CHAPTER TWENTEY
The Twin Devils' Sorcery
The next level was the guard's quarters, which required a lot of rather discreet monster-butt-kicking. Hiraku and I lured individual demons into rooms to silently conk something over their head and quickly take care of them. The ground occasionally shook with giant tremors, which put all the monsters on guard and our task of discrepancy even harder. However, we eventually made it back to the fifth floor.
The unreliable elevator slowly creaked to a halt in front of the red doors, and I took a steadying breath. I rolled my shoulders and stretched my neck, enjoying the feeling of having nothing around it and hearing joints pop back into place; the golden chain clenched in my jaws. The doors slid open, and I saw the great monster slouched in his throne. He brooded, his dirty feathers draped over his great chair in a careless manner. I held my head high and strode into the room. I had escaped his capture, now he would pay for his crime. "Hey bird-brain!" Hiraku called out. "Remember us?" I heard the clink of metal as he drew his tiny sword.
The bird man looked up slowly, and regarded us with yellow eyes full of hatred. "You…" Dait-Tengu drawled, steadily rising like a puppet on a string. "We could have accomplished so much together… But you have sabotaged my bathhouse, slaughtered my workers…" 'That's a little unfair,' I thought. 'We did help get his elevator working again.' "Murdered my lovely wife…" Lovely is not the first word I would have picked to describe his wife, inside or outside. He no doubt saw in her what he craved himself. Power, and hunger for more power. "Slavery is not partnership, nor is personal bounty worth the harm of others." I snarled. "This bathhouse is nothing but an attempt to force others into bowing to you, even at the cost of their lives, which I will not stand for. I will give you one more chance, Sojobo. Take down your dam." Hiraku repeated my words, and the bathhouse master opened his dusty wings with a flourish.
"Never!" He screeched. "This is my bathhouse, my valley! MINE!" He rose into the air, squawking like a mad animal. He raised his hood and vanished from sight. I sunk into a fighting stance and threw ink from the tip of my tail across the room, watching carefully. A few dots didn't land and stayed hovering in the air. He couldn't hide anymore, I knew exactly where he was. I jumped up, and Hiraku used my snout as a springboard onto the boss monster's back. The bird didn't even notice, he was too concerned with me. I gracefully fell back to the floor, and took off running as I knew claws I couldn't see were close after me. I cut a quick corner and heard a thud as giant clumsy wings flew into one of the upside-down columns.
Sojobo suddenly appeared, and in shock, looked down at his own bare shoulders. "Hey bird-brain!" Hiraku taunted, jumping onto my back and dangling the robes in the air. Dait-Tengu screeched in anger and dived down, claws extended to rip it from Hiraku's grasp. I leaped up into the air again, the golden collar dangling open in my mouth, and clamped it shut around Sojobo's scaled ankle. The monster squawked, but I had him. I swung the demon lord around like a giant hammer, around and around, until I had an idea and heaved him in a curve directly into the crystal sphere. It shattered into a cascade of glass as Sojobo crashed into it, clouds spilled out of the broken orb, flooding the ceiling with a rolling storm.
"No, what have you done?" The demon bird gaped at me in rage and shock, rising from the floor, robes still clenched in his claws. Storm clouds roiled around the room, and lightning crackled against the ceiling. The bath-master was almost defeated, and with a final great arc of my tail, I summoned lightning from the darkening clouds and aimed it directly to his chest as he swooped towards me. Dait-Tengu screeched as the bolt struck him and instantly caught fire, his oily feathers feeding the flame. In moments, the only evidence of the monster was a pile of ashes on the floor. I let out a breath of relief, finally the valley was rid of this greedy creature.
Hiraku bounced off my head down to the floor and took out a tiny vial. "What're you doing?" I asked. "You never know when something like this might come in handy." He said, scooping up some of the dust and tucking the container away. A gigantic golden flower sprung from the place the rest of the ashes had been. I stepped closer to admire it, when suddenly twinkling light started to trickle in from the cloud-covered ceiling. "I wasn't the only god trapped here." I said, understanding. Sojobo was so confident in containing me because he'd done it before. Stars glittered brightly above us, making the figure of a large bird. I dotted the missing places, and the constellation burst into life.
༄༄༄༄༄༄
A great crane, regal neck stretched to its full extent, swooped around us, in and out of the storm clouds. He pulled two vials out of his plumage, one filled with flame, the other glittered like ice. With deft talons he opened them and scattered the contents in the air, creating a great storm of fire and ice. I ducked my head away from the incredible temperatures and blinked from the blinding light. Then the magic faded, and he stood proudly before us, tall and magnificent, with keen, sharp, bird eyes. "Ah, Akimeterasu. Child of Amaterasu, savior of Nippon…" The crane spoke, his voice a deep and resonating tone. "I am the god Tsurugami. My kin and I were conjured into existence by the talents of the celestial envoy, Issun." He gracefully strode forward on his stilt-like legs. "I am the alchemist of the brush-gods, keeper of storms. That monster kept me confined here, trapped in the orb against my will. Now I am free and deeply grateful to you for my rescue. Your ingenuity and courage has served you well, and allowed you to succeed against such a terrible foe-"
"-Otherwise known as Hiraku." My companion whispered and smirked, and I lightly shoved him. "and now I shall grant you access to my powers as payment for my freedom." The crane bowed his long neck in respect. "I have powers like no other, I am the merging point between the gods, their powers are all linked through me. Sun and moon, fire and water, destruction and healing, are all allies with my skill. I serve the creative and talented, and I trust my gifts to you, as such an individual, to find new uses for them. Take care, for my powers must not be used needlessly." Tsurugami spread his wings wide, and his figure receded into a glowing orb. The orb glowed with a fervent energy, and was pulled into my chest with what felt like an electric shock. I gasped and closed my eyes as the gold clouds faded.
༄༄༄༄༄༄
As soon as the room reappeared, Hiraku and I ran back to the elevator to get back to the top of the bathhouse. The magic keeping the dam in place was almost broken, now I had to finish it. When we reached the top we saw monsters as they hurried on their way, bath towels falling down as they scrambled to get out of the crumbling caves. Tengu and other winged guests took off from the top of the bathhouse, abandoning their lounging chairs. "Last time I take Shig's advice on spas ever again." I heard one grumble. "Next time I'll just sneak into a human place."
I approached the dam, and for the first time, I noticed a plaque beside the edge. 'Nothing can stand in the way of industry, to do so would be as impossible as the sun and moon's light sharing the same sky.'
"What's so impossible about that?" I said with a smile. I backed up a few steps and drew a crescent followed by a circle in the sky above the cliffs. The moon gleamed from its place in the heavens, before a brilliant red glow appeared from over the mountains and rose to join it. The moon's light quickly faded, but not before they both gleamed together in unison, and the seal on the cursed dam wall vanished. A tremor shook the ground, the strongest one yet. Then with a great cracking noise a giant split appeared in the middle of the ground. I heard the rushing of water, and a stream came gushing through the crack, forcing it wider so it could spill over the cliff's edge. I was jolted off my feet as the ground gave way beneath me, and I drew a quick circle on the water flowing where the ground had just been. A lily pad formed beneath my paws before they could touch the water. I clung on desperately with my claws and my tongue flew out of my mouth as I was washed down the face of the cliff. The pad skipped over the surface of the rushing water, flying down the waterfall. I howled in exhilaration and delight as we dove down and felt Hiraku holding on for dear life to my ears, also screaming. We splashed to the bottom and were swiftly whisked away with the water down the growing river. As the water gushed over the dry riverbed, I could see the land celebrating its return. The grass became green again, wilted trees sprung up to their former glory as the river cascaded forth, announcing its arrival with a rippling rhythm. A large, green floating island bobbed along next to us. I couldn't tell what it was until I recognized the bird-adorned apron. "Tubba!" Hiraku and I both exclaimed. "Ah, 'ello again lad!" The Akaname croaked, lifting his head out of the water. "It ppears I'm outta a job, damn dam's gone. But now I've got some time fer meself, I'm gonna go to the big city, see if I can get meself a job as a right respectable frog. Hohoho." He floated away ahead of us, and I smiled. When we washed by the checkpoint I launched off the lily pad towards the bank… And almost made it. I slightly misjudged and fell just short, so I splashed into the cool water. I shook my head and paddled against the current the last foot or so to shore. I heaved myself out of the water, and galloped up towards the wilted guardian sapling. When I arrived I saw it was a vibrant and lively green, bouncing with life as it sprouted upwards, becoming a proper guardian sapling. I drew a giant loop around it, and a dazzling shower of blossoms sprung forth. I took a deep breath in as I felt Sakura's healing and protective energy flow through me as it raced to continue restoring the valley. There was truly no better feeling than watching the valley come back to life from my perch on the mountain. Hiraku and I watched silently together as the river flowed back into its rightful course, the dawn lighting the water's splashes into glittering drops of pure sunlight.
(AN: I'm sure you're all in shock, I know I am. I haven't posted a chapter in over a year! But wasn't that worth the wait? A boss fight, another constellation, and the dungeon is complete!
And that's why you should never try and chain a god. They break free and use your chain as decoration until they get bored of it… And then clasp it around your foot and swing you by it embarrassingly. XD)