Two whole days passed before Bastion was well enough to continue his tale, and during this time, most of the patrons who had previously came to the old bar drifted away. Most of them forgot about everything and went to their daily lives, while others kept hoping while keeping their day jobs secure. Old Hashigama, the bartender, regarded the lack of customers with a weary sigh, and hoped and prayed that when Bastion returned, the remaining story was a long one. He hadn't seen that many customers in his bar ever since he first started the tradition of storytelling, and he didn't think he ever would once Bastion concluded his tale.

The grizzly, one-eyed storyteller named Bastion Leaumex came into Hashigama's bar with a flair. He was welcomed back like he was some sort of war hero, with people applauding and shouting and offering to buy him drinks… It was a hysterical scene when he returned to the bar, but only one person really earned his smile.

"Hey, Asaka," he said, giving her a faint grin. Lady Asaka smiled back, and made a toast to the skilled storyteller that moment.

"Are you feeling better, Bastion?"

"Oh yeah, much better, thanks to all that stuff you gave me!" he grumbled, patting his big belly. Asaka smiled and toasted again to his health, and she was the first to ask him to continue the story.

"Oh yeah!" exclaimed one of the more drunk patrons. "Ain't you gonna continue? Jeez, where'd you leave off, anyway? Wasn't, uh, that wolf Princess just coming to Iron Town?"

"I believe so," replied Asaka. "Bastion? Do you remember?"

"Remember?" he snorted. "With you losers bugging me every hour of the day, I don't think I could forget!! Sure, yeah, uh, San was coming into Iron Town to offer her help, but Lady Eboshi and her still weren't seeing eye to eye. Yeah… It was gettin' to be real tense in that old town, what with San and Eboshi living just a few doors away from each other. Add in the fact that there was a necromancer on the loose, and there were these demons attacking Iron Town every so often, and you've got a recipe for disaster!

"…However…" Bastion paused, smiled, and let that one word tantalize and tickle at the audience's senses. He loved suspense. "…However… I have saved the best part for now, my friends. Up until now, you've only been witness to skirmishes, mere brawls in the street. But now, things are going to get much more interesting!!"

"Here, here!" shouted another patron. "It's about time, too! This is to make up for your three-day absence!!" Bastion said nothing in response, and cleared his throat to continue his story. Truth be told, those people there hadn't seen anything yet.

Mononoke Samurai

Part Seven: Return of Raynard

The scene was a violent one, but one that bore no threat to anybody. During a brief time out of their usual work, Jack and Ashitaka had decided to do a little sparring to pass the time and test each other's skills. They had not been dueling for very long when Eboshi came out to see what the commotion was; they were barely out of breath when she appeared. Smiling softly, the Lady of Iron Town strolled down to the square where the two swordsmen were practicing their skills, and greeted them in her usual soft tone.

"Good afternoon, Lady Eboshi," said Jack as he gave her a polite bow. Eboshi bowed back, and gave Ashitaka a mere smile before speaking.

"Please, gentlemen, do not cease your exercise due to my presence. Continue. Let me see how skilled the two of you are." Jack and Ashitaka agreed, and faced each other yet again to test the others' skill. Thus far, they were at a stalemate, though the duel could really go either way. Jack struck first, a test blow, a mere flick of his wrist and a movement of his blade, just to see how Ashitaka would react. The younger man blocked the blow like it was nothing, and quickly made a slice at Jack's face.

The samurai quickly swung his blade around so the other weapon would not strike him, and took in a deep breath as he realized there would be no "testing" in this fight. Ashitaka truly was capable of fighting; Jack needed to be serious with this one. So, he leaped backwards, twirled his blade around in a fancy and flashy display, and ran towards his dueling partner with renewed fervor.

Jack twirled around like a top and slashed in from the side, then wove his sword around completely and struck at Ashitaka's neck. Both strikes were blocked; a third slash was aimed at the face, a fourth at the stomach--defend, defend, defend… Ashitaka's offensive was impressive, being not too fast nor too uncontrolled. His movements were quite smooth, actually, though bearing more power than speed. Jack fought well, slashing and defending when he could, and soon the eyes of both young men became glassy and transfixed, like the two were in a daze.

Their concentration was at an acme. Both Jack and Ashitaka were so set on their own personal duel that they had shut out everything else around them: the houses, the ground beneath them, Eboshi, the sky, the smells, everything. It was as if the whole world around them was dark, and only the other duelist existed for them. It was in this concentrated stage that they were most powerful, yet most open to an outside attack.

Both their blades came crashing together suddenly, creating sparks that flew out like shooting stars. The blow was so severe that Jack's katana and Ashitaka's sword were thrown out of their grasp, each one flying in a separate direction. Both warriors nursed their stinging hands in surprise, then gave each other a smile.

"An excellent match," said Jack as he bowed. Ashitaka bowed as well, and commended Jack for his skills as well.

"Yes. We seem to be evenly matched. I might have an edge in strength, but you're much faster than I am. I would say that if we put our skills to a single objective, there would be no defense against it."

"Agreed," said Eboshi, and Jack and Ashitaka turned around to glance at her, as if that had been the first time that day they had seen her. They both smiled sheepishly as they realized that she (among many others) had seen their match, and thanked those who applauded them. Like true sportsmen, both warriors gave each other their respective blades, and bowed once again.

It was then that San came by, carrying a basket full of food she had either caught or made herself. She generously allowed Jack and Ashitaka to have as much as they wanted, but while she was placing the basket down on the floor, she froze as her eyes met with Eboshi's. A deadly silence rose up in the air as the two mortal enemies stared each other down, Eboshi the cool and San the fiery. Had it not been for the sounds of eating below, San might have completely forgotten her place. Slowly, though, her hand reached down into the basket and grabbed a loaf of bread, and it was bitten and chewed very slowly.

Jack, who looked up briefly to thank San, saw her glaring at the other woman, and decided it was best to not get involved. He didn't want a fight to start… but the affair between San and Eboshi really was not his own. Besides, it was not a crime to stare at somebody.

Fortunately--perhaps--the scene was fiercely interrupted by the watchman striking the alarm, and as the clanging sound of a hammer smashing against iron rang out across the town, people scattered into their homes in terror. The gunners, archers, and catapult operators were called out to their positions, and Jack and Ashitaka gazed at each other. Without exchanging a word, they agreed that the time had come to defend Iron Town yet again, and the warriors grabbed their blades as they ran to greet this new threat. San glared at Eboshi for a second longer before leaving the older woman.

"Well," muttered the older woman, "talk about good timing. I wonder what sort of demon we'll have to face today…"

Amidst the screams of the townspeople and the chaotic confusion of those preparing to fight back the oncoming monster, Jack and Ashitaka raced outside the gate to confront whatever was approaching. Both young men suddenly came to a frozen halt and stared in amazement at what lumbered before them. Easily the size of the Night Walker, this creature's immense size and brainless activity meant that a much fiercer battle was in store for them all.

However, the creature did not move forward to crush everything within its path. Instead, it stretched out its hand, like it was going to squeeze the sun, and lowered something to the ground. A person was riding on the gigantic beast's palm, and though Jack thought the man standing there looked no more harmless than any other man, Ashitaka's face paled considerably.

"It's you again!!" he spat. The man standing there smiled wickedly, his fiery-orange eyes burning into the men before him.

"Yes, yes, I have indeed returned. Did you miss me, now, did you miss me? I wonder, I wonder so, if you did indeed miss me, yes…" The man crossed his arms and nodded his head several times, bringing a confused look to Jack's face and an enraged one to Ashitaka's.

"Why are you doing this?!" demanded the young prince. "Why are your demons destroying this town? And what do you want Eboshi for?!"

"Oh, my!" whispered the man. "Have my creations been wreaking havoc on this town? Dear me, I do apologize for that, yes, I most sincerely do. I hope nobody was hurt. But you see, I cannot control those creatures that go maverick on me; no, no, I cannot, no. They are out of my hands, completely out, completely and totally."

"Be silent!!" growled Ashitaka. "Go away from this place and never return! …Or would you like me to send you back to where you belong by force?"

"Dear me, young men these days have grown quite violent--yes, yes, yes…" The strange man before them muttered a few more things, adjusted his thick glasses several times, and gave them both a smile. "Dear me, gentlemen, all I seek is what is rightfully mine! Yes, I may use force to get it, but it seems as if you use force as well, to get what you want. Am I right? Am I right?? Of course I am."

"Enough of this!" exclaimed Jack, pulling his sword out for all the world to see. "I know not who you are, or where you came from, or why you are here, but if these demons are your creations…" Suddenly, Jack realized something as he spoke to the man. Demons are his creations…? A man who created those monsters… A necromancer!

"I know who you are!!" shouted Jack. "You are that wicked man, Raynard Gelasso!"

"I am indeed," smiled the man, and Jack swallowed fiercely as he beheld the very reason he had been sent to Iron Town in the first place. Raynard Gelasso was a bizarrely-dressed man who looked to be Eboshi's age. He had wild orange hair and eyes that matched the flames on his head. A pair of very thick glasses were over his eyes, and a faintly cruel smile was permanently attached to his face. He wore the robes of both a master scholar and a master alchemist, gloves, boots, and a strange amulet around his neck.

"Surprised?" hissed Raynard, and from the look of Jack's face, he was. "Well, it seems you've learned of my identity from somebody, yes indeed. Tell me, since I have never seen you before, are you a citizen of that town, or are you a foreigner?"

"That is not your concern!" shouted Jack as he aimed his blade at Raynard. "You must atone for your crimes! Creating demons and monsters is vile enough, but sending them to destroy towns and cause pain to others…"

"I told you, I didn't tell them to do that!!" spat Raynard angrily. "I am not a perfect mage, just a very powerful one! Even my creations will go ballistic every once and awhile!! Besides," he muttered, "those were mostly my early creations. I wasn't quite fully aware of my own capabilities back then, and… things got out of hand. Yes, yes, that's how it went, yes…"

"Nevertheless," growled Jack, "you shall pay for your crimes. The evils you have committed are high, and so the price you pay shall be equally severe!" Both Jack and Ashitaka stood their ground, waiting for just the right moment to strike. Raynard, however, grinned wildly at them, and held his palms out like a wizard would. An invisible barrier suddenly thrust the two warriors backwards, and it continued to thrust them away until they had splashed inside the lake surrounding Iron Town.

"What fools," chuckled Raynard as he adjusted his glasses. "What utter, utter fools. To challenge even the lowest-level mage head-on is indeed a sour plan of attack--yes, yes, indeed a bad plan, that was. Now, for the others…" Ambling on his way, Raynard walked towards the heavy wooden gate of Iron Town, briefly examined it, and yawned.

"Though I could very well destroy this myself, indeed I could, I just may utilize the attack of my big friend over there. Here, you, come here." The large demon that had brought Raynard in slowly lumbered forward, and with a single massive kick, it shattered the gate that was protecting Iron Town. The people standing outside screamed as debris and splinters rained down on them, and amidst all the chaos, Raynard was smiling joyfully.

"Heeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny!" he sang. A salvo of arrows, bullets, and stones were launched his way, but with a single massive wave of his arm, Raynard deflected every blast and blow. The shells, arrows, and rocks fell harmlessly to the floor, leaving the citizens quivering in amazement and horror, and Raynard near the point of giggling with insanity.

"Want to try that again?" he chuckled, covering his face for no apparent reason. The gunners and archers did, again and again, but each shot was deflected away as easily as the last. Raynard's necromancy skills apparently ran very deep and strong, to be able to continue swatting away the assaults like that.

"I can keep this up as long as you all can, perhaps more, though I doubt it," he leered. The gunners tried one last time and were still unable to strike him; however, at that very moment, San appeared to finish the job, with both her wolf brothers flanking her.

For reasons yet unknown, Raynard suddenly flew into a violent panic, and screamed so loud that even his large demonic creation had to cover its ears. His face was aghast with fear and massive perspiration, and the hands that bore so much power in them began shaking uncontrollably. Raynard's screaming intensified as the wolves closed in on him, and the powerful and feared necromancer took several cowardly steps backwards, in a vain attempt to escape the wolves.

"No," he muttered, "no…! It's not true! AAAAHHHHH, it's not true!!!" Raynard squeezed his eyes shut and began blindly firing fireballs and bolts of lightning at San and her wolves, but since fear had clouded his vision, his aim was terrible. San and her brethren easily avoided Raynard's attacks, leaving the man vulnerable and frightened out of his mind.

Raynard let out a vicious scream as the wolves closed in on him, and when San launched herself at the man, all the inner Hell of Raynard broke loose. He did manage to wrestle San's weapon away, but a true wolf has no need of weaponry, and so San's attack merely changed to suit her weaponless state. She screamed, clawed, kicked, bit, and struck the man so many times that he completely lost his balance, and fell straight into the lake, where Jack and Ashitaka were waiting to capture him.

Raynard, who could not swim, sunk to the bottom like a stone. He kept his eyes wide open, and his breath in his cheeks, and moaned out in pain and terror from what had just happened. Slowly, his senses came back to him, and so did the large monster that he had brought with him. The creature scooped its master out of the lake, dripping and coughing and still a little horrified over what he had seen. For awhile, Raynard leaned against the monster's thumb, catching his breath and trying to calm down the vicious drumming of his heart.

San, her wolves, Jack, and Ashitaka all gathered beneath the demon, glaring up at the hand that held their foe. Nobody knew why Raynard had suddenly freaked out like that, but it was an advantage they would carry on with them into the next encounter, if indeed there was any. Raynard, on the other hand (no pun intended) had calmed down by this time, and spent a few seconds staring down at the group gathered beneath. As his horrified orange eyes beheld the two wolves, and the girl who rode on their backside, a nightmare from his youth played back to him with terrible realism…

A calm walk in the forest, with those you love…

A pause. A kiss. Nobody will see us.

But The Terror does.

The bushes rustle, the growl is heard, fear and panic clutch your heart.

A scream. A terrible monster, as large as a behemoth and just as deadly, snaps at you.

The most ferocious growl comes from its immense mouth, its teeth ready to devour you.

A mighty scream--no, two--perhaps even three…

Run, flee, hide, escape--but the image of the monster will forever burn in your mind.

"By God…" Raynard composed himself, wiping his gloved hand down his face, and he cleaned his glasses and rubbed his eyes before glancing back at the wolves. He took a deep breath, and ordered his creation to lower him down again. A scientist by nature, he had to examine this theory of his, no matter what horrors it led him to.

As Raynard was being placed back down to the surface, into the lion's den (so to speak), he adjusted his glasses yet again and gave the woman who had been riding on the wolves a very intense investigation. She was a pretty thing, young and fearless, with a burning fire in her eyes and the marks of a warrior on her cheeks and forehead. A band was strapped around her head, and she had sparkling ivory earrings, a necklace of a slain animal's teeth, and clothing crudely sewn together, or else stolen from humans.

When Raynard gazed into her eyes, he… saw something there, something he thought he would never see again… And so, with his curiosity piqued, he just had to make sure his theory was correct.

"…Oh my," he smiled. "Now isn't this a strange sight, yes, yes… Tell me, young lady, what is your name?"

"Why do you care?!" she snarled. "You won't need to know in a few seconds anyway!"

"So that's how long I have to live, is it?" he chuckled. "Well, all right. Then grant me this last request: those wolves, are they your brethren?" A dark pause.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Science, my dear, simple science! All I seek are answers--yes, yes, answers to questions that may never need to be asked, heh." San's glare was smoldering, but Raynard was just the type of person who was used to intense heat. He was, after all, a necromancer, and could command the forbidden magics easily.

"…Yes, they're my brothers," murmured San darkly. Raynard grinned.

"Splendid! So, that must mean that your mother was a wolf too, am I correct?" Another dark pause.

"…Yes."

"Perfect." Raynard grinned in ecstasy, rolled his eyes a bit, and began muttering things so strange and complex that only he himself could decipher them. Jack and Ashitaka looked on in amazement, both of them very much befuddled. Suddenly, Raynard gasped out loud, a look of unbridled happiness and clarity on his broad, grinning mouth. He let out an "Aaahhh!!", grinned maliciously, and focused all his attention on San.

And then, his smile grew from an insane cackle into a warm, almost patronly one.

"I see," he said, "so that's it, eh? Well, I'm just happy that I could come to such a deduction so easily. You may stand down now, Princess Mononoke--and I know that's your name. You may stand down, now. I won't hurt you at all."

"WHAT?!" San growled viciously, and rushed towards Raynard with every intention to kill him. Her spear was raised and aimed straight at his chest, but with a single effortless motion, Raynard stopped her dead in her tracks, and lifted her up off the ground using his magic. But even so, he claimed no injury on her, not even a small one. Instead, he walked over to where she was hovering, and gently placed his hand on her cheek.

"Oh, dear girl, you have no reason to attack me. Like I said, I would never hurt you--never, not even once, and I shall extend the same formality to these two gentlemen here, since I assume they are your friends, and even to these wolves you have." However, as his kind words drifted into the air and his hand gently stroked her face, San (in her usual fashion) opened her mouth and clamped her powerful teeth over the man's fingers as they passed by her mouth.

With a sharp screech, Raynard clenched his teeth in pain, and yanked his poor hand away from San before she could bite again. Yet even then, he did not strike her, though his voice did become understandably angrier.

"What are you doing??! I told you that I would cause you no harm! Don't you believe me?!"

"Just shut up!!" screamed San. The young woman struggled against Raynard's hold, but she was unable to budge very much. His magical hold on her was extremely powerful, though as harmless as a gentle breeze. Jack and Ashitaka, however, would not take things just standing there, and rushed to free San and/or kill her captor. Raynard sighed and trapped them both in the same containment field he had San in, and regarded them all with a sad smile.

"You have very peculiar friends, my girl," he said darkly. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that they intended to kill me!!"

"Well, considering who it is they're trying to kill…" Raynard's attention was immediately diverted from his three prisoners to the wooden gate that had been smashed in earlier, and the woman who was coming out of it. She gave him a sweet, warm smile, and bowed her head deeply before speaking.

"Hello, Raynard. It's good to see you again. It's been a long, long time, hasn't it?" Raynard, for all his madness and unpredictability, could only gape as the Lady of Iron Town smiled at him. He almost lost control of his magic spell, so great was her presence.

"…Eboshi…" He returned her gentle smile, and forgot about his prisoners as he walked up to greet her. "Oh my… Yes, Eboshi, yes, it has indeed been many years since we last met. I have missed you very much, my dear lady…"

"And I you," she countered. Raynard's smile turned into a cute pout, which caused Eboshi to let out a gentle laugh. "What is it you want, Ray?"

"…Eboshi, we haven't seen each other in years! Can I get a hug?" Eboshi's laughter spilled out of her mouth, and the woman took Raynard into her embrace, holding his body with her single, loving, powerful arm. Raynard's nose nuzzled against her cheek, and he whispered out his relief upon reuniting with the woman he loved.

To be continued…