Chapter 10: Red Capote and Black Wings
Shaking even more than usual, the manikin ran as best he could to the hideout. His companion stumbled in their hurry, collapsing on the concrete floor. What now? If he was too slow, he'd die. But if he ran, his friend would die. There was just so few of them that had escaped here, to the place they had thought was safe. All of them could die, drained for the magatsuhi and tortured for their insolence.
He crouched down and took his friend's arm. "Come on," he whispered desperately.
Bare feet thumped on the metal ladder rungs.
Too scared to even speak, his friend whimpered as he got back on his feet. They hung onto each other just in case, hurrying on to warn the others. Maybe they'd find a place to hide; maybe they could reach the gated tunnels in time to block the intruders out.
"Guys, they're coming! The Mantra demons are coming!"
"They're here, now?" one of those near the water called in alarm. Other manikins emerged from their rooms, instinctively gathering together in danger.
"There's three of them, got in from the Ginza side," he said, pulling his friend along. He was still whimpering; this manikin had nearly been beaten to death by Fuu-ki, left to die in the sands alone. And this was the first time he was brave enough to take a look around the underpass, that took much longer than getting him physically well.
"What do we do now?"
That was the question: what now? They'd run down here to hide, thinking that the Mantra wouldn't look down here in the sewers. Some of them looked to an older looking manikin among them. But that was the problem: he only looked older. Anyone who was older here was only so by days or hours.
Heavier footsteps came behind them, causing him to turn around. There they were; two were demons that he hadn't seen the likes of, but one of the trio was a Momunofu. Many of the Momunofu had eagerly sworn allegiance to the Mantra.
"We're doomed," one of the women whispered. Even if they all split up and ran now, some of them would die quickly. The others would be hunted down, just like before.
Then the trio's leader stepped forward, the one who glowed faintly with power. "We won't fight you without reason."
A stunned silence held them in place. "You won't?" the one who ran asked. His friend nearly slipped and he had to quickly get a better hold on him. If these three did attack, the two of them would be the first to die like this.
"Are you with the Mantra?" the old manikin asked.
"No, but we're looking for them," he said, passing by him. This demon didn't shove; he didn't shout for them to get out of the way. He just walked on by. "We can pass through, right?"
"Oh, if that's what you want," the old one said, breathing a sigh of relief. They all did. "You got us all worked up over nothing. Sir, go on through if you like, but don't trouble us. And, don't say anything to the Mantra about us. Please? We can't offer much, but we can unlock the door to the terminal and one of us has a shop across the way."
"That's fine, we won't say anything."
They weren't with the Mantra? He felt embarrassed over that. Maybe he should talk with his friend to make sure he could calm down. But when he glanced over, his friend was staring at the strange demon leader's back. "Whu..."
"It's fine, we were mistaken," he whispered.
His friend timidly brought a hand up and almost pointed in the leader's direction. "Wh… wings."
"Huh? He doesn't..." he took another look and stopped. This demon had no wings, except that he did. His stripes created symbolic wings on his back; the glow lines enhanced this illusion. "...have glowing wings," he whispered in awe.
His friend whimpered again, so he brought him into a nearby room to rest. After giving a quick apology, he hurried back outside. The old manikin was standing there thinking while another pair led their visitors to the terminal. "With him, I can understand the panic, but you both worried everyone," the old manikin said.
"Look at his back," he whispered, pointing off towards the newcomers. He might've mispointed out of excitement, but it should be understood.
"Hmm, what about…?" the old manikin paused, then spoke in quiet awe. "Futomimi, he said that the demon who could save us had glowing wings when he had none. But the same demon could destroy us."
"You think, that guy is the one in the prophecy?" a woman manikin asked.
"He fits perfectly, how else could you have wings and have none?"
"We should be careful to not lead him to destroy us," the old manikin said. "Maybe we shouldn't trust him."
The woman reached over to pat his shoulder. "No. Think, what would Futomimi do? He'd probably say to treat him nicely so he thinks well of us. But maybe we shouldn't tell him about the prophecy, not until our leader meets him in person and can tell what the truth is."
"Perhaps that is so," the old manikin said.
Whispers spread among the underpass manikins, that this Demi the Fiend was to be treated kindly in case he was their messiah.
Naoki swallowed nothing, trying to retain control. These strange people clearly weren't human. They had an earthy scent that was oddly familiar. While their spasms were discomforting to see, it had to be worse living like that. Their faces were off-set, their ragged clothes fit poorly, and their homes here were pitiful. His horn told him that they were miserably weak within this world; other demons would trod on them without thought.
But they had magatama, two of them! When he'd bought the pair off Heeho in Shibuya, he'd had intense thoughts of shredding him into snowflakes if he refused to hand over Iyomante and Shiranui. A jack frost might be able to slip away from him; these manikins would not be able to outrun him if he was trying. Naoki could explain away fighting Forneus over a magatama, but not these manikins he'd just met.
"Hey there cutie, I have faabulous things for sale," the shop manikin said energetically. "Revival beads, ailment remedies, even a stash of chakra drops from a secret source. We're saving up money to hire some help getting other manikins freed, so spend a lot."
Determined to make some conversation, Naoki asked, "Freed from what?"
"The Mantra, mostly," he said. "They use us as slaves in their headquarters and imprison the rest in prison to drain out their magatsuhi. Our home may not look like much, but we're the lucky ones here."
"I see." The impulse bubbled over, he had to dig his nails into his palm to restrain himself. "I'm interested in the magatama. White bug things, with demonic power."
The shopkeeper sloppily clapped his hands together; they didn't seem capable of nodding with their soft heads. "Oh yes, we've picked up a few here and there. So curious, aren't they? Living in a world like this."
"I..." he stopped himself.
"Cut down on the sales pitch, he doesn't need it," Uzume said for him. "How much are you asking for them?"
"Well I have two, I'd like to sell them for ten thousand macca together."
Too much. Naoki didn't have enough to buy both Hifumi and Kamudo. Puncture that mud body and shake him so that he does nod and hand them over. No, they were clearly suffering already, too weak to defend themselves. "Would you trade for a pearl?" he asked, hoping.
"Sorry, but I have no use for a thing like that," the shop manikin said. "If I got caught with a gemstone, it'd get stolen right away."
"Right," he said. Once the magatamas were aware of him, they'd fight to be with him. Naoki put both hands flat on the small counter space. "I will buy," which one? Hifumi was Force-based, Uzume had that covered. Kamudo was physical-based, he could have used one not that long ago. "Kamudo. The physical one. But keep Hifumi locked up securely or it will escape you. I'll pay for it, but I'll leave so you can put it in a paper bag or something to pass over. Do it."
"Huh, they say the customer's always right," he said, baffled by the specific instructions.
"Yes, you'd best do what he says," Uzume said.
A minute later, the shopkeeper came out with a scuffling bag, as he'd requested. "I hope that's the right one, they look about the same to me."
"It is," Naoki said, opening the bag quickly to snatch the magatama before it could try jumping. It still squirmed trying to reach him faster, so he swallowed it as soon as he could. They writhed going down, but it was overall less painful to take them in this way. Even so, his mind broke up a little once it was inside.
A warm tea cup in hand, rain pattering on the window, the scent of lilacs and powder; his aunt patted his shoulder. "You can stay the night if you don't want to walk out in the dark rain. They'll be back in a few days."
A sunny day, water babbling by, the scent of cut grass; his father could turn a skateboard on a dime. "If you didn't like tennis, it's fine. But isn't there anything that really grabs your attention? I'm sure you could be great if you had something to focus on."
She kept no photos in her office, something that struck Naoki as a little odd. "No, I think you're more than just average," Yuko said warmly. "The things you are talented in are not obvious, perhaps even you don't realize them yet. What is it in life that you truly enjoy? That will point you towards a career you can take true satisfaction in."
He enjoyed looking after his cousins, he found satisfaction in smoothing over disagreements between others, he enjoyed clever pranks that did no harm. Over break before his senior year, he started looking into becoming a teacher. Maybe of the early grades where he could put his general interests to use helping them learn general subjects.
Then how did he get chosen by the leader of all demons for an ungiven purpose? He enjoyed life, he would have been content to keep things going as they were.
Just maybe, is that why? If you hated the world, you'd not see how horrific the Amala cycle is. But then we're just parasites, fragments of being. We still hope one day to be fully united with you.
But they were giving him thoughts as clear as his own now. They were no mere parasites. And he only had six of them now.
Stale air surrounded him, damp concrete and metal. Water gurgled along in a manmade channel. Naoki rubbed his neck, making sure he was aware. "You both here?"
"Of course," Uzume said. When he opened his eyes, he noticed she was sitting on the railing. "Momunofu makes the manikins nervous, but most of them aren't over here."
"I tried to sing, but that didn't help any," Momunofu said.
That was enough to make Naoki smile a moment. "That's too bad. We'll find someone who appreciates it someday."
"Everyone will someday!" he insisted. "Are we heading on to Ikebukuro?"
After nodding, he got back up. "Sure, we'll leave the manikins be. By the time we find the terminal there, we might have enough money for the other magatama and can transport back."
"I figured you'd have a plan for that," Uzume said, hopping off her perch.
The manikins had the other end of their shelter well protected. A thick metal gate had a switch only on their side. While the paths twisted about between two passages, they had iron gates pulled down to slow any approach. According to a sign left on a wall, there'd be another pair of maze-like open rooms before they could get out. There were demons within the halls, nothing the three of them couldn't handle.
When Naoki opened up a door near the end of this passage, his horn gave him a strong warning. Something was here, he should call out the candelabrum. He stopped where he was and did so, wondering what was going on. Momunofu peered around him, trying to see what had made him stop.
The candles had white wicks, as if it had never been used. They were all ablaze with black fire. Although air moved slowly down here, the flames reached far ahead as if drawn to something. Naoki closed his eyes and focused on the fire. Another labyrinth candelabrum was here: Foundation.
"Okay, that's getting creepy," Uzume said. "You picked up that thing out of nowhere and now it's got hellfire."
"Someone who has a candelabrum like this is nearby," Naoki said. "I was asked to retrieve them all, but I'm suspicious of why."
"We can handle it," Momunofu said. "I've got your back."
"All right, let's give this a shot," he said. There weren't options of where to go, but he still kept the candelabrum out to lead them.
Down the left corridor, there didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. There weren't any demons in sight. His horn still kept him alert, right until he crossed some invisible line. There was someone powerful here even if they couldn't be seen. Uzume and Momunofu felt it too; they slowed their approach and looked around more warily. Despite that they continued to follow him, right into a gaping black hole that appeared suddenly beneath his feet and swallowed them up.
There was a brief drop, then a complete transfer to another space. Naoki wouldn't have known it if his horn didn't pick up on that. Seconds later, they landed in an outdoors arena. It seemed to be a desert, covered in red stone and too dry for life. Yet seats had been carved out into rock walls surrounding this large opening. Overhead, the sky was red, full of golden clouds that rolled to a restless high wind. A restless murmur surrounded them even though he only sensed four of them here.
A flutter of red caught his eye ahead, then their opponent appeared to the roar of a missing crowd. He was a skeleton, that was clear from his pale skull. But he was dressed in an ornate suit of blue and gold, not armor but a showy costume. In one hand, he kept a long red cape with a pole to keep it spread wide. In the other hand, he held onto another golden candelabrum, flickering with black flames that reached out towards the one Naoki held. Information on him was being blocked off by his power, but Naoki could tell who this was: the Fiend Matador.
"Lo, another of the candelabrum bearers draws near," Matador said, hushing his own crowd. "I don't recognize this one. Have you come to join our game?"
"What game?" he asked.
"You didn't know? I assumed that was why you had one." He twirled the candelabrum in his hand. "It's very simple and I don't believe anyone would be adverse to another joining in, especially a fellow fiend like yourself. There was a spat a short while ago about whose power among us reigns supreme, so some of us decided to settle the issue once and for all. Thus we came up with this little game. The candelabrum are attracted to one another naturally, so we each took one and set out on a quest to claim them from each other. I chose to base myself here because the audio potential of these sewers is magnificent." He flicked his cape aside and the crowd roared again.
"Lucifer's looking for them," Naoki told him.
Matador wasn't intimidated by that news. "Is he now? Well he's always welcome to join us in such endeavors. I wouldn't be surprised if he knows about the whole thing already. Hmm, so then he chooses a youthful newcomer as his champion rather than join in himself? Now you've got me intrigued."
Naoki was worried himself. He was getting used to fighting and negotiating with demons; the latter was surprisingly helpful for getting useful items. According to his own two demons and the cathedral minister, fiends were an exclusive clan of powerful demons under Lucifer's direct command. And now the leader of all demons had thrown him into some competition between his clan members? This could be very bad.
"Then you will take challenges with your followers here?" Matador asked, sending the candelabrum away and claiming a steel saber in its place. "That's perfectly acceptable, some of the others have chosen to do the same. Once a challenge is taken like this, the winner takes all candelabrum offered to the betting pool and the loser must submit to the command of the other for the duration of the Vortex World's existence. Those are the terms that have been set. For myself, I alone suffice for a battle of great honor and flair. You are nothing but a small child compared to the rest of us. By my red capote and white sword, I shall claim all glory in this game!"
The phantom crowd went wild as the battle began, Matador swirling his cape around to cast some enchantment on himself. Naoki sent his own candelabrum away and stepped back towards his followers. "Let's start with what's been working for us, we'll adapt from there."
Uzume and Momunofu nodded, getting themselves into action. His Fog Breath was really effective at keeping opponents from being able to hit them. After that, he and Momunofu could team up for a physical battle, or he could stay back and use his other breath skills to hit enemies where they were weak. Uzume kept them healed up and attempted to disable enemies further with the shock effect of Mazio. It had been working well so far, although Naoki had been considering to himself how to go if an enemy had stronger defenses than normal.
When Matador closed the distance between them, he moved far quicker than any other enemy they'd run into. He swung his cape around, a dazzling motion of red that distracted from the following white flickers of his saber. Naoki felt a piercing pain through his heart as the blade thrust right through and he died.
"Child..." a faint voice called from afar. White dappled light began to fill his vision, blurring out what his followers could do against the swift grace of Matador.
Horseshoes sounded just behind him, a rustle of a heavy cloak. "Try that again, you can do better."
It all went black, then orange returned to his vision. He was back in the twin tunnels between sewer chambers. Putting his hand over his heart, he felt no wound there even though there was a faint ache. "Is something wrong?" Uzume asked.
When Naoki tasted her feelings, her puzzlement was only mild. He licked his lips, then took out the candelabrum. Tiny black embers were on the white wicks. When he held it to the door, they grew into flames fitting of these candles. "There's a powerful enemy beyond here," he told her. "Stay alert we'll..." that fight has been so brief that he wasn't sure about Matador's fighting capacity other than he was blindingly fast, "take it as normal, but it'll be rough."
They knew of his sharp senses, so Uzume and Momunofu nodded to that. Naoki opened the doors, causing the candelabrum's light to flare up into proper hellfire. Matador was in the exact same place as before. In fact, the conversation went exactly the same. There was no acknowledgment that he had technically lost for dying. Matador still challenged him to claim Sovereignty.
This time, he felt his magatama whispering to him. That initial twirl of his cape, that was a boost that gave him his swiftness and piercing accuracy. Fog Breath could dampen some of it, but one casting could not negate it. In the way he held his cape, saber, and even the candelabrum at first, Matador had a formal fighting style that held skilled substance within the flair. It was masterfully impressive.
And also very effective. This time, Matador advanced on Momunofu first, cutting around his more primitive thrusts and striking him down from an opening in the side. While Uzume tried to recover him, Naoki used Ice Breath to try freezing him in place. It hardly affected Matador. As Naoki knew how he'd died, he got defensive when Matador swung his cape in his direction again.
He died again despite that. As his body fell, his soul was clasped again. "Again. Matador wouldn't have a chance at winning this game if it wasn't for you, so don't let him."
"W-who are you?" Naoki asked, his words awkward because he tried to get them out too quickly.
"You'll know someday."
When he appeared at the door again, alive and whole, he had second thoughts about going through. "Maybe there's a way around him."
"Around who?" Uzume asked, so Naoki had to explain again what kind of power was waiting for them.
He'd followed the candelabrum's light previously. This time, he checked out the other passage first. Unfortunately, it was barred as a part of the manikins' defenses. He searched out with his horn's ability to examine the structure just in case there was any hidden passages. There was nothing he could sense, although he wasn't sure how such things would feel to him now. No, it was clear that Matador had parked himself in one spot to catch anyone who tried to pass by. It was oddly out of the way for a game like he spoke of. But if he was right, other fiends would be wandering the Vortex World searching each other out.
He made sure not to repeat the conversation this time. "Yes, Lucifer asked me to join your game, indirectly."
Matador was amused at that answer. "Ah, so he was paying attention. I don't know if this joke of his is on you or me, but you'd best be ready to take it seriously."
On this third attempt, Matador started out different yet again, sweeping his cape around a different way to knock them back with a powerful wind. Naoki tried two castings of Fog Breath to see if that countered his enchantment. It did force Matador to slow his steps, taking another second to be sure of his attacks. With that, Uzume got a chance to use Mazio against him. The electric attack damaged him more than fire, but did not stun him this time. Matador then enchanted his saber with the Force element.
And Naoki died from being punctured all over his body two dozen times in a span of two seconds.
"Please, don't suffer any more," the voice with the dappled light said, sounding closer than before.
The voice of the unseen horseman was closer than that. "He can do more, but you've seen all his capabilities now. Come on, prove that you're worthy of Lucifer's trust."
All of his capabilities? Naoki gripped his fist to his chest, listening to his own breath and confirming that he was alive again. He was starting to feel sick from this, the phantom pains of his death stronger.
"Demi?" Uzume asked, more worried but still not remembering.
He bowed his head, then stepped back. "I should've took Hifumi instead," he muttered. He stepped back again, making both of his demons curious. "We… we can't handle that guy yet." Wait, they weren't remembering. "Someone powerful lies beyond that door, another fiend. We need to be able to counter someone fast and strong, plus I need Hifumi now, no question. Do you two have anything you can work towards?"
"I've got a stronger attack I could practice," Momunofu offered.
"Mm, I think I could sway a person's heart, or turn them to stone," Uzume said, a twinkle to her shaded eyes.
"I don't know how much that could help, but anything's worth trying," Naoki said.
They headed back to the earlier tunnels to practice. Uzume got her new spells sooner, one to charm an enemy and another to turn them to stone, just as she suggested. Meanwhile, Momunofu decided to show Naoki his focusing technique to increase his attack power significantly if he just took a little more time to act. Kamudo could comprehend it immediately; with a few attempts, Naoki got Focus as well. After that, Momunofu figured out Brutal Slash. It was just as the name suggested, although the powerful attack cut into his own health. Again, Kamudo already knew about that, whispering to him that such risks were well worth it since he could count on Uzume's healing powers.
The biggest assurance that he got was when he could finally go back and buy Hifumi from the manikin merchant. Even though it took several more battles, he also bought a couple of chakra drops to replenish magical energy. While Matador was fast, he could be slowed down and Naoki might have to outlast his attacks. This fiend might not have healing capabilities, so he didn't want to run out of his own.
And the merchant had a surprise for him. "You've been a good customer, helping out our funds for our goals," he said, producing a small long box from under the counter. "So I thought I'd offer you a little reward for your patronage: an Ag Incense."
"Um, sure, thanks," Naoki said.
"Oo that's a generous gift," Uzume said. "I'd be jealous, but having a strong leader is quite an honor."
The shopkeeper quivered. "Well, it's not like I could simply sell that. Apparently some high rank demons get really touchy about incense sales, so we don't want to cause trouble."
"What's it for, then?" Naoki asked. They had no trouble selling the magatamas, although not even the minister knew much about them.
"Incense can permanently boost a demon's innate powers, plus it acts as a full restorative," the shopkeeper said. "Apparently special humans have the capacity to use them similarly. But we manikins aren't demons or humans; incense is too powerful for us, so we get affected negatively when it burns. Still, we know how valuable they are for demons, so we shopkeepers decided to try gathering incense and some other invaluable rarities as customer rewards. You know, so demons decide to let us keep our shops and don't rob us."
"That might work, or they might decide to rob you for your valuables," Uzume said, scaring the shopkeeper a little.
"If they're open-minded enough to become loyal customers, I think rewards could help," Naoki said. "I'd defend your shops if you need it."
"Wonderful, I knew I had a good feeling about you," the shopkeeper said, relieved now. "Actually, remember how I said we were funding efforts to rescue the others? I'd like to ask you a favor now, since you're going to meet up with the Mantra."
He nodded; he didn't want to anger the Mantra too soon, but the manikins seemed like they needed the help. "Sure, what is it?"
"They have a prison in the basement of their headquarters where they keep the slaves working there," he explained. "Those of us who were in there noticed a mysterious door in back that wasn't being watched. If there was some underground tunnel that we could sneak other manikins out of, it'd be a big help. We think that door might have such an escape point. Would you check it out while you're there? You'll have to be mindful of the guards, but they count on the heavy bars and guarding the ways up to keep us down there."
"All right, we'll look into that," Naoki said.
"I'll pay you for the info when you get back with it," the shopkeeper said.
Of course, doing that required getting past Matador. Momunofu was less prone to arguing with Uzume out of spite, as proven when he agreed that they'd rather he be stronger as their leader. This incense increased agility, which wouldn't be enough to match Matador. Still, it would help, so Naoki took a minute to use the incense himself. Once the stick was lit, a scent like the gust before a storm filled his senses. The small trail of smoke filled his awareness briefly; move across the ground to lead the wind rather than be buffeted by it. The stick burned quickly and Naoki didn't feel much different when it cleared out of his head. But he found himself able to punch a spirit before it could cast in the next battle, something he couldn't do previously.
He put Hifumi in the lead once they reached to door leading to Matador's passage. Naoki didn't want to waste too much time even if he wasn't losing much when he died. Any more deaths might start messing with his head. He went right for the arena's entrance to challenge this fiend again.
When Matador used his wind attack this time, it felt like little more than a breeze. Momonofu still got pushed back, but Naoki and Uzume weren't touched. That threw Matador off his stride for a moment; he pulled his cape up to briefly consider his next move. Naoki used Fog Breath again to keep his swiftness down, then managed to get in a punch to Matador's chest. The skeleton stumbled back. From that, Naoki knew they could reasonably take him out this time.
Matador swirled his cape again, so Naoki dropped back to bring that enchantment back down. Momunofu stepped up and thrust right through Matador's fancy suit to damage him greatly. Once Matador stepped aside, he laughed with a dark thrill. "Aha, perhaps the child does have promise. Let's step up this game, shall we?"
He'd been holding back? Matador whirled his cape again, bringing his saber up as if he meant to stab the air. When he did, dozens of swords materialized around all three of them and flew right through them. Uzume was quick to get a Media off, but Matador lunged right for Naoki. The phantom crowd went crazy as Naoki tried to dodge that attack. It clipped him in the side, he struck back, and then a phantom saber struck him through the back, killing him instantly.
That wasn't all his capabilities, Naoki thought briefly. Or maybe the phantom swords simply hadn't been visible for that one death. Then he heard a loud whinny from a horse, a clash of blades. Who was fighting Death, if that's who that was?
"Be at peace," the gentle voice said, dappled light filling his vision fully this time. A beating of large wings brushed air across his face. "I've finally reached you, little lost lamb."
"What?" he mumbled, his mind getting hazy. An arm wrapped around him; the radiance with it made his muscles tense. The magatama were afraid.
"Don't be afraid of your shepherd." Radiant fingers drew down his eyes, making him feel the heaviness of exhaustion.
His mind turned silent.