Eduardo's Tales

Story 8: The Malevolent Inkstone

Chapter 1

(Rated T for violence, brief nudity, adult content, alcohol content, and mild language)

(DISCLAIMER: No, I do not own Eduardo Rivera and Kylie Griffin from Extreme Ghostbusters, nor do I have the right to copy the anime series, Mushi-Shi, which has inspired me to bring our favorite slacker and Goth girl into a strange world that exists beyond time. So, enjoy the show!)

It was night in the city of Chagum as everyone was falling asleep. It had been over a week since the battle for the city as everybody from the Mumtaz Region and Orlin had returned home. With only Tsuchimaru remaining behind, he was busy tending to the stables that were owned by the Bandit King as he was also pining for a beautiful young woman with teal hair. She was the older sister of Yashakune as she was dressed in Han Dynasty clothes. Tsuchimaru adored her as she was more stunning and curvier more than anything. The oldest son of Souichiro loved curvy women as they were more beautiful that the ones that were deemed too thin. The woman even had large breasts that slightly stuck out of her clothes as she was walking towards the soldier.

"It's a nice evening," she said.

"Oh, you're such a cutie," said Tsuchimaru as he walked closer to her.

"By the way, kind sir, what's your name?"

"My name is Tsuchimaru Imazato, son of the famous soldier Souichiro Imazato."

"My name is Orochihime Tomiyori. You've already met my dad and little brother."

"Well, after I get the horses all bedded down, maybe I should ask you out on-"

A loud piercing scream shook the city as Tsuchimaru and Orochihime saw a few soldiers run toward the inner castle. Something was wrong as they ran towards the castle courtyard. To their shock, they saw the steward of Chagum as he was being carted off towards the hospital. What was wrong with him an why was he so ill all of a sudden? Tsuchimaru and Orochihime saw a strange inkstone near the fountain as it was radiating with a bizarre energy. The inkstone carried a strange figure inside as it resembled a strange monster from long ago in the past.

"There's something in there," said Orochihime.

"It's a Rakshasa," said Tsuchimaru as he picked up the inkstone.

"A Rakshasa? I thought those were mere fairytales."

"In the past, the Rakshasa King wreaked havoc on people when he weaved his spells on fresh fruits and vegetables. This one is a minion of the Rakshasa King who's been trapped in this inkstone."

"I'll take that," said a woman with lavender hair as she snatched the inkstone away from Tsuchimaru.

"Dr. Uchihino, I presume... I suggest you've got a problem with whatever's inside of it."

"My crippled ancestor and his friends once fought Ravana and kept him locked away for the rest of his days. If I were you, I suggest that you and your friend had better stay away from this inkstone before you end up like the Steward."

Tsuchimaru and Orochihime watched Dr. Uchihino walk away with the inkstone as she was about to take it into the archives of scientific and paranormal relics. She had heard about the ancient incident that featured the notorious Ravana as he devoured the energy that was housed by his victims. She couldn't let another incident happen again as she placed the inkstone into a glass box and set it on a table. Unknown in the shadows was a tall young man with blond hair as he was ready to take back the inkstone and release the creature that was harbored inside of it.

###

Eduardo was busy taking a shower as he was about to start the morning run at the inn. The warm water had soothed him as it made him feel a lot better. It wouldn't be long until he would be dressed and ready to work at the inn. Getting out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist as he was about to open up the door. To his shock, he saw Kylie standing in his way as she was wearing a lavender Han Dynasty-style dress with her hair put up. She look stunning as she was also looking at Eduardo as he was very embarrassed while holding the towel around his waist.

"You shouldn't sneak up on me like that!" he yelled with a look of shock on his face.

"We need to go to the inner castle, Eduardo," said Kylie.

"Wait..., something is wrong there, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but how did you know?"

"The Steward's been taken ill, but he continues to eat constantly."

"You and Roland tried to eat constantly while we were catching Ravana, remember?"

Eduardo remembered the incident very carefully as he was reminded of the legendary Rakshasa King as he even had a stomachache afterwards. He couldn't stomach the fact that a Rakshasa was hiding in an inkstone as he rushed to his room and got on his clothes. Dressed in a black and gold Han Dynasty-style robe and sandals, he even slicked his hair back and put it in a hat as he got his staff and went downstairs with Kylie following him. Something was wrong within the inner castle as they left the inn and darted toward their destination. They had to find something out as they were ready to investigate the paranormal in a such a long time.

###

Dr. Uchihino returned to the museum as she saw two security guards pig out on a large bamboo box full of dim sum. Something was terribly wrong as she saw the inkstone on the floor next to the box. The Rakshasa was active from within the inkstone as it was glowing with hunger. She had to call the guards immediately before something else happens as she later saw Eduardo and Kylie rush into the room where inkstone lay. The item was fully loaded with ecto as it was still glowing beyond the sensation of food and drink.

"Haven't we seen this pattern before?" asked Eduardo.

"How did this happen?" asked Kylie.

"It's the inkstone," said Dr. Uchihino. "By the way, it is forbidden for commoners to enter the inner castle of Chagum!"

"This isn't time to discuss which people are allowed into the castle right now, Dr. Uchihino." said Eduardo as he was searching for more clues about the Rakshasa's aura. "The Steward himself was afflicted by the curse that was in the inkstone."

"Oh, bite me, Goat Boy! My crippled ancestor helped you and your girlfriend in a past life contain the Rakshasa King thousands of years ago. Are you telling us that the monster in the inkstone is stirring while devouring the essences of living things all at once?"

Eduardo ran swiftly past Dr. Uchihino as he rushed swiftly towards the room of the Steward. His worst fears were confirmed as he saw the ill man become drained from an unknown source. It was the Rakshasa itself feeding off of the Steward as it was still encased inside the inkstone. When Kylie entered into the room where Eduardo was, she was shocked to see that the Steward was still hungry despite the fact that he was eating too much of the fruit and figs that was brought to him. This was a strange problem that both she and Eduardo had seen before as they were ready to study the inkstone from the relics chamber where as they had no choice but to take it from Dr. Uchihino.

"The Rakshasa is growing despite being captive in that inkstone," said Eduardo.

"Tell me about it," said Kylie as she spotted Dr. Uchihino arguing with the same blond-haired man from earlier outside the Steward's room. "Who is that man and why is he arguing with the good doctor all of a sudden?"

"Maybe he wants the inkstone all to himself or so we think..."

"Well, come on! We haven't got all day!"

Eduardo and Kylie left the Stewads room as they followed Dr. Uchihino who was chasing the blond-haired man from before. They wanted to see what he was up to as he had business of his own with the same inkstone that housed the Rakshasa. Whatever that man was up to, he needed to take back the deadly package to where it came from before it was too late. Both Eduardo and Kylie finally caught up to both Dr. Uchihino and the blond-haired man as they were arguing outside a produce market where various fruits and vegetables were sold by the bunches.

##

Tsuchimaru was investigating the suspicious activity that involved the inkstone as he was in a hospital room full of patients who were gorging themselves. This situation was starting to get even worse as the patients were also given several food pills that still weren't enough to satisfy their ongoing feeding frenzy. Tsuchimaru had to find Eduardo and Kylie as he was ready to get to the bottom of this strange debacle. The Rakshasa in the inkstone was getting fed from inside its prison and the patients were having their essences drained out of their bodies.

"Any progress?" asked Orochihime as she came in the room.

"No, but the patients here have one hell of a feeding frenzy... and they're eating hospital food," said Tsuchimaru. "That Rakshasa's been glutting down their essences like a battery being drained."

"Perhaps we need to tell Dr. Uchihino about this."

"Are you kidding?! Dr. Uchihino wants to take the inkstone and put it on display while the patients here continue to gorge themselves on a hourly basis! If Eduardo and Kylie knew about this, they would get to the root of the problem and stop it before it's too late!"

Tsuchimaru and Orochihime watched the patients get their energy sucked out as they were about to continue on their feeding frenzy. Both soldier and curvy stable girl had to tell Eduardo and Kylie as they left the hospital and continued towards the inner castle. There had to be a solution that was still in play, for there wasn't much time to subdue the Rakshasa in the inkstone.

###

"That inkstone must be brought back to the Sita Region, Dr. Uchihino," said the blond-haired man.

"This inkstone is private property and it also belongs to the Steward, Dr. Hanover," she answered.

The blond-haired man meant business as he was ready to bring back the inkstone to the Sita Region no matter what the danger. He was sent in by Queen Durga as she was even concerned about the release of the Rakshasa. Dr. Hanover had heard stories about the Rakshasas as he once listened in on the story of King Ravana's capture. He couldn't let the Rakshasa fall in the wrong hands as he went and snatched the inkstone from Dr. Uchihino. He had to take it back until he accidentally dropped it into a small fountain. Picking it up, he saw the inkstone glow as it was beginning to weaken the Rakshasa's prison. He saw Dr. Uchihino lunge toward him with her knife as she seized him by the throat.

"Drop the inkstone!" she yelled as she had her knife near Dr. Hanover's throat.

"You don't understand!" cried Dr. Hanover. "I must take back the inkstone before something dire happens to someone else!"

"Dr. Uchihino!" cried Eduardo as he pointed his staff at her. "Let him go!"

"The inkstone stays here!"

"That thing contains a Rakshasa in there!" cried Kylie as she pointed her own staff at Dr. Uchihino.

"The inkstone belongs to the Steward!"

To their shock, all four saw a crowd run toward a produce stand as they continued to eat constantly without guilt. The effects of the inkstone had affected the crowd as they were hauled off by guards who were taking them to the hospital. The Rakshasa was getting stronger as it was about to break free from the inkstone. It needed more nourishment from the hosts that ate from the produce stand as its inkstone prison began to crack. The Rakshasa was about enter the world as it was ready to feed on its victims by tainting everything it touches.

"What's happening?!" cried Dr. Hanover as he dropped the inkstone.

"The Rakshasa's about to be set free!" cried Kylie.

"We can't let it get out!" yelled Eduardo. "I call upon the power of Vajra to encase this demonic tablet and its prisoner!"

A diamond-like sphere emerged as it covered the demonic inkstone. Eduardo's incantation worked for the time being as it sealed the Rakshasa's prison for the time being. When Dr. Hanover took the sphere from the ground, he was ready to take it back to the Sita Region as he was about to be rewarded by Queen Durga. The Rakshasa may have been encased even further, but the feeding frenzies from the villagers continued. Just as Dr. Hanover was about to leave, the sphere cracked as the inkstone was free along with the Rakshasa.

"What's happening?!" he cried.

"We're too late," said Eduardo. "The Rakshasa has already tainted enough food to create his storage intake like a large battery."

The inkstone was finally broken as the Rakshasa was free to roam and taint any form of food it touched. Eduardo had to stop it before it was too late. With Kylie and Dr. Uchihino following him along with Dr. Hanover, they ran towards the outside of the castle, only to find that the Rakshasa was hiding along the produce market waiting for the time to strike. They didn't have time left, for the Rakshasa's true motives were about to begin...

To be continued...