Chương 74: Book 1, Chapter 74: Games

Yuki settled down on John's side of the "picnic table," slipping into thought as the other yokai cautiously arrayed themselves on the far side. It was a curious construction, and not for the first time, she wondered what led his home culture to favour sitting on such awkwardly raised platforms over just sitting or kneeling on the ground. Perhaps they had trouble keeping insects out of their homes, or all their available flooring materials were profoundly uncomfortable in the cold winters he had mentioned.

Ah, but he didn't think his house's heating was anything special, so that likely wouldn't hold true in the current era. She was getting sidetracked. She had pondered long and hard enough about the eccentricities of John's mysterious home, especially after she had overheard that little class he had with Rin about how their weather worked. For now, though, she had to focus on their guests.

It was surprising how many of them the river yokai could summon on such short notice, especially as they had doubtlessly hidden away in the wake of John's rather impressive array of explosions. The first was the kappa, who awkwardly sat across from her on the raised seat, trying to find a position that was at least semi-comfortable. John had, at the yokai's insistence, placed a side half in the water, so he could easily tumble back into the river if needed to escape.

Of course, the yokai hadn't phrased it like that, but his desires were transparent to the kitsune. Stability. Good food. Appreciation. He was easy to curry favour with, and Yuki would need that when dealing with the other members of his "shogi group" he had pulled together for a meeting on such short notice. His reactions would form a helpful baseline to compare the others to. Yuki suspected the kappa had a few other tricks up his sleeve, too.

She doubted it was any sort of mobility technique, given he hadn't disappeared from the area entirely after the explosions, so he must have had some means to communicate at a distance. Next was a surprise; she didn't know of any kodama in the area. The green, softly glowing yokai was only about as high as John's knees and had the soft, childlike appearance that most of its kind possessed, and was clothed in brittle-looking silk clothes.

He had likely buried them under his tree in a box to keep them safe from the Nameless, and seldom had the occasion to wear such relative finery. Perhaps it was an offering from decades past, before the forest grew dangerous for the average mortal. Yuki made sure to gently poke John with her tail to stop him from staring at the tree spirit while the kodama smoked his long, ornate pipe stuffed full of some unidentified herb that smelled of spring and bad decisions.

While she understood why the man might be a bit put off by the childlike spirit's smoking, it was no excuse to be rude. Perhaps, when all was said and done, she could bribe the spirit to produce that sap John seemed to use in great quantities. Strangely, although the name was on the tip of her tongue, she couldn't quite recall it. She wondered where the spirit's grove was; they couldn't range terribly far without risking death.

The kodama wore an expression of forced boredom, but she didn't miss the way his eyes refused to wander far from her or John, nor the subtle scent of fresh sap, even though he bore no open wounds. No, given his relative immobility, the poor thing was almost certainly terrified of John burning the forest down around him, and had likely used his lifeblood to take control of a nearby tree to provide a distraction if needed.

Perhaps he scratched the inside of his cheek to hide it, but a kitsune's nose was far too sharp for such a simple distraction. Finally, there was the okuri-inu, the hairless dog-like yokai's human face putting on a mask of politeness, flawed as it may be, as her body trembled like a shaved rat in a snowstorm. That was fair. Yuki had threatened to pull out her soul and eat it the last time they had met, and John had electrocuted her after her instincts demanded that she attack him on some trail.

To be honest, the kitsune was still tempted to minimize the odds of unplanned deaths, but the creature's nature was not her fault, but that of the gods. Even after all these years, she wondered how much one could change their nature, given the proper motivation. A way to throw off the yoke of the Shape of All Things, even in some small way, would go far to grant her favour with those scorned by its gaze.

Yuki was under no delusions that this was every yokai around here, evidenced by the kappa's missing cousin and a lack of several other beings she had heard about from the townsfolk. Alas, this was probably as many as they were going to get.

"I'm very glad you all took time out of your busy days to be here," John sheepishly began, skipping the perfunctory bows these types of meetings normally needed and causing the kappa distress.

"Over the last few weeks, the fair Lady Kitsune and I have been conducting attacks against the Nameless, the culmination of which you saw last night." While they hadn't had much time to rehearse, John had a talent for addressing groups he didn't know he possessed, albeit unrefined.

Still, Yuki ensured that she was to be referred to as "Lady Kitsune" this time, if only not to rub the fact she had a proper name, etched into the bedrock of reality rather than the ethereal, fleeting things that weaker yokai often possessed.

"Well, that's all fine and peachy. You just decided to blow up half the damn forest without a 'Hey there, neighbour, you might want to keep your heads down tomorrow.' You could have blown someone to bits!" the kappa loudly grumbled, crossing his arms. The okuri-inu, of course, looked positively terrified and ready to bolt, staring at the kappa with the same expression reserved for passengers on the back of a soaring dragon who started questioning what the point of living was.

Alas, no divine vengeance rained down to erase them from the face of this world. The kappa was direct, and Yuki cared little for decorum beyond how it could be leveraged to benefit her. That little tirade only made John redden in embarrassment and look away. As was becoming increasingly clear, her human likely came from a far more relaxed society as well. Every little twitch and reaction he had was useful fodder for building an image of where he came from.

"Sorry about that. We were in a bit of a rush, but the Nameless shouldn't bug any of you for a while, at least," John explained.

"They've been sealed underground for now. Every single one of their nests has been completely levelled." The only reason you couldn't hear a pin drop following that casual proclamation was the nearby river burbling.

"What?" the woman dog yokai disbelievingly barked out.

"It makes sense," the kodama calmly reflected, something about the calm and measured nature of his voice drawing Yuki's full attention.

"I couldn't see all of them, but the fireballs evident from my grove were all near where I suspected Nameless nests to be." He tried his best to make sure it sounded like he had only just come to that conclusion, but there were little signs that set Yuki's mind alight. Too little hesitation between sentences. Tone just a sliver too flat. Interesting. The most obvious reason behind a little lie like that would be to make them feel like he was less aware than he was. Now, why would the kodama want that?

Was it just a matter of avoiding the attention of a dangerous kitsune? It was time to gather some more information for herself.

"It all began a few days ago, when we were clearing the minions of the Nameless and their master from the town…" Yuki began, quickly recapping the events that had occurred in their struggle against Kiku and her hordes. Of course, the other yokai had likely been able to intuit much of this from the gossip of the town's minor household spirits, but once the ofuda had gone up, the area might as well have been a sealed tomb.

The yokais' reactions told her much of what she needed to know about them, further refining her image of each in her mind. The kappa, despite all his gruffness, seemed legitimately concerned about the people in Broadstream, given his wince when Yuki mentioned the deaths of the militiamen at Kiku's hands. The okuri-inu, strangely, seemed relieved at the same news. Curious. The militia should not pose a threat to her, even if she were actively prowling the roads. Why did she benefit from the town's protectors dying?

It would have to be looked into later, but the kitsune suspected it had something to do with why she was here rather than up in the mountains. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. What really interested her, however, was the kodama's reaction. He got nervous when Yuki mentioned the scattering of the priests, although he tried to hide it. Something about the currency change unsettled him, too.

It was very likely that he had some sort of business arrangement with the dethroned holymen Regardless, she would keep an eye on that one. Despite the apparent concern for the priests, he didn't react in the slightest when she talked about the danger to the townsfolk or the deaths of the tax collectors. At the very least, the latter told her that he wasn't affiliated with Kiku.

"Well, you lot have been busy," the kappa muttered, scratching at his chin. She didn't miss the little opportunistic glint in his eye, though, or the way his breathing had steadied over the course of the explanation.

"You didn't pull us here just to tell us that, though. You could have just asked me to spread the news around." Yuki nodded, a smile creeping across her muzzle.

"The Nameless underground will be having a civil war over what resources they still possess. If we are truly lucky, the Greater Nameless at the head may have regressed into a mindless savage, but I wouldn't count on that. For now, I would task you, one and all, to let us know if you see any Nameless on the surface, so we might track them down and contain the infection, lest it spread." And, of course, alert them of any hidden nests they somehow missed, but that went unsaid.

"To that end, we bequeath you with a way to gain our attention, should it be needed," Yuki continued, and John dug through his bag, putting what was formerly the bomb's " detonator" on the table, with a stake now attached to the bottom. It had been a simple matter for John to link it to a light on his "security tablet" and relabel it; after all, it was based on a repurposed magic detector to begin with.

"If you flip the case off and press the button, it will inform me that it has been pressed, as long as I'm within four ri or so," John instructed, demonstrating the simple process before bending over and driving the spike between rocks with a single slam.

"I will leave it here, and if anybody presses it, I will make my way over here if I can. Do not move it." The "or else" went unsaid, but Yuki could see how everyone stiffened at the proclamation. Was it a risk? Of course. If Kiku was still moving freely, she could use it to plan an ambush. Unfortunately for the other kitsune, Kiku would have no Nameless army to back her up, and John would quietly line the area with detectors, specifically tuned to her, later this evening, once everyone left.

If those went off, every single inhabitant of the fort would be coming to pull her tails off one by one and turn what was left over into a blanket. Thankfully, the device was so simple that it would be within reach of native artifact creators should the idea strike them, so it was unlikely to reveal anything about John's abilities. At most, it would be novel for how cheaply it was made.

The Nameless would be kept away, too, by the fact that nobody who knew of it would wish to possess it and risk angering John after last night. Possessing it had, in all regards, negative value.

"What do you offer in return?" the kodama quietly cut in, tilting his head after he finally put his pipe down. Now, were these his true colours, or was it just an act to ensure they considered his potential relationship with the priests as strictly a matter of greed?

"Is the fact that mortals will walk the woods freely again, able to give offerings, not enough?" John inquired.

"You'd be able to own things of value without it drawing the spiders in." Silence greeted him, just as she expected.

"Information leading to the destruction of a Nameless will be worth one iron mon for each," Yuki authoritatively declared.

"A bounty of one iron and five copper mon will be granted per corpse. In addition, you will be able to request Lord Hall to send someone to spend your money in town, when time permits."

"It's not very much," the kodama noted, drumming his little fingers against the table.

"Heads should pay triple—no, quadruple that!" Yuki smiled gently, like she was putting on a polite smile for a slow learner. Perhaps a bit of anger would bait him into revealing some of his inner thoughts.

"A mon has a lot of purchasing power in the village," she calmly explained.

"Between the tax collectors and the Nameless, they've lost much of the coinage that used to circulate through the village, driving up the value of money." It was a shame they couldn't inflate the currency a bit to further devalue the Nameless' holdings, but they couldn't risk the distrust that would come with it. The ensuing underground economy for the original coins would cause the Nameless' hoard to retain too much value. The one-to-one nature of John's coins made them slot seamlessly into daily life.

This very second, there were doubtlessly townsfolk flooding to the former ryokan to change their money over, worrying that being found with Imperial coins inside the village would be taken as a sign they were breaking Yuki and John's decree. The kodama's reaction revealed annoyingly little, nodding and seemingly falling into thought.

"Pssh, that's good enough for me!" the kappa barked, interjecting in the conversation and cutting any further negotiations short, much to Yuki's amusement and the kodama's immediate frustration. While it may be unfair to him, seeing what appeared to be a child with a bald head pout as if their parents had just caught them sneaking an early dinner was always entertaining. Hmm.

"I… guess that's okay," the okuri-inu uneasily added, frowning.

"We just pop over here and press the button, right? The bounty for heads seems a bit low, though… Sorry! I don't mean to…" The dog-yokai shivered under her gaze.

"That's intentional," John said, smiling.

"While there is a bounty on kills, we don't want anyone risking their lives for it. By setting the bounty low enough but still above the standard, we'll let any confident yokai clean up the weak, isolated ones without incentivizing someone to do something stupid." The okuri-inu quieted once more, and the kappa nodded thoughtfully, greed lighting behind his eyes. It didn't take much effort to imagine what the kappa was thinking.

Given that the Nameless couldn't swim, he could leave bait in shallow water and take them whenever they investigated, almost like reverse-fishing. The kodama's reaction was more interesting, though. The creature seemed mildly displeased, from the very slight downturn of the corner of his lips before he suppressed it, eyes lingering on John for a moment longer than she'd expected. Pieces started to fall into place.

He had a close relationship with the priests, who were neglecting their relationships with the local yokai even before the Nameless showed up. He didn't care either way about the people of the town. However, he wanted the bounty increased. Why? It was a foolish question at first glance. Everyone liked having more spending money, after all. Yet, kodama aren't known for their combat ability outside their groves. Most could only move between trees silently, quietly possessing them.

Despite that, he had pushed for increased payouts for deaths, not scouting. It wasn't for him. It was for others, and he was pointedly displeased with John's explanation of it being to lower the risk to others. This yokai wanted others to risk their lives and likely die chasing bounties. Now, did he want the other local yokai to die in general, or did he want a specific one dead?

Yuki's outward facade was that of a polite host, quietly directing the flow of the meeting as it devolved into a back and forth over exact terms and the occasional pleasantries. Internally, she was dissecting the kodama in front of her, watching every single reaction and what he didn't react to. Yet, she didn't take any action. The kodama was nominally a member of the kappa's social circle, and although she was certain of his aims, she didn't have proof.

It would ill suit her to alienate the local population at this stage, although she hoped that he was targeting someone unimportant. The kitsune doubted that his target was anyone attending this meeting in particular, given he hadn't been watching the reactions of the others with any exceptional focus. If they were truly unfortunate, he would be part of some greater plot, and there would be more to do once the Nameless had been dealt with.

Perhaps, if there was a conspiracy, they were hovering above like scavengers, waiting for the spider yokai to do their job for them. It would be smart to kill him off, once she was sure he was not part of a larger conspiracy. If he were, the clear option would be to confirm its nature and use him as leverage to manipulate them, too.

"Well, that's just about everything, I think," John said, smiling, completely unaware of the viper he was addressing.

"I declare this meeting adjourned," Yuki stated, rising from her seat and towering over all others present.

"This wasn't a complete waste of time, I guess," the kappa rumbled, standing in turn.

"Well, I'm off to find some bait. I'll be back this evening." He trudged off with all the swagger of a fisherman who 'had a good feeling' about the day. Yuki decided ahead of time to tease him overmuch should he not call for attention by nightfall.

"Uh, thank you for not—I mean, thank you for hosting us, Lady Kitsune," the okuri-inu quickly simpered before scampering off like a scorned dog. The kodama simply rose, bowed, and walked calmly out. Yuki wondered where that old, faded silk outfit came from, and whether she could track the weave to any particular artisan or region. Although she was out of practice, she committed the cloth's subtle pattern, the weave of the fabric, and the stitching to memory. Perhaps it would reveal where his loyalties lay.

"Well," John chimed, finally rising from his well-worn spot, "I think that went better than expected. I would have thought it would have been a harder sell, but it went off without a hitch." Yuki smiled, although it was a sad, piteous thing.

"About that, John…"