More from the good old evil king. And more from Waka. I'm finding Waka hard to write so let me know how he turns out and if you have any suggestions (Sorry, Dochii, having Waka killed or beaten isn't an option at this stage!)
The Moon King stared at the spirit gate. The black stone was so smooth that it almost felt as if it was made of glass as he delicately pressed his palm against it. Even when there was no light, such as tonight, it glimmered, as if it was glowing from deep inside.
It was located at the highest point on the Moon Cliffs. It had been there long before the Moon Tribe arrived. The Moon King had been fascinated the moment he'd seen it. The material it was made of… the strange light it seemed to emit… the air that surrounded it - everybody felt it when they were close to the gate; the air would swell with power
A thin line running from top to bottom, just the right width for the tip of a sword, had been scoured in to the black stone. Spirit gates could only be opened with a particular sword. The Moon King had wasted hundreds of years searching for the right weapon with the use of a prophet, but eventually he'd found that it had been destroyed in some ancient battle.
Nonetheless, he had been determined to open the gate. The prophet had told him what was on the other side. The Moon King wanted it opened, and so he had set about creating a sword that would accomplish that.
It had taken even longer than the original search. Many times the scientists had told him it was impossible, but then the computer had done it. The right sword had been created.
And then the prophet had stolen it.
Too late the Moon King had realised that he'd been fooled. The prophet, who had also been the captain of the Moon Tribe soldiers, had never intended to help him. Instead he'd done everything possibly to hinder the search.
The memory infuriated the Moon King. He'd already begun to suspect the prophet. Every sword he'd led the Moon King to had been wrong and he'd also seemed too sympathetic towards the celestials, sworn enemies of the Moon Tribe. However, the Moon King had hesitated when it came to having him killed. Prophets were rare and his loyalty had been so convincing at times.
Instead the Moon King had set a trap. He'd bragged about sending Orochi to the celestial plain and how he was preparing to send Yami in an ark. The prophet had taken the bait. He'd stolen the ark and run to the rescue of the celestials, but, unknown to the prophet, Yami and his army had already hidden inside.
It had been a perfect plan. The celestials should have been crushed. The prophet should have been killed.
But the ark had crashed.
Yami had promised he would kill that prophet, but he'd failed. Worse, Yami had even been bested by a goddess in the form of a little white wolf. Pathetic.
The other problem was that the prophet had taken the sword before he'd left. He'd also destroyed the computer that had been used to create it and killed every scientist that had been involved in the project. For two hundred years the Moon King had tried to recreate the blade, but it was impossible. It was incredible that it had even been done once.
The Moon King drew his hand back from the gate. He'd get that sword. It had fallen with Amaterasu and the prophet to Nippon. He'd tear the place apart until he had it. It was of no consequence to him if a land was destroyed. He'd never liked the mortals anyway. Always running to the gods whenever they wanted something… they couldn't stick up for themselves.
With one last longing look towards the gate, he started back to the palace. Despite the bad memories of that treacherous prophet, he always felt more relaxed after walking up to the gate, especially at night. The Moon Cliffs weren't like the ugly lumps of rock in the mortal lands, instead they were made of quartz. With the variety of electric lights embedded along the black paths that criss-crossed the cliffs, the crystals always glowed with a metallic rainbow. The only place that was always in darkness was the gate at the cliffs' peak. The Moon King liked seeing the gate glimmer by itself.
"Your highness!"
The voice came as soon as the Moon King stepped on to the path that sloped down to the palace grounds. Three soldiers stood by the gates. Two were in their usual positions, but the third seemed to have been waiting for the Moon King. He ran towards him and quickly bowed.
"Your majesty, I-"
The Moon King glanced at the soldier's shoes. Red. Aha. This must be that Rake lad. Raik. Whatever.
"Did you find my sword?" the Moon King asked.
Raik lowered his head. "Um…"
The Moon King rolled his eyes. Idiot. "I suppose it was foolish to think it would be that easy."
"Um…"
From the man's continued nervousness, the Moon King knew that he wasn't going to like what he had to say next. Worst of all, he knew what he was going to say. "They survived didn't they?" he said.
"Well, um, Amaterasu is alive; one of the younger men got jumped by her, but, uh, that prophet wasn't there. Seemed a bit of a sore subject with the goddess too. The boy's shoulders are going to be scarred for eternity and she almost bit his head off."
The Moon King frowned. That was interesting. Amaterasu wasn't known for her viciousness, not when it came to humans anyway, and it would take a lot for her to attack a simple soldier. Very interesting… How had the goddess gotten herself so worked up? The reason most gods took on animal forms was because animals were often much more patient and forgiving than humans, who could hold on to rage for an entire lifetime. This reaction of Amaterasu's didn't sound patient. She seemed willing to take it out on anyone in her way… even a young soldier.
A vague suspicion turned about the Moon King's head, and from there a plan began to form. Could it really be so easy? It wouldn't require much effort on his part. All he'd have to do is set the tragedy in motion and watch it unfold…
Goodbye prophet. Goodbye Amaterasu, never again to be reborn. Goodbye sun. Everything he'd ever wanted to get rid of gone with one plan. Perfect.
"That prophet had better still be alive," he murmured. A fall from the moon was too easy. It would be a far more interesting death this way. More painful. More emotional.
"Your majesty?" said Raik.
Raik. Yes. The Moon King had almost forgotten he was there. He grinned. "Did you find that prophet's body?" the Moon King asked.
"No. We-"
Good. "He's alive. We need to find him. Go and speak to the scientists. Get them to send a monster after the wolf."
"What kind of monster?"
"Any kind you want, but make it a powerful one." If Amaterasu could defeat Yami then she could defeat anything the Moon King could throw at her… until he opened that spirit gate anyway. But he didn't want her defeated at that moment. He just wanted to lure that prophet out of hiding to help her.
"Get down there yourself too with a dozen men. No, two dozen. I don't care what it takes. That prophet will turn up to help her fight the monster. When he does, get him and bring him back here."
"What about Amaterasu?"
"Do you honestly think you could capture a goddess?" The Moon King laughed. "You rate yourself far too highly, boy. She'd bite all your heads off before you could even scream. Just get me that prophet. While you're at, kill anyone who's with Amaterasu. One of them will certainly be a poncle. They're tiny and pretty quick so you'll have no luck with arrows. Just squash him."
"There was an Oina man with her too."
"Kill him as well." The Moon King paused. Oina. Couldn't they turn in to animals? "Try and get him to change in to an animal before you do so and then bring me the body." He didn't have any relics from the Oina and a beast head would look striking on his wall.
Amaterasu would probably go mad and try to kill all the men, but the more people she killed, the guiltier she would become. She'd get to the point where she hated herself, which was exactly what the Moon King needed.
Of course, a wolf probably had no regrets. That wasn't a problem. He'd go and speak to the scientists now. She wouldn't be a wolf for much longer, not if he had anything to say about it.
The Moon King grinned. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.
Ammy couldn't seem to make her mind up about what she wanted to do. It wasn't like her to be indecisive and Issun was beginning to get annoyed as she paced through the Kamui snow. She was moving too slowly for them to make any decent progress and she kept stopping to sniff the air. Her nose would probably freeze off if she did this for much longer.
"What on earth are you doing, Furball?" he finally snapped.
She grumbled as she stopped again and raised her nose to the cold air. Oki had said that warmer weather was on the way and that the snow would soon melt, but that was rubbish as far as Issun was concerned. Kamui was always cold. Even when there was no snow it was still cold. Today was a perfect example. The air was clear and yet it seemed colder than ever.
Ammy turned in a circle. For a moment she looked at Wep'Keer and then towards the valley where they'd lost the Moon Tribe a few days ago. She growled.
Issun prodded her hard on her head. "Oi! Furball, what's gotten in to you lately? You're so grumpy and growly." Surely wolfs weren't supposed to sulk? "I told you, those freaks will be back."
She didn't say anything. Typical Ammy. Issun leaned down and peered at her eyes. Poncles could tell what animals were thinking but it was different for gods. Still, since he was a celestial envoy he usually had some idea of what was in her head. This time he couldn't decide. She seemed far more emotional than he'd ever known her to be. She was angry. Sulky. Like a grumpy human. Weird.
Again she turned in a circle, seemingly unable to decide what to do. She'd been like this during the past few days as well. Sometimes she'd dashed over to the valley and growled at where the Moon Tribe's boat had been or sniffed suspiciously at the trees, while at other times she'd prowled Wep'Keer with Oki. And then sometimes she'd left the village, tearing across the land so fast that Issun had thought she was ready to leave and begin their journey.
But then she'd stop and look back, just as she was doing now. Issun folded his arms and frowned. "Come on Ammy, make up your mind! What do you want to do? Stay here or get moving to Nippon? Shinshu field will look great at this time of year and, best of all, there'll be no damn snow! Oki can take care of the village. The Moon Tribe won't bother him."
She grumbled, but at the same time she seemed to shake herself. She began to move and gradually her pace quickened until she was running.
Issun should have been pleased that they were on their way, but instead he frowned. The way she had just shaken herself was almost a human gesture…
Maybe he was worrying about nothing. He wasn't even sure why it bothered him so much. There was just a bad feeling inside him that refused to go away.
Oki stood on one of Kamui's snowy cliffs watching the white land. Directly below was Wep'Keer where the villagers went about their daily business, but from this high vantage point he could see the surrounding valleys too. The only movement was by the lake where several Oina were fishing. Everything else was motionless, almost as if time had stopped.
He'd watched and waited for days. Every moment that passed made him more frustrated. What had those men from the Moon Tribe wanted? Oki hated them. And he hated himself. He was able to fight anything. He was the Oina's greatest warrior and yet he had been forced to run because of those arrows. He wanted those men to return. He wanted to fight them properly.
He began to pace. He'd felt restless ever since Amaterasu and Issun had left. Should he have gone with them? Kemui had bored him since the monsters had disappeared and he'd longed to leave and explore the rest of the land, perhaps even travel far over the seas.
But he'd always known he could never abandon the village. There were few warriors. They'd need him if anything should ever happen.
The Moon Tribe had proven that there was still danger around and Oki was pleased. There was no place for a warrior in a peaceful world. The thoughts made him guilty but he couldn't stop them. He wanted danger. He wanted a fight.
But he hated just waiting for the Moon Tribe to show. Worst of all, perhaps they wouldn't show. They may just go after Amaterasu. Oki gripped his sword tightly. He was trapped. He wanted the battle, but he was stuck in the village.
He continued to pace backwards and forth, and then he suddenly became aware of the music. It sounded like a flute. The song was so gentle that it had seemed to blend in with the sound of the wind. Oki couldn't even be sure how long it had been playing for.
He glanced down at Wep'Keer. They wouldn't be able to hear the flute down there and nothing looked out of the ordinary, but Oki still drew his sword. He was tense. The music was slow, pretty if you liked that sort of thing. Oki didn't. The music was out of place in Kamui. The Oina didn't play songs like this.
He turned. The cliff top was white and empty. Carefully Oki moved forward. The flute suddenly stopped.
"Hark! The call of the heavens, the earth, the sea… they summon me forth to defeat evil," someone called.
Oki frowned. He couldn't see anyone. He couldn't smell anyone either. Again he turned, searching for the sound of the voice.
And then there was suddenly a man with a flute standing in front of him on the very edge of the cliff. Oki felt something surge inside him. The man had long golden hair. The Moon Tribe.
Oki leapt forward. For a moment the man looked surprised, and Oki grinned as he thought he had him, but suddenly the man leapt aside. He would have gone off the cliff had he not spread his huge golden wings and used them to steer himself back to land.
Oki skidded to a halt, just before he could tumble off the cliff himself. Wings… golden wings, not hair, but that didn't make Oki feel any better. This man was still a stranger.
"You have a fabulous temper," said the man in a soft, gentle voice that Oki instantly loathed. "I feel you should be more careful though. Mortal bodies do not fare well when hurled off icy cliffs."
Oki fought the urge to shout. Samickle had taught him to control his temper, but it had been a while since Oki had found it this difficult not to lose control. "Who are you?" he demanded, keeping his voice as level as he could.
"You Oina folk look kinda weird with those masks and you, my friend, seem rather miserable about something. One could almost say blue."
Oki gripped tightened his grip on his sword as he pointed it forward. "I asked you a question."
"I'm Waka. Bonjour. Now, tell me what on earth is that crude instrument you have in your hand? Seems a rather large downgrade from Kutone. Was the legendary sword too good for you?"
Again Oki felt his grip tightening. "None of your business."
"You're rather unfriendly aren't you? And to think I've come such a long way to see you. I was in Kamiki village recently. Lovely weather. Nothing like this frigid cold. I'm not surprised you have a blue face."
"If Kamiki is so nice then why didn't you stay there?
"Because I wanted to come and tell you that you're going to need a better sword then that pathetic pin in your hand. That couldn't cleave through butter on a hot summer's day. If you get hot days in this iceberg, that is."
Calm. Be calm. Samickle's words ran through Oki's head, but he wasn't calm. He was furious. He could feel his chest heaving and the inside of his mask felt hot and uncomfortable from his deep breaths. He'd made this sword himself after returning Kutone.
Waka smiled, his face almost threatening to break in to laughter. "You really do have a fabulous temper."
Oki leapt forward. He didn't even realise what he was doing until he heard himself roaring. Again Waka jumped out of the way, using his gold wings to steady himself as he landed. Pressing a hand to the end of his flute, he drew a blade out of the wood, but it was unlike any blade Oki had ever seen. It was green and looked as if it was made entirely out of light, just like the arrows. The air changed too, fizzing and crackling as unpleasantly as it had during the attack a few days ago. Oki froze.
"You're not going to try it?" said Waka. "When did you become so disappointingly dull? Well, since I seem to be in command of this little situation I have some advice for you that I will be most unhappy if you do not take. Your sword is quite spectacularly pathetic. Get a new one. In fact, why don't you run along and pick up your former friend from its resting place by Lake Laochi?"
'"Because it's keeping the demons at bay, you fool."
Waka rolled his eyes. "Fine then. But before I bid you adieu I have a little prophecy for you. I can see in to the future you know." He grinned as he twirled on the spot. His eyes glazed over as if he was seeing something that Oki couldn't. "I see a…" He froze so suddenly that he almost fell over. Staggering, he held a hand to his head and screwed his eyes shut. "No, not that prophecy. That's not for this guy…" He swallowed hard. His skin looked pale, almost the same colour as the snow.
Oki frowned, unsure of what to say or do. Was this genuine? Or was it a trick?
Again Waka swallowed and then he stood up straight again. "Ok, I'm ready now. I see an excruciatingly beautiful blonde girl in your arms. You lucky thing. Almost as lucky as me except for the unfortunate fact that I'm going to be murdered in the near future. Still, can't let that spoil my fun. Now then, that sword. If you want a job doing you have to do it yourself. Au revoir."
He leapt off the cliff. For a moment Oki just stared. What on earth had all that been about? He traced over the words in his head.
Now then, that sword. If you want a job doing you have to do it yourself.
Quickly Oki rushed to see where Waka had gone. The gold was easy to see amidst the snow. Waka looked as if he was about to land beside Laochi Lake…
Oki swore. Sheathing his sword, he ran. He had to get to the lake before it was too late.
I'm going away for a few days so no updates until next Thursday at the earliest. Sorry!