Chapter 8
Akira exploded into a blur of motion before either of his companions reacted. In an instant, his gaijin swords were in his hands and he had run past the zombie, leaving large slashes across its torso. The impact of such an attack would have killed most men, but the creature was unfazed. Emboldened by the maneuver, both Yatsen and Saburo charged forward. Saburo slashed it from afar, while his friend rushed inside of its long reach and buried his wakazashi in its abdomen to the hilt. It did not so much as shudder from the attack. Horrified, Yatsen looked up into the eyes of his undead opponent as it sunk its claws into the man’s body. He screamed; writhing in pain in a vain attempt to twist free from his foe’s grasp.
“Yatsen,” Saburo yelled as he swung his polearm into the creature’s side. The strike had no effect on the zombie’s grasp.
In its lust for flesh, the mindless corpse had forgotten about its most deadly adversary: Akira. This was all the advantage the ranger needed as he clove the creature’s arms from its body, separating Yatsen from its grasp. Using the momentum from the first strike, Akira continued his motion and used his second sword to decapitate the tortured soul. Before the head of the zombie even hit the ground, the man was upon Yatsen.
“Saburo, uncover your lantern and begin heating a dagger!”
Saburo immediately dropped his naginata and did what he was instructed while Akira ripped the zombie’s appendages out of the terrified Yatsen.
“Wha-what are you going to do,” he asked in a quivering voice as he watched the man snatch the now glowing blade from Saburo’s grasp.
“Try not to move too much. The Shadowlands can spread its taint to anything, but fire is a potent ally against corruption,” Akira said. “Saburo, hold him down.”
Yatsen screamed as the ranger shoved the poker into his gaping wounds. The sickly stench of scorch flesh filled Saburo’s nostrils as he heard the unmistakable hiss of the blade cauterizing tissue. Once the operation was complete and Yatsen was able to stand, Akira turned his attentions back towards the door. This time; however, his face was calm and his demeanor composed.
“Great Overseer,” he began. “We apologize for having mistaken you for a pathetic tasloi. We mean you no harm. We only wish to rid you of the tasloi. I give you my word that we will honor a truce if you would only let us pass.”
“Overseer,” Saburo muttered in confusion.
Akira’s finger shot to his lips.
“Truuuccccceee,” the creature whispered from beyond the door. “Yesssss, thissss would be acccceptable.”
With a loud grinding, the copper doors swung open, revealing the group’s new ally. The once proud descendant of Doushi’s line stood before ravaged by the course of time. His scaly flesh stuck to his bones; once regal robes hung off him in tatters connected by strands from which various small bones dangled. Even though his face was reptilian, Saburo could see the madness in his eyes.
“The tasloi have shattered my tribe. Their leader doesssss not believe in the great Kami Doushi! He is a Maho for sure. He killed many great warriorsssssss, while his men broke passsssst our defenccccesssss. They traveled to the Sssssshrine to befoul it, but the great spirit of Doushi desssssstroyed them! The otherssssss essssscaped.”
“Please, great Overseer,” Akira said. “Show us the way to the Shrine.”
“I cannot. I mussssst hold back the Bonetangle. Take the mine shafts north then east. You ssshall find what you ssseeeek.”
Bowing, Akira led the group down the worked corridors of stone as he was instructed by the strange shaman. As soon as they were out of earshot, Saburo couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer.
“Was that really an Overseer from the time of the Kamigishu?”
“Perhaps,” Akira replied nonplussed. “The term; as you know well, was used as a sign of respect by our ancestors towards their cruel taskmasters. As he is probably the only remaining survivor, he is by default the leader of his tribe.”
“But do you think he was one back then,” Saburo asked excitedly.
“The Dragonmen were gifted with some of Doushi’s powers and it wouldn’t surprise me to discover that their lifespan is in the centuries. Perhaps only one generation went by after the fall of Doushi. The survivors must have hid in the mining tunnels all this time, trying to salvage what remained of their shattered lives. When the mines were sealed, they were in a sense protected as no one would ever go down. I’m sure they continued to worship Doushi in the hopes that he would somehow return and save them. How sad.”
As they rounded the bend, it became obvious to everyone that they had reached their destination. Everyone was immediately drawn to the huge stone statue of a dragon seated against the far wall. It looked ready to pounce with its wings unfurled, staring down into the room. Its eyes were made of huge faceted blue gems, which caught and threw the firelight across the room at them. In front of the statue was a giant copper bowl filled with leaping fire. The bowl was on a huge stone block, which stood directly underneath the statue’s gaping maw.
“Do you think the tasloi were struck down by the spirit of Doushi,” Yatsen asked no one in particular.
“Doushi is dead,” Akira stated. “No doubt they found the tunnel and were not in fact whisked away by some long dead dragon’s mystical powers. Help search the room for anything useful.”
The group combed the room for many hours before discovering anything of use. Yatsen translated the carvings on the wall that were written in High Rokugani. They revealed not much in the way of practical information as the writing was propaganda for Doushi’s rule. However, he did discover that one of the panels showed Doushi with another dragon, staring over the offering bowl. Saburo; on the other hand, found that the fire emitting from the bowl gave off no heat and discovered many offerings within: a copper dragon sculpture, turquoise, a spear, a stone necklace, the rotting head of a tasloi, various coins minted by the Empire, and the empty wooden frame of a hand mirror. Akira discovered tiny crystal shards near the wall directly opposite the statue. Right above those shards was an indentation in the wall with no carvings.
“I always thought Doushi was the only dragon in the stories,” Yatsen murmured.
“Yes, a strange carving indeed,” Akira intoned. “Perhaps he craved a mate.”
“I don’t think so,” Saburo said. “Doushi; from the legends, loved himself and his power so much he could not share it with anyone. He kept secrets from his own tribe of worshippers. Clearly the Overseer did not know about the tunnel or he would have told us about it by now. No, Doushi was a loner for sure. What did you say you found again Akira?”
“It turns out that the shards I found were actually pieces of a mirror,” the ranger answered.
“Mirror…,” Saburo repeated. His eyes glazed over for a moment before lighting up again with realization. “I’ve got it,” he exclaimed.
“What do you get,” Yatsen asked.
“You said you saw TWO dragons in the carvings. All this time we were thinking that the other dragon was not Doushi!”
“So,” Akira grumbled.
“Both pictures are of Doushi! Or rather the reflection of Doushi. Quickly Akira, give me the copper mirror you found earlier,” Saburo said excitedly.
Taking the mirror, Saburo quickly ran to the wall opposite the statue and placed it into the indentation the ranger had found. The light reflecting in the statue’s eyes immediately intensified, sending a sapphire beam of light at the copper mirror, which was reflected back into the gems. The whole room was bathed in an azure glow as the sapphires burned with power.
The mirror began to shake from the power of the beam before exploding into tiny fragments. The statue’s eyes continued to burn bright blue as it folded its wings into its body and stepped forward, revealing a small passage behind.
“Quickly,” Akira shouted as he ran past the animated dragon.
Both men followed the ranger down the winding passageway for a few moments before they heard the unmistakable sound of the statue repositioning itself on the wall.
“I guess we have no choice but to go forward now,” Akira declared.
The tunnel was fairly large and perfectly smooth. It ran a few hundred feet before ending in a sheet of thundering water. Saburo could barely hear himself think, but was able to make out the sound of something…no, someone singing. It’s beautiful, he thought. Passing through the waterfall, the group found themselves in grotto. The luminescent waters hammered down from unseen heights above to end in the underground lake. Clouds of mist rose up from the glowing water, obscuring the figure that Saburo knew was the source of the wonderful melody.
“Yatsen…Saburo, help me hook this rope onto the stairs above-,” Akira paused.
Standing stark naked in the middle of the hazy lake was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her long red hair covered her like a gossamer kimono. Her voice carried above the din of the cascade. She smiled at the men as she slowly ran the freezing water over her body. Akira knew something was wrong, but his mind felt clouded. Focusing his thoughts on getting to the staircase above, he began to struggle to ignore the woman’s presence…it was difficult.
“This ramp must lead to the lair,” Akira said.
Yatsen and Saburo; however, did not hear. They slowly had made their way over to where the woman was standing, introducing themselves. Saburo had already taken his overcoat off and given it to the woman.
“Thank you,” the woman purred.
Saburo smiled as he began to shiver uncontrollably.
“This is Yatsen,” he stammered. “My name is Saburo and that is Akira.”
“My name is Velea and I am so glad you are here,” she responded with a smile.
