Of Blood and Pleasure (Closed)

(Closed to Shin)

It was a cold yet calm ocean breeze that flowed amongst the dirty streets of Scara Brae, there was a stillness that had fallen over the port city that many of the locals considered the calm before the storm. And yet, despite the promise of a turbulent future everything felt almost absurdly normal. The overcast sky was expected for this time of the year, and the ships sat gently in port atop of a near perfect flat ocean.

Not that anyone would stop to take in the view in Scara Brea, the port city was far too busy to sit on its laurels to stop and admire the oceans unmoving tranquillity. The hustle of the crowd along the promenade alone felt almost busier than ever as a new surge of tepid adventurers that had yet to break in their boots made their way of the gangplanks as eager thieves and cut purses that wondered up and down the promenade kept a keen eye out for the unaware.

One such thief turned their attention very briefly onto what could have been called a walking suit of armour, and quite wisely chose not to press his luck. Though Umbra had made sure to bury their coin purse deep within the confines of their armour, just in case, but the iron plates they wore was proving to be an effective enough deterrent to ward off any potential sticky fingers.

The walking suit of armour strode out of the crowds that littered the promenade in favour of the much quieter streets of the merchant’s district. There was another job lined up across town that they had gotten word of, another caravan needed guarding on their way to Stonevale.
It was easy enough work despite the meagre pay, but it allowed for the merchants and travellers around Scara Brea to get to know the hulking warrior personally, and Reputation was more valuable than gold as Umbra would like to believe.

Still, now that the mongers were not yelling in their ear, the sound of their iron armour clinking along with every step seemed to feel more even more pronounced, and earned the brief attention of yet another thief, who wisely decided against making any attempt.
The armoured warrior allowed themselves an unseen grin, hidden as it was behind the solid metal visor, and yet despite the minor distraction it was impossible to miss the small gathering up ahead.

“100 gold!” Called out short man that stood next to the entrance of an alleyway as he yelled out to the crowd as loudly as he could. His balding hair and face that was marked by several bulbous warts that each varied in size all spoke of a man that struggled to make ends meet.
Odd, but not that unusual, there were many men and women in Scara Brae that struggled from day to day, it took a special kind of person to thrive in this cutthroat environment.

“You look like you’re in need of a beautiful servant, for just 100 gold you can have a genuine Akashiman slave” The desperate man called out again, though this time Umbra stopped cold in their tracks and took a hard look at the man and his ‘companion’

As before, the man was entirely average, a hundred different faces could all have claimed the same story as him and yet… The woman next to him was a different creature entirely.

She was a woman of the east, and easily stood out amongst the crowd like a delicate flower in the centre of a garden of weeds. Long hair black as the night and a porcelain face that stared intently at the ground before them with a solemn expression. Her garb a plain white yukata made from expensive silks was wrapped around her slight frame was both torn, ripped and shredded whilst caked in layers upon layers of mud around her bare feet.

Compared to the worn rags that the man was wearing there was an obvious discrepancy between the two, as the woman even in her own ragged state looked like a lost princess compared to her so called owner.

Umbra slowly approached the both of them, hidden eyes dissecting the man and woman in greater scrutiny. The man’s gaze turned to Umbra and a savvy toothless smile greeted them. “You, you look like you could-” he started

“Shut up” Umbra finished in a low tone as they stepped up to the woman. The man’s face grew indignant but before they could utter anything else, Umbra asked the woman a simple request. “Turn around”

Her eyes slowly turned up to look at Umbra though they failed to move any higher than neck level before she slowly turned to do as asked. Now with her back facing the crowd, it was evident to see that the fabric of her clothes had been stained a very deep red. Very carefully with a gentleness Umbra did not know they had reached out to pull the fabric of her outfit down to expose her bare back, though in doing so she flinched with a sharp intake of pain.

Her once delicate pristine skin was a host of uncountable gashes of flayed flesh, The veritable canyons of wounds were all evidently made by a person unfamiliar with the term restraint, the woman had been evidently gored, and bled for all she had been worth, the fact that they had barely made a sound, or that she had kept her face neutral despite the incredible pain she must have been in spoke of either an iron will, or a broken mind.

Umbra seethed with rage as they noticed that her dried blood had fused with the fabric of her yukata and noted the early signs of infection.

“Did you do this?” Umbra growled at the man that had been trying to sell her.

“N-no, I S-swear, I j-just found her a-and …” The man recoiled unable to tear his eyes around from the Akashiman’ s ruined flesh. Umbra merely stared, long and hard in response at the man, who yelped and turned and fled away from the mercenary’s faceless glare that followed him down the alleyway.

Then in a tone Umbra did not think they were capable of uttering at that moment in time, turned to the eastern woman with a quiet and gentle “Come with me…” as they pulled the woman clothes back up to ensure she still retained her dignity.

Then as she looked up at the armoured visor, she held out her palm to reveal that she had been clutching a blood red leaf in her tightened fist.

Umbra stared at the leaf long and hard, before uttering “Where in the world did you get that?”

Dawn came to Stonevale, bringing with it the false promise to Shinsou Vaan Osiris of warmth and better times.

Comparatively remote from the island of Corone, and so far from Whitevale that even the Brotherhood hardly had any presence there, it surprised the Telgradian just how involved in the business of the Brotherhood he had been in Stonevale. This time, though, his days were filled not with the clash of magic against deity like beings, or the trappings of the life of a politico trying to free his people from the oppression of a corrupt government. Instead, his “tour” of this small island nation had led to the founding of friendships, the seeding of trade routes and an extension of the Brotherhood’s influence into corners of Althanas yet untouched by their hands.

Yet, life was proving just as wild, hard and unforgiving in the mining town as it had been in Corone. Shinsou had been due to meet an informant (a prostitute) who would give him inside information on a local group that held a lot of sway over most of the area; holed up at a place known as the Higanbana. The idea was that, in exchange for a very generously greased palm, the Telgradian would be given the opportunity for “exclusive access” to who he found out was Akunin Yua, the wealthy brothel mistress of the Higanbana. There, he would be able to put forward his vision of a working relationship between the Brotherhood and the Higanbana.

However, it was not to be.

An hour past the agreed meeting time the night before, an envelope arrived for the Telgradian as he sat in wait at the safehouse, just up the road from the Silver Wolf inn. The contents were far from simple; a blood red flower, with an almost crystalline finish that shimmered and steamed gently in the light. The prostitute’s blood-covered jewellery spilled out behind it; a beautiful lattice of silver and emerald. There was no note, but the message was easy enough to understand.

Stay out of our business, or more will die.

At this point, everything came undone. Not only was the Lady of Higanbana clearly violently opposed to any sort of alliance, she had made it extremely clear that any further interference or attempt to communicate would result in him becoming the next bearer of the red flower.

As he left the safehouse, Shinsou stepped into what was a perfectly maintained circle of interconnecting roads. Morning light danced around the square, and the people who had heard of the atrocity the night before whispered things that few living spoke, and fewer still dared to listen to. Just within earshot of those whispers, the Telgradian moved un-noticed.

"Another disappearance," said a goblin, wearing a hooded cloak fashioned from a red wolf's hide. "Poor girl. That’s three in two days."

"Fuckin’ prossies," said a man in reply, a hairy brute whose eyes were covered by a sash that was just thin enough to see lights blazing beneath it. "We don’t want their kind in Stonevale anyway. They attract scum here.”

"Are you talking about Shinsou Vaan Osiris?" said a plucky and downright unlikely human standing beside them in a hushed tone. "I heard he was here. Stories drifted on the sea about that one. If you listen to the tales, he travels with one who controls lightning, a man they call Storm Veritas. They killed the dragon Sunwing, in the Twilight Mountains. Some even say that he and Joshua Cronen killed the Thayne, Draconus." He shifted a bit. "I even heard that he managed to kill one of the I’llak’s eldest watchers, Arius Mephisto.”

You’re not wrong, kids. The bogeyman is alive and well. Shinsou thought as he slowed his pass to catch the rest of what they had to say. Although I didn’t know Arius was one of the I’llak. Makes sense.

"And so the stories go ever on," said the goblin. "Winding and weaving. Do you honestly believe Shinsou killed Draconus, a Thayne? An I’llak? It’s just all nothing more than whimsy and scare tactics. The only thing to justify the amount of his bounty is because he murdered that prostitute. Lady Yua said as much today."

You are fucking kidding me… The Telgradian’s eyes narrowed. A fit up?

The human blinked and lowered the sash, then spoke, “No-one’s really got a good description of him, though. Else, he’d be dead already."

"Well," muttered the goblin, adjusting his hood. "Keep an eye out. I could do with the gold, trading permits are notoriously hard to get hold of at the moment and my business is cash starved."

The man nodded and walked away from the square, leaving Shinsou to contemplate the words they had spoken. Tales of his deeds had travelled far over the azure Coronian ocean to reach the ear of Stonevale’s residents, but the narrative being spun by Lady Yua was wrong. Not just wrong, but obviously engineered. What was going on?

“She was in rough shape” The chirurgeon said simply as he emerged from the back room. The man’s sheer understatement was enough to cause Umbra to tilt their head curiously at the elderly man’s quip as the chirurgeon wiped their hands with a bloodied rag. Umbra however remained silent as they turned their attention to the room where the chirurgeon had left the Akashiman woman with his abled daughter/assistant.

It was only with a great and lengthy sigh that the doctor moved over to sit down heavily on his favoured chair did Umbra turn their attention back to the doctor and saw how tired they truly were. Greying hair, an old wrinkled face and tired eyes spoke of the man’s triumphs and failures. Umbra had met him previously after a job had gone south.

‘Some wounds just could not be healed over time, and the Akashiman woman would live with her scars for the rest of her life.’
The doctor was a dependable sort, the type of person you kept in your book of contacts for when shit hit the fan because despite being retired, he had never truly given up his profession. But most importantly the man knew how to be discreet. To date, the doctor and his assistant were the only people that knew what Umbra actually looked like under all of the armour that they wore.

They were good people.
His home was a treasure trove of Knick knacks from all around the world, by his armchair was a mountain of books he had yet to read, far too busy helping those in need to find the time to curl up with a good book by the fire.

The silence carried on for several more moments up until the door to the back room opened again revealing the doctor’s daughter and the Akashiman woman, who was now bandaged carefully with their wounds cleaned as they now wore a fresh pair of shirt and slacks.

Umbra nodded gently at the Akashiman woman who shyly brushed her long black straight hair behind her ear and looked at everything but at Umbra’s ‘face’.

“Well, she’s cleaned and clothed but unfortunately, she does not speak an ounce of Common or Trade” The doctors daughter said much more cheerily than the elderly man himself, but there was a sigh of tiredness as they pulled their long blonde hair loose of the tight Bun.

<Once again, I think you> The Akashiman woman spoke up in her native tongue as though just to reinforce the fact that they could not really understand each other’s words.

“I hope you’re staying in town for a bit longer, she needs those bandages changed every few days” The doctor said with an almost haunted look on his face. Sadly, though Umbra shook their head, they weren’t a babysitter and the girl needed more delicate attention than Umbra could provide.

As Umbra brooded that they could offer no more for the girl, a knock on the door took the assistants attention away from the conversation as they crossed the room to go and answer.

“That is … Unfortunate, we can keep her here for a few days but after that …” The doctor hummed to himself only to look up startled as his daughter returned only a short moment later escorted by a foreign man.

A Akashiman.

‘Well, if that is not coincidental...’ Umbra thought as their hand moved to grasp the battered hilt of their sword.

The man was, well barely a man, his boyish features and lack of facial hair spoke of his apparent youth while his long dark hair was pulled into a tight ponytail was well cared for that it was almost immaculate, as were the red robes he wore which was made from only of the richest material. His silent gaze swept across the room before they fell onto the quivering form of the wounded girl.

‘They know each other, was this the one who…?’

His very presence had a very clear effect on the wounded woman who suddenly looked torn between prostrating themselves on the old worn carpet, or from dashing back into the back room to find a way to escape.

<There you are Aki, come now it’s time to return> He spoke in his foreign tongue which dispelled the trance the girl was under, she stepped back up until she stood against the door with the colour drained from her face.

<L-lord A-Asa, W-why are you …> Her voice trembled as her gaze locked onto the floor. Umbra took a single step forward to impose themselves between the two. The woman was clearly traumatized and there wasn’t yet any indication that this was the person who caused those wounds or not. And if he was, Umbra could certainly play the part of an avenger, free of charge.

“I’m guessing you know each other” It wasn’t a question, Umbra merely stated it as a fact. “Is there any reason for her to have had the wounds she had?”

The young man blinked curiously at the towering suit of iron armour now stood before him, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his katana before halting as the young man hesitantly relaxed his guard.

“Forgive me, I am Asa” he said politely with a respectful bow of his head, his words held the thick accent of any Akashiman speaking common, but he spoke them well. “I am here only to return Aki back to our mistress after she had … left the safety of Lady Yua’s domain after a customer committed an unforgivable offense”

‘Left?’ Umbra thought sardonically, ‘The girl, Aki, had clearly ran away’

“Something tells me she doesn’t want to return” Umbra pointed out, not even needing to look behind them to see that Aki was completely scared out of her wits.

“As regrettable as that is, it is not for my place to decide her freedom, such a decision must be made by my mistress alone” Asa answered sincerely but resolute that no matter what, he was returning to his mistress with Aki in tow, if she wanted to or not.

Asa looked at Umbra with a thoughtful gaze that flickered to the doctor and his daughter. “If you truly wish to speak on her behalf then I beg you, come speak with my mistress, for only she has the power to grant Aki her freedom”

Umbra carefully considered Asa’s invitation, on one hand Asa clearly did not want to come to blows and was willing to open up a diplomatic resolution, but on the other … it may mean that they would be escorting Aki back to where she had obtained her wounds.

“… Agreed” Umbra answered as they took a step back, Asa nodded thankfully at the armoured mercenary as he returned his gaze at Aki.

<Come Aki, Lady Yua is eagerly awaiting your return>

As Shinsou shuffled away from the square, a group of heavy set men followed amongst the shadows. They flitted between Stonevale’s citizens in the cold winter air, legs pounding onto the cobbles as they tried to close the distance between them and their quarry one long stride at a time.

They had got wise to him.

It was no surprise. The Telgradian stood out. He walked, spoke and travelled like a foreigner, and before long a tip off had placed him at an Inn they knew was near to where the working girl had been lifted from. It all added up. As they briskly strode across the low grass of the square gardens in subtle pursuit, the oriental style Higanbana mantles about their shoulders billowed in the wind, and each of the seven men had one hand held down on the cord of their katana guards to keep them steady. Loose, thin robes clung to their frames, sprinkled with the black kanji of the house of Lady Yua.

It wasn’t long before the Telgradian had noticed his pursuers, and decided to take a more scenic route for the inevitable confrontation. After all, there was no sense causing a ruckus in the centre of town for all to see. After a ten minute detour out of the fringes of Stonevale, he drew upon Enpera’s enchantment to pop up on his heels and lurch ahead of the game, attempting to reach a plateaux atop a small hill that overlooked Stonevale proper. There he stopped, taking in the scenery appreciatively whilst his stalkers frantically attempted to keep up, still a good few minutes behind him. A lone building, a pagoda shaped mansion that stood out far more than the rest, lay in a not-so-distant valley, serviced by what appeared to be difficult track. His experienced eyes told him that the mansion was obviously somewhere important, seemingly surrounded by dense foliage and impassable perimeter fences that even a plantation of cherry trees in pink and white bloom did nothing to disguise.

Now hearing commotion up the hill behind him, Shinsou turned back towards the way from which he had come, finding the time to ready himself before his pursuers finally caught up with him. They had tracked him dutifully, almost tenaciously, from the nearby town, despite the fact that their restrictive clothing and the katana swords worn at their waist limited their movements to more of a shuffle than a walk.

Suppose I owe it to them to at least find out who they are, and why they are following me.

Calmly he studied them as they belligerently filed out from the muddied crest and fanned out into a wall of seven. The largest of the men stepped forward towards his target with scant regard for anyone and anything, challenging Shinsou Vaan Osiris at the top of his lungs. The man’s hand gripped the hilt of his longer sword, and two others followed at his sides, meekly. One of them was tall and thin, pale as snow, whilst the other leaned slightly on his right knee as if nursing an old wound. They all wore calligraphy etched armbands which signified their stations, but Shinsou didn’t recognise any of the ranks, nor the banners under which they walked. He could, however, take a guess.

Lady Yua, I presume.

“You, foreigner!” The head guardsman man yelled from between heavy breaths. “Stay right where you are! Relinquish your sword!”

Shinsou’s hand remained primed on the hilt of his Enpera, his eyes laser-focused on each of the men ahead of him. He smiled arrogantly as he unsheathed his blade with a gentle scrape, and flipped the sword around so that the hilt was facing his counterpart.

“As you wish.”

As the man stepped forward and snatched the blade from Shinsou, the Telgradian got a better look at him. This guardsman looked almost Akashiman; heavy-set, muscular and bandy-legged. He was of middle age, his complexion weathered from drink and battle. Clearly, he was the product of too many hard years and honourless endeavours. The man spoke with brash purpose and blatant challenge; yet Shinsou’s voice was calm and assured.

“You are Shinsou Vaan Osiris, then! Lady Yua has ordered your arrest for the murder of a working girl of the House of Higanbana!” the former bellowed angrily. His followers settled into stances that suggested imminent conflict, circling around to flank the Telgradian on either side. “Crimes against the Higanbana in Stonevale are paid for in blood!”

The man dared to inch closer, his boots scraping behind him whilst his eyes focused hard on his captive. Never did his hand leave the hilt of his sword.

Shinsou’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly in turn.

“I don’t suppose it would help any if I explained I had fuck all to do with your murdered prostitute?” He retorted, waving a hand dismissively. “Although judging by this little circle jerk, I’m guessing you’ve leapt to conclusions already.”

There was an uneasy shuffle from the man on his right, who could almost taste that blood that was to be spilled. The breathlessness of the man on his left spoke of anticipation. Then, there was the scraping of sword on sheath as they drew their steel katanas. Shinsou kept most of his attention on the loud leader ahead of him, and his blade beneath that layer of pristine oriental fabric. He’d seen the stance before, a traditional poise that most oriental sword users adopted. Fast, clean arcing strikes were to be expected before long, and the Telgradian made a note of it.

“Silence! Another word and I will cut your tongue out! We do not have to explain ourselves to you!”

The samurai took a cautious step forward, although neither of his subordinates flanking him seemed willing to close in.

Bad call, brother.

Shinsou snapped his fingers, instantly heaving a dark lance into existence from within the folds of his robes and making the guard flinch for a second. It was as long as the samurai’s katana, made of purple and black dark matter that fizzed and popped on contact with the oxygen in the air. The Telgradian knew his opponent’s blade was an embarrassment compared to his black magic; and in the slower man’s hands merely a child’s plaything.

A final step forward followed from his aggressor, so much so that the man was completely beyond the pale now. Shinsou could almost smell the desiccated halitosis on the samurai’s breath. He could certainly see the look on the man’s face, so certain of imminent victory.

Jump. C’mon, shithead, jump!

The warrior’s sword lunged at Shinsou exactly as predicted, slashing in a downwards crescent arc towards the Telgradian’s boyish face. The length of tempered steel hit nothing but air, and as the guard looked up, Shinsou’s white coated form melted away in front of his eyes.

The samurai’s eyes widened as his body suddenly split open at the waist, exposing his insides to the cold winter air.

He gaped in agonised surprise, confusion and panic etched clearly upon his face. His eyes darted left in panic to see Shinsou behind him, the dark matter lance outstretched having almost bifurcated him. Along with Enpera, the remains of his belt and clothes fluttered to the ground, smouldering from the energy of the ethereal weapon and stained with thick crimson. Pandemonium settled upon the faces of his companions, all equally shocked.

Six.

“G-get him! Kill the foreigner!”

Spurred by boiling anger, but restricted by uncertainty and fear, they struck blindly. Shinsou was practiced and deadly, shadowstepping to the new gap in the crescent of men before they could comprehend their movements. Kicking the hilt of the fallen Enpera up, the Telgradian grabbed it in midair and slammed the pommel of his sword into one man’s throat. He staggered backwards, his windpipe crushed and unable to pass air, his weapon clattering to the ground from nerveless fingers.

Five.

The others attacked clumsily from behind, their strokes sliding past the Telgradian as he used his shadowstep to phase past them. In two quick movements, Osiris lashed his dark lance out with his left hand towards one soldier’s exposed stomach, and watched as the young man crumpled like a sack of grain. With the other, he brought Enpera down, across and up in a deft flurry, slashing violently at three more of his companions. They each screamed terrible a death rattle; their loose robes tangled, wrapping the fallen warriors like death shrouds stained with scarlet.

One.

A final precise strike with Enpera destroyed the kneecaps of the final onrushing guard, sending him to the floor in a crumpled, but living heap. Anger, pain and frustration could be seen in the young man’s eyes as the realisation struck he was massively outclassed.

“You won’t get away with this!” He growled, “It doesn’t matter how strong you are. As soon as we’re noticed missing, the whole wrath of Lady Yua and of the Higanbana will rain down upon you!”

Shinsou smirked as he bent his arm, wiping the fresh blood from Enpera’s blade within the folds of his elbow joint.

“Is that so? Well, I don’t know what this Higanbana is, but it sounds disappointing.” He sheathed his blade across his body as the soft whimpering of the injured man echoed on the hilltop. “Now, you’ll have to forgive me. The needs of the present take precedence over your inconsequential howling.”

With that, Shinsou stood over the wounded man, and raised his dark lance.

“Wait! I-If you spare me, I’ll tell you where they t-took…the girl.” The hesitant soldier managed a sentence through the pain.

The Telgradian’s hand was stayed momentarily, and his eyebrow raised. “Go on then. Speak, or you’ll have spoken your last.”

“T-The M-Mansion. Lady Y-Yua ordered her taken t-there…s-something’s g-going on. R-Red flowers.”

That’s all I needed to hear. Thanks for playing.

Before he could finish his sentence, the rugged edge of the dark lance slashed across his upper torso. The soldier’s entrails now joined the rest of his companions upon the damp earth. The Telgradian huffed gently as he snapped the lance out of existence, and surveyed the carnage around him.

No use leaving a trail of evidence behind. Get these buried, and let’s go pay Lady Yua a visit.

He sank to the ground at the base of the nearest tree, and began to dig.

Asa was not what he appeared to be. Though coming to such a conclusion was not so clear cut. There wasn’t a single distinct thing about the young man that made him stand out, actually if Umbra were to be honest, he didn’t look like anything special. Which ironically was what was making the armoured mercenary take a good hard look at the man that was now acting as their guide.

Now back amongst the turbulent crowds ambling along the promenade, the monger’s cries drowned out the fearful quiet whisperings that Aki was chanting under her breath. She saw something in Asa that Umbra did not, something that terrified the young girl into obedience. Occasionally her eyes would wonder towards the Katana wrapped in the black obi tied around his waist. It was a highly ornamental blade encased in a red scabbard that was beautifully adorned in pink Sakura petals and interlaced rope that had been weaved with golden threads.
The hilt guard of the blade was the most curious detail as it looked like an actual fire that had been frozen in time.

Overall, it was a beautiful ornate blade that sang with the promise of eternal flame.

The man should have stood out of the crowd like a sore thumb, and yet he didn’t. Not only that but no one seemed to even give this stranger a second glance, a stranger in Scara brae and an Akashiman to boot, Aki herself seemed to almost wilt under the constant stares thrown her way once they recognised that she herself was an Akashiman…

But not Asa…

Umbra stared harder at the man they were following before catching a glance at the runes that ran the length of the samurais long black scarf around his neck. Adorned with seals, or runes or whatever the Akashiman equivalent of an enchantment was, Umbra was still able to recognise it for what it was while also reconfirming their earlier suspicion about why the man seemed so unassuming.

‘Because he is wearing enchanted clothing to make him appear so’ Umbra reasoned and placed a palm over the battered pommel of their sword.

The man was either rich, or he had a connection to someone who was, maybe this mistress of his, the lady Yua that Asa and Aki kept on talking about.

Asa’s pace was also quite incessant almost as though he seemed to almost be in a hurry to get somewhere, though Umbra purposefully made sure to instead match their pace with the slower injured girl instead. Their deliberate slower pace would cause Asa to stop to look over his shoulder every so often to allow the girl and her guard to catch up before he would hastily lead the van ever closer to the water’s edge.

Aki for her part looked all but resigned to her fate, though her wounds had been tended too she was still clearly under a great deal of pain, she was just able to hide it better than most.

The kind doctor and his daughter had loaned the girl a pair of boots and a woollen cloak when they had sensed that the situation was more complicated than they wanted to involve themselves with. Which was completely understandable, they had their own look of apprehension when the Akashiman had entered their living room.

But they were not unkind to the girls plight either as they had given Umbra a single order before they left, ‘look out for her’

It wasn’t until Asa came to a stop at the end of the pier did Umbra see the transportation the young man had promised. A small unassuming gondola was the only boat moored to the pier, its simple black wooden frame however looked ill-suited to handle the waters around Scara brae and would more than likely be drawn towards the churning currents and smashed to pieces against the nearby rocks.

“You must be kidding” Umbra uttered venomously as they regarded the samurai with something comparable to utter contempt.

“This vessel shall see us to my mistress’ abode in one piece I assure you” Asa said nonplussed and turned to Umbra and Aki with a look of sincerity “Of that you have my word.”

Umbra remained doubtful, though it was Aki who lowered herself into the gondola first and dutifully sat down on one of the empty seats with a graceful ease while Asa watched her intently with a plain gentle smile. Reluctantly, Umbra followed their ward down onto the gondola a moment later before taking their own seat while leaving Asa to set about untying the rope.

Now with an ore in hand, Asa pushed the small boat away from the pier while the current mirror like stillness of the ocean seemed to favour the Akashiman as the gondola had started to be gently swept away as the currents lured the them further out to sea.

‘Well, this is a fine mess.’ Umbra reflected all the while keeping a keen eye on their samurai companion. The young man made no effort to steer their vessel at all, seemingly perfectly content to allow the currents to usher them further out to sea.

Umbra’s fists tightened in vexation, steeling their resolve to see how this would play out. There was nothing to be gained out at sea, and Asa did not look like the type to attempt anything, not when the gondola was the only thing keeping them afloat.

And even if he did, the iron clad warrior was confident in their ability to end a fight before either blade could be drawn.
Umbra meanwhile continued to scrutinise other little details they could make out about the young samurai, such as the small handle that stuck out from the folds of his obi to the collection of hilt guards he paraded around his waist like trophy’s. Had it not for the enchanted scarf that made Asa appear more mundane than he actually was, Umbra was sure that there were certain aspects that he was still yet unable to see.

Perhaps a different tact was in order.

And besides there was something else that was gnawing on Umbra’s mind. The relative ease Asa had found Aki had also been highly suspicious. The man had literally entered the right place at the right time with full confidence that Aki was right where he had expected her to be.

Could it have been another enchanted item? There was only one way to know for certain.

“How did you find the girl so quickly?” Umbra asked Asa bluntly.

“Hmm, I suppose there is no harm revealing such information” Asa replied with a flippant tone after a moment of consideration
“All those under the employ of my mistress bare a mark, and such a mark can be easily tracked with the right tools” Asa explained with a gesture towards Aki who squirmed under the attention before acquiescing and lifted up her long locks of hair black silken hair to reveal a brand seared into the back of her neck.

“Items such as?” Umbra pressed.

Asa chuckled before he gave his own glib answer “A hand mirror, of course”

‘Of course,’ Umbra mentally repeated sarcastically before turning to look at the port city that was now fading into the distance, one look ahead however revealed a cloak of fog sweeping along the surface of the water. It swirled around them on an errant gust of wind shrouding them in its haze within an instant. Aki yelped as up ahead day turned to night in mere seconds as moonlight cut a swath through the unnatural haze causing it to dissipate almost as quickly as it had appeared.

Only now they were not drifting out towards the turbulent oceans but were instead just off the shore of Scara Brea’s great lake that located towards the centre of the island. Umbra instantly recognised the teleportation magic for what it was, though it had been cast with such a theatrical flair, it had been all but seamless in its execution. It was alone ample reason enough for the armoured warrior to discreetly began reassessing what they knew of this lady Yua and the samurai that revered her so.

Asa breathed in easily and tugged the enchanted scarf from around his neck and held it loose in his free hand allowing it to tumble about in the sudden gust of wind. Umbra turned to see the man for what he truly was. Asa’s skin was ruby red, it always had been, though it had been impossible to notice along with the two red horns that signified just exactly what the young man truly was.

A red Oni whose raw strength was considered the stuff of legends.

Umbra’s hand drifted over to the familiar worn hilt of their sword, clutching it in a powerful reassuring grip. The weapon was an old ally, one that had seen them through many dire situations, though here and now, Umbra feared the weathered blade was heavily outclassed.

The jolt that arced up their arm was just as unpleasant as learning it’s source. A single quick glance downward revealed that the old sword had been enchanted with several glowing golden halo’s that hung in the air around the weapons hilt.

A seal. One that would cause harm while also making it impossible to draw the blade from its scabbard.

Asa chuckled to himself at the sight, “Ah, Ahem. That would be one of the many rules that must be followed in my Mistress’s home, no outsider blade can be drawn while within her domain” He explained with a self-satisfied smile. Though Umbra was quick to note that Asa’s own Katana bore no such seal.

The gondola continued seamlessly forward, propelled by forces unseen towards the nearby shore where a massive structure lay in wait. The pagoda was impossible to miss, eight thatch roofs all stacked upon each other covered in paper lanterns bathed the towering structure in a warm golden glow. But around it’s base was what looked like a sprawling Akashima compound split in on both sides of an estuary.

Umbra only needed single look around to discern the type of person that could live in such a grandiose estate. whilst the plethora of paper lanterns gave ample light sources that were beautifully reflected in the flowing river under the artificial night. The abundant amount of black, red and gold architecture all expressed an air of wealth, power and luxury.

“And this place is?” The warrior asked Asa curiously as the gondola drifted under a large arched red wooden bridge that connected both sides of the compound.

“The Higanbana, House of sin and pleasure. You should be honoured, only a select few are allowed to know of its existence.” Asa said reverently as he stepped out onto a nearby pier as the Gondola came to a full stop. Aki joined him a moment later, her eyes fixed on the ground before her.

Umbra trailed behind the two with dark brooding thoughts. The Oni continued his role as their guide though Aki seemed to know her way around as she did not have a single misstep whilst following in their guide’s shadow. As they headed deeper into the compound a handful of servants, all Akashiman girls like Aki scurried out of sight as they caught sight of them, Aki’s shoulder slumped ever so slightly as one of the servants openly stared at her before she closed the shoji between them.

Eventually the Oni led them past a beautiful Sakura Garden towards a single building that stood alone within the centre of the compound. There the red Oni abruptly knelt down onto his knees and bowed with his forehead touching the wooden floorboards building’s porch.

<Lady Yua, I have retrieved Aki as you requested> He said respectfully in his native language.

Through the open entrance Umbra could make out a lavish room adorned with artefacts from Akashima and the world over, the most notable being a large oversized ornate scythe, its wicked blade gleamed in the light of the lanterns was hauntingly familiar.

Though Umbra’s eyes did not linger on the wicked weapon for long as a figure stirred from atop a mound of pillows languidly pushed themselves up casting a shadowed silhouette onto the shoji screen that separated them.

<Aki, you say…> The sultry voice said slowly as though languishing over every syllable sensually and deliberately. Aki swiftly joined Asa in prostrating themselves on the wooden floorboard as Lady Yua began to chortle quietly.

<It’s good to have you back my dear> Her words though lost on Umbra immediately brought tears to Aki’s eyes. <My apologies I did not mean too->

Yua sat up from her mountain of pillows as shadows started to writhe around her frame, Yua’s ears stood up on end atop her head while her nine long tails thrashed around with reckless abandon. <Of course, I know you did not mean to run away. After the incident I had little choice but to ensure that the boar demon that did this to you has been appropriately punished>

The creature of myth and legend leisurely stood up to her full height with an ominous laugh. A wave of her arm acted as a signal for a quartet of Akashiman handmaidens to swarm in from the four corners of the room with black and red cloth fabric. With a practised ease they set upon dressing Yua quickly and efficiently, wrapping her previously naked body in a black loose yukata and red obi while the other handmaiden quickly tended to her hair pulling half of it backwards into a bun held in place by a single golden ornate hair pin.

<The swine has been strung up within the Higanbana’ s main reception left to bleed out, such is a fitting punishment for what he had done to you, is it not?> Lady Yua asked as she poked her head around the shoji screen as one of her handmaidens pushed it to one side allowing Umbra to see the dark-haired Nogitsune for all her sensuous brazen beauty.

Her heterochromatic purple and pink eyes settled over Umbra’s armoured form with a curious glint “Oh, and who might this be?”

The Higanbana hunting party now properly disposed of, Shinsou leaned against the base of the tree and watched the clouds that drifted above the valley. Down in the basin, columns of sun bathed both the Higanbana mansion and the nearby town in golden light. His eyes scoured all of it; from the dense woodland and roads leading up to the residence of ill repute to the fringes of Stonevale proper. Letting his eyes linger on, the Telgradian noted a particularly attractive route to the mansion from town that seemed to circumvent the main road, splitting into two or three mud tracks through the tress. Shinsou smiled, his features composed and inscrutable, his gaze never drifting from the ruin in the valley below.

Well, I don’t think they’ll let this one go, so might as well go ‘all in’ on this lot and do something worthwhile. Rescue the girl, shut down the Higanbana, and get home in time for tea. Easy enough, right?

The wind sighed, blowing Shinsou’s hair until the warrior turned away and begun to navigate the path down. He wasn’t used to walking everywhere, and realised that he missed his horse Slepnir more in times like these. The island’s famously mountainous rocky terrain would have been well suited to his white stallion; he possessed a calmer nature than the horses in Corone, but instead it was now left to the Telgradian to get to where he needed to be under his own steam.

A couple of hours later Shinsou was orienteering himself towards Lady Yua’s headquarters; the Higanbana Mansion, nestled deep within the central woodland belt of the main island of Scara Brae. It wasn’t by chance that the residence was isolated away from the Stonevale and situated in a relatively quiet corner of the island; in fact, it occurred to Shinsou that it was the ideal location for such a place. He imagined that the summer months would smother the area in dense foliage, whilst winter would bury it in almost insurmountable drifts of snow.

The myriad dangers of the untamed wilderness were also not present by chance, but quite intentionally placed there. Dire bears, wolves and all sorts of hellish varieties of wildlife called the Higanbana grounds their homes, and that suited the outlandish group to a tee. Should an intruder manage to navigate the terrain, they would risk having the misfortune of running into a carnivorous clusterfuck. It was clear to the Telgradian, as he carefully brushed aside branches and quietly stepped over thick foliage, that the Higanbana only allowed people here when absolutely necessary.

Having traversed the woodland now for at least an hour, the Telgradian had managed to swerve a pack of wolves and had ended up near the fringes of the forest. He could see the cherry blossom grove ahead; a veritable blizzard of rose coloured petals drifting on the breeze.

Crunch. One foot pressed onto a bundle of dry twigs, snapping them in two with a noise that sounded as if the world had cracked in half.

Crunch. Two steps beyond the pencil-esque trunks of the pines, and Shinsou's skin tingled as iif he had walked through a giant spider's web. Then, something very strange started to happen.

As quickly as the sky appeared from above the treeline, a sheet of starless night suddenly stretched out as far as the eye could see. An oily, arcane current slipped down the sides of what appeared to be the interior of a dome of black until it dissipated into the ground miles away from where Shinsou now stood. A discomforting numbness crept over the Telgradian's skin, a sudden cold eating at his skin as he watched the Higanbana mansion he had seen from up above fade and warp until it transformed into something much more sinister. Instead of cherry blossom trees, there was now just flat red in every direction; the flower that accompanied his missing prostitute probably having been picked from this very field.

Shit, this looks like a reality marble. Shinsou deducted as he tried to re-centre himself. They must have some serious power in that mansion to be projecting something this big. Telos's Hakai produces reality marbles nowhere near this size, and he's the strongest practioner in Telgradia.

He had seen them before, fighting his father. Being the most powerful warrior in Telgradia, Telos Soltair's ability was to create a pocket dimension that bent the rules of physics to his every whim. Those "marbles" lasted only a couple of minutes, and stretched to about the size of house.

But this? Whatever this was enveloped the entire estate, and beyond.

‘So, this is Asa’s mistress’ Umbra thought curiously while observing this ‘Lady Yua’. The Nogitsune had lightly folded her arms together as she listened intently as Asa gave a somewhat lengthy report in his native language, though, what exactly the red Oni was telling his mistress was another matter entirely. Occasionally the woman would chime in with a comment of her own before allowing the red Oni to continue his explanation.

She had initially appeared fairly innocent, though Umbra was wise enough not to fall for such an unassuming charade. “Very well then, Have Aki returned to the pagoda. And ensure that she is properly presentable enough to return to her duties” Yua paused “She has missed enough time as it is”

Her cold-hearted words were spoken in common with a light Corone accent, likely as a means to measure how Umbra would respond. With silence and stoicism as she would discover as the iron clad warrior barely shifted from their position under the Sakura tree.

“At once my lady.” the Oni replied as he reached into the folds of his Obi and placed the hand mirror upon the polished wooden porch before him before turning to Aki with a neutral expression

<Come Aki> Asa ordered the young girl as he stood up and waited patiently to allow Aki to rise up on her own. Umbra watched the man briskly walk away with Aki following close behind at his heels, her solemn gaze only briefly turned to look back at Umbra before they were out of sight as the rounded a corner.

The lady of the Higanbana barely spared the mercenary a passing glance, and was instead more interested in applying a light layer of makeup as she knelt in front of her vanity drawer. Not that she really needed the makeup, The first thing anyone would notice about lady Yua was just how charmingly attractive she actually was.

If she were fully human there would be no argument to say that she was from Akashima, the woman possessed a classic beauty with highly refined features and expertly applied makeup that served to only enhance what was already present. Such a beauty however was liable to make anyone dismiss her inhuman features outright, making them unable or unwilling to see the thorns upon the beautiful rose.

But Umbra could also see how Yua’s inhuman features served only to enhance the air of savagery that loomed beneath her perfect pale skin. Nine black furred tails that remained in perpetual motion heavily implied that Yua was far older than she looked, and wiser too.

Her pair of tufted black furred ears that stood atop her head moved along with her emotions, they flicked with an errant thought that crossed her mind and swivelled in response to a noise her handmaidens made as they scurried out of sight. The readiness that Yua held herself in was unparalleled as her guard was hidden under an air of sensual poise.

‘Very little would get by you’ The armoured warrior silently observed.

“You will have to excuse me” The lady said as she applied the finishing touches to her elegant apparel by adding a white flower to her hair. “I’m expecting a very important guest very soon, and it would not do to keep him waiting”

Her lips parted into a graceful smile “Now then, as you may have already surmised, I am Akunin Yua, the mistress and proprietor of the Higanbana. To whom do I have the honour?”

“Umbra” the warrior answered plainly. Umbra briefly speculated who this important person Yua was expecting was before dismissing the thought as irrelevant to the current situation. Instead, the mercenary asked their own probing question to the apparent owner of the Higanbana “Are you not going to negotiate the girl’s freedom?”

“Freedom?” Yua laughed and turned to Umbra with a savage gleam in her eyes “I’m afraid you misunderstand her place in the Higanbana, She, along with every filthy Akashima peasant, belong to me and me alone. There is no freedom to be had for her save death” She declared imperiously, with so strong a conviction that Umbra believed that not even death itself could worm Aki away from Yua’s iron grip.

The beast that had surfaced within Yua slowly began to recede, leaving only the mismatched eyes to look upon the mercenary with an air of curiosity. Even now Umbra could tell that her keen mind was already at work, identifying any possible advantage or profit or that she could exploit. When the lady eventually collected her thoughts, she gave Umbra a sympathetic look.

“Oh, You sweet gullible fool. As a reward for caring for my darling little Aki. Please, come and take your ease why don’t you. For a single night feel free to slake your lust ‘til your heart’s content, you have more than earned it. Consider it my treat, if you have truly been taken by Aki’s beauty then I am sure she would not mind keeping you company ‘til the morrow” Lady Yua seductively offered the wicked suggestion with a saccharine tone.

The Nogitsune chuckled behind an open palm to hide her wicked grin, as Umbra mentally dismissed the offer outright, though not without admitting to themselves that there was a time when such an offer would have been tantalising. Yua smoothed out the sleeves of her black kimono and gave Umbra the slightest inclination of a polite bow “I must be off now, but please do enjoy your stay, one of my hand maidens will escort you to the reception”

Umbra kept a careful eye on the Nogitsune as she began to saunter away and watched as her tails flowed behind her as though floating in water. Just as she was under the branches of a Sakura tree Umbra moved and reached into a pouch by their side and retrieved the crimson red leaf.

“Before you go, does this look familiar to you?” Yua stopped and cocked her head curiously at the leaf before giving the mercenary a subtle shrug of her shoulders “Tis merely the leaf of a blood lily.” She paused “we incorporate them here at the Higanbana for a number of alchemical concoctions from berserker tonics to powerful aphrodisiacs”

Her smile turned savage “Or sometimes both at the same time”

Umbra was the one who cocked their head curiously at the answer as it all but confirmed that this was where the leaf had come from. If Asa had not turned up when he did Umbra had every intention of using Aki to retrace her steps and find out just where she had picked up the cursed leaf from.

“And what of Eitr, do you produce that here too?” Umbra asked bluntly and was rewarded the sight of Yua’s eyes widening in honest surprise. Her words toppled from her lips for just a brief moment before her cold composure reinstated itself and she schooled her features back into one of neutrality.

“Well, aren’t you surprising” she complimented “Seek me out when I have concluded my business, I’m sure we have much to discuss” Lady Yua suggested and gave Umbra a respectful bow before turning to attend to matters elsewhere, leaving Umbra alone under the Sakura tree.

A handmaiden arrived shortly after and directed the mercenary back in the estate along a winding path leading to the pagoda. All the while another handmaiden looked around in confusion for a missing hand mirror.