The Wrath Of the Forgotten (25 page)

Rayko made the changes the captain suggested. The harmless little turtle creature became more ghoulish. Luxi stepped back and examined the image.

“That’s not exactly how I remember them, but it’s quite close. Not bad for a perfume-drenched strumpet.” Luxi sat back down where she thought the chair was. She fell to the ground and passed through the piece of furniture. The real chair reappeared beside where she sat. “I suppose I deserved that.” Luxi stood up and dusted her butt off. She grabbed the chair and then sat down.

Apisa asked, “How do the pirates deal with the Kappas?”

“Generally, no one is foolish enough to try and brave the river during the time of the Great Kappa Migration.” Luxi reached over and patted Flara’s hand. “This is a special circumstance. I don’t think you’re a fool though. Nori told me about what’s at stake. I really think it’s admirable what you’re doing.”

Rayko let out a humph. “Oh yes, you think it’s admirable, and yet you’re charging her fifty thousand gold coins to take us to Xian Ba?”

Luxi pointed at the fashionista. “If you don’t like my rate, feel free to conjure an illusionary ship and float your ugly ass to the capital yourself. I’ll have you know, the fee I’m charging will be divided among my crew. They deserve nothing less for risking their lives against crazed horny Kappas and bloodthirsty pirates.”

“Horny?” Nori asked. “Did I hear you right?” The women around the table gawked at him for a moment. “The Great Kappa Migration is some kind of yokai breeding time?”

Luxi said, “Around this time of year, the Kappas all go up stream. After about two weeks, they travel back down river. When they travel back, they’re docile again.”

“So back to my original question,” Apisa said. “How do the pirates deal with the Kappas?”

Luxi reached over and pulled a full bottle of red substance from a shelf. Nori recognized it instantly. “When the pirates see the Kappas coming towards them, they coat their decks with a special concoction of soap. It makes the deck slippery as hell.”

“I think I understand,” Flara said. “The Kappa lose balance and fall over, spilling the water they store in their leaf bowls.”

“Water?” Nori asked. “What do you mean water?”

Luxi leaned back the bottle and took a swig.

Rayko’s nose rose slightly, and she openly sneered. “Isn’t it a little early to be consuming alcohol? How deplorable.”

Luxi licked her lips. “My ship, my rules.” She gestured the bottle to Nori. “Want some? You seemed to suck it down like water last night.” Her eyes immediately flashed to Apisa.

Apisa narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. She let out a small sigh, and shifted a little away from Nori. “Do you have any of this soapy stuff on board?”

A smirk creased Luxi’s face. “Sorry, I don’t. We’ll pick up some once we get to Nagasi. I just hope…”

The door to Luxi’s quarters swung open, and Raoi darkened her doorway with a gaunt face. His eyes were opened wide, and he gripped the door handle as if it were the axe at his side. “Captain, we got lily pads in the distance.”

“Donkey Balls!” Luxi slammed the bottle on the table. Bits of alcohol splashed on the map. “Looks like I get to see your magic powers first hand. I hope you girls are ready.” She leaped from her chair and followed Raoi out. Nori grabbed his tetsubo and ran behind her.

MANY OF THE SAILORS
had collected on the deck. Some of them visually quaked while others did their best to demonstrate an unshakable sense of bravado. Their eyes revealed their unease.

Nori stepped out onto the deck as Luxi started pushing through her crew.

“What’s this all about then?” Luxi screamed out. “You gutless, nutless sacks of shit. Don’t tell me you’re scared of a few turtles are you? Crow’s nest, how many do we have before us!”

A voice from up above called down to them. “I’m counting about twelve. It’s a small pod, captain.”

Luxi sprinted over to the bow of the ship, and Nori trailed her steps. The wide river stretched out before them, and it appeared just as majestic as it did the night prior. Several small green flaps floated on the river’s surface about a hundred feet away.

Luxi grabbed the rail of the ship and squinted her eyes as she regarded the collection of lily pads. “Damn. Someone bring me a spy glass. Quick.”

A sailor ran up to her and gave her a slender golden tube. One end of the tube had a small lens in it. The tube got wider towards the end, where another, larger tube sat embedded in the device. Luxi brought the spy glass up to her eye and peered in the distance toward the ominous pod.

“By all the hair on Saito’s ass.” Luxi rested the spy glass on the rail of the ship. “Maybe they haven’t noticed us yet.”

The sailor in the crow’s nest called out “Captain, the pod is switching directions. It’s headed right for us.”

Luxi whirled around and stared at her crew. “Listen up! You all agreed to come with me on this suicide mission. You chose to be here. I need you to be brave now. We have to do our best to survive. We have to kill these bastards somehow.”

Flara let out a small whimper.

Rayko stepped forward. “Is there anything that we can do?”

Luxi waved a hand at her. “You’re our passengers. Go below deck where it’s safe. We’ll get through this somehow.” She regarded her sailors. “Alright, I need volunteers. A half dozen of you have to stay up front with me and fend them off while the rest of the crew protects the helm and the stairs going below deck.”

Nori spoke up. “The front of the ship is going to be the most dangerous, isn’t it?”

“Hell yeah it is!” Luxi replied. “Don’t worry. If I die, then my men will get you to Xian Ba. I swear it.”

Nori stepped up to her, chest to chest. He squared his jaw and narrowed his eyes at her. Every nerve in his body flared to life, and he tightened his grip on his tetsubo. “You’re too valuable to remain up here. I’ll stay up here up front …alone.”

Luxi’s eyes widened. “Are you out of your ogre ass mind? There’s no way I’m letting you do that.”

“I’m staying up there with Nori!” Apisa screamed out.

Nori whirled around to face her. His voice roared out like thunder. “No you’re not! I’m the only one who’s capable of defending myself against them. Anyone else will just get in my way. If you want to help me, then you protect Flara while I do this.”

Luxi poked him in the chest. “My ship, my rules! Even If I let you substitute me, which I’m not, I still wouldn’t leave you up here alone.”

A wide grin crossed Nori’s face. “Have you ever seen an Onistan let loose before? I mean completely let everything go and fight to the best of their ability? Have you ever seen the human embodiment of an Oni? Well, you’re about to. I can’t do it if I have to worry about other people around me though.”

Luxi held his gaze, but then her irises faltered.

“I can hold the front alone,” Nori said. “That leaves more men to protect the rest of the ship. That also leaves more men to protect Flara.”

Before he could blink, Luxi brought the flat of her hand against Nori’s cheek. Pain ignited in his skin, but he looked back at her with enduring eyes.

Luxi shook her head, and sai, “If you die, I’ll get them to Xian Ba. I swear on my dead father.” She passed by Nori and yelled to her crew. “Give him plenty of room, boys. Protect the ship at all costs.”

Without hesitation, the crew rushed to the middle and the back of the ship. Rayko, Apisa, and Flara lingered behind, and they gaped at Nori with tight lipped mouths. No one said anything, but Rayko stepped up to him. She reached up and placed her soft hand on the spot where Luxi had smacked him. A floral aroma wafted off of her skin.

“What are you…?” Nori started.

“Be careful,” Rayko said. “We need you to see us to Xian Ba, so you’re not permitted to die today. I may not be your master, but … I hope that after this, I can be your friend. And as a future friend, I command you to endure.”

She stepped away, and Apisa walked up to him. In an instant, Apisa’s muscular arms wrapped around his torso. His soul felt lighter. His cheeks blazed like the sun. Nori tried to swallow, but a desert like dryness had dominated his throat. She placed her head against his chest and squeezed ever so slightly. The embrace only lasted a few seconds. Apisa didn’t say anything, but she returned to Rayko’s side.

Finally, Flara stepped up to him. “Survive, Okay? I’m not done getting to know you yet.”

A foreboding aura settled around him. Did they know something he didn’t? The sailors beamed looks of disbelief and wonder at him. Luxi had been quite reserved as she moved away from him. Even his three traveling companions treated this as some kind of final goodbye. These things were just rage-filled horny turtles, right?

Nori kept a stoic face as he turned his attention on each of them. His arm pits dripped with sweat. Knots formed in the pits of his stomach. A flicker of fear danced in the bottom of his heart. It didn’t matter. Nori would endure because that’s what Onistans did. He turned back around and faced the bow of the ship.

He didn’t have to look back to know that this three traveling companions had already retreated behind the safety of the other sailors. Even with his limited experience with them, Nori knew they would try to fight as well.

Nori cleared his mind and gripped his tetsubo with both hands. Time slowed down. The air felt colder as it blew on him. His senses sharpened. He saw the cluster of lily pads float toward the ship. Round segmented leaf sections floated beside one another, coming ever closer.

Luxi screamed out more commands and curses behind him, but Nori ignored what she said. He had to focus. He had to remember what he had been taught.

Although the Qu-Tar had instructed him in the way of the bodyguard, his mother had taught him the way of the warrior and the way of the Onistan.

Everyone behind him got deathly quiet. Nori controlled his breathing. In. Out. In. Out.

A subtle splashing noise broke the silence. Nori leveled the tetsubo in front of him. His eyes darted to the sides of the ship.

A scaly claw wrapped around the rail. A second later, a large version of what Rayko had shown him earlier emerged into view. This Kappa stood taller than what Rayko had displayed, and its muscles looked even more developed. A savage hollow look glimmered in its eyes. Its beak snapped open and closed. On top of its head, a leafy bowl had formed.

As the Kappa tried to pull itself onto the ship, Nori leaped at it. He swung and connected with the turtle yokai. His tetsubo vibrated as the creature fell away, back into the water. More Kappas climbed over the rail. They growled and glared at him.

A Kappa landed behind him, and Nori whirled to face it. This time, he struck its arm. The monster’s limb crumpled under his immense strength. It hung lifelessly from the Kappa’s side like meat on display at a market. The Kappa merely growled out in greater rage. More Kappas had managed to climb on deck. They surrounded him, and snapped their beaks voraciously.

The Kappa that Nori had injured held its arm and caressed it. Right before Nori’s eyes, the wounded limb reformed and became whole. The other turtle yokai who neared him took swipes at Nori. He bobbed and weaved around their clawed hands.

“Now’s as good a time as any,”
Nori thought to himself. “
Dear Saito, please hear my prayer. Let me have the strength I need to save my friends.”

Nori rushed forward and swung his tetsubo as hard as he could. It whirled around and slammed into one of the Kappas. The creature fell, but its head remained level. A small bit of water almost spilled out from the top of its leaf bowl. Nori whirled around and swung at the others as they got close. His strength radiated though his arms, unchecked. He didn’t have to hold back this time.

More of the Kappas fell to their knees, but their heads remained level. Nori started clipping the bottom of their chins with his war club when they fell. His weapon flew so fast, as if it were a one handed sword. One of the Kappas fell to its back, and its water spilled out of its bowl.

For a moment, the creature’s body tensed up. It quivered wildly as it reached up to grab the over turned leaf bowl. It tried to get back on its feet, but it had landed on its shell. Other Kappas immediately dropped down and grabbed their fallen comrade. With speed and strength, they tossed the suffocating Kappa over the rail, into the river.

Slowly, the turtle-like monsters eased back around and sent dark and hateful stares at Nori. All at once, they threw themselves at him. Nori did his best to knock them away. One of the Kappas raked its claws against his back. Had he not been wearing his armor, his spine would have surly been cleaved. Nori moved around and dodged when he could, but the Kappas had boxed him in quite tightly.

Nori slammed his full weight into each blow. Pleasure tickled every nerve ending as he sent the smaller creatures tumbling down to their knees. Sometimes, Kappas bounced away due to his force. Surrounding Kappas either helped their fallen friends to their feet or tossed them overboard. Many of the Kappas had broken bodies, but they fought on with almost Onistan-worthy endurance. Those who went over the side returned within less than a minute. The broken body parts also corrected themselves too. Nori didn’t care.