The Way of the Fox (4 page)

Sura’s face emerged from around the corner of the house. She called raucously
to the monster as it stalked forward towards Kuno.

“
Hey – ugly! Yeah – you! Your mother wears pink geta!”

A
clod of earth, well thrown, smacked the monster in the head. The immense creature turned. Sura, her long pony tail streaming, stuck out her tongue, turned about and smacked her own rather shapely bottom.

“Bite me, you green git!” She smacked
herself again, retreating back. “Oh yeah – it’s firm, it’s juicy!”

The monster snarled. Flinging down chunks of the shattered porch, it sprang forward with shocking agility, landing with a thump in the grass a few feet from Sura. The fox woman was already skipping backwards. Her spear swished and shimmered in her hand.

The spear blade was a glittering orange-red. The long blade had an asymmetrical cross blade – short and robust on one side, long and vicious on the other. The monster began to charge, but was brought up short by the wicked spear point. Sura made a lightning jab, then danced backwards. She swirled her spear around herself, sweeping the blade backwards behind her and striking an elegant “peering through the bamboo”
en guard
pose: a pose somewhat modified by her changing the approved hand position in order to give the monster a rude gesture with her middle finger.

“Come on, sock-tits! Let’s see what you’ve got!”

The monster raged into the attack.

B
attle was now on in earnest, the spear flicking and thrusting, cross blades hacking like a pick. The green monster tried to seize the spear haft, but Sura pulled back each time, snatching it away. She drove the monster backward – then made a retreat, mocking and hooting at the monster in glee.

“Waha!
Oh, you want the fox? You can’t touch the fox! No one gets the fox!”

Sura suddenly dropped her spear point to make a deliberate opening. The monster took the bait, thundering forward. But Sura made a side step,
her spear point cutting low to slice across the monster’s dense, woody flesh.

The
spear sliced shockingly deep; the orange metal was supernaturally sharp. But the monster swatted the haft aside. Sura leapt backwards, skipping back and back and back with gleeful speed, leading the monster on.

She
steered the monster back into the grass, as Kuno and Tonbo came racing to the edge of the house. Kuno was about to race into attack once more, but Tonbo put out a hand to hold the man back.

Sura stood her ground –
tail curving and slyly swirling. The monster charged.

The fox
flicked a hand out of her sleeve, and an egg flashed out though the air. The monster shielded its face and the egg struck its arm, bursting apart into a cloud of stinging pepper dust. Blinded, the massive creature slashed wildly about itself, blundering forward towards the fox.

It crossed a line marked by a stick planted in the grass.
As the monster lurched towards her, Sura suddenly swept out a hand, two fingers folded down against her palm.

“Shields
!”

Brilliant, opaque walls sho
t up out of the ground all around the monster – walls pinned at the corners by Sura’s painted paper seals. The papers blazed with magic. The monster charged, struck against a wall, and was flung backwards, burned and stunned.

The
beast stood up, dragging a huge stone up out of the ground, ready to hurtle it at the fox. Sura lunged forward with her spear, shooting the weapon forward almost its full eight feet out of her hands. The spear point plunged into the monster’s stomach, stabbing deep. The creature staggered backwards, dropping the stone. Sura whipped another paper from her robes and blew upon it, sending the magic paper flying fast to slap flat against the monster’s chest.

“
Tao seal!”

The mon
ster staggered back in shock, clawed hands trying to tear the paper from its flesh. Its wound bled, diminishing the creature – shrinking it. Sura whipped her spear around and about, and then sketched a tao symbol in the air with the spear point. The symbol glowed with skittering points of light.

“Creature of the Realm Of Slaughter

Fiend of blood, beast of pain.

I expel you back to lands of darkness!

Deceiver of the good, be gone!
”

Behind the monster, a point of light burst into life. Suddenly a gulf wrenched open – a portal into a black space filled with hideous dancing lights. A storm wind blew, whipping at Sura’s hair. The vortex dragged the monster backwards towards the yawning gate. Wounded and weakening, the creature screamed. It was dragged backwards step by step, panic in its eyes, until suddenly it was swept clean through into the gulf beyond. Sura gestured, and the portal slammed shut, vanishing utterly. The shield spell flickered and died, and the swamp was suddenly still and silent.

The monster was gone.

Sura looked utterly pleased with herself. She leaned on her spear, planted a fist on her hip, and called raucously over to Kuno and Tonbo.

“Swamp hag! Who needs ‘em!” Her eyes lit upon the sagging hut. “Hey! Let’s see if there’s any cool loot!”

One of the monster’s green darts sizzled where it had struck into a pillar – burning slowly through the entire log.

Kuno’s left shoulder armour
gave up the ghost and fell crashing to the ground. He dusted numbly at his armour, brushing at severed, dangling laces. He looked to Tonbo in exhausted amazement.

“This
is what you do?”

“We do now.” Tonbo shouldered his club.

“We’re Spirit Hunters.”

Chapter 2

The next day bloomed fine and sunny in the swamps. Early morning sun streamed down across the roadside village. Night rain had left the world smelling fresh and fine. Spring flowers bloomed and birds were returning. Already, the forest seemed filled with light – all terror and oppression gone.

Sura, Tonbo and Kuno came walking from the village inn, surroun
ded by thankful villagers. The monk clung to Sura’s arm, chatting with her back and forth. She was in human form, red hair gleaming, gesturing one hand as she told yet more tales, her tail waving merrily behind as she walked. Kuno strolled with the old woman of the village, speaking with her gravely and politely. Tonbo carried two children, jogging them up and down on his armoured shoulders, and all was well with the world.

At the main road t
hey finally parted with the villagers, accepting many, many thankful bows. A child ran from the inn, bringing Sura an earthenware jug filled with sakē. Sura gleefully uncorked the jug and drank, calling out her compliments to the innkeeper and his wife. Corking the jug, she followed Kuno and Tonbo out onto the road. They walked off through the hills, heading towards Ayamejo.

Sura was in high spirits, u
tterly overjoyed with yesterday’s success. With spear cocked over one shoulder and sakē jug over the other, she walked along simply revelling in the world.

The forest path finally fed out
onto the main road to Ayamejo. Sura showed no inclination to head off in a different direction: she kept pace with Kuno, merrily greeted every passer-by she met. With birds flitting through the trees above, the fox raucously began a song.

“Oooooooh I found a lady badger!

Walking brave and bold.

And I said to that badger,

“Please may I see your hole?

I know it may be rustic,

Narrow, deep and dank!

But any hole is like another

Once you blow out all the lamps!”

Kuno tried to
march along encased in flawless dignity. He moved to walk next to Tonbo, and leaned in to pass a quiet word.

“I believe Sura san has been dipping into the rice wine.”
He shot a dire glance towards the fox. “Her behaviour is most unseemly.”

Sura had heard every word. She called out happily from the far side of the road.

“Oh – are you still miffed about that rip in your armour lace? We fixed that for you. It’s good as new!”

“
I can still tell the new laces from the old.”

“Well – with a little sun
on them, they’ll all mellow down. Trust me – I’m a fox!”

Kuno seethed. “
I hate it when you say that.”

“But it’s true!” Sura waved a hand. “There are many truths
that you will encounter today. First truth: The myriad things are many and varied, and yet the Tao is ever constant. As still as deep water, yet in motion like the countless rivers! One who understands such a thing is all-encompassing. Being all-encompassing, one becomes open and just. When one becomes open and just, one begins to live in accordance with nature. Being in accord with nature, one is in accord with the Tao. When one is in accordance with the Tao, then an endless joy can be forever yours.” Sura waved a hand. “And for a second truth – trust the fox! The fox is wise, the fox is clever! The fox is weirdly lovable.” Some peddlers walked by, and Sura immediately gave them a happy wave, hoisting up the sakē jug.

“
Kampai!
Spirit Hunters! Exorcists for hire!”

Kuno trudged onwards, trying to put some distance between himself and the peddlers. He burned Sura with a lowering glance.

“Kindly do not include me in your endeavours.”

“What? Oh come on, you are
totally
a part of it all.” Sura, having drunk yet again from the sakē jug, wiped her mouth. “Just think! Was there ever any instant in your life that felt as good as seeing that big green cannibal monster taking the big hit? Banishing that thing right out of the realm.
Bam!
We wiped out a monster! We’re good guys!” The fox was wonderfully passionate about it all. “I saw that look on your face! You were thrilled. You were fulfilled! Now
that
was a crowning moment!”

Kuno
was an honest soul: sincerity was one of the seven pillars of the samurai. He wavered, admitting that it was so, but then stiffened his resolve. Ayamejo was but a day’s march away, and his plans had already been made.

“
I cannot indulge myself in – in wandering and lollygagging. I have a deputy’s commission. Mercantile activities are beneath the dignity of a samurai.”

“It’s not mercantile! It’s a calling – with voluntary rewards attached!” Sura passed the sak
ē jug to Tonbo. “Tonbo – back me up on this! Roaming monster hunter, protector of the innocent – that’s totally a samurai-positive experience!”

Tonbo shook
the jug carefully, considering – corked it – and carefully took it in charge. In answer to Sura, he gave a grunt and nodded his head.

“Yes.”

“Well – I am already focussed upon a career with the office of the imperial magistrates.” Kuno swelled his chest. “If I can catch the eye of Magistrate Masura, I shall win promotion and have a position of importance.”

Sura eyed the man over. “But you’re, what? A sort of junior deputy already. Stamped, sealed, official
?”

“I am a deputy of the investigatory
department, with no fixed abode of office.” Kuno tapped at the copper billet of authority stowed at his belt. “A position of deep responsibility.”

The fox gave an expressive wave of her hand. “
And do they give you a budget for this roving commission of yours, oh deputy?”

The man coughed. “
There is a – a monetary fief with the position, yes.”

“
Meaning they pay you…?”

“One
koku
a year.”

One koku
: one gold coin. In theory, a daily food intake of a bowl of rice porridge for breakfast, lunch and dinner with one cup of tea per meal would cost one copper piece per day. To do this for a month would cost one silver piece, and to live so for a year would be a single gold koku. Not that anyone would mange to live out the year: they would have gone stark raving, axe-wielding mad long before then out of sheer boredom with the cuisine. Sura pondered all of this and whistled. Kuno shot her a dire glance.

“What?”

“Nothing! Nothing at all!” Sura jingled the string of copper coins she had ‘liberated’ from the swamp hag’s lair. “Forty coppers here! Hey, if you’re wandering about doing the deputy thing, you might as well wander with us. A little coin, the open road – a universe filled with possibilities!”

The samurai tried to cut off the conversation. Sura walked happily along in her handsome robes with her spear, short sword and pack, looking as much tomboy as priestess.
Her red hair and waving tail flashed. She shared out some rice balls given to her by the villagers, handing the largest one to Tonbo.

“
Ooooh! There’s beans inside! Hey, that’s good!” She ate with all the grace of a tiger, and spoke to Kuno with her mouth full. “Oooh – did you try the sakē yet? It’s the sweet kind – excellent!”

Kuno
ground his teeth. He looked at the fox woman in annoyance.

The fox
planted a hand against her heart in protest. “I have dignity! Hey Tonbo – back me on this! Do I have dignity?”

Tonbo gave
a grunt, which spoke great, deep volumes on a number of subjects. Sura inevitably took it to mean absolute agreement.

“
There – see?”

Kuno could only acquiesce. He kept his eyes upon the road ahead.

“I stand corrected.”

Sura walked along at Kuno’s side,
thoroughly enjoying baiting him. She carried her spear across both shoulders, hanging her arms over the haft.

“A
fox will tell you that we live in a universe of objects and phenomena! We receive it through our senses. Why turn your back on the way that we commune with the world?” She drew in a great, deep breath, savouring the scent of wet earth and growing grass. “So anyway. Kuno! What’s this place you have us going to again?”

Kuno tried to walk in the most determined possible fashion. “
There is no
‘we’!
We all just happen to be walking in the same direction.”

“Well we’ll come with you and make sure you’re looked after.” The fox had not a care in the world. “
So really – what’s this town called?”

“
What’s mulch?” Kuno gathered up his dignity, letting his warrior spirit soar.
“
And I shall win, because I am spiritually and bodily prepared. Although you are a
kitsune
, it cannot have escaped your notice that I am a paragon of the samurai arts.”

Sura’s green eyes flashed above her grin. “
Ooooh! A paragon!” She puffed out her quite considerable chest. “Well paragons shouldn’t mope. Lets sing!

“My hole”, said she, “Is quite petite!

And we’ll have lots of fun!

If I can just persuade you, sir

To come and take the plunge…!”

All manner of passers by could hear her. Kuno primly glowered at the fox.

“Not that badger song! Even if you are a creature of loose morals, there is no need to advertise it.”

“I do not have loose morals! I merely have a zest for life
!”

“Indeed.”

Sura rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Kuno was immediately ple
ased. He smoothed his moustache.

Sura felt a sudden sinking in the pit
of her stomach.

“
Wait wait wait – your
first
volume…?”

“The first of three.” Kuno
recited from memory, his voice taking on a deep, grand note.

“
See the butterfly

Bright wings flutter up and down.

Flap flap flap – Pretty.”

Sura blinked – her brain almost went into total seizure.

She shook her head and walked on. Drawing up his dignity, Kuno did not deign to answer. He kept on with his planned
route, trying to ignore the fox as she told jokes and sang all through the long day’s trek.

Behind them, Tonbo marched along, quite content with his day.

In the evening, they camped themselves in a quiet little dell just to the side of the main road. In theory, there should have been a village up along the road ahead, but as evening fell, there was still no sign of inns or houses. And so they made their way off between some trees, where a huge old oak spread its boughs above a soft, plush carpet of leaves.

Tonbo had an eye for fi
nding comfort in the wilderness. It was a place with soft breeze, shelter, and no particularly irritating insects. Kuno sat himself down, pulled off his armour, and made himself comfortable for the night. He disassembled his sword to give it a deeply thorough cleansing – suspicious that the monster’s blood might have somehow have crept into nooks and crannies. While he worked, Tonbo made a fire, then walked off to fill their canteens at a stream.