Game of Touhou

Chapter 52

Yorihime

After her crew had found a dragonhorn, chipped off pieces of the dragon skull they had found it in to sell as dragonbone, a valuable material indeed, Yorihime and the Silent Sinner had left the ruins of Old Valyria, Ferrisos insisting that the ruins were cursed, and that the best way to survive them was to enter, take what you could, and leave.

While Yorihime did not believe Ferrisos' claims of the ruins being cursed, they most certainly were smoky, and after sailing the Summer Sea and reaching the Straits of Qarth, Yorihime felt positively refreshed. The sight of true sunlight, waters that gleamed and did not contain krakens was truly one to behold, especially after having to cope with the Smoking Sea for so long.

The Straits of Qarth were as attractive as the Summer Sea, but for a different reason altogether. It was where the port of Qarth laid, one of the entrances of the greatest city that ever was or will be... or so they said. Trading galleys filled the port, and the strait itself was filled with the notorious Qartheen Fleet, the ships that made sure all who passed their strait into the furthest lands of the east would pay their toll.

Despite the Silent Sinner not going through the strait, rather, was landing on the port within it, when she anchored her ship in an empty harbour, a milk-white Qartheen man with a great beak of a nose and countless jewels upon his face walked to the ship as Denys Pyke tied rope from the ship's cleat to the dock's one.

Yorihime soon left the Silent Sinner to deal with the man herself, and the man grinned at the woman, looking like a strange bird made of gems, "Welcome to Qarth, the greatest city that ever was or will be."

"I imagine that you are here to claim taxes from me." Yorihime replied as the rest of her crew left the ship, Nessun leaving last with the dragonhorn in hand, and soon the man seemed a little apprehensive of claiming any money from her.

Despite this, he persisted, "I am a member of the Thirteen, and I would be glad to pass your payment to the rulers of Qarth, the Pureborn. For my... services, I might demand a little extra. It is better that than the Pureborn have you killed, you must agree..."

Yorihime grunted in mild disgust, and turned to Ferrisos, who had kept most of the dragonbone with him, "Ferrisos, give the man fifteen chips of dragonbone. He can take three for himself."

The man's eyes lit up, as if something had just come to his mind, "You... you have been to Valyria, yes? Dragonbone is a fine substance, yes, but recently there was an even greater wonder. The mother of dragons, they call her, Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen. I was to marry her, however..." the man closed his eyes and stopped talking for a moment, forming a single perfect tear from his right eye before continuing, "What is that I see in the Tyroshi's hand? A dragonhorn... most interesting. Dragonbone is becoming nothing in this day and age, the true currency with regards to dragons are eggs. The Pureborn will demand twenty chips for melting and resale, and I will be content with three, because I always welcome visitors to the Queen of Cities."

Yorihime didn't like the tone of the man, his voice condescending and effeminate, however, she had no choice but to give in to his demands, "You heard the man, Ferrisos. Three-and-twenty pieces of dragonbone for..."

"Xaro Xhoan Daxos." the man replied, taking the dragonbone from Ferrisos with a grin, "You are a most beautiful woman... I gather you are the captain. Are you Westerosi? It is most strange of Westerosi people to listen to women, it must be said..."

"I am Norosian." Yorihime interrupted, "Yorihime of House Luna, and the woman with the cripple hanging on her is my older sister, Toyohime."

Xaro began to walk away from the dock, and in towards the central area of the city, "Come with me, Yorihime. Feel free to bring along your crew."

Feel free? Yorihime thought to herself, I'm not going alone with an extorting merchant like you. Even if I wasn't 'free' to, I'd take them anyway.

It had to be said, Qarth truly was the greatest city that ever was or will be. The buildings were made of all sorts of colourful materials, purple, red, pink, and a mellow, light brown. There were many a bronze statue in the shapes of several types of animals- dragons, manticores, harpies, snakes and griffins. The same animals were made of stone as part of fountains, and jade, gold, and onyx formed elaborate patterning on many of the city's walls. The Qartheen men wore flowing, satin robes and had faces as jewel-encrusted as Xaro Xhoan Daxos', while the women wore satin as well, but fashioned into dresses that left one breast bare, as was Qartheen custom.

"If you wish to discuss matters with the Thirteen, the Pureborn, or, may the Gods forbid it, the Tourmaline Brotherhood or the Guild of Spicers, then you may wish to don the garb of the Qartheen." Xaro Xhoan Daxos advised, "I would be glad to take you to my palace and provide you with some clothing, provided you give a little more dragonbone to me."

Denys Pyke looked to Toyohime, and quickly said, "That bird-man speaks true, we are in their city after all..."

"What happened to your ironborn pride, Denys?" Toyohime said in response, "I thought you took what is yours..."

Xaro looked at Denys with mild horror, "You are one of the ironborn of Westeros... there is a man of the ironborn that is in the city at the moment... he expressed interest in visiting the House of the Undying..."

Yorihime's eyes widened at this, "The House of the Undying! Is that where the warlocks of Qarth reside? Because that is where we need to be."

"I could take you there, but..." Xaro stopped walking, and once again formed a perfect tear from his eye, "...a terrible tragedy happened. One of the warlocks tried to take Daenerys Stormborn's three dragons, and the House of the Undying was burnt to the ground by those same dragons... they say the Undying themselves are gone, but the warlocks remain."

"Where would they be now?" Yorihime demanded, "We are looking for one of them."

"The way the ironborn man was speaking of them, probably with him." Xaro replied, "However, I would not be able to tell you where he is at the moment..."

Denys Pyke seemed genuinely curious, "Say, bird-man, who's the ironborn you speak of?"

"His crew were silent, and he merely called himself the crow's eye..." Xaro said, his voice becoming a lot more genuinely emotional than his tears, "...another of the Thirteen introduced him to Qarth, but I imagine he would have left by now..."

"The crow's eye!" Denys said, coming to an epiphany and shouting over the Qartheen man, "That's Lord Balon's younger brother, Euron Greyjoy! He's a proper ironborn, even if he doesn't worship the Drowned God like he's supposed to. He's not like to have taken the warlocks and left, he'd pillage all he can."

"See, captain? A man's friend can be useful..." Nessun pointed out.

Yorihime smirked a little, and turned to Xaro, "Very well, Daxos. Where would someone go to pillage goods in Qarth?"

Xaro seemed more than a little nervous, and tentatively answered, "There are many a prestigious palace in Qarth, however, the Pureborn's Hall of a Thousand Thrones has the most gold in all of Qarth. However, it is heavily guarded and..."

"It would never stop Euron Crow's Eye." Denys cut in yet again, his voice full of admiration for the man who by all counts was Yorihime's enemy now.

"I... I shall take you to the entrance of the Hall of a Thousand Thrones, but no further. If this ironborn is within it, I shall..." Xaro began, but stopped himself after knowing he'd be interrupted by someone.

"A man recalls that Xaro Xhoan Daxos must deliver the tax he collected to the Pureborn. Where are the Pureborn, if not in their Hall of a Thousand Thrones?" Nessun asked Xaro, who smiled nervously at this.

"I will deliver the dragonbone to the Pureborn, I do swear it." Xaro stammered, "I shall merely do it when it is safe to do so..."

"A man mistrusts Xaro Xhoan Daxos." Nessun remarked, "A man would like Xaro Xhoan Daxos to know he is a Faceless Man... perhaps the Yorihime should take back her dragonbone by force..."

Yorihime held out her hand, and Xaro became timid. He took the dragonbone pieces out of his pockets, and put them into Yorihime's hand. She then gave twenty pieces to Ferrisos, and gave three back to Xaro, saying, "I shall give my tax to the Pureborn myself. You can keep the rest, but you must lead us to the Hall of a Thousand Thrones."

"As... as you wish, Yorihime of House Luna..." Xaro anxiously said, and he began to walk once more, this time at a far less leisurely pace, "...but what you are doing is folly..."

Yorihime folded her arms, "I have a dragonhorn. No undertaking is folly."

"A man warns the Yorihime that anyone that blows the dragonhorn dies." Nessun pointed out, "And there are no dragons that would hear the horn's call..."

Yorihime glared at the Faceless Man, and then at Xaro, "Keep going."

The Hall of a Thousand Thrones was a magnificent building, even more so than the other buildings of Qarth. Its roof was domed, and from top to bottom it was built of polished stone bricks, gilded in gold and amber. However, staining its magnificence were the two guardsmen, who were lying in a pool of their own blood, slumped against the ornate walls of the building.

Xaro began to fret and worry, and said, "Yorihime of House Luna, this is where we part ways."

Yorihime rolled her eyes, "Very well, Xaro Xhoan Daxos of the Thirteen. Your help is most appreciated."

With that, the man scurried from the Silent Sinner's crew's sight. Walking into the palace-like building, the crew saw that the great, majestic marble interior of the building was just as ruined as the front. Blood and brains covered embossed scenes of lovemaking, echoes of screams and pleas for help could be heard. Yorihime herself became a little unnerved, and she edged towards Nessun, "Any two names, you said? Would you be able to kill Euron Greyjoy should it come down to it?"

"Give a man a name, and it shall be done." Nessun replied, "Why does Yorihime ask?"

Yorihime looked down a little, "Are there... any exceptions?"

"A man cannot kill those who he knows." Nessun answered, "If a man's life is taken from the Red God, the person who did the taking cannot be killed by the same man."

"I see..." Yorihime mused, "...Denys, can you tell if this is the work of Euron Greyjoy?"

"No-one else would dare reave a place as grand as this." Denys replied, "What is your purpose finding him? He's like to make you all into his salt wives, even my dear sweet mermaid..."

"...I have a name. No matter how fierce this Euron Greyjoy is, I'll geld him before he makes me his 'salt wife'." Toyohime said, tapping a sheathed dagger at her hip.

Ferrisos seemed most apprehensive of this 'Crow's eye' fellow, and said, "Ferrisos thinks that this is not a good idea. As Denys said, why is it Yorihime wishes to meet with such a man?"

"I wish to take what I came for." Yorihime replied, unsheathing her katana, an ancestral sword that had been given to Yorihime by her parents to make up for the fact she was most likely never going to be liege of House Luna, "Ser Reisen Inaba's warlock cousin. I take her, and then I will be free to return home."

"I like your thought! The ironborn never trade, they only take what is theirs!" Denys declared proudly, "What is dead may never die!"

Yorihime sighed in exasperation. There are people dying, the city of Qarth's lieges are probably being murdered as we speak, and all this fool is concerned with is his ironborn pride, she thought, Although... Denys mentioned that the ironborn never trade, yet this Euron... he doesn't worship Denys' 'Drowned God'... perhaps I can arrange a deal with this man...

The crew had walked down the corpse-strewn hallway, and had reached the throne room. There, the massacre was still happening. Men in fine garb were babbling and pleading to be spared, but the members of Euron's crew, marked by their lacking of any covering for their chests, silently responded to their pleas by finishing them off. Any which weren't occupied killing were busy cutting pieces of gold from the various large statues in the throne room. Some were taking jewels from the wooden chairs that at one point served as a throne, but all were busy. Among the ones who weren't was a black-haired man, lean and handsome in face, wearing a black eye-patch and a smug, satisfied grin with pale, slightly blue lips, surrounded by various other blue-lipped, robed people with expressions of varying amounts of horror.

Yorihime had been through the dead runs of Valyria, though. She was not to be afraid. Entering the massacre further, she called out, "Euron Crow's Eye! Show yourself!"

The black-haired man seemed to respond to this, and grinned, calling out, "Finish off the Pureborn!"

Stabs and screams were heard, and following that, the room fell into silence. Even though by this point Yorihime and most of her crew had entered the room, she still felt... outnumbered. The blue-lipped men in robes separated, and the man with the eye-patch slowly walked up to Yorihime. He wore the same grin as he had a moment ago, and kept it once he was a mere arm's length from Yorihime.

"Who are you? A woman with a sword... I'm liking you already." the man mused, "You're clearly not a Qartheen. They have the decency to keep one breast bare before you make the other one just as bare. What kind of place would let a woman fight... you must be of... Noros."

The man was cold and fear-inspiring, the whole room quietened in his honour. He paced a little, and looked over the crew, firstly seeing Denys Pyke, "...this one's ironborn, this one's... your sister. Looks to be younger, so I'll say she's older. This old man with the patch is Volantene... and the one with the blue hair... undoubtedly Tyroshi. And what's this in his hands... warlocks! What is this?"

A purple-haired, blue-lipped woman came running to Euron's side, and briefly looked over the crew, before looking at the dragonhorn in Nessun's hand. She stammered, but eventually said to the man, "A dragonhorn..."

"A dragonhorn... what? Do you want to lose your tongue before you board the Silence?" the man said, demanding something that wasn't quite clear.

"A dragonhorn, Captain Euron Greyjoy, King of the Seastone Chair." the warlock replied.

This man is a genuine threat. Yorihime thought, He's inspiring fear in the likes of warlocks. What has he done to them?

"So, a dragonhorn." Euron remarked, "I imagine that you found that in Old Valyria... most interesting. Happens I visited that smoking ruin recently also. Do you want to know what I found? I imagine you do, at least to satisfy your curiosity before your deaths..."

Yorihime's left hand met her katana's hilt, and she gripped it lightly, yet strongly enough to be able to slash at him at any time, "I warn you, Euron Greyjoy, the Tyroshi I have with me is a Faceless Man. A Faceless Man with two deaths to repay to his Red God. I do not come here to kill you, though. I come here to... trade with you..."

Denys Pyke seemed a little confused by this, and began to say, "...captain, Euron is ironborn, he doesn't..." before Euron's confident glare cut him short.

Once the room was once again silent, Euron smiled with his pale lips, his uncovered eye seeming to gleam, "A Faceless Man, you say? And you wish to trade... I was going to make you join these Qartheen on the floor, but you're bold for a woman. Perhaps I should take you wet and willing should we become... acquainted."

"We shall hopefully never meet again if we both leave this trade satisfied." Yorihime replied, "We are here to take a warlock of yours, by the name of Reisen Inaba."

The purple-haired woman by the side of Euron suddenly spoke up and said in an overtly relieved voice, "That... that is I. Why is it that you have come all the way from Noros to seek me out?"

"Silence, warlock!" Euron said, and proceeded to slap the woman in the face so hard that it knocked her to the floor, "You wish to trade with me for the warlock... I would be willing to give her up. However, I desire... your dragonhorn, and your faceless man in return."

"What?" Toyohime replied, "There is no way that is a fair trade!"

"A man... a man would leave the crew?" Nessun asked, his voice breaking slightly, "A man wished that he would stand by the Yorihime for a longer time than this..."

"It is the only offer I can make... I want two of your things, and you only want one of mine. I can add gold to the offer, but I am afraid that is all I can add..." Euron replied, an obviously false look of helplessness on his face.

"You mentioned you found something in Old Valyria." Yorihime said, her mind moving quicker than her lips by a hair's breadth, "You give me the warlock for the Faceless Man, and give me the treasure you salvaged in Old Valyria for mine."

Euron chuckled, and walked up to Yorihime, so close that she could smell the horrid odour of shade of the evening in his breath. He relished the uncomfortable moment, breathing heavily, before turning around and moving back, "You know, if you have me killed by that faceless man, you could take all the warlocks... provided you don't get killed by my crew, which may happen. Why don't you kill me?"

"Because the Qartheen city guard will no doubt come here soon. They will be out for blood, and the more people left to fight them off, the better." Yorihime replied, for a moment looking at Nessun's defeated expression, "As a sign of a bargain well-struck, we'll fight them off together. Now, tell me, what did you find?"

Euron turned back to face Yorihime, "Cragorn, the egg."

One of Euron's many silent crew members, holding an egg-shaped object, walked up to him, and handed the stone-like egg to him. It was light purple in colour, with serrated ridges gilded with red along the sides.

"A dragon egg..." Ferrisos remarked.

"Yes." Euron replied, "It is real. I hoped to raise it and take it back to take Westeros for myself. But with a dragonhorn, I can find Daenerys Stormborn, and take her three dragons. And you... you could raise your own dragon and use it for whatever women use dragons for. If Daenerys Stormborn is truly a woman, they use it to burn down slaver cities and put them under new masters..."

Nessun's face fell, "A man... a man thought that he would stay with Yorihime..."

Yorihime had been trying to ignore the Faceless Man due to the more imposing man in front of her, but she now felt unable to sit by, "Nessun, it is nothing personal... but my sister in Noros, she wished for me to take back Reisen, the warlock, and with a dragon egg, I could..."

"A man does not want to hear it..." Nessun mumbled, "A man is being shipped away, like a mere slave..."

Euron laughed at this, clearly enjoying Nessun's misery, "...as long as you stay quiet, I'll not rip your tongue out. How many deaths does he have? Two?"

"Yes." Yorihime muttered, her throat stinging with guilt, "Is it a deal?"

Euron looked to Nessun and smiled, "Come with me, Tyroshi. Bring that dragonhorn in your hands with you. Warlock, get up. You belong to these now."

The warlock, who had stayed on the floor in fear that Euron would have a problem with her standing, got up as commanded and ran to Yorihime's side of the schism, "Who... who are you?"

"Lady Yorihime of House Luna. Your cousin is working for my older sister, Kaguya Luna." Yorihime replied, before quietly muttering, "Nessun... go to Euron."

Nessun glared at Yorihime with bitterness, and then looked to Denys, "Friend... join me. Denys Pyke is an ironborn, like Euron Greyjoy. A man would be grateful of Denys' company."

Denys Pyke looked to Nessun, then looked to Cragorn and his fearful eyes, and finally looked to Toyohime, "I... I am sorry, Nessun. We've had our time together. But I do not want to lose my tongue... and I have a fair mermaid over here."

Toyohime's eyes widened, "Denys... Denys, do not abandon Nessun because of..."

"...every man will abandon another for the prospect of a good cunt." Euron muttered, "Come on, Tyroshi, the deal's been made."

Nessun's face was full of anger, but he grudgingly walked to Euron's side. Once he did, Euron handed the dragon egg to Yorihime, who took one hand off her katana to hold it. It was warm to the touch, and there was almost certainly something stirring within the shell, though the shell itself felt like ridged marble.

With that, Euron laughed, and said, "A bargain well-struck... Faceless Man, kill the woman who just betrayed you, Yorihime, of House Luna."

Yorihime's eyes widened with fear, and Nessun looked ready to oblige for a moment, however, his facial expression changed to a saddened, yet somewhat satisfied one, "...Euron Greyjoy, a man cannot kill one who he knows, nor one that has plucked his life from the Red God. Euron Greyjoy must pick another."

With that, Yorihime smirked, "Euron Crow's Eye doesn't seem all that frightening any more. I am willing to forget you tried that if you share some of the gold you've pillaged here with us, as well as help fight our way out of Qarth."

The clattering sound of armoured men entering the Hall of a Thousand Thrones was heard in the distance, and Euron's expression became a determined one, and finally he said, "Yorihime Luna of Noros... I like you... a lot. Let us fight out of Qarth... together. When we are clear, we'll split at the pier and take to our own ships. If your Faceless Man tries to leave with you in the chaos, I will know. I will find you, and I will kill you. Understood?"

"Same to you. Don't take any of my rightful crew, especially not Reisen, with you." Yorihime warned, before she turned to Nessun Visos, "Thank you, Nessun."

"I don't rape men." Euron replied in lieu of the quietened Faceless Man, "And I need his tongue so I know he'll kill my brother like I want him to. Balon Greyjoy, remember that, Tyroshi."

Ferrisos seemed to be the only one paying attention to the ever-closing sound of men, and shouted, "The Qartheen Guard! They approach!"

"The Volantene speaks true. Swords in hand!" Euron shouted, and with that, Yorihime put the dragon egg into one of her pockets, and put her other hand on her katana's hilt.

"For the Silent Sinner!" Yorihime yelled, turning towards the throne room exit and running, her crew parting before running after her, soon followed by Euron Greyjoy's silent crew...