The Wrath Of the Forgotten (13 page)

After the fifth joke, Nori cracked a smile. As soon as Apisa saw it, she celebrated for the rest of the afternoon. They continued to talk about the differences between Onistan and Buka. Nori had to admit, it was quite enjoyable.

Within an hour of sunset, Nori and the group came upon a forest on a peninsula.

“That’s the f-forest from my dream!” Flara said. “We have to go inside.”

Nori asked “Do we know what dangers wait for us inside?”

“No,” Flara replied. “As soon as we s-set up camp, I’ll describe my dream to you. Apisa and Rayko have already heard it before.”

It didn’t take long to set up the tents. Nori had just finished creating a small camp fire when Rayko stood over him.

“In case there is danger in the forest, I’ll make us less appetizing.” Rayko raised both hands above her head. Her tattoo flashed brightly.

The air all around the camp shimmered, as if coated in glitter. Ripples of energy moved about, and structures formed from the empty spaces. A large military style tent formed over the three tents that Nori and the women had set up. The smoke from the camp fire floated up into the sky from a hole that had been created at the top of the military tent. Nori moved outside the perimeter of the military tent and gaped in wide wonder.

A wooden fort with tall walls stood erected around them. Soldiers patrolled the tops of the walls, and they wore shiny and somewhat fashionable armor. A large blazing bonfire sat in the middle of the fort, and several soldiers gathered around it. A large gatehouse with metal portcullis existed at the far end of the fort. After doing a quick count, Nori noted there were over three dozen soldiers talking, guarding, or doing other fort related activities. Some soldiers roasted meat on the bonfire. The tasty aroma of cooking ham made Nori’s mouth water. His stomach growled loudly. Nearby soldiers talked about the recent rainstorm they just had.

Nori’s voice came out as a whisper. “Is this…all an illusion?”

Rayko placed her hands on her hips. A smug smirk beamed at him. “Well of course it is, darling.”

“Will it remain active when you’re sleeping?” Nori asked.

Rayko’s smirk grew in width.

Nori approached one of the guards and tried to reach out and touch him. The guard reacted and moved out of the way.

A cross expression painted itself on the guard’s face. “Watch it, you brute. Keep your paws to yourself.” The guard moved away from Nori and resumed patrolling the interior of the fort.

Nori watched him go with his mouth agape.

“I told you before,” Rayko said. “I’m the best damned illusionist in all of Jadai. To answer your question, yes. These works of art will not only remain active while I sleep, but they’ll keep an eye out and wake us if anything troubling happens.”

“That’s incredible,” Nori replied.

Rayko examined her nails. “Of course it is, darling. I’m the one who created it. Now stop looking at the background. Flara is going to tell you about her dream.”

By the time that Nori made it back into the real area of their camp site, Apisa and Flara had already seated themselves beside the fire. They both appeared entirely satisfied.

Apisa said “I just hope you’re in awe when we do magic too.”

Flara giggled into her hands. “We’re around magic so much that we’re used to seeing fantastic things like this. It’s always jarring to be around someone who’s not used to witnessing arcane effects.”

Nori plopped down beside Flara. “I’ll admit, this is not what I expected when I was first assigned this duty.”

“What did you expect?” Flara asked.

Nori winced. “To be honest, I thought I would be doing really boring stuff, like attending parties and going to events.”

Rayko gasped. “How exactly are going to parties and events boring?”

“Well, when you’re the guest and you get to have fun, parties and the like are great. When you’re a bodyguard, you don’t get to relax.”

Apisa chuckled. “I can’t imagine going to a party and not having a good time. I love parties. Anyway, let’s get down to business. Can you describe your dream?”

Flara swallowed hard and settled herself in a relaxed position. She closed her eyes and remained quiet for a few moments.

“Everything in my dream is so sudden and a-abrupt. I see some kind of ruin in the middle of the forest. I’m standing in a kind of spacious courtyard and I see three buildings. I always go to the one on the left. Inside that building, I find a l-library full of scrolls. It’s dark inside there. There’s a little office toward the back of the library, and it’s closed. I can’t get inside, but I always stand on the outside of the door. A great d-desire to go inside always washes over me. Whenever I look over my shoulder, I get the uneasy feeling I’m not alone. Every time I have the dream, I feel the urgency increase.”

Nori asked “Does anyone know what kind of ruin was in the forest?”

“Yeah,” Flara said. “As soon as I had the dream, I went to the library at the university and did research on all the possibilities it could be. I think the ruin in the forest is a monastery called Wing Fai.”

Grim expressions painted themselves on Apisa and Rayko’s faces.

“Why do I get the feeling that this is bad thing?” Nori asked.

Flara swallowed hard. “Wing Fai Monastery was lost over four hundred years ago. The information on it was kept in the ‘restricted section’ of the library. A-apparently, the monks at Wing Fai researched d-dark lore.”

Nori gripped the handle on his tetsubo. “When you say dark lore, what are you referring to exactly?”

“I d-don’t know, but I suppose we’re going to find out,” Flara said.

“So are we going to do watches? Or are you going to summon another kami to watch over us?” Nori asked.

Rayko leaned forward. “I already told you. My illusions will watch over us. You may be inexperienced with magic, you sim …I mean, you delightful fellow, but we are not. We are well cared for.”

Apisa stood up and stretched. “Yeah, trust us. We know what we’re talking about.”

She moved to the girl’s tent and ducked inside. Flara stood up and moved to the tent entrance too.

“Goodnight, Mr. Nori,” Flara said. “I hope you can rest better than l-last night.”

Rayko sat with him for a few moments before she also went to the tent.

Before she entered it, she called out to one of the guards. “You there! Attend me.”

The illusionary soldier ran up her. “Yes, oh beloved and beautiful creator?”

She gestured to Nori. “This …man is still nervous about the safety of the camp. Make sure if anything odd occurs, you wake him.” She peered at Nori through the corner of her eye. “Does that make you feel better?”

“A little,” Nori said. “Sleep well ‘oh beloved and beautiful creator.”

Rayko frowned at him. “Don’t be snide, it’s unbecoming.” She entered the tent and closed the tent flap behind her.

Nori turned his attention to the rest of the camp. Even with Rayko out of sight, the illusions still kept doing what normal soldiers would do. Rather than go to his tent, Nori made his way around the fort.

As he passed by soldiers, he eaves-dropped on some of their conversations. To his surprise, they sounded organic and real. All of his senses told him he stood in a real fort, and yet, his mind knew otherwise. Or did it? At one point, he tried to climb the stairs that led to the top of the wall. When his leg passed through the wood, several of the illusionary guards turned on him.

“Did you forget we’re not real?” one guard asked.

Another guard said, “What do you expect from an Onistan? All of this must be overwhelming for him.”

A flash of anger pulsated behind Nori’s eyes. Instead of responding back, he made his way back to his tent. Despite the supposed security of the area, Nori kept his battle armor on and rested his tetsubo beside him within reach. As his eye lids slowly closed, he placed his hand on the handle.

A sea of blackness swept over him. Curious images bubbled up in the blackness, but they were swallowed up moments after appearing. Blood red mountains lined the horizon. A crumbling building caved in on itself. An Oni walked through a familiar-looking city street. Why did that street look so familiar?

A loud shout shattered the blackness and shook him awake. Nori’s eyes opened wide, and he grabbed the tetsubo. He hopped to his feet and swung the tetsubo in front of him. The war club passed through the illusionary soldier, but the man didn’t appear offended in the least.

“Sir, there’s trouble. You’re needed outside!” The guard said.

Nori followed him out of the tent.

THE COOL NIGHT
air caressed Nori as soon as he exited the tent. A crowd of illusionary soldiers stood near the front of the gate. They shouted at something and waved their weapons about, but whatever they stared at remained concealed.

Flara, Apisa, and Rayko had gathered by the unlit camp fire site. Nori positioned himself in front of them, and he held his tetsubo in front of him. Several odd figures passed right through the illusionary soldiers. Each had gaunt faces and grim smiles. Their arms hung at their sides, and they appeared overly stretched. They moved with unnatural grace and calculating silence.

Nori’s senses sharpened, and he darted his attention all around them. His stomach churned with a sense of wildness. Every nerve ending flared with energy. To Nori’s left, a pair of identically creepy men moved through the fort walls. With each step, the men got closer to the women.

“There’re all around us!” one of the illusionary soldiers yelled.

Nori turned around. One of the figures had traipsed into the military tent and moved ever closer. He stumbled into Nori’s tent and paused.

The man spoke, and it sounded as if a dozen voices vibrated all together. “I’ve found their real camp!” The figure said. “How very interesting.”

Nori tightened the grip on his tetsubo. “Rayko, can you dismiss the illusion? It’s going to hinder us more than help at this point.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Rayko said.

Her diamond tattoo glowed brightly, and everything aside from their real camp faded away. Twelve gaunt men surrounded them. They wore peasant clothes that hung off their bodies. Each of them had madness-induced smiles on their faces.

Apisa stepped in front of Flara and her tree tattoo glowed. Dark green scales covered her hands and forearms. Vicious claws grew from each of her fingertips.

Nori reached into his side pouch and pulled out a knife. He handed it to Rayko. “Take this. No offense, but I don’t think you’re going to be of use here.”

“No use? What do you know, you wretched mountain creature?” Rayko’s tattoo shimmered again. She crouched down a little and waved her arms about. “Be prepared to be proven wrong.”

All around them, exact copies of themselves appeared. The other copies of themselves all moved around, passing through the real people. Unified as one, all of the Raykos screamed out “Move around now!”

Nori’s internal organs felt heavier and bloated, but he moved through two copies of himself and one copy of Flara. All around him, Apisas hopped through Raykos and Flaras. All the Noris carried massive war clubs. Had he not known better, Nori would have sworn a legion of Onistan warriors had joined them.

The ominous figures stopped moving, and their delight faded. They watched the crowd, but they didn’t focus on any one person.

“Very clever,” one of the men spoke. “Do you think this will save you for long?”

All of the Apisa copies suddenly changed. The scales that covered her forearms slowly spread over her entire body. Her green eyes stared from a complete suit of armor.

Flara and her clones twitched slightly, but every one of their expressions suggested a unique kind of courage. The Flaras resembled cornered animals.

The Raykos all pointed in different directions, and they spoke in unison. “How dare you try and rob us! You have no idea who you’re trying to victimize, but you’ll learn the error of your ways soon.”

One of the men laughed. “She likes to hear herself talk. I can’t wait to suck the juice out of her.”

Rayko’s bravado faded, and so did that of her copies. All of the Raykos stepped back away from the figures.

Flara said, “W-what do you mean ‘suck the juice out?’ What kind of m-monsters are you?”

A single word echoed in Nori’s mind, one that he had not heard since his initial Qu-Tar training. Nori moved in front of the girls so that he blocked the women from the ominous figures. The other Noris did the same thing. An Onistan ring formed around the giant gaggle of tattooed women.

“You’re a bunch of Tsuchigumos, aren’t you?” Nori asked. “I’ve heard of you before. Your kind is an infestation on this world.”

“What in the world is a sue chee goo moh?” The Apisas asked. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

The Raykos took another step back away from the attackers. “Nor have I. Is that some kind of bandit clan? A guild of assassins maybe?” Her voice shook with every word.

“No, it’s even worse,” The Flaras said. “Tsuchigumos are yokai. They’re d-demons, but very reclusive and obscure demons who are shape shifters. In their natural state, they’re …”

The Raykos asked, “They’re what?”