Chapter Four
The night had grown stormy.
Shingo, Kensou, Chris and Bao cautiously poked their heads round the corner, looking for any signs of trouble. The gates of the village Bree was right in front of them, the heavy wooden doors shut tight.
"Come on." Shingo whipsered. The rain had soaked his travel cloak and hood and he wanted nothing more than to get out of the rain. Well, that and the mysterious dark riders which they had not seen since their encounter in the woods. They probably didn't know where the boys were now anyway.
Shingo stood at the large doors, hesitating only for a brief moment before knocking loudly on the wood as his friends gathered around him.
Not long after, an old and rather irate and soaking man opened a small hatch, peering suspiciously at them.
"Hobbits. Four Hobbits!" the old man sounded highly suprised before he then demanded "What do you want?"
"We're heading for the Prancing Pony Inn." Shingo replied. That was something to add to an already bad day. A rude old man.
The hatch closed again, and for the briefest of moments, Shingo thought that they had just been shut out. Then, one side of the doors opened and the old man stood there with his oil lantern, his frame taking up the entire doorway. Evidently, they still had a chance of being locked out from the village.
"What buisness brings you children to Bree?" the old man looked almost disdainfully at them and Shingo felt like just decking the man and walking through.
"We wish to stay at the inn," Kensou told the old man, seeing that Shingo was growing quite irate. "And our buisness is our own."
Suprisingly, the old man simply nodded and let them enter the village. "All right, young sir," he said in a more civilised tone. "I meant no offense. It's my job to ask questions after nightfall. There's talk of strange folk around," he shut and locked the doors again. "Can't be too careful."
The Prancing Pony Inn was full of people and Shingo was afraid that they would not be able to spot Chizuru Kagura. The smell of beer and food hung in the air, which in itself smelt slightly stale and sweaty. Shingo wrinkled his nose at the musty odour before approaching the chubby man on the other side of the bar, whom he assumed only to be the owner of the place. "Excuse me, sir?"
The jolly owner turned and walked towards the group of boys. "Good evening, young masters. If you're seeking some accommodation for this stormy night, we've some cozy Hobbit-sized rooms available, Mr..?"
"Natsumi. My name is Natsumi." Shingo lied with a smile.
"Mr. Natsumi."
"We're friends of Chizuru Kagura," Shingo continued. "Can you notify her that we have arrived?"
"Miss Kagura?" the owner seemed a bit puzzled. "Kagura. Oh yes! I remember her. Tall, slim, long black hair."
Shingo nodded. They were finally getting somewhere.
"Not seen her around for several months."
Or maybe not.
There was a confused look on Shingo's face as he turned to his friends, who had undoubtedly heard that Chizuru was not at the Inn.
"What do we do now?" asked Kensou.
An hour later, Kensou and Shingo sat at a table in the Inn, drinks and food in front of them. Chris and Bao had gone off to the bar to try out some of the inn's beverages.
"Kensou," Shingo began, breaking the uncomfortable silence at their table. "Kagura-sama will be here. She will come." His words were actually aimed more at himself rather than his friend who was busy munching away at his food.
Just then, Chris and Bao returned with two different drinks. Bao looked from his mug at Chris'. "What's that?"
"This," Chris announced proudly. "Is a pint."
"They come in pints?" Bao looked innocently at Chris' mug. "I want one!" and he disappeared off towards the bar again.
"You'll get him drunk." Shingo told Chris.
"It's his life, not mine." Chris shrugged, taking a swig of his beer.
Kensou nudged Shingo, drawing his attention away from Chris. "Hey, Shingo. See that guy?" Kensou gestured discreetly towards a man on the other side of the room. "That guy's done nothing but stare at you ever since we arrived here."
At first, Shingo didn't want to glance over in Kensou's direction, but eventually, his eyes cast a quick gaze over at the lone man sitting in the corner of the room. The guy was covered mostly by his hood and cloak, leaving Shingo to wonder who he was, and whether he had anything to do with the stranger riders in the woodlands.
Shingo stopped the owner of the inn as he took food to a table near them. "Excuse me, sir, but who is that man sitting alone in the corner?"
The owner looked over at the stranger and then back at Shingo. "He's one of them Rangers. Dangeroiius fold, wandering the Wilds," the owner replied in a hushed voice. "I don't know what his name is, but around here, the people call him Strider."
"Strider." Shingo repeated, unconsciously turning the gold ring in his hands as the owner left. He wasn't sure of it, but he thought he heard a soft but deep voice coming seemingly out of nowhere, whispering his name.
Yabuki.
"Shingo Yabuki?" a familiar voice suddenly cut into his thoughts. "Sure I know him." Shingo looked over in time to see Bao talking to some guys at the bar and gesturing over in his direction. "He's over there."
Shingo leapt out of his seat, moving towards Bao. Chizuru had told him that he should not let people know of the names Kusanagi and Yabuki. Bao could be giving him away to the enemy.
"Bao!" Shingo grabbed Bao's arm in an attempt to shut him up, but he tripped backwards over someone and went sprawling onto his back, the ring flying from his hand.
No!
Shingo couldn't afford to lose the ring!
He stretched out his hand in an attempt to grab it from the air, and then felt the band of gold metal slip onto his index finger before he vanished from sight, much to the surprise of everbody in the inn.
And at that very moment, in some other part of the land, the three dark riders felt the presence of the Orochi Ring of Power and they turned their rearing stallions towards the direction of the source.
Shingo Yabuki found himself in a barren land filled with dark shadows.
Just moments before, he had been at the Prancing Pony Inn in the village of Bree.
Now?
He wasn't even sure where he was.
You cannot hide.
Shingo turned around, hearing that same voice again. This time it was louder.
I see you.
His eyes opened wide at the sight before him, feeling his skin heat up at the blue flames that surrounded the giant slit-like eye.
The eye of Orochi.
There is no life in the Void.
Shingo scrambled backwards in an attempt to get away from the fear- inducing sight.
Only death.
Desperately, Shingo grabbed hold of the gold ring on his finger and pulling it off. If putting it on took him into this place, then in theory, taking it off would do the exact opposite.
The ring slid off his finger and Shingo let out a gasp as he found himself back on the floor of the Prancing Pony Inn.
What had just happened?
Suddenly, there was a firm hand on his shoulder, roughly pulling him up.
"You draw far too much attention to yourself, 'Mr. Natsumi'." The Ranger - Strider - was holding him in a death grip as he pulled him up the stairs to the rooms above, shoving him into one of the rooms which Shingo coud only guess was his before his was thrown to the ground.
Shingo jumped to his feet, looking at the hooded and cloaked figure. "What do you want?"
The Ranger's answer was simple and sent a shiver down Shingo's spine. "A little more caution from you is all I ask of," he replied. "That is no trinklet which you carry."
"I carry nothing." Shingo tried to sound indignant but he could see that it wasn't fooling the stranger.
"Indeed," Strider seemed to mock. "I can avoid beeing seen if I wish," he put out the candle lighting the room with his fingers. "But to disappear entirely like you have just displayed? That is a rare gift."
The aura seemed slightly familiar but Shingo couldn't quite recognise it. He narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
"Are you frightened?" the answer came in the form of another question which Shingo already knew the answer to.
"A little, maybe."
Strider turned to face him, removing his hood to reveal silvery-white hair and piercing brown eyes. "Well, you're not nearly frightened enough, Shingo Yabuki, for I know what hunts you."
Suddenly the door to the room burst open and Strider turned to greet the intruders with his sword.
"Let him go! Or I'll have you!" Kensou didn't drop his fighting stance. Neither did Chris or Bao, who stood behind Kensou.
Strider swung his sword and sheathed it again. "You have a stout heart, little Hobbit," he told Kensou casually yet his voice still had a slightly menacing tone to it as he added "But that will not be enough to save you." He then looked at Shingo. "You can no longer wait for the Gate Keeper, Shingo. They are coming."
The old man that was guarding the gates to the village of Bree sat trying to keep warm in the small shelter next to the large doors when he heard the sound of horses followed by a harsh banging at one of the doors.
Getting up, he approached the door to open the small hatch, wondering who could be seeking shelter this time.
He had just opened the hatch when suddenly, the two doors, still bolted locked, crashed forwards and on top of him. He didn't have any time to register what had just happened when the force of the dark riders'horses hooves crushed him to death, all of them heading straight for the Prancing Pony Inn.
The dark riders - four of them now - entered the inn swiftly yet silently, their swords drawn, ignoring the owner cowering in the corner behind the bar, fearful for his life as they headed up the stairs. They entered the room where they found the four boys sleeping soundly with the sheets covering them totally. They would not see their fates coming as each of the dark riders positioned their swords over the warm bulks under the sheets, all of them stabbing brutally downwards, peircing the beds straight through in continuous strokes.
From another inn on the other side of the street, Strider watched silently from the window in the darkened room, his hand remaining on his sheathed sword, as the four dark riders destroyed everything in the room that the four boys had booked for the night.
Soon after, heard the shrill screams of frustration that came from the same room and could only imagine the anger of the four dark riders - or Ringwraiths as he knew they were also called. They had all been tricked.
The hellish screams woke the four young fighters as they slept in the large beds in the same room as Strider, all of them looking at the Ranger with wide eyes. Each of them knowing that they had all been spared early deaths.
"What are they?" Shingo finally asked, still half-listening to the screams of fury from across the road.
The Ranger turned slowly to face the four young Hobbits.
"They were once men," he replied in a soft tone of voice. "Nine members of the Yagami Clan. Until one day, Orochi offered them states of ultimate power. Blinded by their greed and lust for greater strength, they took the offer without question. All of them fell into darkness." he glanced out of the window at their retreating forms.
"The Yagami Clan?" whispered Kensou, his eyes wide.
Strider looked back at them and nodded before continuing. "Now, they are slaves to his will," he paused. "They are the Nazgûl. Ringwraiths. Neither living nor dead. At all times, they can feel the presence of the Orochi Ring of Power. They are drawn to the power of it," he directed his gaze towards Shingo. "They will never stop hunting you so long as you possess the ring."
The night had grown stormy.
Shingo, Kensou, Chris and Bao cautiously poked their heads round the corner, looking for any signs of trouble. The gates of the village Bree was right in front of them, the heavy wooden doors shut tight.
"Come on." Shingo whipsered. The rain had soaked his travel cloak and hood and he wanted nothing more than to get out of the rain. Well, that and the mysterious dark riders which they had not seen since their encounter in the woods. They probably didn't know where the boys were now anyway.
Shingo stood at the large doors, hesitating only for a brief moment before knocking loudly on the wood as his friends gathered around him.
Not long after, an old and rather irate and soaking man opened a small hatch, peering suspiciously at them.
"Hobbits. Four Hobbits!" the old man sounded highly suprised before he then demanded "What do you want?"
"We're heading for the Prancing Pony Inn." Shingo replied. That was something to add to an already bad day. A rude old man.
The hatch closed again, and for the briefest of moments, Shingo thought that they had just been shut out. Then, one side of the doors opened and the old man stood there with his oil lantern, his frame taking up the entire doorway. Evidently, they still had a chance of being locked out from the village.
"What buisness brings you children to Bree?" the old man looked almost disdainfully at them and Shingo felt like just decking the man and walking through.
"We wish to stay at the inn," Kensou told the old man, seeing that Shingo was growing quite irate. "And our buisness is our own."
Suprisingly, the old man simply nodded and let them enter the village. "All right, young sir," he said in a more civilised tone. "I meant no offense. It's my job to ask questions after nightfall. There's talk of strange folk around," he shut and locked the doors again. "Can't be too careful."
The Prancing Pony Inn was full of people and Shingo was afraid that they would not be able to spot Chizuru Kagura. The smell of beer and food hung in the air, which in itself smelt slightly stale and sweaty. Shingo wrinkled his nose at the musty odour before approaching the chubby man on the other side of the bar, whom he assumed only to be the owner of the place. "Excuse me, sir?"
The jolly owner turned and walked towards the group of boys. "Good evening, young masters. If you're seeking some accommodation for this stormy night, we've some cozy Hobbit-sized rooms available, Mr..?"
"Natsumi. My name is Natsumi." Shingo lied with a smile.
"Mr. Natsumi."
"We're friends of Chizuru Kagura," Shingo continued. "Can you notify her that we have arrived?"
"Miss Kagura?" the owner seemed a bit puzzled. "Kagura. Oh yes! I remember her. Tall, slim, long black hair."
Shingo nodded. They were finally getting somewhere.
"Not seen her around for several months."
Or maybe not.
There was a confused look on Shingo's face as he turned to his friends, who had undoubtedly heard that Chizuru was not at the Inn.
"What do we do now?" asked Kensou.
An hour later, Kensou and Shingo sat at a table in the Inn, drinks and food in front of them. Chris and Bao had gone off to the bar to try out some of the inn's beverages.
"Kensou," Shingo began, breaking the uncomfortable silence at their table. "Kagura-sama will be here. She will come." His words were actually aimed more at himself rather than his friend who was busy munching away at his food.
Just then, Chris and Bao returned with two different drinks. Bao looked from his mug at Chris'. "What's that?"
"This," Chris announced proudly. "Is a pint."
"They come in pints?" Bao looked innocently at Chris' mug. "I want one!" and he disappeared off towards the bar again.
"You'll get him drunk." Shingo told Chris.
"It's his life, not mine." Chris shrugged, taking a swig of his beer.
Kensou nudged Shingo, drawing his attention away from Chris. "Hey, Shingo. See that guy?" Kensou gestured discreetly towards a man on the other side of the room. "That guy's done nothing but stare at you ever since we arrived here."
At first, Shingo didn't want to glance over in Kensou's direction, but eventually, his eyes cast a quick gaze over at the lone man sitting in the corner of the room. The guy was covered mostly by his hood and cloak, leaving Shingo to wonder who he was, and whether he had anything to do with the stranger riders in the woodlands.
Shingo stopped the owner of the inn as he took food to a table near them. "Excuse me, sir, but who is that man sitting alone in the corner?"
The owner looked over at the stranger and then back at Shingo. "He's one of them Rangers. Dangeroiius fold, wandering the Wilds," the owner replied in a hushed voice. "I don't know what his name is, but around here, the people call him Strider."
"Strider." Shingo repeated, unconsciously turning the gold ring in his hands as the owner left. He wasn't sure of it, but he thought he heard a soft but deep voice coming seemingly out of nowhere, whispering his name.
Yabuki.
"Shingo Yabuki?" a familiar voice suddenly cut into his thoughts. "Sure I know him." Shingo looked over in time to see Bao talking to some guys at the bar and gesturing over in his direction. "He's over there."
Shingo leapt out of his seat, moving towards Bao. Chizuru had told him that he should not let people know of the names Kusanagi and Yabuki. Bao could be giving him away to the enemy.
"Bao!" Shingo grabbed Bao's arm in an attempt to shut him up, but he tripped backwards over someone and went sprawling onto his back, the ring flying from his hand.
No!
Shingo couldn't afford to lose the ring!
He stretched out his hand in an attempt to grab it from the air, and then felt the band of gold metal slip onto his index finger before he vanished from sight, much to the surprise of everbody in the inn.
And at that very moment, in some other part of the land, the three dark riders felt the presence of the Orochi Ring of Power and they turned their rearing stallions towards the direction of the source.
Shingo Yabuki found himself in a barren land filled with dark shadows.
Just moments before, he had been at the Prancing Pony Inn in the village of Bree.
Now?
He wasn't even sure where he was.
You cannot hide.
Shingo turned around, hearing that same voice again. This time it was louder.
I see you.
His eyes opened wide at the sight before him, feeling his skin heat up at the blue flames that surrounded the giant slit-like eye.
The eye of Orochi.
There is no life in the Void.
Shingo scrambled backwards in an attempt to get away from the fear- inducing sight.
Only death.
Desperately, Shingo grabbed hold of the gold ring on his finger and pulling it off. If putting it on took him into this place, then in theory, taking it off would do the exact opposite.
The ring slid off his finger and Shingo let out a gasp as he found himself back on the floor of the Prancing Pony Inn.
What had just happened?
Suddenly, there was a firm hand on his shoulder, roughly pulling him up.
"You draw far too much attention to yourself, 'Mr. Natsumi'." The Ranger - Strider - was holding him in a death grip as he pulled him up the stairs to the rooms above, shoving him into one of the rooms which Shingo coud only guess was his before his was thrown to the ground.
Shingo jumped to his feet, looking at the hooded and cloaked figure. "What do you want?"
The Ranger's answer was simple and sent a shiver down Shingo's spine. "A little more caution from you is all I ask of," he replied. "That is no trinklet which you carry."
"I carry nothing." Shingo tried to sound indignant but he could see that it wasn't fooling the stranger.
"Indeed," Strider seemed to mock. "I can avoid beeing seen if I wish," he put out the candle lighting the room with his fingers. "But to disappear entirely like you have just displayed? That is a rare gift."
The aura seemed slightly familiar but Shingo couldn't quite recognise it. He narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
"Are you frightened?" the answer came in the form of another question which Shingo already knew the answer to.
"A little, maybe."
Strider turned to face him, removing his hood to reveal silvery-white hair and piercing brown eyes. "Well, you're not nearly frightened enough, Shingo Yabuki, for I know what hunts you."
Suddenly the door to the room burst open and Strider turned to greet the intruders with his sword.
"Let him go! Or I'll have you!" Kensou didn't drop his fighting stance. Neither did Chris or Bao, who stood behind Kensou.
Strider swung his sword and sheathed it again. "You have a stout heart, little Hobbit," he told Kensou casually yet his voice still had a slightly menacing tone to it as he added "But that will not be enough to save you." He then looked at Shingo. "You can no longer wait for the Gate Keeper, Shingo. They are coming."
The old man that was guarding the gates to the village of Bree sat trying to keep warm in the small shelter next to the large doors when he heard the sound of horses followed by a harsh banging at one of the doors.
Getting up, he approached the door to open the small hatch, wondering who could be seeking shelter this time.
He had just opened the hatch when suddenly, the two doors, still bolted locked, crashed forwards and on top of him. He didn't have any time to register what had just happened when the force of the dark riders'horses hooves crushed him to death, all of them heading straight for the Prancing Pony Inn.
The dark riders - four of them now - entered the inn swiftly yet silently, their swords drawn, ignoring the owner cowering in the corner behind the bar, fearful for his life as they headed up the stairs. They entered the room where they found the four boys sleeping soundly with the sheets covering them totally. They would not see their fates coming as each of the dark riders positioned their swords over the warm bulks under the sheets, all of them stabbing brutally downwards, peircing the beds straight through in continuous strokes.
From another inn on the other side of the street, Strider watched silently from the window in the darkened room, his hand remaining on his sheathed sword, as the four dark riders destroyed everything in the room that the four boys had booked for the night.
Soon after, heard the shrill screams of frustration that came from the same room and could only imagine the anger of the four dark riders - or Ringwraiths as he knew they were also called. They had all been tricked.
The hellish screams woke the four young fighters as they slept in the large beds in the same room as Strider, all of them looking at the Ranger with wide eyes. Each of them knowing that they had all been spared early deaths.
"What are they?" Shingo finally asked, still half-listening to the screams of fury from across the road.
The Ranger turned slowly to face the four young Hobbits.
"They were once men," he replied in a soft tone of voice. "Nine members of the Yagami Clan. Until one day, Orochi offered them states of ultimate power. Blinded by their greed and lust for greater strength, they took the offer without question. All of them fell into darkness." he glanced out of the window at their retreating forms.
"The Yagami Clan?" whispered Kensou, his eyes wide.
Strider looked back at them and nodded before continuing. "Now, they are slaves to his will," he paused. "They are the Nazgûl. Ringwraiths. Neither living nor dead. At all times, they can feel the presence of the Orochi Ring of Power. They are drawn to the power of it," he directed his gaze towards Shingo. "They will never stop hunting you so long as you possess the ring."