The team awoke gradually, scattered over several hours depending on who they were. Tads was up first, greeting the dawn with prayer and ritual, and then replacing the spirits she used to guard the team. The recent visit home had made her miss it slightly – but the four month long 'daytime' in summer she missed even more! Aswon was next up, heading out of the house in a tatty old set of clothes dug out of the truck to go for a nice run up into the hills and back. Shimazu rose a while after, joining him for his second lap, with Kai being content to watch them run out of the kitchen window as he savoured his first cup of coffee a while later. Marius remained absent – causing a few winks and smiles as each of the team greeted each other, though it was actually light-hearted. Nobody begrudged him time with his wife and child – or wanted to face Nadia and upset her!
Uncle Agi came down for breakfast not long after, measuring out a precise amount of oats and milk to make his porridge with, and greeting them all with a large smile. As he settled at the breakfast table, Aswon flumped himself down on the settee in the main room, looking at the old man's back. He slowed his breathing and meditated, staring at the tinker through half-closed eyes and opened up his sight to the astral plane, questing around the old man's aura and trying to get a feel for how he felt, and what kind of vibes he gave off. Despite the uncertainty around his origins and the mysterious visitors that were due that day, Aswon couldn't detect any weirdness about him, though, and felt no disquiet. He wasn't as adept at reading people as Shimazu was, who seemed to have a knack for it – but he'd also encountered plenty of people over the last year with psychotic tendencies and he had recognised some of the warning signs, the strange flickers and taints in their magical presence that indicated that something was very much amiss.
Uncle Agi gave no such signs.
Despite that, Aswon was cautious, and spent a while stripping down his rifle and cleaning it, making sure it was ready for use later.
A few minutes after ten, they saw a delivery truck turn down the road leading towards the ranch, bumping and bouncing over the gravel track until it pulled up outside the ranch, swinging around in a wide three-point turn to back up towards the front door. The driver got out and checked his wrist-comp, then seemed to give a sigh and headed over to the front door. A raised hand never got to knock on the door as Hunter snatched it open, his ugly and malformed face appearing instead and making the woman yelp in surprise and probably a little fear. She probably would have been even more scared if she'd been able to see the pistol held in his other hand, aiming at her body through the front door.
Taking a moment to compose herself, she informed him that she had some deliveries for them – lots and lots of deliveries. She quickly backed off, keeping her eyes on Hunter as if he was a dangerous dog that could leap on her at any moment, until she felt the truck behind her and then quickly fumbled the back door open and climbed up into the cargo area, pointing at a large pile of boxes.
Aswon tapped Hunter on the shoulder, then pushed past him and gave the delivery woman a smile – intending to reassure her, but unfortunately just scaring her further as she saw the large fangs implanted in his mouth. It wasn't until Rusudan and Tads appeared that she seemed to relax a little, spying some 'normal' people for the first time.
Soon, though, they had a little chain of people lined up and were passing in boxes through the front door and piling them up in the hallway, gradually transferring the products from the van into the house. It still took ten minutes to unload the van, but soon enough she was able to get a thumbprint from Aswon and jump back into the cab of her vehicle, the slightly rough-sounding transmission and engine clattering away as she sped back down the track towards the main road.
"What is all this stuff, Aswon?" Hunter asked.
"Pants, socks, t-shirts, wash-kits, blankets, sleeping bags, knives, portable stoves, first aid supplies, jackets, monitor screens, cables, toolkits, commlinks, chargers, batteries, gas canisters, food containers, toilet rolls, cleaning materials, hammocks, inflatable pillows… all the stuff we lost in the old bird. I think I got everyone's sizes right, and hopefully the colours work out…"
The next half hour was spent opening the boxes, reducing the pile of containers and sorting through the kit into new rucksacks and bags, diving up the clothing for each team-member and building new 'go-bags' of equipment for them all.
Marius appeared during this, grabbing a coffee and then joining in with the unpacking as he assembled his own kit, and a little while later they were heading out to the new aircraft and stocking up the storage areas and crew supplies, getting it ready for operations. At the end they had an enormous amount of packaging piled up, but Vardo appeared with a large bag for the fillers and soon had the containers broken down neatly and taken away, restoring some semblance of order.
"Huh – looks like I have a new email from Ares." Marius announced. "New logon code and a link for verification, to download new firmware. It looks like they have further optimised the code."
"You going to download it now?"
"I think so, Aswon. There is a risk it could break something, and leave me vulnerable or less capable before this meeting. But it could also enhance the operation of my cyberware and provide an advantage. I think the reward justifies the risk."
"Let me give you a hand then, and I'll monitor it like before," Hunter chipped in, pulling out his deck and getting the transfer cables set up. It only took them a few minutes to get Marius plugged into the deck and the deck authenticated with the Ares servers, bouncing through half a dozen matrix redirects and jump-boxes, and soon the code was downloading. It was a little larger than the previous version, indicating that they'd added new features perhaps, or new capabilities – but as before there were no release notes or indications of what had changed. And, just like before there was a nervous few moments when everything rebooted to use the new code, sending Marius into a catatonic stupor as his body seemed to shut down while the cyberware package reconfigured itself.
Waking a few moments later, he carefully tested his systems, standing slowly and walking around the living room, picking things up and setting them down again, looking at objects near and far, and then trying some gentle exercises, gradually building up his range of motions as he tried to work out what might have changed.
"Everything seems to be operational. I am not detecting anything different so far. I will keep you updated."
Aswon headed out to the barn for a bit, spear in one hand and rifle in the other. Most of the horses were out in the field grazing, but one was in the stall, and it gave a little snort as he entered, hoping for a treat of some kind. He set down his weapons for a moment, then pulled out an oat-cake, breaking off chunks to feed to the horse, running his other hand up and down its neck as it happily munched away on the honey-soaked treat. Once it had finished all of the cake, the horse nuzzled his head, the scent of the horse strong in his nose as it sniffed and gently buffeted him.
He grabbed his weapons and moved over to a hay bale and sat, his back leaning up against the wood of the barn's side wall, feeling the rough material through his clothing. Leaning the rifle up against the hay bale and his leg, he relaxed and pulled the spear up and over his lap, gently laying his hands on the shaft of the weapon. Slowly his eyes closed and his breathing slowed, dropping into a smooth rhythm as he started to meditate. The aura of the barn had changed from when they'd first arrived – the dark and jagged fear and suffering from the tortured animals replaced with the love and care of the family once more. The horses provided a gentle wash of astral energy that he let wash over him, and though many would have turned up their noses at the smells present in the barn, they were entirely natural. The sound of the horse breathing, the smell of the food, the feel of the wooden construction, the earthen floor, even the scent of manure – it was all a part of the living world, and took him back to his youth, making him remember his earlier life back at the village in Nigeria, learning his skills as a member of his tribe.
His breathing and heartrate slowed further as he relaxed, his will controlling his autonomic functions as he exercised control over them. Eight breaths per minute was enough to provide all he needed as his heart rate dropped to just below thirty beats per minute, and his mind seemed to float away from his body, turning inwards to examine his self – and the glowing edifice of the spear that lay on his lap. As he examined it, he felt the strange sensation of the astral energies bound up into it. Not quite a sentience, but very much a hunger. It needed something, something only a living being could provide. He felt the desire through his bond with it, and he responded… mentally releasing a lock and opening a channel. Like opening a sluice gate and seeing water trickle through into a dry stream, he saw energy leaving his body, flowing into the spear, fascinated as it drank deeply. As the energy rushed through the shaft, he spotted it glowing in certain places, the light flowing in a sinuous and complex script.
He closed the connection, pulling himself back to his body and releasing the control over his autonomic functions, feeling his respiration and pulse rising back to normal again. Flicking open his eyes, he glanced down at the spear, tracing the faintly glowing Sperethial script that seemed to glow as if from an inner light.
"Hmm. 'Legacy of the Cloud-Dancer' What do you mean, eh?" He paused, as if to give the spear a chance to answer him, then shook his head wryly to himself. "Pah. I'm sure I'll find out when the time comes." He rose smoothly to his feet, and then headed out of the barn, giving the horse a gentle stroke on the nose as he left.
As he exited, he saw Tads being shown something by Nadia over on the other side of the road, pointing at some features on the ground, and then referencing her computer. A moment later, Tads extended her hands and a deep trench grew in front of her, speeding outwards in a straight line as the earth responded to her magical powers, opening up a deep pit. He wondered for a moment what new plan Nadia had in mind, or how much it was going to cost Kai – but didn't go over to ask. Nadia had dreams and aspirations – but they were very much grounded in reality, and she was a canny negotiator, too. He was sure whatever she had planned would be useful to the team or the ranch somehow.
The team tidied up the house, getting it ready for their visitors. Neteri, Allay and Sofietta were upstairs, cleaning the rooms and were advised to stay out of sight while the unknown visitors were here, and Eteri and Vardo were likewise advised to go out and tend to the horses or go for a ride and do some maintenance elsewhere in the ranch, leaving just Rusudan and Naena in the main areas of the ranch.
As they got close to midday, Aswon grabbed his gear and swarmed up the side of the house, clinging to the walls with his hands and feet as his gecko tattoos glowed faintly with energy, setting himself up on the ridge of the roof and wedging himself into position near the chimney. After testing his comms were working fine, he bought the rifle up into position and started to scan the area, looking for anything that seemed out of place or alarming.
Hunter had grabbed a ghillie suit and along with his assault rifle and some spare ammo headed out the front of the house and to the left of the track into the large arena that Nadia had built for playing laser tag or paintball in. Finding some good cover beside a pop-up piece of scenery and squirming down into cover behind some barrels and crates, he melded into the floor and set himself down to wait, eyes scanning from the turnoff from the main road towards the house and the front porch.
Kai, Shimazu, Tads and Marius waited inside, watching the trid-screen but not really taking it in, as the clock ticked down towards 12:00.
"Got a car slowing on the main road, black, four door. Expensive looking, but not crazy. Yeah, definitely slowing now, signalling to turn in to us. Think this is our meet."
"Confirmed, turning in now. It's armoured, discreetly. Not heavily, though – not something to take into a fight you know about, probably just enough to let you escape from one though. We can take it out if we need to."
The team inside listened to Aswon and then Hunter's descriptions, and rose from their seats, heading out towards the front of the house, with just a shout to Rusudan to ask him to start boiling some water for refreshments.
They lined up at the front of the house, just at the base of the front steps. Kai was at the front, with Shimazu just behind and to the right of him, while Tads and Marius hung back a little further – in earshot, but not so close as to be a crowd. The car pulled up in front of them, slowing smoothly to a halt with the sound of the gravel crunching underneath the tires cutting through the traffic noise from the main road.
As soon as it had stopped, the front passenger door opened and a young-looking Japanese male sprang out. Dressed in loose black slacks and black leather shoes, along with an unadorned black linen shirt, with a pair of slightly curved blades in scabbards hanging from his left hip. His skin was smooth and his features even, a slender face topping a trim body. He glanced over at the reception committee for a moment, then took a single step to open the rear door of the car, moving gracefully to the side and clearing space for the passenger to climb out.
The man who emerged looked to be in his fifties, wearing a black suit over a slightly off-white shirt, just a touch of blue hint to match the deep blue tie. Grey hair was neatly combed back from his face which showed light freckling and several deep lines. He too turned to examine the team, and then gave a tiny nod to the younger man. With a smooth motion he closed the car door then trotted around to the other side of the car, opening the door for another passenger to alight – wearing an almost identical outfit. He was younger though, his hair black with perhaps just the faintest tinge of grey starting to be seen, and his skin was less lined and weatherworn than the older man.
"Check out the second guys hands. Covered in tattoos." Aswon adjusted the scope slightly. "Looks like a tiger on one hand, serpent or dragon on the other. Lots of greens and reds."
"Missing a finger too. Left hand, little finger – gone all the way to the last joint." Hunter added, adjusting his own view of the man, though his was more of a mental twitch to zoom the cyber-eye in to maximum to view all the details.
"Probably means Yakuza, then. Or it's just a big coincidence that he lost a finger in an industrial accident. But if so, that probably means the older man is in charge, and the guy with the tattoos is a soldier or enforcer, maybe a captain of an area that runs multiple rackets. And the youngest guy is just pure muscle." Kai murmured into the comms, trying to keep his face impassive as the three men started to walk towards them. The oldest man led the way, with the next oldest man with the tattoos walking to his right and behind a pace, while the youngest man with the swords was on his left, and two paces behind.
"From the mannerisms and respect shown, it would appear that the oldest man is the oyabun, head of an entire family or gummi. The middle aged man appears to be a wakagashira, or his second in command." Shimazu whispered. "Looking at the way the guy is wearing his swords, I don't think they're decorative. He's got them set up just right, and he's got what looks like good form. His sword hand is mirroring his body movements, keeping just the right distance away for a smooth draw." His own hand eased down to hang loosely by his side, and his feet started to worm slightly further apart, spreading his weight and adjusting his balance.
"No sign of the driver. Guess he's staying in the vehicle." Hunter added.
The trio arrived, stopping about two metres short of Kai. The team heard the door open and close behind them, but remained focussed on the newcomers. Uncle Agi stepped past Tads and Marius, and then Shimazu, drawing level with Kai and then turning side on, so he faced the space in between them.
"Mister Kai, may I please present Mister Kenji, my honoured business partner." He turned slightly to face the newcomer and bowed respectfully. "Mr. Kenji, this is Mr. Kai, the operator of this establishment, and his team." Mr. Kenji bowed, lowering his head and torso in a sign of respect, accompanied by the two other men. Kai waited for a moment for him to stand, and then returned the bow, making sure his own was just a touch deeper, and holding the position for just a moment longer.
"Mister Kenji, welcome to the Estara Ranch. It is a pleasure to meet you, and thank you for taking the time from your schedule to make the journey. Would you care to come inside for some refreshments?"
"Hai."
Kai stepped back and gestured with a sweeping hand for them to proceed into the house, and Tads moved up the steps and pulled open the door as wide as it would go. Marius stepped inside quickly, moving to the edge of the hallway to guide them further into the house as soon as they entered, gesturing for them to head towards the dining table which had been cleared of any decorations.
"Outside all clear. No sign of tails, backup or other suspicious vehicles." Aswon reported from the roof. "If these guys are Yaks, I'm going to keep an eye out from up here – either to spot enforcers coming in or to make sure we don't have anyone crash the party."
"Ditto. I'm staying here and keeping an eye on the car. Besides, Shimazu can probably have the other guy dead before he's drawn a sword and the other two guys beheaded before they can do much about it. Assuming Tads doesn't just blast everyone in the room unconscious anyway…"
Naena was approaching the table with a tray full of cups and saucers, along with the teapot and other items. Shimazu waited until he'd set it down, and then took a step to his side and gently placed a hand upon Naena's arm, stopping her in her tracks.
"Mr. Kenji, may we offer you tea?"
"Thank you." Shimazu removed his hand and let Naena continue, having made sure that the most senior of the visitors was to be served first. Naena moved around and served the old man, adding milk and sugar at his direction and doing a credible job of service. It was no traditional Japanese tea-ritual for sure, but clearly they'd learnt something from having Germaine to stay with them. Naena looked over to Shimazu, who let his gaze flicker over to the tattooed man, and she served him next, followed by Uncle Agi who had moved to sit on the other side of the older man.
The younger of the visitors was still standing, just behind the oldest man, though with his hands clasped behind his back. Naena glanced at him, but surmised that he was not going to be drinking, and instead moved on to serve Kai and Marius – skipping over Tads who she already knew wouldn't drink tea. Once everyone had been served, Kai gave her a smile and a thank you, and she retreated into the kitchen area with Rusudan.
Shimazu had moved into position behind Kai, and mirrored the other bodyguard, relaxing his own stance and standing patiently, his eyes facing forward and not looking at anyone in particular, letting his eyes defocus a little to just let the scene wash over him.
"I will begin, if I may, Mr. Kenji?" There was a brief nod, and Agi continued. "During my time here recently, I have come to the conclusion that if we began to operate in this area, it might… ahhh… interfere with your business processes. Given the level of hospitality shown, that would be rude, of course. However, I also feel that it might cause some ill feeling, and that such misunderstandings between you, Mr. Kai, and Mr. Kenji would be most unfortunate. Not only unfortunate, but very unprofitable." Kai nodded to him, trying to keep his face calm as he read between the lines.
"As such I have recommended to Mr. Kenji that any future operations he expands into specifically exclude the town of Hajigabul, and indeed the surrounding area. How big an area remains to be seen, but my recommendation is that we include a significant area."
"I see. Well, first of all, I would have to express my gratitude for your consideration in this matter." Kai kept his tone neutral, but tried to convey sincerity, coaching his body language to convey openness and respect. "We certainly would appreciate things not becoming difficult, and equally we would not to impose any difficulties on your 'business processes' either, if we can do so."
"That is good." Mr. Kenji responded. "Business thrives where there is opportunity and understanding."
"Indeed, I agree wholeheartedly."
"It is my understanding that certain business rivals used to be prevalent in this area. They operated their business in a manner that was perhaps…unwise. Excessive, even. And they are no longer to be found in business." Agi looked at Kenji, and then at Kai.
"Am I to understand that you had something to do with this situation?" Kenji asked, before taking a quiet sip of tea.
"Well, I would agree that they were unwise in their business practices. Certainly they seemed to be more interested in short term profits rather than longer term returns. And I consider it never a good business practice to light your product on fire." Kai's voice grew a little harder, and he clasped his hands together in front of him.
"Ahh. I see. Uncultured." Kenji sniffed. "But they are no longer a concern?"
"Certainly not. I understand they had a trip out of town, to deal with an offer they could not refuse." Kai smiled slightly, then took a sip of his own tea. "As did some of their close business partners in Shirvan."
"Ahh. I understand now. We had noticed an opportunity that surprised us. A hole in certain other businesses operations. Most surprising. Now we understand why this hole existed."
"Yes. I work in a very different line of business – we move things from place to place, avoiding unnecessary intrusion. So I had hoped that our businesses would not overlap. However, I think we can all agree that preventing people from using the local food market is unsatisfactory business."
"Uncultured swine. But I can see how your feelings on the matter would have led to a conflict of interests. A most necessary one." Another sip of tea, and Kenji sat back in his chair, studying Kai for a moment. Kai, in return, suddenly flashed back to the moment in the park before they had taken on the task of hiding magical artefacts on volcanoes. It certainly wasn't part of Mongol culture to be so obtuse when discussing things, but he didn't know if this was a Japanese custom, or one just employed by their organised criminals.
"While we certainly aren't that far away from Shirvan, I'm not sure our interests extend that far." Kai paused for a moment and tried to get a read on their expressions. "We would appreciate a certain level of restraint, I'm sure. But I don't think our business interests would conflict with yours there. I certainly don't feel that you would be stepping on our toes… Is this a new venture for yourselves?"
"Not as such, though perhaps a new market. As mentioned, we noticed a hole in our competitors' presence, and sought to investigate further. But we consider ourselves wiser and more prudent – and are determined not to repeat history."
"Ahh, I see. I've often found it best to let the land lie fallow for a while myself, before trying to replant. It can lead to a much more healthy crop in the long term."
"Shigekazu. Perhaps we can arrange a map of the area to be drawn up, with a generous area around this location that should be excluded from our efforts." The tattooed man nodded, though he took no immediate action.
"I'm most pleased that we appear to have an understanding in this matter. I would also like to point out that if we are not business rivals, I would be more than happy to share information between us, to better help our mutual interests." Kai reached for his tea cup again, then had a thought. "We could also arrange perhaps, if this area is excluded from your normal operations, to make rooms here available at very reasonable rates for rest and relaxation. Or meetings."
"Ahh – a neutral ground? Somewhere to discuss things of importance between different business leaders?" Kenji proposed and Kai nodded. "Interesting. I think we would have to discuss that and consider the implications, but it sounds like an idea that could be worth further investigation."
"Well, I am happy to strike up a quick deal." Kai made sure he was transmitting, so the rest of the team could hear him. "So as I understand this, we have an agreement in principal that the local town will be left out of your business dealings, as will the area around the ranch – but that beyond that area we understand you will be conducting your business – but in a more civilised and cultured fashion?"
"Hai."
"Excellent. I think we'd all be very happy with that." Kai tried not to look distracted as Aswon and Hunter signified their agreement or approval to what he was saying. "Of course, the question then arises, on what to do if other businesses come to town. What will happen then?"
"Well, they can come. But we aim to have developed our business swiftly and efficiently, and have good market penetration. That will make us difficult to remove from the local economy."
"Ahh, I see. Most wise. Well, should we hear anything about such a situation, I'm sure we would make you aware as soon as we could. It would be only fair to return your efforts in kind." Kenji nodded at him, and his expression changed a little, as his gaze shifted to Shimazu standing behind Kai.
"I would be most curious to see an example of your business practices of course. To satisfy my own curiosity."
"I'm sure we would be happy to provide a demonstration." Shimazu said quickly, before Kai could respond. "Perhaps we should go to somewhere with a little more room, though, to avoid any accidental damage." He gestured towards the back door, only a couple of metres from the table. Kenji nodded, and all three of the Japanese men that were seated pushed back their chairs as one, rising to join the bodyguard and then neatly filing outside, along with the four of the team present. On the roof, Aswon switched position, and Hunter could be heard grumbling through the comms.
"Aww, I'm gonna miss the fight? Marius, make sure you record it! I wanna watch this later!"
Outside the back door, Mr. Kenji looked around, taking in the barn, workshop and outbuildings, though his quick survey of the area paused when he took in the large silvery tilt-jet sitting on the helipad. He looked at it without moving or speaking for several seconds then turned and raised an eyebrow at Agi.
"As I said, Mr. Kenji, an impressive level of equipment. And I believe that this is indicative of the general level of expertise displayed by Mr. Kai and his associates."
"It looks interesting."
"I can provide a quick demonstration if you wish?" Marius offered. Mr. Kenji looked at him for a moment, then nodded, turning his attention back to the aircraft. Marius meanwhile activated his link to the aircraft using his remote deck, and started up the auxiliary power unit, letting it run for thirty seconds to build up power, before kick-starting the main engines. It wasn't great for the wear on the components, but he went for an accelerated start-up process, wanting to impress the visitors with how quickly they could respond to threats or emergency situations – and hopefully proving a point. As soon as he had enough electrical power from the first engine for all of the systems required, he engaged the ruthenium polymers and the aircraft rippled and then melded away into the background, disappearing from view.
Appreciative noises came from the three visitors, somewhat restrained, but still impressed by what they were seeing – or rather what they weren't. Marius waited a few more seconds and then threw power to the engines, feeling the wave of jet-wash roll over them as the Broadsword rose into the sky. He took it up to about fifty metres, then held it there for a moment, before 'decloaking' and letting the aircraft be seen – then bought it down back to the helipad in a tight spiral, letting the visitors clearly see the large autocannons mounted on the turrets, as well as the size and general lines of the aircraft. As soon as it was safely down on the pad he cut the engines, trying to avoid any damage to the pad surface, while making a mental note to talk to Nadia about what she'd actually had the pad constructed from, and how resistant it was.
Mr. Kenji gave a smile and a polite smattering of applause – again somewhat restrained, but indicating a certain amount impressiveness.
"And this is the vehicle that you use for your deliveries, where you avoid unwanted interruptions?"
"It's one of them," Kai said. He didn't mention that the truck was their only other vehicle, but he wasn't technically lying, and he made sure that his completely accurate answer rang true, hoping that Kenji wouldn't press to confirm details. Kenji's mind was elsewhere though, and he gestured to his bodyguard.
"Taheiji – a friendly matter. No blood." The bodyguard bowed to Kenji, and then stepped forward, moving to a clear patch of the hard-packed earth and turning to face Shimazu. He gave him a respectful nod, and then slowly and deliberately drew his sword, selecting the larger of the two blades, and bringing it in front of him and holding it steady. Shimazu also drew his blade, taking his time and making it clear that it was a deliberately slow action, while walking out to face his assailant. The others all fell back, spreading out to ensure that the two combatants had plenty of room to move around in.
Shimazu studied his opponent, watching where his feet were placed and studying his form, analysing how he was holding the sword, what angle his arm was held out at, the direction and angle of the sword point. It all confirmed his earlier suspicions – certainly this man seemed to know what he was about, and everything he was doing was following fairly classical forms of training. Shimazu squinted a little, letting his gaze just edge into astral space, and saw the blade glowing with energy – a live and powered up weapon focus. With a mental flick, he activated his own blade, but cloaked the energy inside his own masking, making it appear as if it were a mundane blade.
The two swordsmen stood facing each other, motionless and staring blankly into space as each one waited for the other to make a move, looking for signs of attack. Seconds passed, and the spectators watched with bated breath, wondering who would move first. The seconds ticked by, stretching further and further, and just as some of them wondered if anyone would ever attack, they both burst into action. The two blades slashed out at each other, making light contact and sending a ring of steel echoing off the barn, before they both flicked back, then struck again from a new direction. Slice after slice went in, as first one then the other probed at their opponents. The sounds of the blades rang out, faster and faster sending musical chimes bouncing off the walls of the house and barn. Dust kicked up into a low cloud around their feet as they advanced and retreated, riposted and parried, dancing from side to side as they swayed in a complex swirling melee.
A sudden shriek of metal sounded as the two blades met and then slid down their cutting lengths, sliding down in an X-shape, and both Shimazu and Taheiji paused, then stepped back by mutual agreement. Neither seemed out of breath, a testament to their fitness and drill, and the combat seemed to have been a draw, with neither blade coming close to the other. Despite that, it was an intense and impressive display of skill that would have left a lesser opponent completely outmatched.
Taheiji stepped back to his original position and composed himself, while Shimazu followed suit, then they both bowed to each other respectfully before again taking up a ready stance. This time Shimazu saw the other man start to glow on the astral plane, clearly activating several powers. He recognised the feel or signature of the powers – looking just like Aswon did when he fought. Shimazu gave a tiny smile as he recognised what his opponent was doing – using his magical powers to enhance his natural and then trained ability with the blade, gaining further insight and dexterity from his own innate control of his body. That was fine with Shimazu – he decided that this time he wouldn't hold back as much – though he was determined not to harm the man if he could help it.
Again there was a pause as both men sized each other up – but this time the crowd knew what was going to come, and the tension continued to build as they waited. When it did come, it was hard to keep track of the action as both men burst into action, dancing, sliding, jumping and moving around each other, their blades in almost constant motion as they threw themselves at each other. This time though Shimazu was pushing the pace, and then threw out a combination of moves that slid through Taheiji's guard like a hot knife through butter. The Japanese man stopped, and looked down at his shirt, spotting the imprint of Shimazu's blade on his left flank, the flat edge having pressed in some dust and leaving an outline where he'd tapped the other man's shirt. Glancing at his right shoulder he saw the second such mark, and then very gingerly touched his left temple, pulling away three or four neatly cut hairs where the tip of the sword had shaved his flesh. Taheiji's eyes widened, and he lowered his sword until the point was aiming down at the ground, acknowledging Shimazu as the winner.
"What a beautiful demonstration. It's clear that they are both very expert with the sword." Kai murmured – actually meaning every word. It was easily the rival of any choreographed sword fight from a big budget trideo movie, and had been inspiring to see – regardless of who had won. That it had been Shimazu was icing on the cake of course, as far as Kai was concerned, but he tried to be diplomatic to Mr. Kenji.
For a moment Shimazu stood still, wondering if what he was planning was a good idea. But, only for a moment – and then he dropped his masking entirely, revealing his true aura and the power contained within. Taheiji's eyes widened further – something he didn't think would have been possible – and then he reacted. The blade spun around until it was vertical, with the cutting edge facing towards his own body, and he dropped to one knee, the point of the sword resting lightly on the dirt floor.
Mr. Kenji looked over at Taheiji with surprise showing on his face, slipping past his impassiveness.
"He is a master," was all that Taheiji said, sparing Kenji a quick glance, before returning his gaze to Shimazu. Shimazu in turn nodded respectfully at Taheiji and then walked over to him, lowering his own sword to the side and offering his other hand to help the man up. There was no reason he needed any help up of course, but the symbolism was clear.
"You fought very well, and have excellent control. Very impressive." It was, and Shimazu, like Kai a few minutes ago, didn't have to try and put any truth into his voice. Taheiji was an excellent swordsman, probably naturally gifted to begin with, and then trained very well to hone that skill – and with magical abilities to further enhance them. Against a more normal foe, he could have been trusted to cut them down like wheat. But Shimazu was also just as gifted, just as well trained, and also had magic to help him. He'd also had a year of incredibly brutal training in highly stressful situations against some foes that were beyond earthly imagination. More so – when the time had come, he'd made what he'd fully expected to be his final act of sacrifice, leaping in front of Kai when the horror had cast it's bolt of doom at him. For a moment he'd though he'd died… before he saw things that opened his mind to a wider scale of power. Things that had changed him forever and given him new insight, and that had exposed him to new levels of control he hadn't thought possible. Even if Taheiji trained for another decade, it was unlikely he'd attain such mastery – not unless he found himself in a similar situation. And it seemed the other man recognised the gulf between them, and despite the potential loss of face or trouble it might cause him, had acknowledged that Shimazu outclassed him significantly.
"Perhaps you can get him to help teach in the local dojo?" Aswon called out over the comms, witnessing the display from his elevated position.
"And we know he's definitely got the ability to see the astral plane now. Makes sense for a bodyguard, I suppose."
Their quiet conversation was interrupted as Kenji clapped politely, then gave another small bow of respect to Shimazu.
"I would perhaps like to see something else, if you are willing?" Kenji asked. Shimazu glanced quickly at the team, and then turned back to their visitors.
"Of course." Kenji nodded to Shimazu, then hit a button on his commlink and spoke quietly into it.
"Bring out some matts from the car, to the rear of the house."
"Got movement from the car – driver getting out, going to the boot!" Hunter called out, not having heard Kenji's side of the conversation.
"It is ok, Hunter, planned activity." Marius sub-vocalised. "Getting some kind of demonstration material."
"Ok. He's lifted out a couple of chunks of bamboo, about a metre long. Ahh – not bamboo, just looks like it. Some kind of roll, made of grass or maybe it is bamboo. And a small cosh or something. What's going on?"
"No idea yet."
They waited for the driver to bring the rolls of material around to the rear, and then hand them over to Taheiji. What Hunter had thought was a metal cosh was in fact a spike, which was driven into the ground, then the first of the rolls was driven down onto it, holding in place almost vertically.
"Ahh – tatami mats." Shimazu nodded, then more for the benefit of Kai and his own team he explained further. "These are tightly rolled tatami mats, made out of natural materials. They are used for 'tameshigiri' or sword testing. Long ago, a sword's edge was tested on the bodies of condemned criminals or the slain enemies of the samurai. But times have changed…" He shared a quick glance at the visitors, wondering if he'd get a reaction to that, but their faces remained impassive. "But anyway – it is a test of not only the sword's sharpness, but also the technique of the wielder in getting a perfect cut." He moved back out of the way and gestured to Taheiji.
The young man took up a stance in front of the rolled mat, standing perfectly relaxed and with the sword sheathed at his side. Three calming breaths were taken, and then he drew, the sword slicing up in a smooth arc, biting and cutting through the matting and sending the top part of the mat tumbling through the air. The sword flashed in the sun as the wrist flicked over, then was drawn backward, slicing back the other way through the dense roll of material, severing another section. One more flick of the wrist, and the sword tip rested just at the top of the scabbard, followed by a gentle 'shussh' sound as it slowly slid back into place. Taheiji paused, then gave a brief bow, and took a step backwards, before relaxing.
Shimazu headed over to the mid section, then grabbed it and bought it back towards Kai.
"You see here, the cut is at a nice smooth angle, clean and consistent all the way through. Both sides are even, and the cut runs in parallel on either side of the mat – that indicates that both hands are perfectly positioned on the blade, and there is alignment between shoulders, elbows, wrists and hands, with good distribution of power. Excellent technique." While he was describing Taheiji's efforts, the younger man had removed the small section left and fitted a new mat onto the spike. Then stepped back out of the way and politely gestured to Shimazu.
Shimazu threw the small section he had been demonstrating with to Kai, then went to take his place, performing much the same ritual as Taheiji had. When Shimazu's sword flashed out of the scabbard through, the difference was clear – it seemed to teleport into his hand rather than being drawn, and the sword flashed through the air several times in succession, making multiple cuts back and forth, up and down, in the same time that Taheiji had used. As small chunks of cut mat rained down out of the sky though, Shimazu placed the tip of the sword on the end of the scabbard and made exactly the same slow manoeuvre to re-sheathe it, and the others began to suspect that it was part of the ritual or formality of the practice rather than an individual action.
Mr. Kenji looked down at the ground, counting the number of pieces of matting that were laying around the ground, unrolling or splitting now they had landed. The half-metre long section that Shimazu had cut and lofted into the air had been neatly sliced five more times, forming a number of even cylinders. Some of these were still tightly rolled, held in place with the string that had been knotted around the rolls, while others were unrolling like worms, free of their bindings.
"Very impressive." Mr. Kenji congratulated Shimazu, and this time his bow was deeper and slower, acknowledging the mastery shown. "Thank you for your demonstration." Kenji glanced at Agi, then looked over to the tilt-jet resting on the pad, then back to Marius. He was about to speak, when Shimazu gestured to the third tatami roll that hadn't been used yet.
"If I may?" Kenji nodded, and Taheiji grabbed the mat, replacing it on the spike set into the ground, while Shimazu strode away from the group until he was standing about ten metres from the mat, before turning and standing square on to them. "You may wish to move back a little." Kenji, Shigekazu and Taheiji all moved back a few paces, until they realised that Marius, Kai and Tads had retreated all the way back to the building. With a brief glance to each other, they stepped back further, joining Kai as he leant against the wall of the house.
Shimazu concentrated, taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly, focussing his breathing and working through the lessons that Aswon had taught him. Slowly he centred himself, gathering energy and focussing it deep inside him, his eyes closing until they were barely slits, focussing on the tatami mat.
The sword flashed up and out of the scabbard, into a two-handed grip and was raised high above his head, then bought down – almost as if he was about to fling the sword across the intervening distance. Instead as it was bought to an abrupt halt in front of him, a ghostly slice of energy erupted from the blade, scything through the air and slamming into the target. The tatami mat exploded outwards, reeds, string, cotton fibres and edge strips propelled through the air in a globe of destruction as the ethereal blade transferred energy into the target and exploded.
As the debris settled, the team saw all three of the Japanese visitors looking at each other, and at Shimazu in amazement. Shimazu was still standing in the pose, blade raised before him, until he slowly re-sheathed the blade and took a step back, just as he had on the previous demonstration.
"We have taken up much of your valuable time. I must thank you for your hospitality and patience with us." Kenji said, voice quiet as he continued to look at Shimazu, before dragging his gaze back to Kai. "But I feel that our agreement as discussed previously would be in all of our best interests." He looked around the team once more, then offered his hand out to Kai for a very obvious hand-shake.
Kai took it, and gave the appropriate two and a half shakes, then reached into his pocket and withdrew a business card, taking it gently in both hands and presenting it to Kenji with a half-bow, trying to reciprocate his consideration to others' customs.
"This should allow us to keep in touch, and discuss any future matters. I look forward to working with you on some shared business ventures at some point in the future." Kai smiled at Kenji, then gestured towards the corner of the house, leading their guests around the side of the ranch and back towards their car, engaging in some very banal chit-chat as they went.
As they reached the car, the driver popped out and headed over to open the door for Kenji, while Taheiji quickly opened the door for Shigekazu. Both of the older men gave polite nodes to the team, then climbed into the back of the car, sinking into the soft leather seats before disappearing from view as the doors were closed. The driver headed back to his seat, but Taheiki paused for a moment by his own door, looking at Shimazu. They could see his mouth working, as if he was preparing to say something – but nothing came out.
"Perhaps when it is convenient, you could stop by for some sparring or training. Here, or at the dojo in town." Shimazu offered. Taheiji seemed to sigh with relief and nodded gratefully, then gave Shimazu a quick smile before he opened the door and climbed into the car himself. A moment later, the car started up and quickly turned around, before heading down the track and towards the main road.
"Thank you. I very much appreciate your hospitality. And I have genuinely enjoyed my time here." Agi rubbed his belly appreciatively. "I think I have not been so well-fed in all my travels. But with this agreement, I think it is time for me to move on. Perhaps to the area south of Shirvan."
"I'm glad we were able to look after you, 'Uncle Agi'. Good look on your travels." The emphasis on the name was slight, but noticeable, but Kai smiled. He was pretty sure that 'Uncle Agi' was a useful persona and nothing more – but he understood why it was affected and how useful it had been to the man. And compared to the alternatives that might have happened, this wasn't too bad of an outcome for either the team, the family or the ranch and the nearby town.
Uncle Agi gave them a polite nod, and a sly little wink to Shimazu, then headed inside the ranch, leaving the team outside. A moment or two later, a pile of leaves and mulch in the combat arena rose and transformed into the lumpy shape of Hunter, shaking and shedding leaves and loose material, it padded over to join them, while Aswon descended down from the roof as well.
"Are we letting him just wander off?" Hunter asked, cocking his head towards the house.
"I think so. I guess he's out scouting, finding out about an area before the Yaks move in. Worked out ok for us, so I don't think we should stop him." Kai responded. "He's not done anything bad really, other than perhaps not been entirely forthcoming with who he really was. And we've done that too…" Hunter grunted, pulling a face that indicated that he didn't see it that way – but then declined to say anything further.
Uncle Agi didn't take long to emerge, his backpack pulled up high on his shoulders and his little tool chest rattling along behind him as he pulled it over the hard earth.
"Would you like a lift to Shirvan? I'm sure we can drive you down there, save you the walk?" Aswon offered.
"Thank you, but no. I really do need to work off some of that excellent food. And besides, nobody will believe I really am an itinerant tinker if I don't have a little travel stain on my clothing from the journey!"
"Well, you're welcome to stop by on your way back, if you're coming back this way." Kai added, returning his smile.
Agi gave him a little bow, which Kai returned, and then with a friendly little wave to the rest of the team he turned and started to head off down the track. As he did so, he seemed to hunch over a little more, slowing as the weight of years piled back onto his shoulders until he was just an old man struggling along with a full bag on a wearisome journey.
"Come on – I need another drink." Kai led the way back into the house, and the team settled around the table, letting the family know it was fine to resume normal activity now. After a drink and a chat about the Yakuza, they team started to get organised. Tads headed off to see Aslick, and purchased a large amount of warding materials from him, coming back on their one remaining dirt bike with bags full of fresh chalk, incense and other mythic paraphernalia, while the rest of the team headed out with Marius to start work on the aircraft. Very carefully they spent the rest of the day stripping down the interior bulkheads, opening up the internals of the cabins until they could see the fuselage and all the concealed wiring and systems that were hidden away.
The following morning, the four magical members of the team set to work, slowly inscribing runes and symbols inside the vehicle, carrying out their rituals and working away to form a ward around the interior of the aircraft. Starting a little after eight in the morning, they didn't finish until just after midnight, and all of them were sore and tired by the end of it. But, the craft now had a solid astral barrier over the interior of the hull, that was nearly half as strong again as the one that had protected the previous tilt-wing.
At least half the following day was spent reassembling the cabins and replacing the interior panels, putting the aircraft back into workable condition, and then replacing all of the mission equipment and supplies that they'd packed, then unpacked for the warding.
They'd put in a fresh order for the components to replace the fibre-optic viewing system that they could use for magical observations, but that was going to take several days to arrive, being made up of some fairly specialist equipment. Until then, they worked around the ranch on various things – Hunter training with one of the drones on the rifle range, practicing his remote gunnery skills, being coached by Marius, while the others practiced their various mystical skills, and trying to keep out of the way of Rusudan and the family as they tended to the guests in the holiday chalets.
Tads and Hunter had a little altercation one day as she earnestly suggested he think about making a trip to the doctors in Baku to make a sperm donation, ensuring that his line could be continued should something happen to him – taking seriously the apparent implication that he was actually related to an ancient King – but Hunter was adamant about just where and how his seed was to be released, and apparently a cup didn't make it onto the list…
But, a week later, and once more feeling refreshed and revitalised, they'd fitted the optical viewing system and had the new aircraft fully stocked and ready to go. At breakfast, Kai waited for everyone to be done before clearing his throat and getting their attention.
"Right then chummers… ready for some more work?"