Takeo's Chronicles, page 32
By dawn’s first light, Takeo had it all figured out.
Firstly, he acknowledged the fact that he was a mortal man, one of legendary combative skill, sure, but possessing few other redeeming qualities. He did not inspire others, he was not burdened by a grand intellect, and he was not born into a ruling class. Quite the opposite, he seemed to gather ire like it was his chosen profession. Takeo did not even have the benefit of a powerful mentor or guide, as Emily had had when she’d changed the course of history.
Secondly, he acknowledged the fact that his quest required an extraordinary individual—one possessing of knowledge, wisdom, and strength like none this world had ever known. To conquer this land and all others, to finally bring peace to an era of chaos and war, would demand more than any ordinary human could offer. Even Emily, as amazing as she had been, had needed an angel’s sacrifice to save one city from one army over the course of one battle. How could Takeo ever hope to do anything more all on his own?
He couldn’t.
He was not enough. A jump had to be made from talented to extraordinary. A bridge needed to be built to span the gap between the man he was and the man he needed to be. Specifically, he needed to be more than human. He needed the jinn.
Unsurprisingly, Gavin was against the idea.
“So, let me get this straight,” the knight said as they huddled together downwind from Hyun’s group. “Since Emily changed the world for the better with the help of a benevolent being, you’ve decided to try and do the same with a malevolent being?”
“I agree,” Nicholas chimed in. He’d survived his night’s ordeal, having proved his humanity by not being crushed. “Normally, I think Gavin plays it too safe, but this sounds like we’re playing with fire. Magical, deadly, vampire-creating fire. I don’t even care for normal fire, to be honest, unless it’s the dead of winter.”
Takeo choked back a sigh with the help of their breakfast of salted karkadann meat and lemons. It was that perfect time in the morning when the wind still carried the night’s chill, and the rising sun felt warm rather than blazing. It was also perfect because everyone was packing up and thus too busy to eavesdrop on the conversation Takeo and his companions were having.
“We are in the dead of winter,” Takeo replied, stressing his words. “No allies, no means, no titles. Even if we had such things, they wouldn’t be enough. Others know it, too, and they are actively seeking to gain the advantage. Lady Xuan is the best example, and she’s a step ahead of most. She recognizes that conquering Juatwa will require more than she is capable of, and thus has sent her minions to capture two rakshasas. The world has already seen one of those beasts forge a small empire, and Lady Xuan wants one at her side to do what her human commanders cannot.
“Look at all the others before her: Count Drowin, who needed basilisk poison to kill the angels; Emily, who needed the colossus to stop Jabbar; Lord Jiro Hanu, who needed the oni to oppose Katsu. What I’m suggesting isn’t absurd or even extravagant. It’s logical. It’s necessary.”
Takeo glanced at Krunk, the only one to have not said a word. That wasn’t uncommon, though. Krunk was slow on words and understanding, but that didn’t mean he was excluded from the group.
“You have any thoughts on this?” Takeo asked.
“Krunk is wondering,” the ogre grumbled, picking at the bottom of his left tusk, “what is the worst thing jinn do?”
“We’ll die, Krunk,” Gavin jutted in. “Excruciating death, or perhaps crippling weakness, which will also result in death. Or at least those are the stories I’ve heard—that you have told me, Takeo.”
Gavin narrowed his eyes at the samurai, daring him to say otherwise. Takeo held the gaze for a moment but then looked back to Krunk. Truthfully, although Takeo had expected the knight to disagree with him, it still hurt. He was beginning to trust Gavin’s judgement more than his own.
Perhaps this is foolish. Perhaps I’m too desperate.
“Hm, is that all?” Krunk asked.
“What?” Gavin stuttered, his intimidating stance lost to confusion. “What do you mean, is that all?”
The ogre shifted uncomfortably and said, “Krunk thought we all agreed to die already for this cause. If worst jinn can do is kill, then what is the problem? Is reward not worth it?”
He looked from Gavin to Takeo, then even to Nicholas when neither of them responded. Nicholas blinked and then shrugged in reply.
“I . . . it, well, I don’t know,” Gavin stuttered before whirling on Takeo. “Alright, fine. I suppose there’s no harm in contemplating it. Perhaps I didn’t ask enough questions. Let’s assume you find a jinni; what would you wish for? World peace?”
“No.” Takeo stifled a laugh. “The jinn don’t grant wishes. They trade, and I’m certain that world peace is far beyond our bargaining power. I don’t think our lives are worth that much.”
“Immortality, then,” Gavin said, though it sounded more like an accusation.
“Absolutely not,” Takeo replied, equally swift. “I deserve death more than most. If I can’t accomplish what I’ve set out to do with one life, then I’m unworthy of running on borrowed time. Not to mention I have someone waiting for me in the afterlife.”
Gavin huffed. Krunk was still scratching his tusk, looking from the samurai to the knight, but he didn’t know that Takeo was stalling. It helped his cause that a few of Hyun’s men walked by them on their way out to the makeshift privy just outside the camp. It was still within view, though, as Hyun didn’t want any of his samurai out of sight for long.
Once those warriors passed out of earshot, Nicholas lost patience first.
“Well,” he said, leaning in. “Out with it. What power would you ask for?”
“The truth is, I’m still thinking,” Takeo replied. “I know this is risky, seeking a jinni, so as Krunk said, it will have to be worth it. We’ll need a power great enough to accomplish the task, but not so great that we can’t afford the price. No asking to be immortal or vampires, even if we wanted it. Vampires can’t go out in sunlight, and the last person I knew who asked for immortality was a pirate named Carlito. That man couldn’t stand on solid ground. Essentially, it seems to me, that if someone asks for immortality in one aspect of their life, they ask for death in another.”
They went silent again as Hyun’s samurai passed by on their way back to the camp. Those men gave Takeo and the others a suspicious glance, seeing them huddled so close together, but they looked the other way when Gavin and Nicholas met the gaze.
“Huh,” Gavin muttered. “They looked away so quickly, you’d think I was a hair away from murdering someone.”
“That’s not far from the truth,” Takeo said. “To them, you’re an honorless mercenary, a step above a beast, and thus should be treated like one. You wouldn’t hold eye contact with a werewolf, would you?”
“I guess being the bad guy has its advantages sometimes,” the knight replied.
“Why do you think we vikings roar so much?” Nicholas grinned. “People fear the unhinged. Now, back to the jinni. What are we going to ask for? Riches? Strength?”
“Krunk is strong,” Krunk jumped in. “Stronger than most, and still sees ogres die. Strength is not so important.”
“I beg to differ,” Nicholas said.
“And Emily proved otherwise,” Gavin cut in. “Riches and strength are too simple, Nicholas. We can’t beat or buy the world into submission.”
“I beg to differ,” Nicholas replied, lifting his chin and even raising his voice. “That’s exactly what we’ll be doing. This world won’t bend to kind words. It will only submit through war and power—or what I like to call strength.”
“There’s more to it than that.” Gavin sighed. “I agree that there will be fighting to do. I accept that, but we need to think smarter, not harder. We are just four fighters, not rulers, tacticians, or even landowners, for Ephron’s sake! We need to think like the knights in Lucifan. When the knights have to fight ogres, vampires, and minotaur, they don’t just deal with these problems through raw muscle. Knights have armor their enemies don’t, weapons, tactics, even flight. We need a similar tool. Something that tips the scales, as Takeo said. Ah damn! I’m seriously considering this, too. I can’t believe I’m going along with this.”
As Gavin lamented his release of the moral high ground, Takeo became distracted by the sight of the golem in the distance. Hyun and his samurai had constructed a wooden platform and rack that could be strapped to the golem like an oversized backpack. They were then piling an immense amount of gear and equipment onto it, strapping the load down. The golem never budged, not even when a gust of wind slammed headlong into the unseemly amount of top-heavy weight. The golem was simply too strong to be bothered. When told to move by Hyun, it did so obediently and smoothly, and though the load swayed in the wind, the golem did not. It was too powerful, both a weapon and a tool, and it was a beautiful display of efficiency.
Takeo loved efficiency. The prime design aspect of his family sword was efficiency.
My sword, his mind lingering on the word. What was that I told Gavin? Whatever power I seek, it will have to be obtained using this sword alone because it’s all that I have.
His hand went to the handle of his weapon. He didn’t have to draw it to picture it, as a mental image came clearly to his mind. It was one of simple design, a tool that had knowledge of its purpose, and a design free of pride and guilt. Handed down from generation to generation—Takeo could only assume—the Karaoshi blade had ended up in the hands of the last of its kind, a man who knew nothing of its past but everything of its future.
It was so simple that Takeo smiled.
“Takeo!” Hyun called out to their group, his voice easily carried by the warm Savara winds. “Are you ready?”
“I am now,” he answered.
Chapter 6
Takeo and the others traveled in the back of the line, keeping a healthy distance from Hyun’s group. Neither Hyun nor any of his samurai had bothered to explain where they were going, and Takeo honestly didn’t care at the moment. He was too busy whispering to his companions exactly what they ought to wish for from the jinni they would theoretically find.
To Takeo’s utter relief and suspicion, Gavin agreed that this was by far the best plan Takeo had ever procured.
“Really?” Takeo asked. “No voice of disagreement? No disparaging remarks about my intelligence or the lack thereof?”
“No,” Gavin said, shrugging. “Why? Is that surprising?”
“Well, yes, actually. Normally you hate every plan I think up.”
“That’s because most of your plans are terrible,” Gavin answered plainly, though Nicholas laughed. “This one, though, I like it.”
“Why is that?” Takeo asked, ignoring Nicholas.
“Your plan is to turn your katana into some master weapon, right?” Gavin replied. “Make it so that the wielder is better, faster, stronger, perhaps even smarter, thus ensuring we have an edge over all competition. I think it’s a great idea because if it fails, none of us need to die over your mistake. We simply destroy the weapon.”
Now Nicholas was howling so loudly he drew the attention of Hyun’s samurai, who turned to give the man bewildered looks. Nicholas just chuckled more and elbowed Krunk while winking. The ogre stared back, his face twisted in confusion.
“What?” the viking replied defensively. “Come on, Krunk. That’s funny. Gavin only likes Takeo’s plan because he assumes it will fail and no one will get hurt. No? Alright, it’s funny on two accounts: first, Gavin thinks all of Takeo’s plans suck, and second, Gavin actually thinks there’s a chance we’ll all get out of this one without dying.”
“Ah,” Krunk said, yellow eyes opening wide. “Krunk understands now.”
And then the ogre laughed, deep and loud, yet now alone, which could hardly have been more awkward. Fortunately for Krunk, though, he had less shame than Nicholas and so laughed heartily. Even more of Hyun’s samurai were looking at their group now, those nearest picking up their pace to distance themselves from the trio of humans surrounding the quite possibly insane ogre.
This is not helping my case, Takeo thought, sighing. Now it truly looks like I’ve saddled myself with lunatics. Little do they know it’s actually me who’s gone insane.
“Well,” Takeo said, pushing through Krunk’s dying chuckles. “If we’re all done laughing at my expense, I’ll need to speak to Hyun. We’ll need his help, I think.”
“Hey, while you’re at it, ask him where we’re going,” Gavin replied.
Takeo picked up the pace and waved at the request, saying, “As you wish, princess.”
He heard Nicholas laugh again, but also a chuckle from Gavin, and Takeo felt a smirk stain his face. He strode past Hyun’s samurai in the ever shifting sands and heat, working up a decent sweat as they climbed one particularly steep dune. Nearby, the golem climbed ever diligently, ramming massive clay fists into the sand for purchase and hauling itself to the top, never straining under the gargantuan burden it carried. The load was so massive that it created artificial shade, which was being used by Hyun and his samurai in rotating shifts.
I have to hand it to this man, Takeo thought. He has utilized this thing for every conceivable use I can think of. Well, all but one.
Takeo found Hyun at the head of the group, with Qjang at his side and Aiguo a pace behind. Takeo recognized the man on sight this time around, but otherwise did his best to ignore him. Aiguo noticeably stiffened as Takeo came into view. Hyun merely gave him a glance.
They were all sweating under the sun’s harsh gaze.
“Hyun,” Takeo said by way of greeting. “Terrible weather we’re having.”
“Weather? Is that small talk you’re making?” Hyun turned, raising an eyebrow. “From you? Well, now I’ve seen everything.”
“Untrue,” Takeo countered. “I’ve been making small talk with you for quite some time. For example, every conversation I’ve had with you, I would consider to be small.”
Hyun tripped over the next raised mound of sand, and Takeo caught Qjang smirk faintly before she hid it. Hyun’s head swiveled back to watch the direction he was traveling.
“You’re cleverer than you look,” he said begrudgingly, “which isn’t much of a compliment, but I think I’m beginning to understand how you’ve managed to survive so long, despite being so insufferable.”
“And you’re clever to recognize that,” Takeo replied, trying to pitch his voice somewhere between an apology and a warning. “May I speak to you in private?”
Hyun glanced from side to side. That was all it took for Qjang and Aiguo to bow deeply before slowing their pace. As they dropped back, so also did the rest of Hyun’s samurai, giving them ample space to walk ahead. The only listener now was the golem, plodding across the land like the ceaseless monstrosity it was designed to be.
Takeo thought it convenient that its quaking steps, combined with gusts of wind, would be loud enough to mask their voices completely.
“I’ve been giving some thought to how we might find and capture a rakshasa,” he said. “First though, I want to ask about Aiguo. I don’t mean to insult you, but I have to ask—you did test him to make sure he isn’t a rakshasa in disguise, right? The man’s features are . . . I suppose uncanny is the word I’m looking for.”
“Of course I tested him,” Hyun scoffed. “Twice! And I’ve been tempted to do it again. I know what you’re getting at. The man seems remarkably hard to pin down sometimes. I’ve had him in my presence for a year now, and I’ll still lose sight of him on occasion when he slithers into a crowd. The man reminds me of an akki, shifting to fit whatever gutter he winds up in. You’re not alone in your dislike of the man.”
“I suppose that’s a good thing.”
“He wants to return home to Juatwa,” Hyun continued. “He thinks he’ll be rewarded greatly for assisting in capturing rakshasas for my lady. In a way, he will be, showered with praise and perhaps even title. Depending on his contribution, he might even be granted a small leadership role, but he’s doomed to suffer. I haven’t told him yet because, honestly, he ought to know already that the samurai of Lady Xuan are fiercely loyal. Everywhere he goes within her regime, he’ll be met with suspicion and despise. Any effort he makes to be a part of her movement will be met with a lukewarm reception at best, hostility at worst. He is an outsider, always will be, and Lady Xuan’s army will be no place for him.”
Hyun finished with a silence that demanded a response. When Takeo didn’t give one, Hyun looked at him, only to find Takeo lost in thought. It had just occurred to him that there was more than one man who fit Hyun’s description.
“Well, enough about him,” Takeo said, quickly taking the conversation elsewhere. “Let’s move on to capturing rakshasas. Like I said last night, it’s clear you’ve set to this task in earnest. Everything you’ve tried, I would have tried myself, such as hiring guides or trying to join up with rakshasa hunters. I’ll assume you’ve thought of other measures, as well, like paying a sphinx or trying to find a jinni?”
“Ah yes, a jinni,” Hyun replied, sighing. “The obvious solution, right? Behind me stands a golem, so of course I considered trying to find a jinni and just wishing two rakshasas into existence before me, but that’s ridiculous. The jinn are more elusive than rakshasas. If I can’t even find two of those hairy beasts when their severed heads are mounted outside every major city, then how am I possibly going to find the legendary jinn who were considered half-fable long before any of this started?
“But a sphinx? No, I’ve not thought about using a sphinx. You can hire them? I thought they were like the yuki-onna—half woman, half creature.”
“They are more like the oni,” Takeo said. “It’s true they believe humans beneath them, like a food source, and I suppose on some level we are, but they can be bartered with if you offer something more tantalizing than your corpse. Normally, I wouldn’t risk it. Sphinxes travel in packs, and we aren’t numerous enough to intimidate a pride of them. However, you have one advantage that changes all that.”
