Chapter 85 - Strategy
I'm coming Rin. It kept repeating over and over in Sesshomaru's thoughts, like a chant or an incantation. Her name seemed to thrum with every beat of his heart. He followed the scent of the living dead, the only lead he had to find Rin. They were obviously skilled mercenaries… the only reason they were leaving a trail at all, was by intent. The precise intent of drawing Sesshomaru to the battleground of their choice. Somehow… I have to find a way to circle around and get in front of them. If only I knew where they were headed.
The evasive scent led him in a roundabout loop, heading toward a human village, amid the grassy plains that surrounded the base of Mount Hakurei. Another scent reached his nose, one that filled him with an intense and painful longing. Lilacs. Rin was near here. The scent wasn't fresh. Yet another new scent overlay the sweetness of the lilacs… chilling him. Blood. Fortunately — it was not Rin's blood. Only a minor relief. He stopped when he reached the small shack, sitting empty near the stream. Pausing, Sesshomaru glanced around at the devastation. The mercenaries killed men from the village. Their bodies still lay in the grass not far away. Tiny footprints marked the ground near the hut, too small to be Rin's. They were here not long ago. Sesshomaru's gold eyes narrowed with a gleaming intensity as he followed the scent of graveyard soil, as it made a sharp turn.
Rising from the ground, he focused solely on the scent of the dead humans, and the barely discernible sweet scent accompanying them. The scent was leading straight back toward Mount Hakurei. Sesshomaru's mokomoko and hakama streamed behind him, flowing almost unnaturally with the intense focus of his demon aura. Behind him, Jaken was whipped back and forth on the wind, still clinging desperately to Sesshomaru's fur, looking more ill than he had before.
There it is. The scent of the walking dead. They're somewhere at the base of Mount Hakurei. His eyes gleamed amidst the night shadows. I'm coming for you Rin.
Jaken moaned, the sound partly muffled by his mokomoko. "Ohhh… I don't feel so good my Lord. Is it my imagination? Or has the barrier become quite a lot stronger than before?"
Point of fact, the imp wasn't wrong, as they approached Mount Hakurei, it was clear that the sacred barrier had grown stronger. Not only in intensity, but it also extended further away from the mountain than it had before. Even now, at a distance from the mountain, Sesshomaru could feel the barrier pressing against him. Like a weight against his chest, warning him not to go any further. If they are hiding Rin on the mountain, it will be much more difficult. I am at a disadvantage on pure ground. Perhaps that is their intent… they believe that they can best me, if I'm fighting the sacred barrier as well as fighting them.
The strategic wheels in his mind began working, he'd been trained in how to look at any situation, and find the best advantage to be used against any enemy. I already scouted the lower regions of the mountain cliffs a few days ago, when following Kohaku's scent. The scent of the mercenaries was not present at that time. Which must mean, they haven't been to Mount Hakurei until now. I will have the advantage, since I know the terrain, and I know exactly where the barrier falls — the line that I cannot go past. They won't know, since they are not demons. I just need to arrive before they get to that point.
Sesshomaru put on a burst of speed, the grass beneath him flattened with the force of energy as his lithe form cut through the air like a blade. Clinging to his fur, Jaken cried out, struggling to hang on. It did not take Sesshomaru long to reach the lowest paths leading up into Mount Hakurei. His booted feet made no sound as he landed on the smooth worn rocks. Behind him, Jaken fell to the stone with a solid thunking sound, followed by another complaint of pain. The yokai paid Jaken's complaints no attention. His gold eyes were narrowed under deeply furrowed brows, focused intensely on the fog enshrouded path head. Slowly, he moved forward, using all his senses to assess for potential traps or ambushes waiting ahead. The barrier is stronger now. Jaken had been correct, the intensity made Sesshomaru feel ill with the weight and force of it. But such trivial sensations would not deter him from his goal - finding Rin. It was only a few steps further, until the bolts of electricity began to sizzle against his skin and across the metal of his sode armor. For a moment, Sesshomaru paused, tilted his head back to look up at the mountain peaks which soared high above his head. Finally. I found them. They're just up ahead.
Seeing his master walk into, what the Jaken assumed was certain death by purification from the sacred barrier, he cried out trying to call Sesshomaru back. The yokai lord made no indication that he'd heard the imp's desperate pleas, not to fall for the mercenaries trap. Instead, Sesshomaru walked directly into the thick fog, until his form was entirely enshrouded from sight. Jaken will be unable to tolerate the barrier's resistance as I can, I will face them alone. I'm coming for you Rin, hold on a little longer.