(a.k.a. 鉄鼠)
Summary
What happens to a grudge after revenge has run its course? How does a curse feel once its target is long gone? Tesso might have been able to answer those questions, if she were a bit more inclined to deep thoughts.
Many centuries ago, the iron-skinned rats that climbed Mount Hiei and devoured the priceless scrolls of Enryaku-ji were not much more than instruments of one man's revenge. Spurned Raigō had no more use for the creatures once the temple had been brought low that fateful day. A swarm of creatures as powerful as the Tesso don't simply vanish, however. Over time, a hundred years of steady growth, perhaps even a forgotten curse can become a yōkai.
Now, Tesso is a name, rather than just a descriptive title. The plague of iron rats has inexplicably become a single intelligence, one friendly and spacey yōkai girl. Tesso is sometimes a bit slow and lacking in initiative; a side-effect, perhaps, from splitting into so many bodies so often. She boasts a ravenous appetite and a blatant sense of carelessness around expensive artifacts, but for all that, her demeanor is surprisingly open and friendly. Tesso often seems just happy to be alive.
She's still coming to terms with having her own will, however. That's not something a curse usually gets to experience. In the meantime, it's more comfortable to have someone tell her what to do. Fortunately, there are no shortage of people willing to actually pay for that privilege. She'll start with one of those, and then venture into whatever the future holds for an adventurous iron rat.
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