Pilgrim 3, p.29
Pilgrim 3, page 29
“Have you met Shimaru yet?” Danzen asked her.
“Yes, earlier this morning. He will survive, but it may take him years to truly benefit from his blindness. He has found himself quite distracted around here.”
This wasn’t exactly what Danzen was expecting, but it made sense, especially considering Shimaru was the only viable male at the nunnery.
“And you still plan to leave today?”
Nomin nodded.
“Where will you go?” Yato asked, the tone of her voice telling Danzen that she held a deep curiosity about the blind assassin. He couldn’t blame her. Nomin was quite the enigma, and the fact that she had returned from the dead only made her more fascinating, and certainly mysterious.
“To explore.”
“You’re welcome to join me in Genshin Valley whenever you would like,” Danzen said. “If you do ever come, you will find me at the monastery outside of Suja Village. The people there call me Pilgrim. You would be my honored guest.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Kudzu approached in her human form, the white-haired woman in a fresh set of robes that the nuns had provided. “A meal is ready, and Menya has prepared a map for us,” she announced.
“And what about you?” Nomin asked Danzen. “After you retrieve these remnants, then what?”
“I don’t know just yet. I suppose we will check in on our friend Jelmay.”
“Friend?” Kudzu asked, barely able to hide a sound she made with her throat.
“He’s probably rich by now,” Yato said.
“Jelmay?” Nomin asked. “You spoke of him yesterday.”
“Another yokai, one known as a bakeneko. He’s a shapeshifter who likes to gamble.”
“And you have partnered with him?”
“Not for gambling, but he has his strong points,” Danzen said.
“He claims to have had a prophecy about Pilgrim saving the world, and considers it his duty to guide us, although most of the time, we end up having to clean up the mess caused by his shenanigans,” Kudzu said.
“I bet he’s rich by now,” Yato added.
“He was already rich. More likely he is in jail by now, so that will be another thing we may have to deal with,” Kudzu said. “Although, some prison time could do the cat good…”
“I remember him now,” Nomin said. “He was in Diyu with you.”
“He was, and I can’t thank you enough for helping against my brother. Nomtoi is still out there somewhere, and sooner or later he will make his move.”
“I’m sure he will,” Nomin said, agreeing with Danzen. “But when he does, just remember your training. He may be a stronger opponent, but he’s not smarter, and he doesn’t have the same skill set that you have, or the same heart.”
Danzen felt as if he had known several Nomins through his lifetime, the vulgar version when he was younger, but also one who carried with her the air of a teacher, one who had a way of reminding others that they had more potential than they may have assumed.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he told her.
“What about bending our echoes?” Yato asked as the three of them stood.
“It is probably best that we start our journey,” Danzen told her. “However, I have an idea for later on, something we talked about the other day.”
One of Yato’s eyebrows raised. “Your demons?”
“In a controlled environment, yes. I think it is time.”
****
Danzen had a small doubt as they made their way toward the outer regions, heading in an easterly direction this time, which meant that they would avoid the valley where he had fought Shutendorji. Was what he was doing even worth it? Was it merely a distraction? In retrieving these two remnants, what would happen next? And just as importantly, could he trust Menya to hold onto the pieces once they inevitably left the nunnery?
After all, he would have to return to Genshin Valley at some point, which would likely put them in direct conflict with Soko, if she was still alive. Returning to civilization would also mean he could be targeted by Sumi again, and the contract she had put on his head. Then again, depending on how clever the assassin was, and Danzen knew there were still a few out there who had yet to strike, coming for him in the Outer Regions certainly wasn’t unheard of.
He had done it himself.
Years ago, Danzen had received a contract that had him traveling to the outskirts of Odval, not far from his mother’s nunnery. He didn’t know that at the time, but he did remember seeing the nunnery in its mystical perch at the start of the mountains, Danzen wondering how long the structure had been there. His mark, a merchant who had run off with an entire season’s supply of ale from a brewery in Arsi, had worked hand-in-hand with someone like Toku, a local up-and-coming warlord to be. Danzen had started his search at a tavern not far from the one where he had first sought information for Toku.
No deaths, but several people had their minds rewired, including the hopeful warlord, who easily gave away his mark’s location. Thinking about it now, Danzen realized it wasn’t very far from the Monkurenji Temple that they had burned down, and now understood why he had a sense of familiarity with the place. Either way, he found himself stalking this man through the night, Danzen surprised to find that the merchant was clever enough to stay hidden, giving no signs of his location, no fires, nothing to indicate that there was another person in the area.
Danzen found him nonetheless.
Relying on his patience, he simply found the highest tree he could climb to the top and began his watch. He ended up having to wait a day, Danzen relentless in his pursuit, but eventually the merchant crawled out of what was more or less a hole in the ground. And that was when he had a fatal meeting with Astra. Like an owl hunting its prey, Danzen was finished killing his mark before the man even realized what had struck him.
So it wasn’t unheard of for an assassin to come this far out in search of their target.
Walking for hours in silence with Yato and Kudzu put Danzen in a meditative state, his focus on his surroundings, the crests and uniquely shaped rocks adding an alien touch to the terrain as they began to climb higher into the mountains. Kudzu had taken it upon herself to be in charge of the map, although what Menya had given them was very clear: “Head to the northeast until you get to a mountain with a flattened top. You’ll see the first shrine from that point. It can be very hard to notice it at first as the shrine has merged back into the landscape, but it is there.”
The second location was beyond that, about a half day’s journey.
If they moved quickly enough, this meant that their entire trip would take about three days. But Danzen didn’t mind if it lasted longer. He was enjoying the temperature in the mountains, the sun still bright yet the air much cooler, to the point that he was glad that his robes had long sleeves and a hood. He definitely noticed a difference on his head; Danzen’s hair generally grew fast, but there was no way it would be long before winter, when it would provide a little extra warmth.
He found it ironic that in the end he didn’t need to cut it in the first place, that Soko had known about their arrival in Arsi all along. But that was how these things often went. The importance of intel and surprise in his former life were only matched by sheer strength and the willingness to strike.
The nuns had given Danzen and his companions dried bread and firestarter, as well as extra bags for the remnants. Menya insisted that the three of them take sleeping mats, which Yato currently carried, all rolled up and strapped to her back.
In the time it took for Danzen to glance from the young assassin back to the trailhead, which grew sharper with every step, he thought about how strange it was that she had come to be in their lives. He had moved past the point of wondering if he was qualified to be a teacher, yet still found it hard to believe that he had actually taken on a student, someone who wanted to learn from him.
In the twenty years he had labored for the Diyu Brotherhood, he’d never been asked to do a demonstration or lead others. It was as if Biren Yeshe wanted to keep him away from new students, which had the strange effect of building the lore around Danzen, this monster of an assassin who fought with a flying sword. He’d seen the looks and the times he’d stopped by his alma mater, future assassins eyeing him cautiously, many in awe, several of the teachers going out of their way to avoid him as well.
It was if they knew all along who he was, what his blood contained.
Danzen and his companions were going to need more than dried bread for a meal, which was why Kudzu led them toward what turned out to be a mountain stream that she had noticed. Being in her fox form allowed for better mastery over the senses, her sword currently sheathed at Yato’s waist, her robes in yet another pack Danzen had strapped over his shoulder. It wasn’t hard for her to operate in this environment, to move from rock to rock, nor was it difficult for Danzen to follow her.
But Yato didn’t have the same climbing skills, and they had to stop to find alternative routes more than once, almost as if they were traveling with Jelmay. This didn’t seem to bother Kudzu; Yato didn’t rub her the wrong way nor was she garrulous like the bakeneko, the young assassin generally shadowing Danzen’s behavior of keeping quiet and paying attention to his surroundings.
Kudzu sat once they reached the mountain stream. “I leave it to you, Pilgrim.”
Before Yato could officially reach them, Danzen’s boomerang sword dipped into the water and returned with a fat mountain trout. He did this several more times, and after the fish died, Yato strung them up. They would have a feast later on, but they needed to reach the mesa before doing so, which according to Menya would be the best place for them to stay that night.
So they continued.
Along the way, Danzen and Yato began to gather in the wood they could find for an eventual fire, which they stuffed in one of the leather bags that Menya had provided. Yet another thing to carry, but Danzen wasn’t feeling much pressure from the weight. He had left a few things back at the monastery, including his sugawara armor, which he had yet to wear, and his spare robes and other items. He knew that it would be smarter for him to wear his armor, but he felt confined in it and preferred to operate, as risky as it was, in simple robes. Hopefully, this wouldn’t be a decision he would later come to regret.
Another few hours of walking in silence came and went, Kudzu and Danzen traveling at a slower pace than normal so Yato could keep up with them. They eventually reached the mesa just as the sun was starting its descent. Danzen had hoped that they would be able to run a test on his demons that afternoon, but their journey turned out to be longer than he expected, and while it was still light out and would be for another hour or so, he decided to push it off until tomorrow.
They could test it first thing in the morning.
While Danzen and Yato prepared the fire, both glad to have collected plenty of dry twigs along the way, Kudzu scouted the area.
The flat top of the mountain they were currently on stretched for half a mile. It was a unique space, shadowed by the peaks of surrounding mountains, Danzen wondering if it had once been a meeting place. It reminded him of the alcove back in the Panchen Mountains, the one marked by petroglyphs. Was there something like that here?
Once the fire was going, Yato located a flat rock for them to place the fish on.
She cleaned the rock with some water she procured back at the mountain stream and Danzen went about cooking the fish using his boomerang sword as a skewer. It wasn’t ideal, but fire had no effect on his blade, forged as it was through a remnant. He placed each cooked fish on the rock, while Yato removed the fillets using a small knife. By the time Kudzu returned, all the fish were ready to eat, and while they were flavorless considering there were no spices, it was a good meal, especially with the dried bread the nuns had provided. As they ate, Kudzu updated them on what she found.
“I believe the shrine is that way,” she said, nodding toward the opposite end of the mesa. “It’s quite eroded, and I don’t think there’s a way the two of you can get inside, not without a rope. But I can go in.”
Danzen recalled the last time they had retrieved a remnant, and the underground yokai they encountered.
“Are you sure it is safe?”
“Not really, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of water here, and if there’s a different kind of yokai in there, well, I will have to make do. We really should have brought a rope. Menya should have said something.”
“What do you mean?” Yato asked as she finished a sliver of the fish fillet. “Why would we need a rope?”
“The entire place is built into the rock and sealed up tight. The only entrance I could find was a hole at the top, which must have been some sort of chimney. I don’t know how old it is. It must be…” Kudzu’s eyes widened to some degree. “Thousands and thousands of years old. Older than anything I’ve ever seen. The collapse of Sunyata was three hundred years ago, meaning that someone has since put the remnant in this location, likely to hide it. That was something that happened, you know. When the remnants fell from the sky, a few forward-thinking monks and nuns hid them as best they could.”
“Maybe there is a rope around the area that they used to hide it,” Yato suggested.
“I’ll be able to get inside as well,” Danzen said. “I can lower myself in and jump out.”
“You didn’t see the size of the hole. You aren’t going to be able to fit in there, not unless you are able to shrink your size,” Kudzu told him.
For some reason, this comment caused Yato to laugh. “Sorry, I’m just thinking of a smaller version of Pilgrim and…”
Kudzu started laughing as well. “He would be a bit out of place as a short guy.”
“Imagine if he was Jelmay’s size.”
This image had Kudzu practically on the ground rolling with laughter, the two of them slowly returning to their meal after their laughter let up, Danzen not able to hide the slight smile on his face at seeing the two of them laughing on his behalf.
He truly enjoyed their company.
“We will handle it tomorrow,” Kudzu finally said, bringing an end to this particular leg of the conversation. “I will go in and return with the remnant. If it’s large, we may have to do something else. But there doesn’t look like there’s another way in there, which means they lowered the remnant down through the hole. It’s just a matter of getting to it.”
****
They heard yokai that night, indistinguishable sounds from creatures Danzen could only assume existed this far away from human civilization. Kudzu, who was normally frightened at night in Genshin Valley, didn’t seem the same way here, likely because she didn’t know what was out there. Maybe it was better that way, not knowing what lurked in the dark, or at the very least, assuming the dark from whence you had come was different from the dark in which you were heading.
Danzen didn’t know, yet he rested better that night than he should have, only awoken a few times when he heard something getting closer than it should have. He was always ready, no grogginess, awake at the slightest hint of a sound, his hand on the grip of his boomerang blade, eternally ready to go.
He was up for Kudzu and Yato the next morning, his eyes closed as he bent his echo, once again practicing the ability that Nomin had shown him. Thinking of her made him switch weapons, Danzen opting for the replica short sword she’d given him, Astra going back in its scabbard.
The sun sat comfortably on the horizon, casting shades of pink across his eyelids, a color that he would never be able to describe or give name to. Pink would do, but they were much more than that, their hues growing in beauty by the moment, the warmth spreading up his body, past the crown of his head.
And so on as he bent his echo.
It was only when he heard Yato clear her throat Danzen opened his eyes, the light coming to him all at once, his pupils quickly adjusting. He was getting better at this as well; there was no time in what he did for error.
Kudzu was there as well, in her human form, her sword drawn.
Skrrict! Skrrict!
Yato’s gauntleted blades popped out, and after she was in position, she nodded at Danzen.
They briefly discussed this last night, how they would handle things. He would try to get control, and if that didn’t work, they would round up his demons and slaughter them as quickly as possible, with an emphasis on doing it swiftly and being safe in the process.
No words were exchanged as Danzen looked down at his arm and slowly brought Nomin’s replica blade a few inches above his wrist. With a deep breath out, he drew a wound. He flicked the blood to the ground and clenched his fist, noticing the feeling within him start to swell up.
Danzen had gone over in his head how he would respond in this moment, how he would get control of demons caused by a self-inflicted wound. He knew the secret lay somewhere in his control over his own echo, which was what he focused on as portals began to open up around him, his hellspawns inevitably appearing.
Danzen didn’t know exactly how it would work, but he went into it with confidence.
He had forced them to stop their movement before in his battle against Soko, back at the Floating Candle Festival. They were part of him, so perhaps he needed to think of them in this way, his demons simply an extension of his own power, or perhaps his psyche.
Either way, he would be in control.
His demons didn’t scatter as they normally would have, and even though Danzen could tell that Kudzu and Yato were both apprehensive and ready to engage, neither moved. One of Danzen’s demons, a monstrosity nearly as tall as him and covered in deformed muscles—a misshapen maw the defining feature of its face aside from its beady eyes—turned to him.
The others followed suit.
There were thirteen in total by the time the portals closed up; a mist settling over the mesa had already started to dissipate, leaving Danzen alone with his creations and his two companions.
