Bloodlust
Author's Note: Enjoy the story and R&R.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or of Magic: The Gathering.
Japanese Terms: Kakuriyo-Spirit world
Summary:
On the night of a waning moon, a lone ogre conducts a vile ritual that leaves the mountains haunted by his victims' souls.
…
The history of Kamigawa runs rampant with the stories of great heroes and others of legendary status. Lands once trembled and worshipped the all-powerful daimyo, Konda. Jushi students mastered mystical arts at the Minamo School under the guidance of Sensei Hisoka and Lady Azami. Trees and fields of flowers grew wherever the monk, Azusa, passed. The rats bowed down to their lord, Marrow-Gnawer, and Akki poets wrote to praise Zo-Zu the Punisher.
What of the lesser warriors? The conquerors that were not born conquerors? The travelers that had not traveled far enough?
And so begins the tale of Goka, the Unjust.
…
Red-aligned oni worshippers, or demon worshippers, were a common sight in the Sokenzan mountain range. Most of these worshippers had appearances that resembled that of the oni themselves, sporting devious maws and chained weapons. Passing sanzoku bandits often gossiped about Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep, a skull-lined citadel high in the rocks of Sokenzan, where the ogre-mages and ogre-shamans offered sacrifices to summon their oni lords from the Kakuriyo to learn dark secrets and attain power. Few of the stories told ended with the worshippers actually gaining what they sought. The oni were said to devour their own subordinates after the rituals were completed. Perhaps it was the fact that the ogres were initially aligned with the forces of black magic.
One ogre-shaman was determined to prove that theory. Born in the mountains, red mana running through his veins, and under the watchful eyes of an oni statue, this ogre learned at an early age the rituals and goings-on in Shinka. On the night of a crescent moon, the young shaman conducted his first sacrifice…A captured Nezumi ronin that had been unfortunate enough to meet him earlier that day. As time went on, the ogre became more content with the unholy acts…so content that some said it an obsession.
By his fiftieth sacrifice, the elders of Shinka deemed the over-aspiring initiate, Goka, they now called him, far too dangerous, as he was now conducting rituals on a nightly basis and without the consent of the council. Goka's purpose no longer seemed to be that of worshipping their oni masters…It was more a sport to him than anything else was.
Given the circumstances, the elders intervened during the ritual. A human maiden was begging for her life, strapped to a wooden platform that was circled by candles. Goka was displeased, and his anger showed. In that one night, Goka not only sacrificed the woman, but the entire Shinka council as well. Unlike the unanswered or unwelcome gifts that came from past rituals, Goka became more powerful. The oni he worshipped gave him strength, agility and spirit-weapons. All he had to do was continue his reign of bloodshed.
Over the next few years, more and more inhabitants of Sokenzan became aware of Goka's distaste for life. They nicknamed him Goka, the Unjust, for his disregard of vitality. Samurai, jushi and shamans alike all banned together to bring down the demonic monster, yet the outcome of every battle was the same. Goka would sacrifice his fallen foes and grow stronger.
One day, Goka came across a traveling yamabushi. The warrior-priest's black hair was already showing signs of gray, and the ogre thought he would be easy pickings for his next sacrifice. Goka was wrong. For the first time, he was defeated. His combatant left, only leaving his name…Kumano.
The battle had left his face scarred. The oni did not reply to his requests for a better face. Instead, they gave him a kabuto spirit-helmet. He soon found that the helmet channelled his pain into his other spirit-weapons. Not intent on revenge for his suffering, Goka continued his rituals, until the night of a waning moon.
At that time, the ogre-shaman stood before the statue that he was birthed under, the walls lined with torches. Fresh kill was thrown on the bone-carpeted floor, and blood seeped from the carrion to form a "lake" of death. Goka bathed in the pool of blood, and completed the ritual.
The statue's face twisted with an evil smile, a ray of white light shining down on it from the moon. Meteors rained from the sky and pelted the mountain range, leaving blue fire in their wake.
Goka watched as the stone sculpture fell into the whirlpool of souls. A gigantic hand reached up through the red river, smashing straight into Shinka's roof. Razor-sharp black hair scraped the walls and another fist was sent through the back of the keep. Three screeching worms emerged from the blood, their rows of teeth sinking into the mountain itself. A moment later, a browned skull took shape at the centre of the undulating torso, three eyes and a tongue greeting the astonished ogre.
Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked had been summoned. For so long Goka had awaited this moment. He had carried out hundreds of blood-sacrifices just to lay eyes upon the king of oni.
His first thought was to welcome Shimatsu. The red demon did not care, tearing away the rest of Shinka and letting out a ferocious roar. Its cry rang out through the mountain range, and for a moment, only the echo could be heard.
Then the kami arrived. Thousands of kami, different shapes and sizes, arose from the rocks and met the sky. Another fierce roar came from Shimatsu, and more meteors shot into the pulsating crowds. Explosions followed, in which Goka took great delight in viewing. Blood rained over the Sokenzan, and the ogre-shaman was glad that he had taken part in such pandemonium.
Goka held his spirit-weapons tightly, presenting them to the feasting oni. The demon devoured the blood quickly, and then faced the miniscule form below him.
"Goka…the Unjust," it bellowed in an acidic voice. "You have freed me from my sleep. What is it that you desire?"
The initiate-turned-warlord laughed. "I desire bloodshed…More bloodshed! I want to feel the blood lapping the air and streaming below my feet!"
"Then I shall grant your wish," the oni cackled, its worm-shoulders opening and closing their mouths repeatedly.
"Yes, grant my wish! Bring me more blood than I have ever dreamed!"
The sound of bones crunching under extreme pressure filled Shimatsu's horned ears. The worms had speared Goka through with their fangs.
"Feel the blood lapping the air…Streaming below your feet!"
Goka coughed, blood spurting from him as the teeth exited his body. His flesh had been torn in several places, and the red substance flooded from his wounds. For all the sacrifices that he had offered, Goka now returned in equal amount. A thousand souls spilled to his feet, and were released into the air in a noxious cloud. He collapsed backwards, his life fleeting.
"And now begins the punishment of the Bloodcloaked!" The oni leapt away, down the mountain to plague Kamigawa.
Goka managed to choke out his last words, "Blood…More blood…"
From then on, Kamigawa had to endure the painful existence of Shimatsu, oni king released by Goka, the Unjust. Yet even now, below the blood-soaked, disturbed earth, Goka can only chant, "Blood…More blood…"
…
-Fin-