Blue

by Silenta-Atestanto

The history of our world is a simple one. An Overlord emerges to terrorize mankind, before a Hero rises up to slay him. So the cycle went, until it was broken when a succubus claimed the mantle, seduced the Hero sent to slay her, and created the stalemate we recognize today. But history is rarely ever so straightforward. I should know. I saw the events that would unfold for myself.

27. Chapter 27: Blight

Chapter 27: Blight

Of the enemies Alondight faced, few names are encountered multiple times: and of those, the most frequent is that of the Ignis Fatuus, Carbuncle. Like the will-o-the-wisp that lures unwary travelers to an untimely end, Carbuncle's innocent appearance belied both his intelligence, and his vicious and cruel nature. Of the Fiend Generals, he was known to take the most pleasure in inflicting pain and torment. And it was this sadistic nature that would drive him to torment Alondight and his companions time and again, each time with one of the less intelligent Fiend Generals on his leash. Lescatié diligently recorded no less than three encounters with Carbuncle, though she also records the Dragonslayer speaking of encountering him at least once prior to their meeting in Mayfil…

Dragonslayer Chapter 6: The Shaman and the Earth-Shaker

Many believed that only farmers tracked the seasons. But that was not so in Neith. Hunters too followed the turning of seasons, for they brought with them changes in their various quarries. Birds would travel to distant roosts as a cold chill filled the air, only to return when it departed at last. Deer would call for mates as flowers bloomed and the first crops sprouted, and larger beasts would gorge themselves with the coming of winter, making approaching them especially treacherous. The signs could be found all around, if one knew where to look.

And it was by these signs that Sin knew that a year had passed since his brother's death.

In that time, he had traveled, by roads and rivers, in storm and sun and snow, moving ever forward to the land of Jibril's birth- Kobol. And the apothecary herself had been at his side from the first. She had changed quite a bit from their first encounter: the short-cropped hair she once wore had grown long, tied into two long, thin black tails. The rags she had once been clad in had been tossed aside, replaced with clothes more suitable for travel, and resistant enough to protect her from the caustic materials her work sometimes required her to handle. But it hadn't been merely her appearance that had changed- her nature had as well. She had taken up a blade of her own- a small one, but no less deadly, and sharp enough to carve through bone and flesh with frightening ease. And, she had learned concoctions which could harm as well as heal- noxious smoke which burned the eyes and lung; bombs which produced brilliant flashes and deafening claps that dazzled and deafened; and most recently, a caustic spray that could melt stone and steel like wax, to say nothing of much softer materials.

But compared to Jibril, Sin felt as if he hadn't changed at all. Not since that day, when he had killed Ixion by snapping off the General's horn and driving it back into his own throat. He still wielded the horn as a weapon- he'd even learned how to force it to release the power still lingering within. He had a small beard now, his hair was a little longer, he'd replaced his old tunic with a new one, gotten himself a new bow- one made for killing men rather than beasts… but every day, when he woke up in the morning, it felt as if everything had happened just the day before. He half-expected that when he sat up, he would see Sai sleeping somewhere close by… only for disappointment to crush his heart anew when he remembered that Sai was gone.

The dry, rocky lands surrounding Neith had long since receded, giving way to vast grassy plains spread over great steppes that slowly climbed like a staircase carved by giants. These lands, which Jibril named "Zeist," were one of several which rested along the banks of a great river named Argo. At the end of this river was a lake named Ge- and on its shores waited their destination. Caprica. The capital city of Kobol. Unlike the lands around Neith, the roads had a small handful of travelers coming and going. So, it was of little interest when one such passerby came upon them. But what was a surprise was when he abruptly stopped, and turned toward Sin and Jibril.

"Um, excuse me," he began. "You're… Jibril. And you're… Baligant. Right?"

"And who are you?" Sin demanded, gripping Ixion's horn, looking the stranger over. He was young- probably not far from how old Sai would have been now- with bright eyes and hair that seemed to lie somewhere between orange and gold, clad in a heavy robe stitched together from leather. Despite his age, however, it was clear that the stranger was well-traveled: he had a number of scars on his hands, a small scar on his face, just under his nose, and the axes hanging from his belt were worn from use, their blades notched, the cords bound around the handles slackened and fraying.

"Right, introductions. I should've started there. I'm Deneb." The stranger then looked between Sin and Jibril. "But… shouldn't there be three of you? What happened to Sai?"

The grip Sin had on Ixion's horn didn't slacken. "He's dead," he replied bluntly. "And the name is Sin now."

The young man looked at Sin in surprise. "What?" He then looked off to the side, and hissed, "You could've told me that sooner…"

Jibril took a cautious step forward. "Um, who are you talking to?"

Deneb glanced over briefly. "Oh, sorry, I was talking to my brother, Rigel."

The apothecary's eyes fell on the empty space Deneb was speaking to- presumably, where Rigel should have been. "And… where exactly is your brother?"

"Oh, Rigel's dead, too. Has been for about… six years now. Ever since General Kujata went on a rampage through our homeland." A pause. "Sorry, seven years. But, even though he's dead, he's still with me. He… tells me things. He told me how to find you. And he told me about your mission. To kill Bahamut and the Fiend Generals."

"And why would he do that?" Sin asked, not believing a single word Deneb had said thus far. He didn't even think "Deneb" was the stranger's actual name.

Deneb's face hardened. "Because he knows I hate Kujata. And he knows there are others who hate the Generals just as much as I do. And, he knows that there's someone out there who hates the Generals enough that they managed to kill one of them." He stepped forward. "I always thought they were invincible- everyone did. But you proved them all wrong." The stranger looked down the road, down the path he had come. "…I want you to help me kill Kujata." His gaze returned to Sin. "In return, I'll help you, until you do."

Sin gave the stranger one last look, before stepping around him. Without looking back, he said, "I don't need help."

"But you do! I can help you- my brother told me so, and he's never been wrong! I made sure to be at this spot, on this day, because it's the day you'll find another of the Generals!" But Sin continued on, paying no heed to the stranger's words.

Until another voice, strange and shrill, then spoke, his words forcing Sin to pause, "You should listen to him," it said. "He's right, you know… Slayer of Ixion."

Sin whirled around to face the voice's owner, bringing the horn to bear- but when he turned, all he was met with was a small creature, its like he had never seen before. It looked somewhat similar to a cat, but it was covered with blue fur, with large ears, a tail that forked halfway down its length, and what looked like a brilliant red gemstone set into its forehead. But, its eyes… the creature's eyes were cold and black, seeming to radiate a burning, furious hatred like a stone-melting flame. The fury that shone in its eyes was almost enough to cause Sin to drop the horn completely… but he held his nerve.

"I will admit…" the creature began, in its cold, mocking voice. "Ixion was always the least among us. In truth, I suspect Lord Bahamut would have replaced him sooner or later." Its eyes narrowed, intensifying its glare. "But that was a decision for Bahamut alone. You had no right to kill Ixion."

"Then he should've put up a better fight!" Sin swung the horn at the small creature, focusing and causing an arc of lightning to fly from its tip. But the nimble beast leapt to the side, eyes still burning.

"Such fire. I can see now how you managed to kill Ixion." The gemstone set in the beast's forehead began to shine a deep red. "But for the sake of the world, we'll be snuffing out that fire."

"We?" Sin questioned. "I don't see anyone else here."

As if in reply, the earth shook. Rumbling filled the air, and Sin and the others staggered, the tremors almost throwing them off their feet. Over the noise, Sin saw Jibril point and shout, "Look! Over there!" He followed the path made by her arm, and saw…

… an arm. A massive, titanic arm rising from the earth, palm braced against the ground, as if its owner was preparing to pull themselves out of the ground. It was huge, taller than any tree, any building Sin had seen thus far. And with more violent tremors, the arm's owner finally began to rise.

It was… a mountain. That was the only way Sin could describe it. A mountain that walked. Sure, it looked like a man, but it was so unbelievably, inconceivably huge… he didn't think such a massive living thing could exist… if such a thing were even alive to begin with. The walking mountain had a face, or, rather, half of one- above its nose, its face was shaped in a formidable glare. Below… there was nothing. Only what he could only assume was rock and stone, carved to resemble teeth, and a bare jawbone. In cavernous eye sockets, two brilliant blue lights blazed like flames as the mountain's gaze fell on the three.

"Were you expecting an army?" the beast asked in its shrill voice. "Why send a hundred soldiers, when one can do what is necessary?" The gemstone in its forehead flashed again. "Now, Hecatoncheir! Stand, stand and fight!"

The mountain shook itself, throwing off a cloud of "dust" whose specks must have been bigger than houses, its eyes briefly flashing the same red as the beast's gemstone. It then drew itself back, and let out a deafening roar. As it did, arms suddenly seemed to sprout from the depths of its rocky flesh, dozens of them, until its torso was completely masked by them. Then, it began a lumbering charge toward the three. It seemed to move so slowly… but every time its feet touched the ground, the earth bucked violently, and within just a few steps, the giant was within arm's reach. At a distance, it had already been massive- this close… it truly seemed like a living mountain.

But Sai stood firm. This wouldn't be the first time a monster had tried to kill him. It wouldn't even be the first attempt on his life by agents of Bahamut. Everything had a weakness- a moment where it was vulnerable. His hunter's experience had taught him that.

But before he could begin, Deneb rushed forward, his hands raised. "Alright Rigel, let's show them what we can do!" He then cried out in a tongue that Sai didn't recognize, "Andardráttur Niflheim: Ís Vegg!"

In an instant, a dome of thick ice sprang up from the ground and covered Deneb, Sai, and Jibril. Almost immediately, a chill in the air bit at Sai's flesh, seeping deep into his bones. He had felt winter's chill- sometimes, he had even seen snow fall from the sky- but never anything so intense. It was as if the ice had been pulled from a world that had never so much as seen a fire's warmth.

The giant's fist struck the dome. There was a deafening boom, and the earth bucked hard enough to throw Sai and Jibril off their feet. But, Deneb stood tall, arms raised, a white mist flowing from his hands into the air. And more importantly, the dome was still intact. The titanic blow hadn't even cracked it.

Through the ice, Sai could see the distorted visage of the giant pull back his arm, and drive his fist toward them again. And again, there was a boom, and a violent jolt. But again, the dome held. The giant pulled its arm back again. But rather than a straight blow, he raised his arm, high over his head, before swinging it down toward the dome like a hammer. But this time, the boom was accompanied by a crack, and freezing shards rained down on Sin and the others. A crack had formed in the dome from the impact, but the giant hadn't pulled its hand away. Instead, the dome's ceiling began to descend toward them, the sides sinking into the earth.

They were trapped. If they did nothing, the giant would press the dome of ice down until it crushed them all. But if this stranger- Deneb- removed the dome, then the giant would crush them anyway before they could flee. Sin was stunned. He had assumed that the giant was a stupid, lumbering brute who would futilely try to smash its way through its foes. But it seemed it was cleverer than he expected.

But so was Deneb. The mist streaming from his hands increased, until it was a river of glittering crystal, and shouted, "Andardráttur Niflheim: Frystingu Snerta!"

Ice began to creep over the dome, filling the cracks, and onto the mountain's fist, rapidly climbing the beast's skin like thick, frozen vines. It began to draw back. But before it could, the dome of ice dissipated in a cloud of dense, frozen mist, and Deneb shouted again, "Andardráttur Niflheim: Ís Ör!" A long spear of ice appeared before him, before darting toward the giant's hand. But rather than piercing its skin, the moment the spear made contact, it- and the giant's hand- shattered, as if made of glass. Sin raised an arm to shield himself, while Jibril cried out, curling up with her arms over her head. The mountain let out a rumbling cry that Sin felt more than he heard, and staggered back, turning its gaze toward the stump where its hand had been.

Its gaze then turned back to the three.

Sin expected to see hatred in its eyes, rage, a desire to strike back and avenge the wound it had suffered.

But… he didn't. What he saw in the giant's eyes was…

Fear.

Despite having a dozen other hands, the giant stepped back, before turning, and running away from them. It wasn't a careful withdrawal that he'd seen in other predators, where they never took their eyes off their foe. This was the desperate flight of an animal in fear for its very life, determined to put as much distance between itself and whatever danger it faced as possible. But… why? With all its strength, it could have killed them with ease. Was the shock of meeting a foe it couldn't instantly crush that shocking? Or… was the giant not naturally aggressive? He'd seen the glow from the blue creature's gemstone, and how the giant's eyes had-

"Deneb…" Jibril said in awe, breaking Sin from his ruminations. "You're… a mage."

But Deneb looked back at her with a hard glare. "No. Not a mage. Mages gain their power by consorting with demons. I ventured to the Outer Realms and breathed the Breath of Nifl-"

"If you can use magic, that would've been useful to know sooner, wherever you learned it," Sin then said, planting the tip of Ixion's horn into the ground. "And you seemed to know those two Generals. Who are they?"

An answer came, not from Deneb however, but Jibril. "I think… that was Hecatoncheir," she said, shakily rising to her feet. "Normally he spends most of his time sleeping in the earth. But when he awakens… he can wreak terrible destruction." That much was obvious to Sin- though the giant had fled, the simple acts of waking and fleeing had torn great gorges and canyons into the earth where that once been fertile fields. "The other one though… I'm not sure."

Deneb glanced over. "Rigel says… his name is Carbuncle. He's… some sort of demon." He glanced to an empty space at his side again. "What's the matter? You've always been able to answer questions before now…"

Sin wheeled around. But the small creature from before had vanished, presumably using the distraction its fellow General had caused to make its escape. "Coward…" he said in a low voice, before turning to face the fleeing titan. Shouldering Ixion's horn, he then said, "At least that one is leaving a trail for us to follow."

"You're… going after it?" Jibril said. "But, what about reaching Caprica?"

Sai glanced back with a hard glare. "I told you already. I'm going to find Bahamut's Generals. And then I was going to kill them." He pointed. "And we just ran into two. One got away. And I'm not letting the other escape." His gaze then shifted to Deneb. "You said you'd help me, right? Until I killed… Kujata, you said? Well, here's your chance to prove it."

Deneb's face lit up, before he regained his composure, punching a fist into his open palm. "I won't let you down."

"But what about-" Jibril began.

"Kobol can wait," Sin said, cutting the apothecary off. "Right now… we have prey to hunt." And without another word, he left the road, and began crossing the battered, broken plains, following in the wake of the ever-shrinking giant.

Known as the Gemenon, Deneb and his "brother," Rigel of Braxis are the subject of a curious debate in historical record. The man himself claimed to travel in the company of his twin, slain during one of Fiend General Kujata's infamous rages. As Deneb often showed knowledge of things that had he could not otherwise know (claimed to be passed on from Rigel), such as locations of things, future events, and at times things as mundane as hidden treasures or sources of water, many scholars do not doubt that he was accompanied by some entity, though its exact nature remains speculative. Agaeon Sephorus, Spellmaster of the Krypto Scholeio of Zebatos and a foremost expert in undead studies, speculates that that Deneb may indeed have traveled in the company of his brother, as ghosts can, for a time, bind themselves to the earth through sheer will. Others, such as Hermann Argeste, Archbishop of the Principality of Derain, speculate that the entity in Deneb's company was a divine messenger, masquerading as the Gemenon's brother. As always, the Sparrow provides the most radical assertion- that the entity accompanying Deneb did not exist at all, and the information gleaned from Rigel was some form of inborn divination, which due to his damaged mental state, Deneb misattributed to spirit of his brother communicating with him.

Regardless of the truth of his nature, however, as one of Alondight's companions, Rigel, along with his brother Deneb, are honored by the Church as the patron saint(s) of, appropriately, twins. Deneb in particular is also venerated by followers of elementalist cults, as one of the first practitioners to rise to prominence in the historical record.

Dragonslayer, Chapter 5: The Shaman and the Earth-Shaker

---

Raucous cheers erupted through the galley. There had been twenty men and women when the contest started- now there were just three. The wine was poured into each of their mugs, but as one sailor raised his tankard to his lips, it slipped from his hand. He wavered, before deliriously muttering, "Çok… k-kötü bir gafım var," and falling from his chair with a thud.

Cinquedea didn't even spare the fallen sailor a second glance as he was dragged off, her attention fixed on her opponent. "Looks like it's just you and me, lass. But if you think I'm going to lose to a girl half my age and half my height, you're sorely mistaken." She drained her tankard, before slamming it down on the table, wavering slightly.

Holly, on the other hand, barely seemed affected by the alcohol at all, the only sign a slight red in her cheeks. She drained her mug in turn, before setting it down with a smile. "You wouldn't be the first to think that. But by the time I was thirteen, I could out-drink men twice my height and three times my age."

"Big talk for such a little lass," Cinquedea sneered, as another sailor poured more wine into hers and Holly's tankards.

Not far away, Abel and his other companions looked on. "How can such a small girl drink so much?" Violet asked.

"Well, she is from Vulkan," Raine replied, rubbing the side of her head. The witch had also participated in the contest, though she swiftly proved no match for a group of liquor-hardened seamen. "And western Bastokans aren't exactly shy about enjoying a stiff drink or a dozen. Your average ale is basically water to them."

A sudden retching pulled their attention back toward Cinquedea and Holly. The older woman was leaning to the side, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the floor. The crowd erupted into laughter, as Cinquedea clung weakly to the table with one hand and wiped her mouth with the other. "I… I think…" she gasped, her voice strained. "I think… I've had enough. You win, lass. …But you're still short."

Cinquedea staggered to her feet and stumbled off, as the sailors around the galley cheered and jeered in equal measure. Holly raised her tankard in a toast to her fallen opponent, and drank the rest of its contents. She then pushed herself up, swaying slightly. Something Abel and the others noticed. "Uh-oh. Looks like our champion might've overdone it," Raine said, before her gaze shifted to Abel. "Blue, be a gentleman and help me take her back to her cabin, won't you?"

"Uh, sure," Abel said, as the two hurried to provide the mercenary support.

As he and Raine guided her out of the galley and through the ship, Holly looked up at the two with a dazed smile. "Well you're in a good mood," the witch said. "Did you have fun?"

" Hah… this brings back memories. When I was making my way to Istar, and I needed money, I'd go to taverns and bet the biggest, burliest men I could find that they couldn't drink more than me." She chuckled. "No one ever thought that a girl half their size could drink a whole tavern's worth of men under the table. But I did. And I made myself a very rich girl. Or I was, 'til I spent all my money on my armor, my shield… and travel's expensive, y'know. Seemed like every time I made it to a new city, I'd arrive with my coin pouch empty."

"It sounds like you went through a lot before meeting us, Holly," Abel replied. "I'd like to hear more about that sometime, if that's alright."

"Ah, it's not that exciting," the mercenary said as Raine pushed open her cabin door. "Just a lot of wandering around not knowing where to go or what to do."

Abel and Raine gently led Holly inside, and she stumbled to the cot, falling onto it with a creak. "Thanks for the backup, Blue. You head back. I'll stay with Jugs."

He watched her for a moment, but before he could turn to leave, Holly reached out, grabbing his wrist. "You know…" she said. "…I never thanked you properly. For taking me in. Even though I lied. And even though, I'm not very good at fighting."

"You don't have to thank me," Abel replied.

"I do, though…" she replied, trying to sit up. When she failed, she let herself fall back, looking up at him. "And not just for that. You're… different from men I've met before. You treat me like I'm more than just a pair of tits with a girl attached to them."

The conversation was starting to go in a strange direction, and Abel wasn't quite sure how to respond. He tugged against Holly's grip, trying to break free, but in a way that wasn't too aggressive. "I should go…" he said. "You should get some-"

But Holly kept going. "You know, when I first left home and didn't have any money, I told the other guys that if they could out-drink me, they could feel me up as much as they wanted. I never lost, so I never had to worry about that, but… if you wanted to touch them, Abel, I think… I think I'd…" Her eyes slowly closed, and her hand finally slipped from Abel's wrist, before she lay still, silent save for her slow, deep breaths.

Taking a seat next to the cot, Raine reached over, and took Holly's glasses off her face. She then gave Abel a wry smile and said, "Well, aren't you lucky? I've been waiting for a chance to give those girls another feel, and here's Jugs practically pushing them right into your hands."

Abel stammered, which made the witch laugh. "Hah, Blue, you know I'm just playing. Besides, I wouldn't pay too much attention to what she said. Followers of Bacchus would say that wine is a gateway that leads to one's true self, but…" She turned his way. "Anyway, you go on and head back. Wouldn't want people getting the wrong idea."

Abel couldn't help but feel that people would have ideas whether it was him or Raine who stayed behind with Holly. But in the end, he conceded, and left the cabin.

Ordinarily, Captain Baird and Cinquedea wouldn't permit their crew to indulge in such revelry- much less participate themselves, but in this instance, they made an exception. According to Nephrys, the ship was just a few days from landing in Zipangu, and as the voyage thus far had been largely uneventful. In spite of their misgivings at first, Nephrys had quickly ingratiated himself to the captains and the rest of the crew, steering the Peregrine safely around storms and sea monsters alike. Even Baird had to admit that with the elven navigator as their guide, he'd experienced some of the smoothest sailing of his entire career.

And with that in mind, the co-captains decided to grant their crew a well-deserved reprieve. And so, a handful of wine casks were broken open, and the galley was swiftly transformed into a temporary tavern. The smell of roasting meats and sour wine wafted through the ship, mingling with the sounds of laughter, music, and merriment.

In the midst of all this, Abel made his way back to the galley, though as he did, one of the cabin doors opened, and a slender arm emerged, beckoning toward him. Abel approached cautiously- once he was close, the door opened fully, and the red-haired merchant on the other side said excitedly, "Abel! Arimasu ji-cho ka?"

"Uh… what?" Abel stammered in confusion.

"Are ga sho-jin. Arimasu ji-cho ka?"

"Liz, are you… feeling okay?" He could understand some of what she said, but put together, it… didn't form a sentence as much as a jumbled, disjointed collection of words that happened to fall next to one another.

She huffed. "I was trying to impress you by learning some Zipanese from this book I had delivered. I've been studying it for weeks now.

Abel looked at her in concern. "Is this book… reliable?"

"Of course it is!" the merchant replied indignantly. "It was written by Church missionaries who live in Zipangu! …I mean, it was written fifteen years ago, but languages can't change that much, can they?"

Liz's words made Abel realize something: as a merchant, she probably had to learn a number of languages to do business, especially when she did as much traveling as she did. Though, her comment also raised something else to his attention, something that instantly made him wary. "The Church?" he repeated, his tone lowering. "They're in Zipangu?"

"Yeah, but they're nowhere near as influential as they are in Bastok. The Emperor only lets them run one mission in the capital city. Actually, that reminds me; I have another book. A travelogue, written by one of the missionaries, talking about all the places he saw and the people he met. Let me see if I can find it…" Liz began rummaging through her belongings, pulling out various scrolls and books.

A travelogue? That certainly sounded helpful, but Abel couldn't help but be distracted by the knowledge that the Church was present as far away as Zipangu. Sure, it was possible that whoever was in charge was entirely benevolent… but it was also possible that the mission's leader was another zealot, just like Cardinal Szandor. But before he could dwell further, Liz pulled out a well-worn leather-bound book and began searching through it. "Ah-ha, here we are!" Without waiting, she opened it and began flipping through its pages.

As she read, Abel asked, "So, what kind of information does it have?"

"Oh, it's got all sorts of things in here. Like…" Liz stopped on a particular page. "According to the local faith, Zipangu was made when a swordsman from the mainland slayed some giant monster with eight heads, by cutting off each one, one at a time. After he cut them off, he consecrated each in the name of his people's gods, who then turned it into an island that reflected their nature. There's only seven main islands though, because one of the gods just… took the island consecrated to them. No one knows where it is now. It's actually a common myth in Zipangu that anything someone loses is taken there."

Fascinating as mythology may have been to Liz, Abel was hoping for information that was more… practical. "Is there… anything that might help in our visit?"

Liz flipped through a number of pages, reaching the beginning. "According to the book, the island closest to Bastok is called 'Isha.' And the westernmost city is called Enji. It's the first city the author arrived at, and it's probably where we'll end up too." She flipped through a few more pages. "…It says here the city was named for the nearby cliffs, which are colored a vivid red from local clays. And that pottery made from this clay is said to be more resilient than any other in the nation. There's a local story the author recorded where a master potter traveled to the Emperor's palace to boast about the resilience of his wares, and threw one of his jars off the tallest building in the capital…" She trailed off. "… Abel? Are you still listening?"

Abel nodded, though he'd stopped listening somewhere around the point Liz mentioned about Enji being named after a cliff nearby. "Yeah… yeah, I'm listening. I was just thinking about the Church being in Zipangu."

"Oh? Not a fan, are you?" Liz asked with a grin. "Well, I wouldn't worry too much. Like I said, they only have the one mission, and it's on the main island on the other side of the kingdom. Although… the mission has been around for forty years now, so they could've expanded their influence. Or it might not even be there anymore. The Emperors of Zipangu can be pretty capricious. You know that story I was just telling about the master potter? Well, after he threw his jar off the tallest building in the capital, it didn't shatter, but a piece did break off. The Emperor was impressed by the resilience of the potter's wares… but since the potter claimed they were completely unbreakable, the Emperor had him beheaded for making false claims. But then a few years later, that same Emperor commissioned the potter's workshop to make jars to store supplies for his army, because of how resilient they were."

"Uh-huh…" Abel said absently. He had to admit, if only to himself, the lack of any real information was worrying. That had been true elsewhere in their travels, but at least as they sailed around the Arielian Sea, there had been rumors, whispers, and recollections from other travelers to draw upon. For Zipangu, however, they had almost nothing. No one among the crew had ever laid eyes on its shore, nor did they even know anyone else who had; and the most recent information on hand was nearly as old as Abel himself. For all he knew, the moment the Peregrine landed, they'd be greeted by a wall of soldiers, armed and ready to repel any foreigner who dared set foot on their soil. He sighed internally, and turned to face the door. "I think I'm going to go back to my cabin now, Liz. I have some thinking to do." His tone remained neutral, but his expression betrayed his discomfort. He didn't like not knowing what he was walking into.

Liz however took no notice. "Sure thing," she replied, nose buried in the travelogue. "If you need anything else, just swing by."

Abel departed, leaving the merchant to her studies, as the celebrations continued unabated in the galley. Though Abel didn't join them, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for missing out on the merriment. Unfortunately, his worries had sapped the feelings of excitement like a leech, leaving a cold and nagging concern in its place. He hoped his feelings of unease would prove unfounded.

They never were.

---

The celebratory mood of the rest of the crew quickly diminished as the Peregrine neared Isha. Contrary to Abel's expectations, there was not an army waiting on the shore to turn them away, but the reality awaiting them was hardly any more comforting. The entire island seemed to be cast in a light that drained the color from everything it shone on- the vivid blue waters surrounding the island were now a cold, steely grey; pockets of what he could only assume were forests were dull and lifeless, their leaves some undefinable shade somewhere between grey and black; and even cliffs jutting out into the sea- presumably, the red cliffs that gave Enji its name- were a drab brown. Even those aboard the ship seemed to be affected by the dull, lifeless aura emanating from the island- their clothes, their eyes, the color of their hair… everything about them seemed duller, darker than Abel remembered.

The silence that enveloped the ship as they approached Isha was oppressive, punctuated only by the occasional groan of wood as the ship rocked gently against the waves. Even the wind carried no sound, as if it too were drained of life. No one spoke, no one laughed, no one even seemed to breathe. They all just stood there, watching, waiting, as the Peregrine slowly sailed toward the lifeless shore. Apprehension was visible in everyone's faces, but in Abel's eyes, it was most apparent in Liz. For the last few days, she'd regaled him with anecdotes from the travelogue, describing Isha as a "botanical paradise;" a place where any seed could take root, where flowers bloomed and trees bore fruit in every season, where any crop could not only flourish, but provide an unimaginable abundance. But looking at the island now, it didn't seem like a paradise of any sort, botanical or otherwise.

Though the Peregrine passed a few smaller fishing boats on the way, Enji's harbor was eerily empty. As was the city beyond. The streets were deserted, the marketplaces abandoned. The buildings lining the streets, with their thatched roofs with upturned corners and wooden shutters, stood like sentinels alongside the roads, silent and empty. It was as if the entire population had simply vanished into thin air. But that couldn't be true. The fishing boats had people aboard, and smoke could be seen rising from buildings in the distance, so people must have lived here… but where were they?

The Peregrine docked without incident, the crew's activity breaking a seemingly long-settled silence. But when the gangplank to the dock was finally lowered, no one seemed especially eager to cross it. A plague was spreading through the ship, infecting every soul, and making them hesitate. Abel felt it too. But he quickly pushed his apprehension aside. There were no monsters waiting for them on the pier; there was no army of soldiers brandishing swords. There was- quite literally- nothing to be afraid of. Yet, when he took steps toward the gangplank, Liz moved to stop him. "Abel, wait," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, though it seemed loud enough to cut through the air. "Something's wrong here. Don't you feel it?"

He did. But he also knew they had to move forward, regardless of whatever feelings of malaise were plaguing them. But before he could press on, one of the sailors spoke up. "The lass is right. There's a sickness here, I can feel it. We should leave, 'fore it spreads to us." His words were met with murmurs of agreement from the others, and for a moment, it seemed as though they were all on the verge of abandoning their plans and setting sail once again.

But one of Abel's companions stepped forward, looking out over the buildings near the harbor. "This is no plague," Minze said, a cold, analytical look in her eyes.

"How can you be so sure?" asked another crewman.

However, the maid asked a question of her own. "What do you smell right now?"

The crew sniffed the air, and for a moment, no one said a word. "…All I can smell is saltwater," Abel replied.

"Precisely. In a city this size, dozens of people can die from an epidemic every day. And the stench of hundreds of decaying bodies is not something easily masked. Whatever happened here, I don't believe a disease…" The maid suddenly trailed off, before reaching back and drawing her blade. Abel followed her gaze, and spotted a figure moving through the streets toward their ship. The figure wore robes of black-and-white, a black hood pulled over her head. Abel recognized the stranger's attire as the robes worn by priests of the Church. And when the stranger reached the base of the gangplank and bowed, she spoke to them in a language Abel recognized: Mavorian.

"Bienvenue à Isha, voyageurs. J'ai bien peur que vous soyez arrivé dans des moments difficiles."

Welcome to Isha, travelers. I fear you have arrived during trying times.

"Who are you?" Abel called out. He didn't draw his weapon, but nonetheless, he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

"I am Sister Yumie, a priestess from the mission in Ashuriyan," the stranger replied.

Immediately after, Liz leaned toward Abel and whispered, "That's the main island of Zipangu, where the Emperor lives."

"I am afraid we have little time for introductions, Master Abel," Sister Yumie continued. "Your arrival has been expected. Please, come with me." The priestess then motioned for him- and presumably the rest of his companions- to follow her into the city. Abel proceeded, and after a moment's hesitation, his companions followed. As they walked the empty streets, Abel noticed that while the city were seemingly abandoned, there were no signs of normal disrepair- no vines or mosses grew over the sides of buildings or over the roads, gardens were not overgrown with weeds, and indeed, were entirely barren… in fact, it wasn't just people that seemed to be missing. There were seemingly no plants, either. The only plant "life," as it were, was a scattering of barren trees with bone-white bark, reaching towards the sky like malformed skeletal fingers. It was as if the life had been drained out of the very earth itself.

But in time, they passed a person- a disheveled, almost skeletal shell of a man who barely took notice of their passing. He was dressed in tattered robes, and his hair hung limply around his slack face. His eyes- cold, lifeless, devoid of all emotion- didn't even give the group even the quickest of glances as they passed. And then they passed another man. Then a woman. And another man. Like the first man, their bodies were gaunt and frail, their skin dry and cracked, their eyes sunken and dark. They moved with an unnatural slowness, as if every movement required immense effort. The group continued to pass many more such people, each one looking like a walking corpse. Yet, despite their appearances, they seemed to be alive. They breathed, they spoke, but they moved with a stiffness that spoke of a complete lack of vitality.

"Sister… Yumie, was it?" Seth finally asked. "What exactly is going on here?"

Sister Yumie didn't look back as she spoke. "Isha has been afflicted with a terrible blight, one never seen before in the annals of its history. One day during the last summer, all crops in the fields, all trees that bore fruit, and any plant that could be called 'edible' to men suddenly wilted, and no seed planted in the earth has sprouted since."

"A blight…" Violet said in a low voice. "I have some familiarity with their effects on flora. But, I was under the impression that such diseases could only affect a single species. For a blight to infect multiple… it would be entirely unheard of."

Sister Yumie glanced back, her expression grim. "I fear that this blight is not a natural phenomenon. A dark force has laid a curse upon Isha, draining the very life from the earth itself. The stores the daimyo set aside for times of famine are running low, and the supplies from the other islands simply aren't enough to feed our people. If nothing is done, this island will become a barren waste, devoid of not just plants, but all life."

"And, you're asking me to stop this blight?" Abel asked, in anticipation for what was to come next. It sounded absurd, even by the standards of his previous adventures. What could he possibly do against a curse?

But the Sister's response caught him off-guard: "No. There is a more pressing matter I would have you see to."

They arrived at a large plaza where several buildings stood, with one side dominated by a set of stone steps leading to a building that towered over the others. It was far more elaborate than the others, painted in what was likely a striking white-and-black, though time and the gloomy atmosphere had reduced its vibrancy to dull shades of gray. There were many more people in the plaza as well- some dressed in the shabby, loose-fitting clothes of the people they passed, while others were soldiers clad in black-and-white armor, a strange emblem on their breastplates: a black circle surrounding three black rectangles slanted to form a diamond shape. Compared to the other citizens, the guards seemed to have a little more life in them, though not by much; their eyes were sunken, and their movements sluggish. But while there were more people gathered in the plaza, there were still far fewer than Abel expected- less than there should have been for a city this size.

"Where are all the people?" Abel asked. "Where did everyone go?"

Sister Yumie gave him a mournful gaze. "This is all that remains. Everyone else has fled, either leaving Isha entirely, or into the wilderness in the hope of finding soil yet-untainted by the blight."

Claire cleared her throat to get the Sister's attention. "You never told us exactly what this 'pressing matter' is."

" That is not for me to share," Sister Yumie said. "Now, come. The daimyo awaits." She gestured towards the grand building on the plaza, and began climbing the stone steps. The group followed, the weight of the silence between them palpable as they ascended.

Guards moved to open the doors leading into the building. They then crossed a large courtyard, and into another building. The room beyond was long, its floor covered with mats of straw, leading to a raised dais before which stood two more guards, and upon which sat a man whose robes were a deep black. His face was thin, with a wispy mustache, the black hair on his head receding, but his eyes were sharp and intelligent. Yumie held up a hand, bidding Abel and the others to halt, before stepping forward, still roughly a dozen paces from the man in black. She bowed low to him, and said, "Azai-dono, Iriasu no yogen-dōri, yūsha ga yattekita. "

Lord Azai, the Hero has arrived, as foretold by the goddess Ilias.

The daimyo- Lord Azai- looked at them with a gaze that seemed to pierce through their very souls. When he finally spoke, his voice was strong and commanding, at odds with the thin frame it emerged from. "Kon'na kayowa-sōna shōnen no te ni wagakuni no unmei ga kakatte iru to wa." To think that the fate of our realm lies in the hands of such a frail-looking boy.

"What's he saying?" Holly asked.

"It seems the daimyo has misgivings about Master Abel," Yumie replied. "But fear not, I will do my best to ease his concerns. Please allow me to speak on your behalf and-"

Abel stepped forward. "Tsūyaku wa hitsuyō arimasen," he said bluntly. I don't need an interpreter. Then, the wings of light ignited on his back, causing both the Sister and the guards to let out cries of surprise. He quickly drifted across the room,landing a few paces away from the daimyo. Folding his arms over his chest, Abel then said, "Watashi wa Bacchus no yōgo-sha, Abel. Soshite anata wa daimyo de nakereba narimasen." I am Abel, Champion of Bacchus. And you must be the daimyo.

The guards began to draw their weapons, but the daimyo held out a hand, a silent order to halt. "Hai. Watashi wa Tonbau-han no daimyō, Azai Saburō desu." Yes, I am the daimyo of the Tonbau domain, Azai Saburo. The daimyo's expression changed slightly- though his gaze still pierced through Abel, it seemed to hold a hint of curiosity now, and perhaps even a small amount of respect.

"Sister Yumie told us that there is something you wanted us to see to," Abel began. Behind him, he could hear the Sister rapidly translating the conversation between him and Saburo. "But if it isn't to cure the blight, then what is it?"

Saburo's eyes narrowed. "The onset of the blight has caused untold turmoil throughout Isha. Many have fled, and those who remain have turned to desperate means in order to survive- stealing, murdering… in some places, it's said that some have begun to consume the flesh of other men. In the midst of this chaos, someone- or something- stole their way into my home, and kidnapped my daughter. I would ask you, Lord Hero, to find her, and return her to me." His voice was cold as stone, yet somehow conveyed all the desperation and urgency one would expect from such a plea.

Still, it was an unexpected request. Abel asked, "Why ask us? You have your own guards. Can't they help?"

Saburo's face twisted, before returning to a neutral expression. "In these dark times, there are few people I can trust. Even those sworn to guard me and my family may be… compromised. But you… you are a foreigner to these lands. You have no claim to Isha, no stake in its fate. And as you have only just arrived, I can be certain that you had no involvement in my daughter's disappearance. You alone are above suspicion. As such, you alone can be trusted to ensure she returns safely." The daimyo's eyes bored into Abel once more, his voice taking on a commanding tone. "So, I charge you with this task. Find my daughter- my Kagura- and bring her back to me."

For several moments, Abel didn't respond. The last thing he'd expected was to be roped into a rescue mission the moment he set foot in this strange land. They hadn't even had a chance to get their bearings and search for the next of Alondight's altars. If nothing else, he needed to discuss this with the others before making any sort of decision, but he wasn't certain Saburo would accept that answer. Even so, cautiously, Abel said, "I… my companions and I have matters of our own to see to. I need to talk with them about this first. I can't make a decision like this on their behalf." Abel's words hung in the air, as tense as the atmosphere around them.

Saburo's face hardened, his eyes narrowing further. The spark Abel had seen in his eye seemed to vanish. "I would not have believed it, laying eyes on you for myself. But it seems you are just as black-hearted as Sister Yumie predicted you would be." Just moments before, Saburo's words- though cold- still held a small amount of respect. Now, they dripped with open disdain. "…But if it is time you require, you shall have it." He stood. "One hour. That should be more than enough time for your party to come to a consensus." The daimyo fixed Abel with a cold, contemptuous glare. "My patience wears thin as it is, Lord Hero. I trust you will not strain it further."

With that, the daimyo swept out of the room, leaving Abel and the others in stunned silence. Once he was gone, Abel returned to the others. "What the hell did you do, degenerate?" Claire demanded even before he was fully within earshot.

"The daimyo asked me to find his daughter," he answered. "I told him, that I needed to talk to you all before making a decision."

Raine glanced over at the dais where Saburo had been sitting. "I'm guessing he wasn't too happy with your answer."

Abel nodded. "So, what should we do?"

Claire scoffed. "Oh please. We all know you can't resist saving a damsel."

"While I appreciate the sudden bout of consideration for our opinions, Blue…" Raine added, "I don't think anyone will vote 'no' here. The last thing we want is to go around pissing off the local lords."

"But... what about the altar?" Abel asked.

Seth was the one to respond. "We can search for it after we find this… 'Kagura.' We are foreigners, and the last thing we want is to give the local authorities a bad impression." The others generally seemed to be in agreement, but there were two voice Abel wanted to hear from before making a decision for himself.

"Lailah," he began. "What do you think?"

The priestess was quiet for a moment. "If it's just finding the daimyo's daughter, then I think we can spare some time. After all, finding her should be relatively easy." Her eyes fell on Abel's neck as she said this, on the amulet hidden under his collar.

Abel's gaze shifted to the tiny woman on Raine's shoulder. "And you, Niel?" he asked.

The former angel huffed. "I would tell you that finding the altars is your main priority…" she began. "But it's obvious that I'm in the minority here. You can do whatever you like."

Abel and the others waited for the daimyo to return. Once he had, Abel gave his answer. "We'll help you find your daughter."

Saburo's face twitched, showing no sign of relief or gratitude as he said nothing in reply. But, the hardness in his eyes seemed to give way, even if only slightly.

"But…" Raine began. "…before we begin, we would like to ask you some questions." A moment passed, before Sister Yumie translated the witch's words for Saburo.

"…Very well," the daimyo replied- after a moment, Yumie repeated his words. "I will answer whatever questions you require of me."

---

"…Honestly, why is it always fucking women with that degenerate?" Claire asked, sinking into the waters of the bath. "First it was Miss Promestein, then the elf princess, and now this… daimyo 's daughter…"

"Bacchus isn't merely the god of wine…" Minze said bluntly, "but of good fortune as well." Initially, she had elected not to join the others, and it was only after her master's repeated insistence that she climbed into the bath as well. And it seemed Violet's persistence had paid off; the statuesque stoic expression the maid wore seemed to soften as she soaked in the spring, if only slightly. "And it's often said that Bacchus's favor reveals itself in unexpected and unusual ways."

"So, all these women throwing themselves at him… is because his patron is pulling the strings?" The president's tone made it clear she was hardly credulous to Minze's assertion.

"Well, strange things seem to happen wherever we go," Holly said. "First was the business with Mr. Vargo in Lohan, then we arrived in Furni at the same time as Sion and her mother, and now here, with Lord Azai's daughter going missing."

"That doesn't seem like good fortune to me…" Seth muttered in a low voice.

"Maybe not at first glance, but things always played out in a way that we could use to our advantage," Raine replied. "I mean, isn't it weird how Lohan's garrison arrived just as Blue was getting ready to face off with Vargo's men? Or how even though we didn't get the reward for killing that gorgon, we ended up rescuing a traveling merchant who could foot the bill to get our ship repaired?"

Claire was quiet. "…Perhaps. It might explain why that flesh golem chose to go after-"

"But," Lailah interrupted. "I thought that the point of Abel's quest was to grow strong enough to fight the Overlord. Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose if he has a god moving in the background to make sure things always go his way?"

Raine tilted her head. "Well, it's not like Blue's won every fight he's been in. He got petrified by the gorgon, remember? And before that, he lost to Prez and her girlfriend; and before that, he lost plenty of fights to the Wyverns. And we've all had to bail him out of trouble plenty of times."

"Bacchus's power over good fortune has limits," Niel said, speaking up for the first time. Although she was with the others, she was far too small for the normal bath, instead soaking in a small bucket filled with water from the spring. "Especially against the upper-tier gods and their allies. Wyvern Company gets their blessings from Ares, and that Champion we met in Hesperis- Cavall- is Ares's Champion as well." She then looked at Claire. "And you're the descendant of several Heroes. So you still carry their patron's blessing."

"Yeah, I guess you'd be right, Niel…" Holly said, sinking into the warm waters.

Raine's questions to the daimyo had, unfortunately, uncovered little information. Though there were no shortage of potential subjects, there was no evidence to conclusively implicate any of them. In fact, there was no evidence to find at all. That seemed somewhat strange- after all, had the culprits been bandits, disgruntled guardsmen, unhappy citizens, or some other faction, surely they would have left behind some sort of message with their demands. But perhaps, as Saburo and Sister Yumie suggested, the lack of evidence was itself a clue- proof that a supernatural force had spirited Kagura away. Perhaps, the very same force responsible for the blight.

However, the hour had grown late, and the group's investigations would have to wait until morning. Until then, the daimyo showed them what hospitality he could- he shared with them a modest feast of rice, a few roasted wild birds, and a strange dish made from rice and raw fish that he named "sushi;" and invited them to soak in the castle baths, fed by a naturally heated spring. Unlike the bathhouses they'd visited before, however, there was only a single bath, rather than separate baths for men and women- on seeing this, Abel elected to wait until the others had finished before partaking himself.

The mercenary's attention then shifted to Claire. "By the way, which god were your ancestors blessed by?"

Claire bristled, eyes narrowing. "Why does that matter?"

"Oh come on, Prez," Raine said, poking her in the side. "We've got a one-in-six chance of guessing right."

The president huffed. "Oh, I see now. You think I only bested the degenerate because of the power of my ancestors' patron lingering in my bloodline. But I'll have you know, my ancestors were not blessed by any of the upper-tier gods. There are plenty of lesser gods that could have chosen my ancestors as their Champion. My victory was not because of their blessing, but because of my skills, and the degenerate's lack of them. After all, Laura bested him as well, and she has no Heroic lineage to speak of…"

Seth shot Claire a withering glare. "Why do you always speak so poorly about Abel? He's personally saved every person in this bath at least once, yourself included. You could show at least some gratitude."

Claire returned the glare. "It's for the same reason he isn't here with us- because he's a male. And males like him let themselves be led around by the head between their legs."

"Maybe you should look in a mirror before saying things like that out loud," Seth snapped back. "Abel has been a perfect gentleman, not just to me, but to every last one of us. Meanwhile, you're the one who can't seem to keep her hands from wandering up other girls' skirts."

Raine winced, eyes cracking open. "Now Madame, you don't have to-"

"No, I'm not done!" the thief shouted back, shooting to her feet. "Since the moment we met, you've been nothing but an arrogant, self-centered bitch, and I've had enough of it! The blood of Heroes is supposed to run through your veins. Act like it! "

Claire rose to her feet as well. The president wasn't that much taller than Seth, but the president was still tall enough to look down at the thief. "Oh? Does that mean your blood will drive you to lock a collar around my neck and sell me to the highest bidder?"

Seth's eyes narrowed, fists clenched tightly at her sides. "Don't you dare imply I had anything to do with Kamash Vargo's crimes. I did more to stop him than anyone else in Lohan."

"But didn't you just say that a person's nature should be determined by the actions of their predecessors?" A malicious grin crossed the president's face. "And doesn't Kamash Vargo's blood run through your veins as well?"

"You… fucking whore!" Seth's hand snapped back, striking Claire across the face. But the president didn't flinch, before striking back with a powerful slap across Seth's face that knocked the thief against the rim of the bath back-first. Seth cried out in pain, stumbling, but she didn't fall.

Claire began to advance, before something reached around and hooked under her arms, lifting her off her feet. "Wha- the fuck! Let me go, you fucking asshole! "

"I will do no such thing," Minze said calmly. "Not until you've regained your composure." The president thrashed as she fought against the maid, hurling insults splashing water everywhere. But the maid's grip held firm, standing as still as a statue despite Claire's struggles.

Holly waded through the water as Seth stooped, groaning and clutching her back. "Are you alright, Seth?" she asked, reaching out to place a comforting hand on the thief's shoulder.

But Seth pulled back, glaring fiercely at the mercenary. "No. No, I'm not alright." She turned, and, with some difficulty, climbed out of the bath. "I'm leaving."

"Seth, wait!" Lailah called after her, but the thief didn't turn back, and stormed into the small room adjacent to the bath. The door slammed shut behind her, leaving a deafening silence in its wake.

As soon as she was out of sight, Seth slumped over, letting out a few small groans of pain. "Ow… ow, ow! Fuck…" She sat down heavily on the floor, resting her back against the cold stone wall. Her cheek throbbed where Claire had slapped her, but the pain pulsing through her back was far more intense. She may not have behaved like a Hero, but the president was every bit as strong as one.

That was stupid. Seth had done a very stupid thing. And fighting among themselves was the last thing they needed to be doing right now. Finding the daimyo's daughter would be a lot more difficult with all of them at each other's throats. But…

She shook her head. That wasn't important now. Right now… she needed to do something about this pain. Hopefully Abel wasn't too far. With jolts of fire shooting through her back, she stood, before limping to the basket with her clothes.

But at that moment, she heard something. Not from the bath, but from the door leading back into the castle. "Huh. No one's watching the door. Are they done?"

It was Abel's voice.

There was no time to hide, to cover herself, to do anything at all as the door slid open. Abel stepped inside, his eyes immediately falling on Seth.

" Ah- "

Seth felt her face burn, first from embarrassment, then in an involuntary rage. "Get ou- aaahhgh!" Her hand shot out, intending to snatch up one of her sandals to fling at Abel… but the sudden movement caused the pain to flare through her back. Seth cried out, and her legs buckled under the strain, and she began to fall-

But in practically the blink of an eye, Abel crossed the room, catching her before she hit the ground. But even with his strength, he was straining to keep her on her feet. "Hah… stories always made it sound like carrying people was so easy…" he said in a labored voice.

If Seth's face had been burning before, now it was positively ablaze with shame. She began to struggle against him, trying to push away, to slap him for seeing her in such a shameful state, but her body wouldn't obey properly. "L-Let me go!"

"You're hurt," Abel said, finally setting her down on the floor beside her clothes. "What happened?" He was very obviously trying to keep his eyes focused on her face. He was also failing.

Seth scrambled for an answer other than the truth. It wasn't easy, with both the pain and Abel's proximity to her still very naked body. Finally, she settled on something. "I… slipped climbing out of the baths. The heat was starting to get to me."

But Abel wasn't convinced for a single second. "You got into another fight with Claire, didn't you? Did she do this?"

Seth opened her mouth to deny it, but no words came out. She could barely bring herself to look up, let alone face him.

Abel sighed. "Where does it hurt?"

Her reply was slow and labored. "B-Back…"

Abel's hand circled to her spine, gliding over the very spot where she'd impacted the bath's edge. There was a white glow, and immediately the pain began to subside. "Listen. I… know what she says about me. And I know you don't like when she does that. But, you don't have to fight her on my behalf. The things she says… I'm used to it."

The pain had faded, making it easier for Seth to breathe. And for her to reply, "…you shouldn't be. Not after everything you've done." Her voice was shaking, but she managed to keep it steady.

So many people seemed to look down on Abel. But… it wasn't right. He was a good person, a hero. And not merely in the 'Champion chosen by the gods' definition. Everyone always saw a Hero's duty as slaying the Overlord, but… as Abel himself had said, what good did saving the world do if Heroes wouldn't save people who needed help standing right in front of them?

She began to stand, pulling away from his grasp. "I… I think I'm alright now."

He began to rise as well. "But, your face-"

"It's fine. It'll heal on its own," Seth dismissed, trying to pull away. But Abel still looked concerned, so she added a bit more forcefully, "...Really! I had to treat plenty of my own wounds when I was the Ghost. And they all healed just fine." She said that, but she had more than a few scars from her time as a vigilante. And not all of them had faded entirely.

Abel retreated, looking away, as if suddenly remembering that he was less than an arm's reach away from a completely undressed girl near his age. "Alright. I should-"

At that moment, Seth heard voices approaching the door to the bath. "…I do hope the two of them will settle their differences soon," Violet's voice said faintly, growing louder as she neared.

"I doubt it'll be that simple," Lailah replied. "It's obvious both of them have strong opinions, and when people like that-" The door slid open, revealing the alchemist and the priestess. "Oh, Seth. Are you feeling better?"

Seth froze. She tried to speak, but the words died in her throat. What could she even say? After all, even if nothing had happened, it wouldn't be hard to immediately jump to the worst conclusion.

"Miss Seth?" Violet asked.

…dammit, why wasn't he saying anything!? How could he be so calm at a time like this? He wasn't even stammering the way she expected him to! She dared to glance to the side.

But in the space of just a few seconds, Abel had vanished.

Seth's cheeks burned with mortification as she gathered her thoughts. Then, she turned back to Violet and Lailah, and said, "Uh… yeah. Yeah, I'm alright."

As the thief gathered her clothes, Violet stepped forward. "Allow me, Miss Seth. There's no need to push yourself."

"I'm fine, really," Seth insisted.

Violet took another step forward "That was a very hard impact, Miss Seth," she replied. "Even if you feel better, you should avoid straining yourself needlessly."

Seth stepped back. "I can get dressed myself, alright? I've taken much worse hits than that."

Violet took another step. "Have you now?"

But Lailah cut in. "Do you mean, in your time as the Ghost of Lohan?"

Seth shook her head. "No, before that. You see, I… didn't start out knowing how to climb walls and jump between rooftops," she began- slowly at first, but more quickly and more confidently as she settled on a convincing lie. "I took more than a few hard falls before I mastered them."

Violet finally relented, backing away. "…Very well then. But if you notice any discomfort or unusual sensations, I would like for you to tell me immediately."

"I will," Seth lied.

In a small corridor some distance from the changing room, Abel had collapsed against the wall, breathing heavily. That had been far too close. Even though nothing had happened, and as much as he wanted to believe that Lailah wouldn't judge him too harshly for his actions, he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd just narrowly avoided disaster.

But, even so, it was probably best to wait a little while longer before heading back. Just to be safe.

---

"…You're sure? Nothing else was taken?" Abel asked.

"Y-Yes, Lord Hero," replied a woman with short brown hair, clad in simple clothes with an apron around her waist. She was one of Kagura's attendants, responsible for maintaining the young woman's personal chambers. And according to her, none of Kagura's possessions were missing- not even the clothes she'd been wearing the day before she disappeared.

"What about with the other servants? Have they noticed anything unusual?" he then asked.

"Well… one of the chefs mentioned losing his favorite haori. And a few other servants mentioned a few of their things going missing as well- a shirt, a sandal, a belt… Oh, and the librarian also said one of the scrolls he keeps wasn't in its usual place."

"Hmm…" Morning had come. And once the sun had risen, Abel's companions spread throughout the Azai's castle, searching for any traces of the daimyo's missing daughter. Lailah and Claire searched Kagura's chambers, while the others fanned out, interrogating the castle's garrison and servants. Abel in particular had decided to begin his questioning with those closest to Kagura.

But the more Abel heard, the less he was convinced that Kagura's disappearance was the result of a kidnapping. To him, it seemed more likely that she had run away. The missing clothing was probably meant to be a disguise, assembled one piece at a time from articles stolen from a number of servants, to make it seem like the items had simply been lost. But, why had she left in the first place?

Though, perhaps that question had an answer. "This scroll… did the librarian say what was in it?"

Kagura's attendant shook her head. "I'm afraid not. You'd have to speak to-"

Her words were interrupted by a loud, low gong sound. The attendant went pale. "What is that?" Abel asked. "What's going on?"

"That's the alarm from the city gates," she said fearfully. "Bandits are coming!"

Abel didn't wait. He ran through the castle and out into the streets, where people were desperately-if-sluggishly rushing to find shelter, while guards from the garrison made their way to the source of the gong s. He soon found a mass of soldiers at the gates, along with a few of his companions, and…

"Lord Hero," Saburo said. He was standing atop the city wall, facing out over the desolate fields beyond. Gathered there was a number of rough-looking individuals, about thirty in all. They were armed with all manner of weapons- spears, woodcutter's axes, hunting bows… though there was one at the front, a long, curved blade resting on his shoulder. Many looked human, but some were larger than the others, with two long, sharp horns sprouting from their foreheads. Others were smaller and thinner, with ugly faces and mottled skin- they reminded Abel of the goblins Vivienne had conjured in his fights against her illusions. "Are those the bandits?" Abel asked.

Saburo nodded. "They are. Raiders have attacked before, but never before in numbers like this. The stores of food beyond the city walls must be running dangerously low for them to act so brazenly."

As if on cue, the man with the great sword shouted out a command, and the raiding party surged forward. The soldiers at the gate reacted swiftly, readying their bows and letting a volley of arrows fly. But many fell short- only a few actually reached the charging bandits, and even then, only a few actually hit them. If they couldn't hit an enemy from a distance, they'd be torn apart once the enemy was within arm's reach.

Abel looked to Saburo. "Let me deal with them." And before waiting for an answer, Abel's wings of light flashed to life, and he flew into the air above the wall. The bandits quickly stopped, shouting out in surprise, a few raising the bows to fire at him. Before they could fire, Abel darted toward the ground, landing hard enough to make the ground shake. He then slowly rose, drawing his sword. "That's far enough."

For a moment, the bandits stood frozen, seemingly unwilling to approach this new foe. Then the one with the sword on his shoulder laughed. "And what's this? The lord daimyo sends a boy to fight us?" He gripped his sword tightly, pointing the blade toward Abel. "Well I've killed plenty of boys like you."

Abel braced himself, gripping his blade tightly in turn. "And I've killed plenty of men like you."

The man's arrogant smile turned into an enraged sneer. "Is that so!?" he snarled. And with that, the bandit charged. He swung…

But Abel was ready. His sword cut through the air, meeting the attacker's blade and forcing it aside. Or that was the intent. Instead, the bandit's blade snapped from the impact, and he stumbled back, surrounded by shards of his shattered blade. The bandit looked down at his blade in shock, the last thing he would ever do, as Abel turned his blade and thrust it deep into his neck. With a final, gurgled gasp, the bandit fell to the ground. Abel glared out at the remainder, fresh blood splattered across his chest. Filled with a sudden surge of bravado, he said aloud, "Would anyone else like to underestimate me?"

The remaining bandits exchanged glances. Some of them took steps back, but others- the larger ones with horns- hefted their weapons and charged at Abel. There were just three of them, though. Easily dealt with. He thrust out his hand, and with a shout of "Angel Fire!" a burst of white flames shot from Abel's palm, engulfing the first bandit. He howled in agony as he collapsed, his flesh melting, but the remaining two were undeterred. They closed in. One thrust a long spear at Abel; the other swung an enormous club coated with metal plates and massive spikes. Abel ducked, calling a blade of light into his free hand and cutting through the legs of the one with the club. As the bandit fell, Abel dodged another thrust from the final horned bandit, landing just next to the second bandit's club. Abel grabbed the club's handle, spinning in a circle to build momentum as he rose, before slamming the club into the final bandit's side. It was like hitting a stone wall- the bandit didn't fall, but the bandit was sent reeling. Abel pulled the club back before swinging again, this time aiming for the bandit's head. The club hit with a sickening crunch, sending the bandit crashing to the ground with a wet thud.

Abel tossed the club aside, before a flash caught his attention. He didn't wait to see what it was- he simply swung his sword, deflecting an arrow one of the bandits had fired his way. The bandit goblin who'd shot at him stared in disbelief as his comrades began to retreat. But he wouldn't get the chance. Abel pointed his free hand at the archer and growled, "Spark Bolt." There was a crack of thunder as a bolt of lightning flew from his fingertip, striking the still-stunned bandit square in the chest. He cried out as he fell to the ground, twitching violently, before falling still.

And with that, the raiders were gone, either fleeing or dead. A few cheers went up from the garrison soldiers. But, Abel was quiet. Hunger had made these raiders desperate enough to attack a fortified city. And this was just one group. Who knew how many more were prowling the countryside? And any one of them might stumble across Kagura as she did… whatever she thought she was doing. And if they found her, they could easily force the daimyo into opening the city gates or giving up his food stores… if they didn't just butcher her and throw her into their cooking pots.

Abel looked back toward the wall, searching for a familiar blonde priestess. Once he sighted her, he called out, "Lailah, you and the others stay here! I'm going to go find Kagura."

The priestess jolted slightly. "What?"

"You can't just fly off on your own!" Raine shouted in protest.

"We can't wait. I don't think Kagura was kidnapped, but she's still in danger. We have to find her before something else does." He turned. "But, those raiders will come back eventually. We can't all search for her and stay here to protect the city."

"At least let one of us go with you!" the witch called.

"Can any of you fly?" he asked. When his question was met with silence, he continued, "…I can't fly and carry one of you at the same time. I know it's dangerous, but Kagura could be in danger. We have to move fast to find her. And you all know I know exactly how to do that."

He fell silent, looking at them all, waiting for an answer. Finally, Lailah nodded. "…Alright. If you're sure about this… then go. And… be safe."

"Thank you," he replied, before turning away. "I'll be back," he said faintly. "I promise."

With that, he leapt into the air once more, his wings of light flaring to life, carrying him aloft into the sky.

---

Time was of the essence, is what Abel had said. But even with all his practice, flying still drained his strength quickly, and even before Enji was out of sight, Abel had to land amid barren fields and walk as his amulet pulled him toward Kagura. His strength recovered in time, but he could only fly in short bursts before having to land again. He may have had angel blood flowing in his veins, but at the moment, Abel felt more like a man-sized grasshopper than anything connected to the divine. And all the way until sunset, that was how Abel made his way forward- walk, then fly, then walk again.

The sun had already set by the time he came across a village. It was small, with buildings not unlike the ones in Enji, though built on short raised platforms above the ground. Abel would have thought a lack of overgrowth would have given the village a less unsettling atmosphere, but if anything, it only deepened the unease he felt. It didn't feel as if he were stepping into an abandoned village, but rather a village in which time had been frozen entirely. Abel almost expected that if he were to peer into the houses, he would find its inhabitants still inside, eternally suspended in the midst of their daily chores. But, there were no footprints or tracks, no remains of food or fires, nothing that hinted that anyone lived here, or had even passed through recently. If nothing else, he at least had a place to take shelter for the night.

Shelter…

Only now, so far away from the castle and the others, did Abel finally admit how reckless his plan had been. He hadn't even brought any food for himself, let alone for another person. As if to mock him for his foolishness, his stomach began to growl. Though unlikely, given the village's state, perhaps there was still an untouched cache of supplies hidden within one of those silent buildings.

Abel focused again. But instead of Kagura, he impelled his amulet to find the nearest source of food, and felt it pull toward one of the houses- the second on his left. Cautiously, he slid the front door open and stepped inside. The inside was incredibly dark, with only the threshold lit by the faint light of the half-moon overhead. Abel hadn't thought to bring food, much less any other supplies, but he could at least do something about the darkness. He recalled that in Lohan, Niel had once used a spell to light his way. So, he held up his hand, and repeated the name of that spell:

"Daylight."

To his surprise, it worked- a small, glowing mote, like a speck of dust, rose from his palm and shone with a soft light. It wasn't especially bright- only about as strong as a small candle, but it was enough for him to navigate through the house in his search for anything edible.

The first room contained little more than a wooden chest and a low wooden table in the center. There were a few pieces of cloth hanging from the walls, and some straw mats covering the floor. The next room was similarly barren- there were three bedrolls laid out on the floor, and… a pack. When Abel focused, his amulet pointed toward it. For some reason though, Abel couldn't help but feel that the pack was oddly… out of place. As if it didn't belong to whoever had lived in the house before. He took a cautious, tentative step toward it.

A rush of footsteps and a sharp cry was Abel's only warning. He lunged forward, feeling something rush through the air behind him and spun to face his attacker: a girl clutching a gardening trowel in her hands. Stepped forward, swinging the trowel at him with another cry. But, it was clear to Abel that this girl had no experience fighting. Her swing was slow and clumsy, slow enough that Abel easily caught her by the wrist. She immediately tried to pull away, the trowel slipping from her hand. "Let… go of me!" But even though Abel wasn't holding her with all his might, she was still too weak to break free.

Abel was fairly confident he knew the girl's identity. Even so, he asked, "Are you Kagura?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she continued to fight against him, trying to free herself from his grasp.

"Your father Saburo sent me to find you."

At this, the girl stopped, giving Abel a chance to look her over more closely. Her features were a bit softer than Saburo's, her eyes were amber, and her hair a chestnut brown, but there was little doubt she was the daimyo's daughter. Her attire was, as he expected, a strange collage of clashing designs- her hair was held in place with some sort of wooden comb and a bronze pin, she wore a pink jacket patterned with rectangles over a white wrap, a light blue sash tied around her waist and very short black shorts underneath. She wore a different sandal on each foot, one brown, and one black. Even her socks were unmatched- the one on her left foot only reached her ankle, colored a solid white, while the one on the right was longer, reaching halfway up her calf, all black save for three white rings around the ankle.

"D - Wh… Do you have no respect?" she hissed in anger.

"Uh, what?" Abel was caught off-guard by her words, but not enough to let her go.

The girl's face twisted in anger. "You would presume to speak of my father as if you were his equal!? You insolent brown whelp! How dare you defile his good name with your filthy tongue!" She pulled against him even harder, but still, she couldn't break Abel's grip.

But at least now he knew for sure he had the right girl. "Kagura," he said cautiously, "I'm trying to help you. If you'd just let me explain…"

"Don't lie! You're one of them, aren't you!? One of the raiders prowling the countryside!" She struggled against him, her voice growing louder with every word. "You're going to defile me, and then slit my throat and strip the flesh from my bones! That's why you came here isn't it? Isn't it!? Well I won't let you take me! Not like this!" The girl then reached up with her free hand and snatched the pin from her hair, before driving her fist into Abel's forearm. Pain exploded through Abel's arm, and he recoiled, losing his grip on Kagura's wrist entirely. She stumbled back, before turning and fleeing from the house.

"Damn it!" he muttered, pulling the pin out of his arm before chasing after Kagura.

He began focusing, but it was unnecessary- as soon as Abel stepped out of the house, he spotted her, her legs crumpled beneath her just outside, her eyes fixed on… something ahead of her. It was then that Abel realized that the silence permeating the village had been broken- not by his and Kagura's exertions, but by a strange chittering. Abel followed the girl's gaze, and spotted something deeper in the village. A human figure. It looked like one of the raiders from earlier, but…

But there was something undeniably wrong about him. He was nearly skeletal, his clothes mere rags, the hair on his head reduced to a few thin strands. But his eyes… they were wide, bloodshot, and flashing with a strange glow with his every movement. And… at first, Abel thought that the man was giving a wild grin, his mouth splattered with blood. But, then he realized… the man had no lips, as if they'd been ripped away, leaving his mouth permanently frozen in a vicious, predatory snarl. The man's arms were covered in bite marks- deep ones too, wounds festering and with chunks of flesh missing entirely.

Almost as if… he'd been trying… to eat himself.

Abel tore his sword from its sheath. As he did, the stranger turned toward them, eyes flashing. His teeth gnashed together, creating a loud chittering noise. Then he threw his head back and let out a loud, wild howl, before dashing at Kagura with almost blinding speed. She screamed, covering her face with her hands. Abel didn't hesitate; he ran forward and swung his sword just as the stranger swung one of its twisted, gnarled hands at her. There was a sickening crunch as the blade bit into the creature's flesh, but it seemed to have no effect. It pressed its hands against Abel's sword, as if it couldn't see it, the blade digging deeper and deeper into its flesh.

Then, impossibly, the creature's fingers wrapped around Abel's sword and twisted, forcing the blade from his grasp. It flung the sword aside, sending it spinning through the air, before leaping onto Abel and pinning him to the ground. Its claws dug into his arms, piercing through the plates in his jacket and drawing blood. Its head snapped forward, jaws wide and aimed at his neck. Abel grabbed its head with his hands, trying to stop the creature from tearing out his throat- there was a rush of air as the thing's jaws snapped shut less that a finger's width from the exposed skin at his neck. But the creature's strength seemed endless, while Abel could feel his own quickly ebbing away. The lack of food and his fatigue from rushing off to find Kagura was quickly catching up to him. He had to do something, and fast, or else he and Kagura…

The wings on Abel's back flickered, before erupting into white flames. Abel, and the creature clutching at him, began rising into the air, before Abel rushed forward, slamming the beast into one of the houses back-first. The wood buckled from the impact, sending splinters flying. But the stranger's grip didn't slacken even a little. Abel twisted, aiming his palm upward, before summoning a blade of light into his hand. The blade shot up, passing through the stranger's arm and cutting through with ease. Without waiting, Abel swung the blade at the beast's other arm, causing it to fall to the ground.

But somehow, it was still alive. It was writhing, howling wildly as it tried to force itself to stand up. And worse yet… its wounds seemed to be healing. Abel could see its skin knitting together, bones and fibers of muscle sprouting from the stumps where its arms had been like roots, quickly taking form into new, fresh, uninjured limbs. And once it was whole, the creature rapidly climbed up the side of the house like a spider, before leaping at Abel with its jaws wide.

But Abel was prepared this time. He darted to the side, causing the creature to fall to the ground with a thump and a loud crack. Abel landed just a moment later, though his landing was anything but graceful. Although it felt much longer, he had only used his power and his blade for a few moments- but even those few moments were enough to almost entirely sap his strength. He stood slowly, looking down at the creature. It lay motionless, blood seeping from its mouth and nose… until it shuddered, and drew itself up onto its feet. Its head lolled to the side, before it was forced upright with another loud crack. It snarled, teeth bared and eyes wild with madness. Abel raised his hand again, preparing to strike… but before he could, the creature charged at him. Abel barely managed to jump out of the way in time, rolling across the ground as the beast charged at where he'd been standing. With its speed, Abel expected it to run into the wall headfirst, but instead, it scrambled up the wall again like a hideous spider, its nails driving deep gouges into the wooden exterior, and disappeared somewhere beyond the edge of the roof. But something told Abel that he hadn't managed to drive the beast into retreating- he couldn't see it, but he could still hear the scraping of its claws as it moved across the roof, and the chittering of its teeth. Abel waited, trying to track the stranger with his other senses as best he could, tense, waiting for the moment when it struck again.

He wouldn't be waiting long. The sound of the creature's clawing grew fainter, and then stopped altogether. Abel waited in silence, listening to the complete stillness on the roof, for what felt like an eternity. But then... Abel wasn't sure. He didn't hear anything, but... felt something off to his left. And for a brief moment, he caught a glimpse of the creature's eyes, shining in the darkness, before it launched itself at him with enough force to send them both crashing to the ground. Abel rolled over, only to cry out as the beast seized his arm and locked its jaws locked around it. Pain like burning nails flooded through his arm as he struggled to pull free. But the more he fought, the harder the creature bit down. Blood flowed freely from the wound, and Abel could feel tendons and muscles being torn apart by the creature's relentless maw.

In desperation, he called another blade of light, and hacked at the creature. Again and again, the blade carved through the monster's flesh, until all that was left was the head, its fangs still buried deep in Abel's forearm, until Abel pried the creature's jaw open and tossed it aside. The rest of the creature's body lay motionless, sliced to ribbons, blood staining the earth beneath it. Abel panted as he stumbled to his feet, staring at the unmoving form. He was certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he had killed this abomination. Yet, for some reason, he still felt uneasy. Even as the seconds ticked on, the creature didn't twitch or move… until the chittering started again.

In disgust, Abel raised his foot, and drove it down on the living head as hard as he could, crushing its skull into a bloody pulp. There was a wet, squishy sound as the skull gave way beneath his boot, and finally, the chittering stopped. Abel looked down at the mess beneath his foot, before extending his hand, and burning the mush away with a burst of white flames. He turned his hand to the rest of the creature's body, incinerating it with flames as well. Breathing deeply, Abel wiped his face, noticing the blood that got onto his sleeve. It was over now. It had to be. If having its head crushed and its body burned hadn't killed it, then nothing would. Even so, Abel watched, waiting for some final sign of life, some last twitch or lunge. But, there was none. Finally, he let out a sigh, relief washing over him like a cold breeze on a hot summer day. He was safe once more.

They were safe.

Abel turned. "Kagura?" he called. He realized his sword was missing, but he could search for that later. Finding Kagura was the priority. But, as it turned out, he wouldn't have to search very far, either for the daimyo's daughter or for his sword. He saw her coming out of the house she had been hiding in, the pack over her shoulder, his sword clutched in both hands.

As soon as she saw him approach, she screamed in fright, before she gripped the blade tightly and made a wide, clumsy swing in his direction. "Y-Y-You stay back!" she shouted with a shaking voice. Her whole body was trembling, and she couldn't even raise the sword above her waist. Even so, she clutched the sword with all her strength, her knuckles white from the effort. "I'm warning you!"

Abel paused, taking a step back, raising his hands. "Kagura," he said softly, "it's alright. You can put the sword down."

But she didn't. Though she seemingly could only just barely carry it, she held the blade tightly, as if she expected him to attack her at any moment.

Abel approached her cautiously, speaking gently. "I killed that thing, Kagura. It's gone. We're safe."

But, she still wouldn't drop the sword. "What... what are you!?" she demanded, her voice quavering. "Are you... a demon? "

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I'm not. I'm a human, just like you." He took a cautious step forward…

…only for Kagura to respond with another slow, clumsy swing. "You... you're lying! No normal human can do the things you did!"

Kagura wasn't wrong. A normal person couldn't do the things Abel could. But... "I'm a Hero- a Champion. I was chosen by one of the gods in my homeland across the sea, to defeat the Overlord." He hesitated, before adding, "…M-My name… is Abel."

Kagura finally lowered the sword, but didn't drop it. "Champion? And... the Overlord? You... know about them?" she asked, looking at him with a mix of confusion and suspicion.

"Of course I do. Doesn't everyone?" Abel replied, feeling slightly confused himself.

The daimyo's daughter let out a breath, finally letting the blade fall from her hands. She closed her eyes, taking a shaky breath. "I always thought… that only Zipangu received such blessings. This land, and…" She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

"What I said before, about the daimyo sending me to find you- it wasn't a lie," Abel then said. "He thought someone had kidnapped you. But... that isn't what happened, is it?"

Kagura looked away, refusing to meet Abel's gaze. "…I see what this is," she said, a contemptuous edge creeping into her voice. "He sent you to bring me back, didn't he? But I'm not going back. I can't. I know what caused the blight. And I know how to end it."

Abel... wasn't willing to say that he didn't believe Kagura. But, any discussion could wait until they were safely back in Enji. And he told the daimyo's daughter as much: "Look, I don't know why you left the city. And I'm not saying I don't believe you. But whatever caused the blight, it's too dangerous for you to handle it alone. We need to get back to Enji. Your father and Sister Yumie are worried about you." Abel began to reach toward Kagura. "And I'm sure they'd-"

"No!" Kagura pulled back, just beyond Abel's reach. "That snake from the mission is the reason for everything that's happened! Whispering her poisons into my father's ears, and my grandfather and great-grandfather's before him…"

"Listen, I can't say I'm fond of the Church either, but…" Abel began. But he was interrupted when his stomach let out a very loud, and very unhappy, growl. Kagura blinked, seemingly startled. Then, her expression softened. She set the pack down, and began rummaging around inside, before pulling out a lengthy strip of dried meat.

"Here," she said. "You did save my life. If nothing else, I can at least give you this."

Abel gratefully accepted, ravenously devouring Kagura's offering in a matter of moments. After this, Kagura asked for a chance to explain herself. When Abel agreed, they made their way back into the house where they first encountered one another. They sat in the main room, Abel on one side of the table, Kagura on the other. And once they were settled, the daimyo's daughter began by asking, "Do you know how the islands of Zipangu came to be?"

An odd question. Though Abel did know the answer. Recalling one of Liz's readings from the travelogue, he replied, "…A swordsman killed a giant monster by cutting off its heads. And when he consecrated the heads in the names of his gods, they became islands… right?"

Kagura blinked, as if not expecting Abel to have given a correct, if basic answer. "…Indeed. The swordsman Susanoo slew the demon Orochi by cutting off each of its eight heads, which became an island as it fell into the sea. He presented these islands to each of the Eight Gods, who reshaped them in accordance with their nature, creating a haven for those seeking to escape the turmoil of the mainland." Kagura then leaned toward Abel. "But the gods also appointed to each island a spirit in their service, to act as their island's guardian. In order for man to receive the blessings of the lands, they must perform certain rites to appease the gods, and the guardians who rule in their stead."

"And, you think the blight happened because your family didn't perform this… rite?" Abel asked.

"For thousands of years, my ancestors performed the ritual to appease Isha's guardian, ensuring the soil remained bountiful." Kagura's expression hardened. "But nearly fifty years ago, foreigners like you came from across the sea, seeking followers for their strange new gods. My great-grandfather was one of the few to be swayed by these 'missionaries,' and though he held the old ways, he took a priest of the 'Chief God' into his household to advise him on matters of the spirit. His son, my grandfather, was fully immersed in the new faith, and never learned the ancient rites and rituals of our clan. Nor did my father."

Kagura stood, and crossed the room with a dour expression. "The Sister from the mission is certain that Isha's guardian is a demon, and that slaying it will end this blight. And she has convinced my father of the same. But if he succeeds, then Isha's blessings may be lost forever. In fact, the island itself may very well sink into the sea entirely." She slammed a fist against the wall next to her. "I can't allow that to happen. The people of our domain… of all of Zipangu, rely on Isha's bounty to fill their tables and granaries. …But if I perform the rite, then the island will be saved." Her eyes fell on Abel, full of fire. "I'm certain of it."

Abel could see Kagura's desperation. And… part of him understood. But… "How can you be so sure?"

"Father called upon scholars from all over Zipangu to aid in ending the blight. As they searched for answers, I took it upon myself to search as well. And I found them. Hidden in the castle library. Among the records of my ancestors." She came back to the table, pulling out a scroll tucked inside her shirt, and unrolled it on the table. Within was a drawing of three figures- two men and a woman, bowing before a crude humanoid figure with a green mark on its chest, surrounded by strange, flowing characters. Reading them, it seemed to be some sort of decree or commandment. "This scroll is part of the history of my clan. And it mentions that our clan's founder, Azai Nobumori, swore his allegiance to the spirit of the land, to ensure an everlasting bounty. To ensure that Isha would watch over the land, and bless it with plenty, so long as he upheld this oath. And this oath was to be renewed by every daimyo who succeeded Nobumori, by performing a sacred rite for the guardian."

"Well… what was this rite supposed to be?" Abel asked, trying to keep an open mind.

Kagura rubbed her temple. "Unfortunately, the record doesn't say. Or, if it does, I was unable to find it, before the Sister began to speak of slaying the guardian. When I heard that, I knew I had to find the guardian first, and perform the rite to appease them and end the blight."

Abel gave the scroll another glance, and spotted something- a pair of names alongside Nobumori's. "…It says here that other clans also swore an oath to Isha's guardian. Takagi and… Kofune. Maybe they can help us." Hope welled within him…

…hope that was quickly dashed when Kagura shook her head. "It's true that three clans swore allegiance to Isha's guardian. But not long after the pact between the guardian and the clan leaders was made, the Takagi and Kofune clans went to war against each other. No one is certain why the war started, but when it finally ended, the Takagi clan was driven from Isha, and the Kofune claimed their territories. As for the Kofune clan… seventy years ago, a daimyo from the island of Kurunosu attempted to invade Isha. They were repelled, but the Kofune, who ruled the west where the invasion force landed, suffered grievously, and the clan's main branch was all but wiped out. If there are any descendants from either clan, they're likely completely unaware of it. The Azai are the only clan left who can perform the rite to appease Isha's guardian. It has to be us… or rather…" Kagura clutched at her chest. "…it has to be me."

That wasn't exactly encouraging. "…Do you at least know where this guardian is supposed to live?"

Kagura stood and crossed the room, opening the shutter of one of the windows. "There," she said, pointing to something outside. Abel looked out, to see a great mountain rising from the plains. "The guardian lives in a cavern at the very heart of that mountain. Hinode."

Abel focused for a moment, and felt a tug on his amulet. Kagura had spoken truly- Isha's guardian was both real, and it did indeed reside somewhere in the vicinity of that mountain. He looked toward the daimyo's daughter. "Let me go with you."

She scoffed. "I don't need a foreigner's help. The rite can only be performed by a member of the Azai clan. And I managed to get this far on my own."

"And how long will that last?" Abel asked in turn. "Your father told me there are raiders all over the island- some attacked Enji earlier this morning. He thought they might've been responsible for kidnapping you. And then there was that… thing that almost killed us out there. If I hadn't been here, it would've killed you for sure. And who knows what else is waiting out there? You need help." He paused. "And... I can help you. If you won't go back to Enji, then at least let me do that."

Kagura looked at him, her expression unreadable for a moment. She then looked away. "…endigo."

"What?"

"Those who eat the flesh of their fellow men are invaded by malevolent spirits. These spirits fill them with a deep, ravenous hunger which can never be sated, driving them to kill and eat human flesh. We call these spirits, and those who are possessed by them… wendigo."

An evil spirit… it would explain how it could be so strong, despite its appearance. But, why was she telling him this? Unless...

"I will admit," Kagura began, "I still have some reservations. The guardian may not look kindly upon someone outside my clan treading in their domain, much less a foreigner. But..." She turned back toward him. "You are right, Lord Hero. I do need help. And you… are the only person who can help me."

"Then, you'll let me help you?" Abel asked.

She shook her head. "No. Not 'let.' As the heir to the Azai clan, I order you to help me reach Isha's guardian and end the blight."

Abel was taken aback by her sudden forcefulness. "Uh... alright then."

A strange expression settled on Kagura's face. "We will remain here for the night. At first light, we set out for Hinode."

Only once she turned away did Abel realize that he recognized the strange expression. The way Kagura's gaze seemed to pierce right through him...

When they had first met, Saburo had looked at him the exact same way.

---

There were no further disturbances during the night, Even so, Abel never let his hand stray far from the hilt of his sword, just in case. They left the shutters open, letting in the cool night air, until at last, the sun rose over the horizon, casting faint rays through the windows.

Abel stood up, stretching his stiff limbs. "It's morning. Time to go." Kagura nodded, already dressed and ready to go.

As they stepped out of the house, and made their way down the street, Kagura abruptly stopped. "Wait."

"What?" Abel reached for his sword, expecting another foe.

"See that?" She pointed to something ahead, something that he hadn't noticed the day before. There, at a crossroads at the center of the village, was a large stone, taller than Abel and about three times as wide. It was covered with ropes, numerous small paper slips tied to it. The side facing them had a hollow, containing two statues of… some kind of animal: one gold, one black, with narrow eyes and short, pointed ears. Abel wasn't sure exactly what the stone was, but the way it was set apart from everything else, and the way it was decorated, told him it must have been important- something which was confirmed when Kagura continued. "A shrine. It must be dedicated to a local spirit." She approached, as did Abel. He saw that at the base of each statue, something had been written- the writing looked old, but even so, he could read it.

"Tamayatsu… and Zaramatsu," he said aloud.

"I don't recognize those names…" Kagura said. "But, any local spirits would be under the domain of Isha's guardian, and thus Isha herself. We should make an offering to them, before we set out." Kagura then looked at Abel with an odd expression. "Do you… have money you could lend me? Even a single coin would do."

Abel almost balked. The daimyo's daughter had insulted him, initially refused his help, threatened him with his own weapon… and now she had the gall to beg him for money? She may have needed his help, but…

…then again, Abel had the impression that were he to refuse, Kagura would in turn refuse his help any further. So, he dug into his pockets, finding a few Ermisian silver marks, and handed one to the daimyo's daughter. She took it, and dropped itinto a small box set between the statues, before pressing her hands together and bowing, as if in prayer. After a moment, Abel dropped a silver mark into the offering box as well, although he offered no prayers. There had been a time, long ago, when he might have. But after so much time without an answer, he concluded that the prayers of a poor boy from a tiny village were too insignificant for the gods to pay heed.

After some time, Kagura stood straight, her hands returning to her sides. "Right. Now then, shall we be off?" she asked, already moving away from the shrine, forcing Abel to rush to catch up to her.

"Hey, hold on! Don't wander off your own…"