Legendary Adventurers, Futuristic Saviors
Chapter 9: The Realms of Wolves and Demons; Final Destination Iron Town
With a loud sigh of relief, Alex collapsed onto the fallen tree and sat with his legs stretched over the curved surface. For what seemed like minutes on end he just sat there and stared blankly into space, his chest rising and falling with the long breaths he took in. Though words alone could not describe the sense of joy and relief he felt for still being alive, the young outlander was finding that fact more difficult to believe as the seconds passed.
Isaac, still in his Large Form, looked at Alex and hopped up, making the trees shake and groan due to his weight. He looked at his human companion as he raised an eyebrow. He lowered his head to the boy's eyelevel as he asked, "Hey, Alex… you alright?"
In all truth, he should have been dead right now. He had literally come face to face with both the Wolf-God, Moro, and her human daughter, the Princess Mononoke. Surviving an encounter with one would have been challenging enough, but to survive an encounter with both, along with two more vicious wolves, would have seemed beyond impossible… even for a guy who was cursed by a Demon-God, making him into a powerful half-demon.
"Kari's never gonna believe me when I tell her and Dad about this," Alex said to himself while he brushed his fingers through his hair.
Isaac raised an eyebrow at this boy. A minute ago, he was nearly about to wet himself from almost getting eaten, and now, he was just happy to meet the girl who said she'd cut his throat out. He shook his head as he muttered, "I'll never understand how that mind of yours works." but now he noticed that Alex's mind was on something else. His thoughts were suddenly invaded by the image of the wolf-girl.
As he let the picture of her frightening yet serene face fill the furthest depths of his mind, he began to smile again. I guess one of the rumors was true,' he whispered. 'Lovelier than the loveliest cherry blossom......Brighter than the brightest of the sun's rays....Sharper than the sharpest of blades..…' He suddenly pushed all of it out of his mind and shook his head violently, "God, I really need to get a real social life."
Isaac tilted his head as he watched the young human's movements and listened to his words with undivided curiosity. After watching for awhile, in a flash of flame, startling Alex in the process. After the flame had died out, Isaac had returned to his normal size and form.
The young outlander looked down at Isaac, returned to normal, and smiled, "Sorry," he said. "Sometimes you're so quiet I forgot you were sitting there." He stood and continued to look down at his furry companion. I don't know what you did, Isaac..... But you really saved my butt, big time."
"Well, glad to be of help," Isaac smirked as he hopped onto Alex and scurried up to his shoulder, "Does this mean you'll give me an extra helping of that smoked meat?"
"We'll see about that," Alex chuckled, but then asked, "So how did you do that? Turn into that huge wolf creature?"
Isaac smirked as he looked to Alex, "Well, what I'd tell you? I'm a forest spirit; we're loaded with talent." this earned a moment of silence from the two, as they just smiled at one another. In truth, they had gained a new level of their friendship as they had learned something from one another.
"HELP!!!" someone screamed loudly, "SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
"Now what?" Alex asked jumping to his feet and quickly making his way back down the rocky slope. He clutched a root tightly when his shoe boots suddenly slipped on the one of the wet rocks, which caused him to falter, 'This is the last thing I need right now!'
Back at the Stop Spot
When he reached the flat spot where they had left the two injured men, to Alex's surprise, found to his surprise that one of them was moving. And to add to that extra serving of astonishment, the one who was moving was the scrawny looking man who had all the broken bones.
"G-g-g-get away from me, y-y-you m-m-m-onster!" the man cried as he continued to wriggle backwards along the ground with his two usable limbs.
Alex stood stiffly and looked at the panicked man with a raised eyebrow. 'What the hell is this guy's problem?'
That was when he and Isaac heard it. A loud clicking sound, like the clattering of pieces of wood rattling against each other. The future youth felt a chill pass over him when he realized that he had heard the sound before. Where and when, was back near the Sacred Tree and when he touched the core; he knew for certain that he had heard it before. He lifted his eyes from where the man was crawling and looked towards the small rock that was just a few paces in front of him. His jaw suddenly felt limp and dropped open at what he saw.
It was one the strangest things he had ever seen in his life, barely a foot in height with a chubby little doll body and an overly large round head that was slightly tilted to one side. Its eyes and mouth looked as though they had been bored out with a drill, each one a different size than the others. Alex could only stare while the strange little creature sat silently watching both him and the terrified man with a look of curiosity.
"A Kodama," Isaac chirped as he smiled, "Never thought I'd see another one in a while."
"Kodama?" Alex asked, interested to hear about this.
"They're tree spirits," Alex explained to his future-bearing companion, "They're pretty harmless; all they do is wander around the forest and make that sound with their heads. But mostly, they're a sign showing that this forest and all the plants in them are healthy."
After hearing that, Alex sighed and smiled at that. "Well, that's a relief." if that was true, then Alex decided to calm the fellow down as he made his way to him.
"Oh G-G-Gods! keep away from me!" the man screamed though a trembling mouth, continuing to push himself away from the seemingly harmless little creature.
"Hey!" Alex hissed, clutching the man's shoulder gently, "Will you chill out already? You're making me want to scream out loud."
The man jerked his head around to meet Alex's hard gaze and cowered slightly. Wh-wh-wh-wh- who are you? W-w-w-what're you going to do with me?"
Alex shot the man am irritated look, "First of all, Bub, I'm they guy who pulled your busted-up butt from the water over there. Second of all I'm not going to do anything to you." he then raised an eyebrow as he gave the man a reassured smirk, "Have I cleared up all the loose ends, now?"
"Please, young stranger!" the man pleaded grabbing a handful of Alex's cloak, "You have to get me away from here!"
"What's the rush?" The youth retorted.
"That!" The man pointed at the little white creature which was still watching them. "You have to get me away from that, that, that thing!"
As if responding to the human's words, the creature began to tilt its head further to the side, making sharp clicking sounds as its bulbous face continued to rotate until it was upside-down. Then, as if a switch had been released, the creature's head sprung around on its axis and made that strange rattling noise. The action almost made it seem like it was some sort of living windup toy.
Alex couldn't help but chuckle, "What's the problem. You're not afraid of this little guy are you?" He chuckled again, "He's too cute to hurt anybody; he's like a cross between Gizmo and the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Nobody can go wrong with that combination."
"Are you a fool, stranger?" The man replied with a frightened expression on his thin face. Can't you recognize a kodama when you see one?
"Yeah, now I do," Alex reassured the man, "I also know that this guy doesn't do harm. He's just curious, judging by the way he's looking at us."
"But now it's going to call forth its lord and master!" He covered his face with his hand and began to sob. "And then we'll both be finished!
"Who?" Alex asked, "You mean Moro and her wolf tribe?"
"No, I mean a real monster!" the man explained in a rambling tone, as he stopped sobbing so quickly, "Except it's a huge enormous deer, except they say it's got a human's face at day, and then at night they say it's…" The kodama suddenly stood up and began to walk away. As it moved further away from the two humans its body slowly started to fade into the air until it could no longer be seen.
"Gaaaah! Where'd it go? Where'd it go?" The man looked left and right, trembling as though he were a living earthquake, "We're doomed, I tell you. Doomed…" His last word became garbled when a large amount of water was splashed in his face.
"Will you get a hold of yourself?" Alex shouted causing the man to cower, "I know you're probably scared to jump out of your diaper right now, but the least you can do is shut up and think straight." He took a deep breath then continued. "Are we thinking straight, now?" the man nodded. "Am I going to have to splash you again?" The man then shook his head. Alex smirked at his accomplishment, "Alrighty then, how's about your name?"
"I-I-I…" The man still felt a bit dazed from the splash of water to his face, and found himself stammering. K-K-Koroku... My name's Koroku.
"Okay.....Koroku," Alex replied, "You and your friend are both pretty lucky to be alive, but you're both in pretty bad shape." He looked at the man dressed in the orange tunic who was still unconscious, making his male nurse instincts kick in, "And if we don't get him help he's probably going to die. So do you think you can calm down and tell me where you live?"
Koroku looked over his shoulder and pointed towards the forest, "Our home's just beyond this forest." he cringed then gave Alex a spineless grin, "But since its suicide to even set foot in there, I suggest we take the oxen trail along the mountain."
Alex, using all his medical training that his dad had pounded into him non-stop, began to gently probed the other man's body for injuries. He found that this one also had a few broken bones and a deep gash along his temple. "How long would it take to reach your home if we go along the trail?" he asked.
"O-h-h-h," Koroku began estimating the distance in his head, "Probably about a day, maybe a little less."
Alex shook his head, "We can scrap that idea, then," he said tearing off a strip of the orange tunic and wrapping it around the injured man's head. "This guy's gonna die unless we get him some medical help real soon. And by soon I mean yesterday."
Koroku frowned, "I'm afraid that I don't quiet understand your reasoning, young sir."
"It's simple," Alex retorted while binding the man's left arm in a makeshift splint, "We either take a chance and go through the forest, thereby saving this guy's life, or we go the long, safe way and risk having him die on us." He moved over to where Koroku was sitting and began to tend to his injuries as well. I don't know about you, Bub, but I'd rather not live the remainder of my life with that on my conscience."
"B-b-but young sir," Koroku returned with wide eyes, "You'll be taking us right through the wolves' territory!"
"Hey, you need a little dangerous fun in your life, once in a while," said Alex with a faint grin.
"That's saying a lot," Isaac murmured quietly, not trying to spook out Koroku even more.
Before Koroku could respond to the young outlander's remark his eyes widened even more and he gasped loudly.
"There's more of them!" he screamed, "I knew it! We're doomed!"
Alex looked at him quizzically, "Say what?"
When he looked up from the leg he had been tending to, he saw that the little kodama had returned, along with a dozen more of its kind. As Alex watched the strange little creatures appear from out of nowhere, he noticed that no two kodama looked alike. Each one was completely different in appearance, possessing its own unique shape and size. Some had round heads like the first one that had appeared, while others had heads in the shape of ovals, rectangles, and some even had heads that were even larger than their actual bodies. They even varied in color.
The more Alex watched the kodama as the rattled their heads, the more Alex wanted to take a picture of them. But when he looked back at the unconscious man lying silently on the ground he knew that such things would have to wait. "We have to go through the forest," he finally said with steely conviction in his voice.
Koroku cringed and whimpered pathetically while the little tree spirits appeared and disappeared all around him. "Eeeegh…" he said with a cowardly frown, "What do they want? Oh, for the love of the Gods, what do they want?"
Alex looked around and saw that some of the kodama had formed wide smiles on their strangely shaped faces as they continued to rattled their heads. When he looked at the spot where Isaac had been lying quietly, which was on the ox's backside, he saw that some of the smaller kodama had taken up jumping and climbing all over the fox-squirrel's back and head.
To Alex surprise, the fox-squirrel didn't seem mind, "If Isaac or the ox aren't bothered by them, then I don't think they're here to hurt us, Koroku," he said. "And I don't think they're going to call forth their lord and master to kill us." He walked over to the oxen he had brought with him and slowly led it over to Koroku. "Do you think you can ride this thing?"
The man gave him an amused look, "Ride? Young sir, you 'drive' oxen, not ride them. I should know I happen to be an ox-driver myself."
"Well then, Mr. Ox-driver," Alex retorted curtly. "You can either be the unconventional one and ride this fat grass muncher here, or you can walk the whole way. In which, I don't recommend the latter; you need to stay off that leg as much as possible. Of course if neither of those choices appeal to you, you can just sit here on your loin cloth-covered butt and wait for the wolves to return for their evening snack," He shot Koroku a sly look, "If I were you, I'd think it over before I make that choice."
A single, green colored, kodama who had a head shaped like a pear was now sitting atop the black ox's back. It's hollow little eyes seemed glued to Alex's every movement.
The young outlander smiled and leaned closer to the small tree spirit, "I know you probably can't understand a word I'm saying, or if we're too much of a bother to you and the forest," he began, feeling a bit silly that he was actually talking to something he had once regarded as simple mumbo-jumbo in the past. He then respectfully bowed his head to the kodama, "But these men here are badly injured, and one might even be dying. So do you think… well… would you guys mind showing us the way out of here?"
For a moment it seemed as though the kodama was just going to sit there and stare blankly at Alex. Then, to the young outlander's surprise and amusement, it smiled and began shaking its head wildly. The other kodama did the same, and the woods became filled with their strange rattling.
Alex smirked at this, "I'll take that as a yes."
Later On
Deep Within the Forest
The forest was far from quiet. Everywhere Alex and Isaac looked the two saw the kodama, either rattling their heads contently while sitting along the thick branches of the trees, or scampering around their feet as they slowly walked across the soft ground.
'Sheesh, there must be hundreds of them!' the youth thought to himself, 'Maybe even thousands!' He probably would have been able to enjoy the scene completely had it not been for the unconscious man he was carrying on his back. He felt thankful that the month he had spent in these ancient lands had helped him develop a fair amount of physical strength. Otherwise, carrying the injured man like this would have been impossible for him.
"Ummm, young sir?" Koroku called out as he rode bare-back on the ox., "I really must insist that we turn around and just go along the oxen trail like I suggested earlier."
"Fine, Koroku," Alex said bitterly, "You just keep on insisting. Insist to you're heart's content, I won't stop you. Just don't expect a meaningful response from me, okay." He groaned and shook his head to fling the sweat off his face, 'Crap, this guy's heavy.'
"Did I mention, young sir, that nobody's ever walked out of these woods alive?"
"So I keep hearing," The young outlander stopped for a moment to catch his breath, "No offense or anything, but you seriously need to get yourself a backbone."
The ox-driver nodded. "I know, my wife says the very same thing," he gave Alex a half smile, "Now that I think about it, you two are very much alike."
"I'm flattered," Alex replied sardonically before continuing on through the forest. "Just don't get any bright ideas, alright?" He glanced to the side where Isaac was busy giving five smaller kodama a ride on his back. To Alex, this was enough to make him break out into a fit of laughter. Since he had allowed the fox-squirrel to tag along with him, the small animal had never missed an opportunity to hitch a ride inside the supply sack. Now it was Isaac himself who was giving the rides.
The youth looked up along the slope he and the other were climbing and watched the kodama who had been guiding them through the forest. The small creature ran along the roots of trees and small shrubs that poked out of the ground. "Hey, little guy," Nathan called out with a pained smile, "Are you actually helping us get out of this place? Or are you just getting us more lost?"
The little, green Forest spirit turned around at rattled its head, then continued to scamper over the top of the slope.
"Well, that certainly cleared things up," Alex muttered.
Feeling the injured man's weight beginning to take its toll on him, he fell to one knee and let his head hang limply on his exhausted neck. When his blurry eyes shifted to his right he saw that a small group of kodama had taken up carrying each other on their backs in an attempt to mimic him. Some even went as far as to copy the painful expression on the young human's face. "Oh that's real cute, guys," he said bitterly and pushed himself back onto his feet.
"Please, young sir. I'm pretty sure they're not trying to help us get out of here," Koroku continued to whine. But then he gulped as a crowd of kodama came running past him, "Oh my Gods, there's like thousands of them."
It was then that Isaac looked up and saw where the Kodama were leading them. They were running towards a pathway made by a giant old tree, still teaming with life. Isaac smirked as he whispered to Alex, "That must be their mother. A fine old tree." and skipped on up ahead, with Alex and Koroku behind him as they made their way to it.
Tree Gateway
After another few grueling minutes of struggling up the sloping twisted paths between the trees, the small group came upon what looked like a maze of crystal clear water pools that was filled with hundreds upon hundreds of giant trees, bigger than anything the two humans had ever seen before.
Alex marveled at the incredible scene and took in a lung full of the sweet air that flowed in its balmy atmosphere, untainted and untouched by human hands. "This place…" he whispered, "This place is so cool and beautiful... like something out of a dream."
He shook his head and began to make his way towards the pools, Koroku and the ox following just a few steps behind. When he set his foot onto the ground, he could feel it sink into the moss that covered the soft earth and could hear the water squishing around the rubber bottom of his shoe.
When they got closer to the pools they found that everything was much larger than they had originally thought them to be. The pools were in fact the size of small lakes. And the trees... their size was beyond unfathomable. The roots alone were probably as thick around as the ox's body and weaved through the ground and water like massive snakes frozen in time. Beams of sunlight speared through the holes in the massive forest canopy above, while the gentle sound of running water filled the air. This forest was almost like it was created to become a part of heaven.
As Alex continued to make his way through the maze of lakes and trees his eyes caught sight of something on the ground. When he looked closer he found a set of tracks that had been left in the moss. One pair was clearly animal, canine to say the least, while the other pair was that of a small human, female to be precise. They were the tracks of the wolves and of the Princess Mononoke.
"Great," he said silently. "The last thing I need right now is to run into that crazy, mood-swinging girl again." After taking a quick look around, he slowly moved towards the edge of the water and carefully set the injured man he had been carrying on the ground. "Let's take five," he called out to Koroku.
"Take five what, young sir?", Koroku asked in confusion.
The youth shook his head, 'I've gone through this routine way too many times.' Alex looked to Koroku as he cleared up the confusion, "It means let's rest for a moment, for about five or six minutes. I don't know about you but my legs are killing me!"
"I would imagine," Koroku replied, "By the way, young sir…"
"Please, Koroku, stop calling me that," Alex retorted politely, "My name's Alex."
"Alright young si—er," Koroku corrected himself, "I mean… Alex. I was just curious as to where you're from?"
"Where I'm from?" Alex asked as he sat down by the edge of the water.
"Yes," the ox-driver replied, "You wear such strange clothing and your skin's almost as dark as the color brown. Now, I'm not the most brightest man in the world, but I assume that you're not from our lands."
Alex splashed some of the clear water on his face and wiped away the sticky sweat. "I'm not," he said, "In fact my homeland's nowhere near these parts. It's not even close to this island, but I moved here about a month ago."
"Amazing!" Koroku exclaimed, "What're you doing so far from home?"
The young outlander sank his hand into his jean pocket and produced the iron ball. "Ever seen anything like this before?" he asked, hoping to get a better answer than the one he had gotten from the traveling monk, Jigo.
Koroku only looked at the dark object for a second before answering, "Why, yes I have sir."
Alex's eyes widened, "Where? Where've you seen them?"
The ox-driver became nervous and fidgeted, "Well..... my village makes them from the iron we dig up."
"How many does it make?"
"Hundreds," he continued.
Alex's eyes widened even more, "Hundreds?" He pondered for a moment then looked back up at Koroku, "Your village wouldn't happen be called Iron Town, would it?"
"It is Sir!" the ox-driver exclaimed.
Alex then became silent and looked away from the older man. 'So.....these guys work for the monsters who got me into this mess.' He frowned and glanced at the iron ball in his hand, 'And they make hundreds of these things.'
A small butterfly fluttered passed his face and landed just a few feet away from him. As it rested quietly on the damp moss, its purple wings seem to shift in brightness and color. After another moment of resting, the small insect jerked upward and flew over to a small lump of moss covered rock was sticking out of the water where many more of its kind were fluttering.
Alex's eyes followed the butterfly until it landed on the mossy-lump. It was then that he spotted yet another footprint, this one was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It had not been left by a wolf, nor had it been left by a human. The footprint's shape was almost bird-like, with three large toes that extended outward in a triangular configuration.
The young outlander glazed his eyes in the direction the footprint was pointing and found another, this one was imprinted on the bottom of the shallow pond. He continued to look onward and found another track, then another, and another. When he looked for the fifth track he found absolutely nothing, it was as though whatever had made the tracks just disappeared, leaving nothing behind. 'Now that's just strange,' he thought to himself as he continued to stare at the last footprint. 'It's like something from out of the X-files,' He laughed and began to softly whistle the show's opening theme song as he got up and walked over to where the ox and Koroku were still waiting.
"Ummmm, Alex," Koroku said hesitantly, "I really do think we should keep moving. This is place for Gods and Demons. If they find us here, they'll kill us for sure."
Alex glanced at Isaac who was resting quietly at the ox's feet. The fox-squirrel looked back at him and sniffed at the air. Though it was very faint, Alex could detect a trace of irritation in the animal's expression, "I hear you loud and clear, lil' buddy."
He rummaged through his supply sack which was dangling around the ox's neck and pulled out his rice bowl. He then quickly made his way back towards the water., "We'll go as soon as I feel up to lugging this guy's ass through the forest again," he replied, dipping the red bowl into the water, filling it. "Until then, just chill out for awhile, alright?"
When he lifted the bowl out of the water the youth looked back at the tracks to study them once more. 'I wonder what left these?' he thought, 'Some kinda bird? No...... too big for a bird. But then again......it would explain why the tracks just end like that.' His eyes shifted slowly from left to right, scanning the area, and taking in every detail.
When his gaze came to rest on a cluster of thick trees that were at the other side of the lakes, a strange feeling suddenly crept up on him, causing his skin to feel chilly. When he looked deeper through the trees, the blood seemed to drain from his every vein and artery.
A brilliant shaft of yellow light, like the rays of a small sun was shining through the cracks and gaps between the trees, filling that small part of the forest with a warm blanket of luminosity. The scene would have been very pleasant to gaze upon had it not been for the strange, dark shape that moved about the light. Though the shape was too far away and too obscure to clearly see, Alex was certain of one thing; it wasn't human. When the shaped moved further into view its feature began to take on actual form. It had a long neck with two pairs of equally long legs. Atop its head, like a massive crown, was a set of thick antlers that extended outward like branches of a tree.
At first, after seeing this single detail, Alex was almost certain that he was looking at some sort of deer. But when the large creature stopped and turned its antlered head in his direction, the youth knew that this wasn't the case at all. He just continued to stare at the deer-like creature which just looked back at him.
He suddenly clutched his right hand in agony as he felt something pounding against the inside of his flesh. The throbbing increased, and he began to feel his body heat rising to the point where he felt like he was living furnace. His legs suddenly gave out from under him, and he collapsed to the ground. As he grasped his wrist to where the chain band was, he found it difficult to breath, and his ears were plagued by a horrendous high pitched buzzing that reverberated through the nerves of his brain.
It was then that the black ooze began to spread out from his band once again. This time, it began to cover not only his hand and forearm, but now it began to crawl up the rest of his arm until it would reach his shoulder. The black ooze encompassing his arm began to ripple and throb. Just then, the red jewel glowed, and the golden band began to sprout out metallic tentacles that began to wrap around the infecting areas. Holding back his screams, Alex folded his arms around each other and pressed his right arm tightly against his chest. And then his head began to throb as well, as two black vein-like glyphs started to connect to his right eye, making the white of it become pitch black. He tore his hood away from his face, threw it aside and clutched his head with both hands. Out of all the sudden attacks he had experienced since he had been cursed, this one was the worst, as the black ooze began to stretch farther, almost reaching his neck and chest. Even now, the gold band was also getting stronger; as instead of a vein-designed armor, it was becoming more like a skin-tight armor on his right arm, and on the forearm the metal was expanding, making his forearm much bigger. Alex realized even more that not only was the curse getting even worse than before, but it was becoming more powerful.
"Young sir?" Koroku called out as he watched the young outlander writhing on the ground. "Young sir, are you alright?"
Alex could only respond with a cry of agony that was pushed through clenched teeth and pressed his head into the moss while clutching at the ground with his now armored right hand. Even though this pain came from the curse held in his wrist chain, is whole body felt as though it were on fire and felt as though it was just moments away from splitting open.
Even through all the pain he was going through, all the while he fought to maintain control. The last thing he wanted was to loose both his mind and his body to the power of the cursed parasite inside him. If that happened there was no telling what he would be capable of now that the demon ooze and armor had begun to spread all over his body instead of just his forearm and hand. As the burning continued to throb through his flesh, the youth fought with all his strength to suppress the seizure until it passed, as did the creature that walked away from sight. The black ooze began to melt off once more as it did the first time, and the golden yellow armor began to retract back into the wrist chain, and finally, the red gem began to fade its glowing. And finally, he squeezed his eyes, letting out tears, only his right eye seemed to cry out black tears, as his right eye returned to normal.
That was, if it was going to pass this time, which at the moment did not seem likely.
But, as time passed, the pain slowly began to subside, draining away from his body like water. When he no longer felt the pain in his body or a faint voice inside his head, Alex lay on the mossy ground and gasped for air. He opened his eyes and with his left hand, rubbed away the tears and sweat on his face. When he looked to his right, he saw Isaac standing just inches away from him, sniffing at his face. "I guess I lost it, again," he said and sat up.
"No, you didn't lose anything," Isaac whispered to him, reassuring his friend as he placed his front left paw on Alex's right hand, "Something was out there that caused the curse to react in such a way."
The two then glanced at where the light and the strange creature had been. Both were gone.
"Young sir, are you alright?" Koroku called out again, "You looked as though you were being turned inside out."
Alex reached over and picked up his rice bowl, "I'm fine, Koroku," he replied, slipping the hood of his cloak over the upper-half of his face.
"You didn't look fine," the ox-driver retorted. "You clutched your arm in pain and started rolling all over the ground."
"Just forget the whole thing ever happened." Alex then retrieved his bowl from the water and took it over to where the still unconscious man was lying. He carefully lifted the man's head slightly and carefully began to pour the crystal clear water from the bowl into his mouth. Alex felt relief pass over him when the man swallowed. "By the way," he started.
"Yes," Koroku answered leaning towards Alex.
Alex looked back a the now dark spot behind the trees where he had seen the strange creature and sighed. "Never mind," he said, shaking his head. He the looked down at Isaac, who was peering at him with a inquisitive expression. "It was probably just my imagination." he then sighed as he thought in suspicion, 'It's gone… whatever it was…'
Back on the Trail
As soon as he was completely recovered from the siege on his body, the young outlander and the small group left the lakes and continued on through the forest. This time, however, the little kodama were not there to guide them. Alex didn't mind this, because for one reason or another Isaac seemed to have a fairly good idea as to where they needed to go.
Carrying the injured man was also easier than it had been earlier. The man, who probably weighed just below two-hundred pounds, now felt as light as a small brick. Though Alex liked this sudden development beyond words, it puzzled him. Just an hour before he had nearly crumbled to the ground out of exhaustion by carrying this guy; now he felt as though he could carry four more like him.
"Must be something the marks are causing," he said to himself. "Maybe it's releasing some sort of superhuman abilities when it thinks its host's being threatened. I guess it is like I'm carrying around a symbiote and a parasite all in one neat little package." he looked to Isaac on his shoulder as he asked, "You think the curse might have something to do with this?"
"Possibly," Isaac answered, "Though I'm not very knowledgeable on how every curse works." he then looked onward in front of them as he went on, "Every curse works differently to enhance its host; for some, speed, others, agility. And for you, apparently, could be strength and power. But it's just my guess."
"Alex, my arm!"
The youth looked over his shoulder and saw Koroku looking at his fractured arm. "What's wrong with it, now?" he asked, somewhat annoyed. Though he really didn't have anything against the ox-driver, he found his constant whining and complaining extremely irritating.
"Nothing!" the man called out with a big smile, "It doesn't hurt anymore!" He then took his arm out of its sling and held it high above his head. "The Gods have healed it!" There was a sudden cracking noise which caused him to clutch his arm in pain. Nope, it's still broken.
Isaac just sweat dropped at the human's idiocy, while Alex stared wide eyed and with an open mouth, and then finally shouted, "THEN STOP MESSING WITH IT, YOU IDIOT!"He shook his head and continued on.
Later On
By the time the group finally made it out of the forest, the sun was just starting to sink behind the peaks of the mountains, filling the sky with a golden mask of color. When Alex, Isaac, and the ox-riding Koroku stepped over the slope of a grassy hill, they all stopped and looked out at what lay just a mile ahead.
It was a massive lake that lay in the valley of forest covered mountains. At the base of one of the mountains was a large compound of man-made structures that was surrounded by a wall of thick logs. The compound had been built on top of a gargantuan hill of earth that rose from the waters of the lake like a giant boil, covered with hundreds pointed logs that jutted out of the ground like the thorny spines of a puffer fish. Only a single dirt bridge connected it to the land walnut shell.
What Alex seemed to notice the most was loud clanging that resonated from behind the walls and all through the valley, and the clouds of black smoke that belched from the largest structure, a pyramid-shaped building that dwarfed all the other buildings in its shadow. The foul-smelling fumes of the smoke seemed to permeate the all the air in the area, for when the young outlander breathed, he felt a burning sensation fill his nose and mouth as well as his lungs and stomach. The next things he noticed was that waters that surrounded the compound were brown and murky, and the lower part of the closest mountain had been stripped of everything living, leaving it bare and lifeless.
"What the heck is that place?" Alex asked.
"It's Lady Eboshi's Iron Town," Koroku replied laughing with joy, "We forge iron from ore we mine from the mountain." He laughed and playfully patted the ox's back, "We did it, Alex! We made it back alive just like you said we would!" With that he gave the horned animal a quick slap on the rump, causing it to lurch forward. "Come on, let's go while there's still light."
Alex smirked at seeing Koroku's excitement, "Glad to know he's happy," but then he frowned as he continued to look at the smoke spewing compound a moment more. He took out the iron ball from his pocket and stared glacially at it. 'So.....this is where you were made, huh?' He returned his attention to the so-called, Iron Town and narrowed his eyes. 'I hate the place already.' With a deep frown he pulled his cloak's hood over his face and proceeded to follow Koroku and the ox with Isaac following just a few steps behind him.
As they neared the lake, Koroku began to wave and shout happily at two fishermen who were tending to their day's catch.
"Hey!" the man cried out, "Hey, it's me, Koroku! Koroku the ox-driver!" He laughed loudly and continued to wave at the group.
When they finally reached the bank the two fishermen rushed towards their injured comrades, completely ignoring Alex and his furry little companion. "Koroku!" one of them called out joyfully as he made his way over to the black ox, "You're alive!"
"We all thought you were dead!" the other added, "What happened?"
"It's a long story," Koroku replied, "But I'm alive, so that all that matters, right?"
"Toki was worried to tears," The first man chimed in, "It took her nearly an hour to finally stop crying." He grinned slyly. "had you not shown up just now.....well, I might have found myself comforting her in a nice quiet place, if you know what I'm saying."
While the three men continued to talk and laugh amongst themselves, Alex walked over to the small boat that was tethered to the bank, with the injured man still slung over his back. Being careful not to damage the man any more than he already was, the young outlander slowly lowered him into the boat.
"Hey!" someone called out from behind him, getting his attention, "What the hell do you think you're doing over there?"
When Alex turned around he found himself facing two very angry looking fishermen. "Were you trying to steal our catch?" the first one, a man with a small beard, growled, "Is that it, you dirty little thief?"
"Kigogi, wait a minute!" Koroku said quickly, "This young man was the one who brought me here. It's because of him that I'm still alive!"
The fishermen wrinkled his nose for second, then looked at Alex with a slight frown. "Is this true, stranger?" he asked.
"Yes sir," the youth replied, modestly as he bowed his head in respect.
"He also brought one of the riflemen back too!"
The two fishermen exchanged nervous looks then looked back at Alex. "Well, I suppose you can't be all that bad then," one of them said with a faint smile, "Seeing as how you've brought our two friends back like this."
"And through the forbidden forest, too!" the other fishermen added, "You must have balls as hard as the iron we forge!"
Isaac just snickered from that part, "If he did, he'd be in pain right about now."
Alex just stared at the two men with a gaping expression, and a sweat drop, "Ummmm....yeah," he said flatly. "Balls as hard as iron, right, got it.…" He tried to keep a straight face, 'I've stumbled across the land of the iron fanatics.'
"Come on," said the first fishermen helping Koroku to the boat. "The others will be thrilled when they see that you're still alive." He then looked towards Alex, "And I'm sure Lady Eboshi will want to have a look at the one who brought these two men back to her."
Alex forced a wide grin, "Sound's great."
Isaac crawled up on Alex, and perched himself on his shoulder, whispering, "You've got that 'I'm up to something' look on your face, kiddo."
"No, I'm not. This is my 'free eats and lodging happiness' look," Alex reassured.
Iron Town
By the time the boat reached the bank just outside the walls of Iron Town, the entire compound was in a loud uproar. Men and women alike were lining up along the dirt bank talking excitedly and pointing as they awaited the two survivor's arrival. The boat scraped against the bank until it finally came to a stop. Before Koroku could even say a word, he was greeted by a large group of his fellow ox-drivers and was literally smothered with questions.
"How can you still be alive?" a man asked, "I saw the Wolf-God throw you over the cliff!"
Koroku grinned and chuckled, but then the really dour questions came in, "Are you the only ones who survived?"
Another man with a thin mustache clutched Koroku's shoulders and stared at him with a wide look of desperation. "Is my son with you?" He asked hysterically, "Did he survive too? Is he alright? Please, I must know!"
Koroku gave the man a saddened frown and shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "But.....I'm afraid that we're the only one's who survived. I'm sorry."
The man silently nodded, and began to make his way to a plumpish woman dressed in a light blue kimono who was holding a large basket over her head. When he was finally facing her he lowered his head and began to speak quietly. As soon as the words were spoken, the woman dropped the basket and collapsed to her knees. As she sobbed uncontrollably, her husband comforted her, as did a few of the women standing nearby.
While the group of men carefully lifted Koroku out of the boat, a large number of men who were dressed in orange tunics and strips of white cloth that hid their faces, hurried down the dirt slope and huddled around the still unconscious man lying in the boat.
As Alex watched the group carry off unconscious the man, he noticed that their tunics matched in color. Watching this, he came to the conclusion that the man he had been carrying was a member of some sort of guard, and the men carrying him off were his comrades. One of the orange-tunic wearing men stopped, turned towards Alex, and bowed. "Thank you, stranger," the man said before running off to rejoin his comrades.
Alex blinked behind his wolf-furred cloak and looked about at the villagers around him. Many were staring at him, and whispering to one another while pointing either at his leather jacket or at his face. Though there appeared to be no threat or spite intended, Alex couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. When he thought about it, the youth had felt less uncomfortable when he had been on the receiving end of the Princess Mononoke's dark scowls.
"Listen to me, everyone!" Koroku called out, "This young man saved our lives, and carried the rifleman all the way here. You should be grateful to him!" He suddenly yelped in pain, "Owww, my arm! Watch the arm!"
A young woman, around his age, dressed in a dark green kimono turned to Alex, hesitated, then asked, "Is that true?"
Alex gave her a half smile and reached his hand around to scratch his nose, "We....I..uhhh... yeah I guess you could say th…"
"Hold it right there!" Someone called out fiercely, "Don't even move a finger!"
Alex looked up the slope and saw a burly looking man marching down towards him, flanked by two more men who looked like something you would find in one of those cheesy ninja movies. The man who had called out to him had a black beard and a shaven head, and was dressed in a dark colored military tunic. By the way the man moved and by the forceful demeanor he possessed in his posture and expression, it was easy to tell that he held some sort of high rank among the villagers. Alex gulped to himself, 'Oh boy. Here comes trouble…'
As the man continued towards Alex and Isaac, the crowds of villagers moved aside, making room for him and his two ninja-flunkies. He stopped a few steps away from the young outlander and scowled. "I'm Gonza," he said gruffly, "I'm Captain of the guard of Iron Town, and personal body-guard to the Lady Eboshi."
"It's an honor to meet you then, Capt. Gonza," Alex replied respectfully and yet flatly.
Gonza frowned at the boy's lack of respect and huffed loudly through his nose. "I'm very grateful to you for bringing these to men back to our village."
The dark haired youth raised an eyebrow, "But...?"
But! the guard captain snapped. I'm curious as to how you were able to accomplish such a task. You got here almost as fast as we did, and through the forbidden forest of Shisha-Gami. That in itself is an obstacle that no human as ever been able to accomplish. You were also carrying two injured men. He gave Alex a threatening look as he stepped closer to him, "Now you tell me, Outlander. Why shouldn't I be suspicious of all this?"
Alex just stared at the man and narrowed his eye. "Look, Stone-Cold Steve Austin," he said, "I think I deserve a better thanks than this. I put my ass on the line to save these two guys, and the last thing I need is some bald, bohunk with a big mouth gritting in my face. So why don't you shut your face before I… !"
"Koroku!" a high-pitched voice called out. Both Alex and Gonza broke their attention from each other and watched as a young, beautifully featured woman barreled down slope pushing through the crowds and knocking over men standing in her path. She was dressed in a red kimono and wore her hair concealed under a turban of white cloth. "Koroku!" she called again, "You're alive!"
"Toki, my lovely little flower!" Koroku called out with a goofy looking smile on his face.
When the woman reached Koroku, she looked as though she was going to smother the ox-driver in a frenzy of hugs and kisses. However when her dark eyes found the bandages and splints tied to Koroku's leg and arm she glared at him and puffed up her chest like an anger-filled balloon. "Well that's just perfect!" she growled shoving her face towards Koroku's, "Look at you, your a mess. How are you supposed to drive oxen now with your leg and arm all broken and bandaged like that, huh? Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look? Do you have any idea how ridiculous I'm going to look?" all Alex and Isaac could do at this point, was nearly face-vault to the ground as they both sweat dropped at this awkward scene.
"But my little flowe…"
"You scared me half to death, you scrawny idiot!" Toki interrupted, now more angry than she had been just moments before, "So don't think that 'little flower' compliment will get you out of this. You're a complete disgrace! Maybe if the wolves had eaten you, I could've found a real husband, one who doesn't get himself into trouble every time I look the other way."
"Sweetness," Koroku whined while the other men bellowed with laughter, "Can we please talk about this later?" Everyone's listening.
Both Alex and Gonza could only stare and watch as the scene between the woman and Koroku continued to unfold. "Hey Gonza," Alex asked quietly, "Who's Miss Congeniality over there?"
The Guard Captain grunted and tilted his head towards the youth's. "Her name's Toki," he said, "and she's that unfortunate man's wife."
"His wife?" Alex glanced at the woman dressed in the red Kimono while she proceeded to chastise Koroku even more, "With the way she's going off on him, she seems more like his mother-in-law."
Gonza chuckled inwardly at the statement then looked to the young woman. "Toki," he called out with a half smile, "Why don't you do us all a favor and save your sweet nothings for some other time."
"Why don't you do us a favor, Gonza and shut that big mouth of yours!" Toki retorted and began to stomp towards the bearded man, "You're the one who left him there to die in the first place! A fine Captain of the Guards you are! You don't do a lick of work around her and hide behind Lady Eboshi whenever danger arises." She crossed her arms and shot him an icy glare, "And then when all is safe and taken care of, you crawl out into the open and strut around and bark orders like you're some kind of war hero!"
Before Gonza could even open his mouth to respond, Alex suddenly chimed in. "Excuse me, lady," he said. "Just take it easy, okay?" The woman jerked her face in his direction and stared at him, "Your husband's still alive right? He's not exactly in the best working condition, but he's alive, right? What're you getting so pissed off about?"
Toki continued to stare at the young outlander before smiling slyly. "And who might you be?" she asked.
"The name's Alex. I'm the guy who lugged your husband and that other all the way back here." and he pointed to Isaac who was perched on his shoulder, "And this little furry growth on my shoulder is Isaac."
"It's true, love!" Koroku called out, "He even carri…"
"Was I talking to you, Koroku?" Toki shouted, cutting the ox-driver if in mid-sentence, "No, I wasn't, so keep quiet!"
Koroku drew back and lowered his head in submission, "Yes, love."
"That's a good boy." Toki grinned with her chin held high triumphantly. She then returned her attention to the cloaked outlander and gave him a warm smile. "Thank you, stranger," she said, "My husband my be the most worthless man to alive, but I'm glad he's alright and in one piece."
"You've got a very strange way of showing it, lady," Alex retorted flatly, as he smiled nervously, "For awhile I was starting to think that I made a mistake bringing him back."
Toki blinked a few times before breaking out with laughter, "You have a quick whit, stranger," she said. "… and a fast mouth to go with it. If I wasn't already married to Koroku over there, I could really fall for someone like you."
The dark-haired youth's mouth dropped open. "Uhhhh," he began, trying to keep himself from stuttering like an idiot. "Thank's......but.....I....uhhhh...ummmm....well," Had he been looking at himself in a mirror he would have been able to see that his face was beginning to turn red. Almost as red as his cloak that he had on.
"Say," Toki mused while bringing her face closer to Alex's, eyeing the unhidden features. "You have a very handsome voice, so why don't take the mask off? I bet you're very handsome." She gave him a seductive look.
'Man,' Alex thought to himself. 'what's with this woman?' He straightened his posture and shook his head. "Believe me, lady," he replied. "You really don't wanna know what's under this thing."
"In to older women, eh?" Isaac teased as he whispered, "Guess this means, considering that the Princess Mononoke's a lot older in your time span, you must be into in that way. Am I right?"
"Shut the heck up," Alex whispered to Isaac, while blushing without him knowing it.
"Gonza," A soft but authoritive voice called out. All eyes turned towards the entry gate of Iron Town where a tall, dark-haired woman was standing. She was tall and slender, dressed in a lavish red kimono that was patterned with yellow fans, and wore a dark blue cloak draped over her shoulders. Her face was thin with high cheekbones and red-painted lips. Her eyes were dark and cold while at the same time, mysterious and alluring. "Bring the outlander to me, later this evening. I would like to thank him personally. And I'm sure that the Princess would love to meet him as well." She glanced at Alex who gazed back at her with a look of bewilderment. "Toki," she added.
"Yes, Milady?"
'Milady?' Alex repeated in his head, wondering whether or not his Japanese was still as good as it had been in the past. He continued to look at the elegantly dressed, and visually stunning woman standing atop the small hill. 'Then.....is she....Lady Eboshi? '
"Make sure that he is properly taken care of. I want him fed and washed before he is brought to me."
Toki shot Alex a quick glance and grinned, "Oh, don't worry. He'll be in good hands, Milady."
Eboshi nodded then looked down at Koroku who was still being held up by his friends. "Koroku," she said gently, "It brings me much joy that you are alive and back with us. I am glad that you are safe, and I apologize. I should not have left you and the others the way I did. It was poor judgment on my part."
The ox-driver, along with almost every other person in the area, stared with amazement, "Th- thank you, Milady," he said just above a whisper.
"Uh oh. Be careful, Milady," Toki replied, "If you show him too much kindness, Koroku will take advantage of you. Believe me, I know. I've been married to the man for two years."
"I should apologize to you as well, Toki," Eboshi continued, "I should not have let this happen in the first place."
Toki shook her head and smiled, "Oh, don't blame yourself Milady. After all… " She gave Gonza a dirty look and smirked. "Had it not been for you, the wolves would've eaten the entire caravan and then we'd all have to find new husbands."
Everyone laughed at this remark. Everyone except for Alex, Isaac, and Gonza who just scowled and glared with anger.
"Get some rest, Young Outlander," said Eboshi with a smile, "I will see you later this evening." She then turned around and walked back through the entry gate from where she had appeared.
Alex pushed his hood back, revealing his face and frowned. This was definitely another one of those turning points that he had come to dread since he had been thrown into this world. He suddenly felt the eyes of someone resting on his face. When the youth looked up he found himself facing Toki who was studying him with a slightly wicked grin.
"What?" he asked.
"I was right," Toki replied, still wearing the same grin, "You're not handsome… you're gorgeous!"
Next Chapter: The Curse of Nago, the God-Demon; the Ladies Eboshi and Yasha