he slowly unstrapped the rectangular leather piece from his back, “Like I said. I promised to be merciful. Since no enemy has ever seen my backside, if you manage the slightest damage on this piece of back guard, I’ll consider you victorious. And I’ll willingly give you the key.”

  The demon paused and smiled again. “But considering this is just a harmless little game…” He trailed off and looked at Seiki. “Only you may enter the cage. What do you say, First-Rank Unit Chief?”

  From the way the place was set up, Seiki had somehow already guessed. “Just one hit on the back guard, right?” His sight was fixed on the demon, who strapped the piece back in place and readied his spear.

&n
bsp; Seiki took a deep breath. Like the first two, the demon had more than eight thousand health. “All right,” he said.

  “Whoa, whoa, wait,” said Ippei. “You’re not doing this alone. It’s a trap.”

  “Suspicious, aren’t we?” said the Spearmaster, letting out a sneer. “Of course, I can understand. Considering that the Shinshioka army has sunk to the point that they started allowing untrained civilians in their ranks, how about… I also allow your troops.”

  Ippei scoffed. “That’s still—”

  “And this.” Stepping aside to unblock their line of sight, the Spearmaster revealed in the far right corner of the cage a small stone structure burning with a dim golden glow. He gestured mockingly. “I’ll even allow you one of your precious ancient ground-shrines, as a handicap.”

  Ippei seemed genuinely surprised by the offer and stopped to consider it for a moment, before shaking his head. “It’s still a trap,” he said to Seiki after some quick calculations. “Obviously his little game is a lie and he’s going to try to kill you once you’re inside. Even with any of the cards we have, you’re not going to be able to do 8K points in damage on your own. And, like I said, that spear in his hand will probably be nasty, so you can’t risk trading health with Blood Rush either. Even when he’s making it sound like a good deal, it’s still impossible.”

  Seiki inhaled slowly. Somehow, ever since he set eyes on the arena, he had suspected all along—on a subconscious level—that this would be a solo challenge. Perhaps the fact that the Spearmaster even had a stun ability that very much mirrored his own was also part of the design.

  “Okay.” Seiki looked straight at the demon, who let out a delighted laugh.

  “You’re seriously not going to do this,” said Ippei.

  “I am,” Seiki said to Ippei. “I see no other way. And, since this is allegedly my instance, it makes sense that they would have me take on this challenge on my own. You know, so people can’t just get carried through.”

  Ippei scratched his chin, as if the thought had not crossed his mind. “I guess that makes sense once you put it that way.” The samurai seemed a little troubled. “I still don’t like it.”