Chapter Eight: Corruption

There were few things Illustain enjoyed more than a nice, hot, cup of tea in the morning. An infuriated Doku and Gamov was one of them. Most people had difficulty reading either of them. But after years of contemptuous association with both of them, he had learned to do so like they were the book beneath his gaze now. He knew Doku was furious as he walked in, and his fury was made all the greater by Illustain's content expression.

"Lord Doku," said Illustain, "the Lord of the Greater Fiends within my office. I'm honored."

"Illustain." said Doku as he moved forward. "Your service to the Vigoor Emperor has been long. So I will give you the opportunity to explain yourself.

"Where are Rachel and Alma, and why did you help them escape?"

Illustain blinked. "Escape?

"I was not aware they were prisoners."

"You presume, much, Priest." said Doku.

Baiting him any further would be dangerous. So Illustain sighed. "To become a greater fiend, it requires a choice. An informed choice at that. Without understanding of what you are becoming, the greater fiend will be much weaker."

"Your point?" asked Doku.

"I decided to give Rachel and Alma some real-world experience," said Illustain. "They have been planning to leave for some time as it is.

"This way they don't regard us as their jailers."

"And if they are killed or corrupted?" asked Doku.

"Then that will be very unfortunate." said Illustain.

Doku loomed over him and set a hand to the Dark Dragon Blade. It really was a vicious looking weapon, wasn't it? All those needless serrations. Illustain couldn't imagine why the Emperor had seen fit to create it. Perhaps to enhance the glory of the good things he made?

A theological question for later.

Whatever the case, all was as He willed it. If Doku took his head off, so be it.

Realizing his attempt at intimidation was failing, Doku dropped it. "How long have they been gone?"

"A week." said Illustain. "You can't imagine how much fun I had baiting Gamov on with reports that they were ill. That insufferable little traitor was so absurdly confident in his information. And he didn't even know his charges had flown the coup.

"Honestly it was as much for that as Rachel and Alma. I despise that man."

"So you do." said Doku. "Where are they?"

Illustain sighed. "As for where they are, I have no earthly idea. I can tell you where they started. But they will have probably skipped town by the time you get there. If they are wise."

"You are playing a dangerous game." said Doku. "The Emperor's glory is approaching. When that time comes, we will need every greater fiend we can muster."

"And I am certain his designs shall be fulfilled one way or another." said Illustain, shifting a book into place. "Now, is there anything else?"

"One other thing." said Doku. "You have the blood of fiends within you, Illustain. You could have ascended. Why did you refuse my offer and remain as you are?"

Illustain laughed. "I'm not really sure.

"Fiends freeze in time when they ascend. They are never a different person than who they are at the beginning, or so I've been told. You will always be Doku, Lord of the Vigoorian Samurai and you can never be anything else.

"I went on many adventures trying to earn that right.

"When I had it, I decided I'd seen enough of this world. No sense in hanging around forever as an unwelcome guest."

"Unwelcome guest?" asked Doku.

"Well, we may worship fiends as aspects of the Emperor." said Illustain. "But I need not tell you that the average person would rather not be in the same room as them."

"Remarkable." said Doku. "If you hold such doubts about the Emperor's children, what possessed you to take a position as high priest?"

"If I hadn't heeded my calling, someone else would have had to take my place." said Illustain. "I thought I ought to try and do the job right.

"My vigil has been a long one, but it should be coming to an end soon."

"It may come to an end sooner than you believe." said Doku, and Illustain thought for a moment he'd kill him. Then he thought that most unfortunate. Then he realized he hadn't done it yet. "You know the contract that all monks agreed to when they entered His service. "The Dworku Monastery may not be safe for much longer."

"Then I shall abide by my oath and defend it, of course." said Illustain.

Then he took out his reports and pretended to take no more notice of Doku. The Lord of the Greater Fiends remained silent. "Good.

"It would be unfortunate if the Emperor's faith in you is misplaced.

"I will be using the passage in this monestary."

"You have my blessing, of course." said Illustain. "Go in peace."

Doku turned around. "I go nowhere in peace. For I was born in war."

And he walked out.

"Of course." said Illustain with a sigh. "Oh, one more thing, Doku."

"What is it?" asked Doku, not looking back.

"You've been in the Emperor's service since well before I was born." said Illustain. "I was hoping you could enlighten me about something. A young child asked me it during sunday school, and I thought it was a very good question. One I didn't have the answer to.

"'Why does God need a sword to kill his enemies?'"

Doku remained silent for a moment. Then he walked out the door. Illustain supposed he had won the argument, but the question still stood unanswered.

Or perhaps he hadn't wanted to know the answer until now.

He leaned back in his seat and sighed. From the looks of things, he'd have to initiate his own plan, sooner or later. His only regret was that he'd never get the chance to see the look on that imposters face.

Rachel woke up to the blaring of an alarm clock and forced herself up. A week ago she would have waited to be woken up, but she couldn't afford to do that anymore. She slept in cheap hotels instead of luxury rooms, and the money she had brought from Tairon was decreasing.

She'd been careful about spending. But even though the number of fiends had been rising, they were spread out. She and Alma would go to a town, looking to hunt them, only to learn it had been a rumor. Or, alternatively, someone had managed to kill the thing.

Even so, she was making a living.

As she and Alma made her way into the streets, she reached out with her senses. Back when she'd been working directly for Vigoor, she'd mostly been ferried right to wherever she needed to be. Now, however, she had to sense for the fiends herself. She'd gotten much better at it.

They'd break even at this rate.

And she sensed the creatures up ahead. Just below the surface of reality. They had led them on a chase but now had mustered in greater numbers.

"Remember Alma," said Rachel, "we're running low on elixirs. So make sure you don't get injured. Those things are expensive."

Alma cracked her knuckles and neck in one moment as they entered a town square.

And then the fiends emerged. One of them nearly stabbed Rachel through the face with its spines. She barely parried a series of attacks. Bringing around her hammer, she struck at it. But it leaped away, before attacking her again.

Rachel was thrown on her back, and the beast lunged. She rolled away and felt a slice of pain on her left leg. Bringing around her axe, she split the beast down the middle and staggered up. Another surged at her, and she moved aside, before taking off its head. The green blood spilled all over her, and she staggered back.

Another one came at her from the side.

She ducked too late, and a bladed hand sliced her across the brow as she cleaved through its chest. Despite the injury, it slashed at her again, and she almost lost a hand as she withdrew. Spinning her axe around, she cleaved it down with a gasp.

Around her she saw Alma fighting like a berserker. Her knuckles were pummeling a field repeatedly, with five corpses lying around her. Finally, she grabbed its head, set a high heel on the shoulder, and hauled it off.

Blood spewed everywhere, and Alma smiled.

Rachel leaned on her axe and took out some of the elixir she had. Pouring out a small amount of the contents, she dabbed it on her head. The flow of blood was staunched, and Rachel was out fifty dollars for it.

Being an independent fiend hunter wasn't as easy as Rachel had hoped. Even so, it was her idea, so she pulled herself up and walked over to Alma. "You know, fighting these fiends has gotten a lot harder lately. I feel like… like something is set against us. Or maybe something stopped backing us.

"I don't know."

Alma stretched and gave her a look.

"Alright fine," said Rachel, "so I got injured after lecturing you. It happens. Let's just get their heads and take them to the bounty office."

Alma nodded.

The bounty office was much less glamorous than Han's Bar. No dancers or flashing lights. Just a small lodge with a bearded man. He counted out the money and gave it to Rachel, under the watch of several armed bodyguards.

Rachel counted it out carefully. "One hundred, two hundred, three hundred…" She narrowed her eyes. "There's a hundred missing."

The man scoffed. "You said you'd take out the fiends without breaking a sweat. From the looks of things your sweating. Breach of contract."

"Like hell it is." said Rachel. "You want to take this to the authorities?"

"Listen, sweetcheeks. I'm the guy who hands out the bounties." said the man. "I determine what people get paid. You have a problem with your paycheck; feel free to find another career."

"Maybe I'll find a judge." snapped Rachel.

"Go right ahead, Fiend Hunter." said the man. "That equipment your using is top of the line, straight from the Dworku Monastery. The axe was forged by Muramasa. You can't get it anywhere else. And seeing as you're getting paid under the table, I'm guessing you're on the run from them.

"Feel free to broadcast your location to whoever it is your running from."

"We need that money." said Rachel.

He shrugged. "It's not my problem. Now take what I gave you and get out of here."

Alma surged forward, but Rachel caught her by the shoulder. "Alma, wait. He's not worth it. Come on; let's get out of here."

So it was that they got cheated. This was not the first time this had happened. Fury welled in Rachel, and she felt suddenly like turning around and killing every one of them. The thought seemed unlike her.

No, no, that wouldn't solve anything. It would only cause problems.

Still, if there was some way to do it without anyone knowing it was them…

Rachel cut down that line of thought quickly. She wasn't a murderer. The impulses from her blood died down.

As they walked out, Rachel looked to Alma. "Alma, we're not special right now. If you'd gone after that guy, we could have gotten killed. And even if we'd won there'd have been a price on our heads. Our only out would be going back to Tairon. "Is that what you want?"

Alma looked at her flatly.

"Don't answer that." said Rachel. Then she sighed. "Combined with expenses we're going to have to be on a tight budget for a bit. I don't want to blow through our savings too quickly.

"I guess we should count ourselves lucky there has been a rise in fiend attacks." She paused and realized that Alma's presence wasn't near anymore. "Alma?"

She turned around and saw Alma. The other girl was looking at the bounty office with keen eyes. There was a concentrated look of fury on her face. "Alma, what are you looking at?"

And then Rachel sensed it.

Fiends were coming. They were appearing directly in front of the bounty office.

Hefting her axe, she rushed back in with Alma. As they reached the door, they saw the bodyguards rushing out in terror. Coming in, they halted to see the man who cheated them backed up against a wall.

Fiends were slowly closing in.

He looked up. "You, you've got to help me, please!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." said Rachel, smiling as she sat down to watch. "That doesn't seem like my problem. And there was that recent breach of contract."

"Wait, wait!" said the man. "I'll pay you the rest of what I agreed!"

"I don't know," said Rachel, "a hundred dollars for killing these fiends? It seems like low pay."

"I'll give you everything!" said the man. "Everything I have on hand! Just save me, please!"

"As you wish." said Rachel. Then she brought around her warhammer and hooked the fiend around the neck. "I've got the fiend secured. Now, kindly give Alma the money we agreed upon, or I'm going to let it go."

The fiend struggled, slashing at her from afar. But it was too far away to touch her. The man made his way over to the desk and quickly counted out the money. "Here! Here, have it, all of it! Just get that thing out of here!"

"As you wish." said Rachel. Twisting her warhammer, she snapped its neck off. Blood spewed all over the carpet. She and Alma turned and walked out.

"Well," said Rachel, "that was karmic. I guess the Emperor is looking out for us after all. Still, let's skip town. I'll bet that guy has connections of some kind." Alma shrugged.

Things really had worked out fine, in the end.

Even so, as they walked, it seemed to Rachel that things had happened far too conveniently for her liking. She'd never seen the fiends move so slowly to get the kill before. Was it really the Emperor's doing? Or was it something else?

From where he was meditating in the crypts below the Dworku Monastery, Doku looked up. The Dark Dragon Blade had an intimate connection to all with the blood of fiends. Using it, he had sent forth his will with promises of power to those he sought. The whispers had reached them. The offer had been accepted, if only for a moment.

Now he knew where to find them.

His charges would not evade their destiny so easily. This was for their own good, anyway.

Author's Note:

Well, this has been interesting so far.

You know, at this rate, we may actually get to the game by the end of the year. How wonderful.

In regards to this chapter, I'd like to thank X for pointing out that Rachel and Alma seemed a bit too invulnerable. I really wanted to get across that they were dangerous, and I got carried away. Rachel looks significantly stronger than Ryu at this stage.

This will clear up that Rachel had the will of the Vigoor Emperor possessing her and ensuring she didn't get killed off. Now that she's gone rogue, she's having a much harder time of things.