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Chapter 68: Meet the Family
Last Updated:
2023-12-18 20:27:44
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“Nevertheless, another part of me felt oddly conflicted about running out of time and everything going back to normal. I wasn’t sure I was ready to give up my extraordinary circumstances just yet. I mean, I hadn’t completely tested the span and limits of my unexpected abilities. Think about it. I was probably the only Slayer in the world who had defeated a ghost and ended up in an in-between realm. Apart from the obvious goal of scientific research, I had plenty other things I wanted to do before I lost my newfound freedom.” “Really?” Aki asked. “What things?” “Well, for one, I had to make a quick trip to the school library.” “The library?” Aki echoed. She admired Sasha’s devotion to study but wondered if it wasn’t a bit much. “Oh,” Sasha said, guessing what the other two were thinking, “it’s not what you think. You remember the numbers the Ayakashi gave me right before she disintegrated? I had figured out what they were. They were book call numbers.” “Call numbers? That can’
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“The Ayakashi – Himiko – wanted you to read the book,” Aki concluded. “Hence the riddle of the blue or red cover.” “More like tested him,” Temujin said. “She wanted to make sure that the person she would lead to the book had previous knowledge of the secret she was guarding.” “That makes the most sense,” Sasha agreed. “But both of you should remember that we’re all just rationalizing the actions of the Ayakashi. Nobody could really know what she was thinking.” “That goes without saying,” Aki said, “but ghosts often have unfinished business. Purpose that they failed to complete when they were still living.” “Actually, the more I thought about it,” Sasha said, “the more I felt that Himiko wasn’t really a ghost. At least technically. She’s more of a doppelganger, you know, like in Bushinjutsu.” Bushinjutsu (Clone) was another specialty of Aki’s clan. She had yet to reach the mastery required to execute it and the most she could achieve was the Kosoku Zanzo Jutsu (Rapid Image). During
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“He was mad!” Aki exclaimed. “Only the gods have the power to create or bring back life. It’s blasphemy!” “Is it though?” Sasha asked, his eyes lowered. “What’s forbidden and what’s fated? Who are we to pass judgment? The boundaries are muddled. If the shaman hadn’t reactivated my ki, I wouldn’t be here talking to you. And if my eldest brother hadn’t died in the hands of pirates, who knows if my parents would still have sought to limit me. Even the grownups can’t tell what’s right from what’s wrong. They’re so scared of death that they hold back from liv—” “Sasha!” Aki shouted in an admonishing tone. “Don’t tell me you believe the ravings of that lunatic? Shame on you. You of all people should know that some borders aren’t meant to be crossed, some secrets are never meant to be discovered by ordinary mortals.” “Gomennasai,” Sasha quickly apologized, suddenly realizing how he might’ve sounded to Aki. He had lifted his thoughtful, lowered gaze as though from a broken spell. “All I wa
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Temujin woke to a day full of noise and confusion. Sasha was shaking him and screaming in his face. Temujin blinked his eyes once, twice, and saw dust motes floating through a ray of sunlight streaming through the cracks in the wall. The morning was otherwise bright and clear. All at once, there was a deafening, rending sound like that of wood splintering and it occurred to the red Slayer that the cracks in the main hold wall were much bigger than they normally were. His eyes flew open. “We’re under attack!” Sasha screamed at him while using his water manipulation to turn back the water that was entering the main hold in a gush. On their alarmingly inundated floor, Temujin could see cannonballs rolling around, a few of which were not their own. He was wearing nothing but his pants. There was no time to get dressed and he only grabbed his shukos (tiger claws) from inside his cork bag. “Where’s Aki?” he shouted above the din of whistling cannonballs and more splintering wood. Their
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“’Tis a sin tah suffer such a numbskull as ye live,” Captain Fang said, “but it appears we be a perfectly even match. Ye know as well as I do ’tis futile tah resort tah our mother element.” The pirate could barely stand in his exhaustion and was leaning on his sabre. Sasha was also down to his last reserves of energy. He was poised low on the ground, ever ready to strike with his shinobuken held horizontally in front of him, his left hand behind. “Were we in a trainin’ dojo where ye’ve been raised,” the captain said, “no one would claim victory… BUT HITHER IS NOT A DOJO!” Captain Fang thrust his amputated right arm and released the harpoon on the end of it. As a matter of fact, Sasha had earlier grabbed a handful of salt when he tumbled forward across a drying pan. Now he swung his left hand from behind him and flung the salt to the captain’s eyes like a sumo wrestler purifying the ring. Sasha felt a certain amount of pleasure when he heard the captain utter a pained squeal. In a s
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Aki leapt from roof to roof. Her tabi boots touched the tiles lightly before pushing off. She was harnessing Karamijutsu (Body-lightening). Without warning, a tile she was stepping on broke and she slid straight down to the edge of the roof, only managing to grab the gutter in the nick of time. She was dangling there when Yuriko appeared on the incline, just a few feet away, crouching and fanning out a set of throwing knives. Apparently, she had launched a projectile that broke Aki’s foothold. “Fancy a prince tah rescue ye, princess?” “I’m not a princess,” Aki replied through gritted teeth. “I’m a SLAYER princess!” With a back flip, Aki brought herself upside-down with her legs spinning in a wheel kick. Yuriko held her forearms up in an X shape and the casings of her katars blocked the kicks. Aki landed right in front of her. They were soon locked in hand-to-hand combat; something rare for Stork Slayers who emphasized defense over offense, evasion over brute strength. Yuriko projec
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They sat around Koumori-shishou on the moonlit beach. Like real students, Aki thought excitedly. Sasha had returned to his human form and was still half-naked. Apparently, shrinking back down was relatively easier than blowing up to the fearsome scale of Dragonkist Ryūjin. The master sat on a large piece of driftwood. He took off the tunic-like uniform of the Dark Emperor and revealed his usual attire underneath: the saffron robe and pom-pommed surplice of the hermit monks, the Yamabushis. From inside his sleeve, he drew out his shakujō staff with the six rings. Like Aki’s bō staff, it could be retracted and extended. Next, from his slightly hunched back, he produced his straw conical hat and placed it on top of his head. Finally, he unclipped his one-toothed geta sandals from his belt and put them on. He was completely transformed. Aki clapped and Sasha muttered, “Wow.” Koumori-shishou bowed with a flourish. “You’re a true master of disguise, shishou,” Aki complimented. The monk
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From the strong rocking movements, Aki could tell they were on a small boat. Her captors were using oars. All at once, the bag was pulled from over her head and the wind coating was removed from her mouth. “Get your stinking hands off me or I swear you’ll lose them!” Aki blinked to adjust her eyes. It was still night. Have they arrived in Dragon’s Horn already? “Spoken like a true warrior-princess,” said a familiar voice. Aki couldn’t believe it. She strained her eyes in the dark. “Temujin?” she blurted out. “That’s right. It’s me.” “But I thought…” “I had some help,” he said, gesturing to a second figure behind him. Aki let out a frightened gasp. In the pale moonlight, she could make out the Dark Emperor! “Oh, don’t be alarmed!” Temujin said. “It’s just my master, Koumori-shishou.” To Aki’s great consternation, the Dark Emperor swept back his hood and took off his iron dragon mask. An old man with slanted eyes and a long wispy beard like a mountain goat’s was beaming at her
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“What do you think they’re going to do to us?” Aki asked Sasha. They had eventually given up hope that Temujin would return. As much as it pained Aki to admit it, she knew he would succumb to brainwashing. Most Slayers did, sooner or later. “Well, at first they were pointed south like us but then they made a U-turn, which explains why we didn’t see them coming. My guess is they’re now taking us to Dragon’s Horn. It’s a big and busy trading port, for all things legal and illegal.” “They’re gonna sell us as slaves?” Aki said in horror. “No, we’re much too old to be submissive. But they know you’re the heiress apparent so they’ll demand a princess’s ransom.” “A princess’s ransom? How much is that?” “Let’s just say they’re gonna try and bleed your empire dry.” “My grandfather would never allow that. I’m sure he’ll have imperial soldiers waiting for us when we reach port. I’ll have these pirates arrested before they even—” “They probably wouldn’t tell anyone about you just yet. The
Dragon-kissed Chapter 83: Torture
In the afternoon, after their cheerless and tasteless brunch, the captain came down to the brig to grace them with his presence. Aki was right, the four most important people on the ship were: Captain Fang, the Dark Emperor, Kosano and Yuriko; in that order. But because they were pirates, it was easy to imagine incessant politicking among the last three. The entire crew was of course curious about the young Slayers who had kicked their butts, but they were under strict orders to stay on their posts and perform their duties. Nevertheless, Aki recognized Zaterra and Ganzorig; the first was endlessly cutting his nails with a dagger. Temujin also noticed his cork backpack slung on Zaterra’s shoulder. “Hey, that’s mine!” Temujin shouted, gripping the dragon-bone bars of his cage. “Finders keepers,” Zaterra replied and stuck out his tongue. “Give it back to him!” Aki demanded. “Be yer companions knowin’ yer secrets in this here bag?” asked Kosano. Temujin fell quiet. “Cat got yer ton
Dragon-kissed Chapter 82: Prisoners
They were held in separate cells down the ship’s brig. Aki’s and Sasha’s were adjoining while Temujin’s was across from theirs. Each cell had an additional feature. For instance, Aki’s had a water barometer to monitor the slightest change in atmospheric pressure if she attempted to form winds inside the ship. Sasha’s had a quicksilver thermometer to keep the room temperature in check. Last, apart from confiscating his flint and steel, the pirates put Temujin in a cell with the fire-proof bones of a red dragon for bars. In case the prisoners showed any signs of defiance by using their powers, the pirates also had a weird-looking contraption like an electrically charged spear. Sasha figured it was a weaponized version of the Leyden jar. If it touched their prisons (the conductor), it would discharge tens of thousands of volts. This last piece of technology suggested a link between the pirates and Tamerlane’s research on the fifth element, but all of them pointed to the fact that the cap
