Chương 70: Book 1, Chapter 70: Smite

"Why do I have to go out there, anyhow?" John asked tensely, double-checking how his rather informal clothes fit, smoothing out the worst creases in his pants with a quick, very weak blast from his heat focus. Yuki smiled politely, her graceful, furred hands reaching over to straighten his collar.

"You're the mastermind behind the plan, John," she responded.

"My Yumi persona also doesn't possess the same sense of gravitas as you, and my own appearance is too frightful. While tossing them the torn apart corpses of their oppressors earned a lot of good will, they're still simple folk of a small town. If I introduce the new currency to them, they're going to assume it's a plot to steal their souls." John paused.

"We don't need to worry about that, right? Someone couldn't just put a curse on some coins that would only go off on particular targets and then just start circulating them through the community, right?" That made Yuki's hands actually slow as she fell into thought, eyes gazing off somewhere into the distance.

"No," she stated, but how long it took her to answer did not fill him with confidence. John really needed to figure out some way to counter curses, for his own sanity if nothing else. It filled him with almost as much damned dread as this speech.

"You could shapeshift into me, you know," John begged.

"That way we don't have to worry about me messing anything up."

"Tempting, but we both need to be seen together. Before you ask, I have not recovered enough to create a stable illusion of you and disguise myself at the same time," Yuki coolly responded, taking a step back to regard her work. John slumped a tiny bit, definitely not sulking. The thought of having to go out on the ryokan's balcony, talking to all those people… Ugh. He was not one for crowds; he figured out back in high school that the old trick of imagining everyone naked just made everything worse.

It turned out that a small army of nudists could be pretty intimidating in its own way.

"You can't blame me if I mess something up. It's not like I've had time to practice," John warned, glancing down at the notes full of points to cover that Yuki had oh so generously gifted him. Small mercies that his voice didn't hurt when he talked anymore. He wasn't an expert, but he was pretty sure that it shouldn't have recovered so quickly after all those years of disuse.

"I have faith in your abilities." Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and John couldn't help but wonder what half-dozen plots she had advanced with that one simple phrase. The first purpose was clear even to him: Yuki wanted him to have more experience with speaking in front of crowds. To what end? Less so. Maybe she intended him to take up some sort of leadership position around here. He shuddered at the thought. Then again, he might have to, once he got onto unfucking the place.

Years of Nameless-related damage to the economy certainly added up, and he wasn't naive enough to think he could come back with a big chest of coins from the nest and spend his way into solving things. It would be a tragedy if his little group of friends dealt with the demonic spiders, only for half the village to starve when the frost set in. Before he could retort, Yuki's gaze snapped to the room's door.

"Enter," she firmly ordered. It took a few seconds, but eventually a terrified man slid the door open. He was dressed in the simple uniform of the militia, but he was notably disarmed as far as John could tell. Maybe he specialized in throwing some sort of elemental attacks from a distance, or unarmed martial arts?

"La-lady Kitsune, Lo-rd John!" He fell to his knees and bowed so deeply and so fast that his head lightly thunked off the floor with a dull clunk. John winced. Say, this man seemed a bit familiar. Perhaps it was just how few faces he had seen in the last half-decade playing tricks on him, though, or maybe he had offended Yuki in some way before. He swore that he recognized the scar on his forehead, at least. It was pretty distinctive.

"Speak. Do not waste our time," Yuki sighed. Her tone was almost polite, but her words left zero room for argument. Really, if he didn't know her better, he would swear that she was considering turning the man into a red stain. The only way the man could press himself down any further was if he gave up all pretense and bellyflopped onto the tatami flooring.

John felt secondhand embarrassment in a way that reminded him of when he watched cartoons as a kid and saw a love confession go so wrong he had to change the channel to dodge the scene.

"Of course, your lady—Lady Kitsune! Lady Nagahama reports that the men have been told how to distribute the wares and coin. The crowd outside is growing… antsy, though." Rin instructing them on how to distribute the money and the supplies was a bit of a stretch. It was more like she handed some instructions from Yuki over to the new head of the militia, and then loomed in the corner of the room to discourage anyone from doing something stupid about the bulging chests of newly minted money.

A deep growl emerged from the kitsune's chest like a beast unleashed from the depths of hell as the room's temperature seemed to drop like a stone.

"You presume to rush us?" The man sputtered under her glare. Ohhhh, right; that's where John recognized him from! He was one of the tax collectors that John levitated onto the roof! Well, he probably wouldn't feel too bad about Yuki messing with the man, then. It was kinda funny, even if a bit too mean-spirited for his taste. There was, after all, a pretty good chance this was a site of great trauma for him.

"I-I'm so—""It's probably for the best we got going anyhow," John interrupted, and all at once the room snapped back to normal, like Yuki wasn't absolutely bathing the man in 'I'm going to murder you and it will be your fault' vibes not seconds ago.

"I mean, it's probably best not to keep our little surprises waiting too long, right?" Translation: let's not tempt fate by trusting the stability of the untested thermobaric explosives I threw together over the course of a few hours.

"Of course, John," Yuki cheerfully said, mirth clear in her eyes as she cast her gaze back over to him.

"Are you ready, then?"

"Ready as I can be, I guess," he grouched back. It did not stop her from beaming him a smile.

"Wonderful!" Then, she cast one last glare at the cowering man.

"Tell them we will be out shortly." The only reason the man didn't sprint away was that his legs didn't seem to be working quite right, if his awkwardly stumbling gait was any indication.

"Remember, we go on together, and you will speak after I finish. Stand a step behind me until it is time for you to speak, then step up to my side. I will be keeping the crowd attentive with my Presence, but I implore you not to reveal our surprise until we're finished," the kitsune rattled off, which John nodded along to. Right. No explosions until the crowd was nice and satisfied.

John'd probably have a lot of trouble paying attention if a guest speaker back at uni pressed a button and said: "By the way, I just blew up the spider demons so they're trapped underground for a while to starve." No matter how tempted he was to press flick the cover off the button and press it right now. The intrusive thoughts, sadly, must be denied.

"Got it. I think I'm ready," John said, shooting a smirk that was as confident as he could manage. He wondered if he could somehow figure out how to fake Presence, so he could lie a bit better. The kitsune absolutely did not buy it, but strode to the door regardless, her expression not flickering for a moment. John was not far behind, keeping close to the fox-lady as he hurried to catch up. Thankfully, she kept her pace slow and even.

Perhaps for the first time, he appreciated just how annoying it must be to slow her pace to keep pace with him. Given the raw size difference, her strides took on a slow, deliberate quality, almost as if she were walking through shallow water. She still managed to make it feel graceful. As they approached the balcony, a man nearby stood at attention and bowed once he realized they were coming.

"Rise. I would like you to announce us to the townsfolk, please. You've been told of our titles, correct?" Yuki politely ordered, the man straightening at her orders. Wait, our titles?

"Of course, Lady Yuki!" the man responded, quickly hurrying over to the balcony and sliding the doors open before stepping outside, the dull roar of a crowd echoing through the doorway.

"Titles?" John incredulously uttered, peering over at Yuki with narrowed eyes.

"But of course! Every good Unbound or yokai has at least a few. Personally, I have enough that it'd take far too long to recite them, but you shouldn't be too shy about sharing a few of your own. You've had a very interesting life." Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Oh fuck, what did she tell that man to say?

"I call for your attention!" the man shouted, a wave of almost unnatural silence washing over the crowd as they registered that the event was finally starting, dusk's light poking through thick clouds.

"I present Lady Yuki, the Regent of Balance, Scourge of the Unjust, the Thousand Claws, Slayer of a Thousand Oni, Splitter of Skies! I present Lord Hall, the Engi-near of Fate, Smith of the Impossible, the Invisible Warden!" He looked at Yuki with a dropped jaw, but that kitsune didn't even have the good sense to look at least a bit ashamed, even hiding a giggle behind her paw.

"You really should share them more often. They fit you well." John was sure that the glare he levelled at her would kill an average man on the spot if the engineer had even a hint of Presence to him, but the kitsune seemingly only resisted the urge by turning away and walking toward the door. Kitsune, man. Without much of a choice, he trailed a step behind her, putting on the best 'calm and in control mask' that he could. As he crossed onto the balcony, he beheld… wow, that was a lot of people.

It was a veritable sea of humanity staring at him from below, some of those blessed with non-human eyes glittering in the fading light. Hundreds, at the very least. It was certainly the most people he had seen in one place since he had come to this world, and he wouldn't be surprised if it were damn near everyone in the village. Evidently, more people were interested in what happened than were scared to hell and back by being near the cause of the explosion earlier today.

It was quite a strange effect, seeing a crowd that wouldn't look too far out of place in a historical documentary but bearing a veritable sea of little differences that set them apart from baseline humans. Some invisible, others as visible as a thick rack of antlers that forced people on either side of them to part.

"People of Broadstream, hear me," Yuki began, warm Presence rolling off her in impossible waves that smothered whatever conversation still remained.

"For years, you have been besieged by an invisible foe, but now you shall know their true face! A nogitsune corrupted the tax collectors and commanded an army of horrors of the night to suck the lifeblood of this place dry like a swarm of mosquitoes! Today, she, the master of this conspiracy, struck at your heart." It was a clever play, he thought.

Some of their own died for nothing in a way that still ate at his chest, but Yuki was trying her best to divert the conversation away from them while still acknowledging their loss, focusing them on the still-existing threats. Yet they still wavered, an uneasy energy coming over the crowd as they shifted, each person within the abiding mass seeming to glance towards the fading light with some worry.

"Fear not! By my strength, I have driven the vermin out! By my will, I have broken the tax collectors, the corrupt among their number smashed upon the rocks. By my mercy, I have gifted the misled a chance to redeem themselves. By my oath, I will put her to the sword!"

She paused, absolutely radiating an almost imperious surety as she flared her intertwined tails wide, casting a wide shadow behind her that he was pretty sure logically shouldn't be there, but it did well to make the kitsune look even larger than life.

"Another of her pawns fell today. You all heard the explosion. The nogitsune had used the priests to enact a dark plan to let her beasts swarm over your home without opposition, but Lord Hall has turned it against her after defeating the Unbound she had bewitched into her maleficent grasp! Now, she nor any of her twisted aberrations can step into your fair city!" Quite a few eyes turned on him, but he cautiously smiled and nodded to the mass of humanity.

"But we can not sit by, for they still prowl your roads, watching you from the depths of the trees… But Lord Hall himself has worked tirelessly to put an end to their number, once and for all!" The kitsune finally quieted, looking over to John. Swallowing harshly, John stepped forward.

"Good evening, Broadstream! I wish that we could have met under better circumstances." John greeted, letting his voice carry over the quiet crowd.

"Our enemies are the Nameless, led by a Greater Nameless," he stated, letting a murmur sweep over the mass below as Yuki summoned up a shadowy simulacrum of one of the beasts in question next to them. It didn't compare to the real thing, though. The wild, mad eyes didn't land the same way when the beast was still, but it was still clear just how large the monstrous creatures were.

"I see some of you know of them," he quipped dryly, unsure just how well his voice carried over the crowd, but carrying on anyhow.

"For the rest, I'll give you a brief rundown. These yokai are the result of an ancient crime against the heavens, and what makes them dangerous is their unique needs. They need to hoard wealth to survive, and constantly seek to gather more… which, in turn, leads them to rapidly reproduce and seek out more wealth. Proof of the infestation will be circulating for you to see."

Below, several of the militia walked out of the ryokan, carrying heavy, shadowy, almost quasi-immaterial chunks of yokai-spider legs, parting people like water with examples held over their heads. There was no need to explain to them the true nature of the danger right now, as it would certainly drive them into an animalistic panic. He probably would have if he were completely unable to defend himself and learned about the body-snatching spider swarms.

"They live in underground nests, and number in the hundreds at the very least, growing fat off your money, and with their spread and their numbers, it would likely take dozens of Unbound backed by hundreds of infantry to block off every nest while dozens more descend into the dark to clear them out," John explained, dramatically pausing like Yuki insisted to let the worst possibilities and doubts percolate in the minds of the onlookers.

"However, the human cost for such an operation would be far too high, even if it could be done in short order," he definitively stated.

"I said Nameless need wealth, but what defines wealth? Fresh fish is cheaper at the seaside. If you placed this nest in another nation, would your coins still feed them even if nobody around used them?" he questioned, dramatically shaking his head, almost reminiscent of a stage actor making sure even those far away could see.

"No. If something is not highly valued locally, it loses power to them. The answer is simple, we starve them out to reduce their numbers before stomping them out!" Ow. John winced, swallowing. Okay, maybe he was a bit loud there; his voice almost cracked. Beside him, the Nameless faded from existence like a slain nightmare, replaced with a series of diagrams.

"Step one! I block the majority of the Nameless in their nests," he stated, pointing to a simplified black and white illusion of a collapsing hill.

"They bury themselves deep, with limited exits. If we destroy those, they can't seek out new wealth. Step two, devalue their wealth!" Next, his finger swung over to a picture of a pile of money, which seemed to rot away under his gaze.

"We will make everything they have worthless. This plan has a few steps and the first two happen tonight. Step one: You will all receive aid; all we have recovered from the tax collectors will be returned to you!" Another pause. And then a dull roar of approval washed over the crowd as hundreds realized that they might not go hungry tonight. Wives and husbands embraced. Men and women laughed, and John swore he heard something about drinks being on him tonight.

Children, perhaps uncomprehending of the situation, still cheered along, caught up in the wave of excitement. John didn't miss Yuki's Presence emanating calm, playing those below like a master without having to say a thing, but it still took a few minutes for everyone to calm down enough for John to continue.

"Unfortunately, this is not enough to solve the issue. The vast majority of the Nameless' wealth is in coin, so to starve them, we need to change coins. As of tomorrow, trading in Imperial Coinage will be banned," he stated, and tension snapped into the air like it was always waiting to step into the forefront. Still, Yuki radiated that calm; her strange magic hopefully would keep everyone reasonable.

"In response to the Nameless threat, I have created a new system of currency. Quite simply, you can trade your old coins for the new coins at a one-to-one ratio, and you can trade the new coins for the old coins, too, should you desire to leave the area. This law will remain in place until the Nameless are dealt with. Any coins afterward, if recovered from their nest, will either be returned directly or reinvested in the community!" Silence. Some stood ramrod straight. Children froze.

Couples previously embraced out of joy now clung to one another for safety.

"I do not take these measures lightly, and I'm sorry to have to enact them. The fines for non-compliance are expensive for the first infraction, and any extreme cases or reoffenders will be punished much more severely." John placed his hover disc upon the ground, stepping onto it.

"These measures will make the monsters starve in their own nests, and when they are weak, I will dig them up and deal with both them and their master. Then, and I promise you this, you will be left better than before. For now, look to the horizon. Step one begins now." Twisting his leg, John flew off the balcony into the sky, rising a few hundred feet off the ground so he had clear lines of sight and minimized signal interference.

He pulled the makeshift detonator from his pocket, a wide smile painting his face despite everything. It just took a simple flick of the thumb to throw the shield over the button aside. Nobody could see him clearly at this height save Yuki, and maybe Rin if she poked her head out. The finger gun he pointed towards the horizon with his gauntleted hand was only for him.

"Bang," John said, miming firing into the distance as he clicked the detonator. One second. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. The Nameless patrolled the edge of its nest. All clear. Deep, gnawing emptiness filled its form. Boredom. Hunger. The Monarch wouldn't let it feast. It could smell value. Value was near. Monarch wouldn't let it hunt. Guard duty continued. Eyes met the treeline. Mortal incursion likely. If it caught it, it could hide the wealth for itself. Become Greater. Challenge Monarch.

Eight legs skittered over fallen trees. Birds sang. No value to them, value spoiled fast once killed. Maybe it would lure prey? Value was… getting closer? Its eyes pivoted to the nest. Value from inside the nest? Its eyes shot up. A small cloud was falling from the sky? Clouds valuable? Air rushed past it towards the nest, making it chitter in surprise. Air wanted value? It rushed towards the falling cloud. It would get there first!

Fire— Flame bloomed on the horizon like beautiful blossoms as thermobaric explosives detonated over the nests in a series of near-simultaneous blinding flashes, towering pillars aglow with infernal fury. A smile split his face. The sound only followed maybe ten seconds later, a series of rumbling loud crashes that sounded like some thunderous deity banging on a drum as each rolled over him in succession.

He descended back to the porch above a lake of eyes, the fading fireballs visible over the tops of the buildings, captivating the attention of every single person on the street. John cleared his throat, and all that attention snapped back to him.

"I will now be taking questions."