Endō's Moving Castle

Life, Organisation Association

Maxim nearly reached the front door of Ago Manor before the next disturbance happened. His gauntleted hand landed on the wood. Before he could pull it open, a resounding crash thundered through the air all around him. That sounded like it had come from somewhere in the woods beyond the manor. What's worse, he could hear someone shouting in the distance—screaming for help.   With thoughts, perhaps, of a night which never seemed to end, Maxim stepped around the manor and bounded off into the trees. For a time, there was nothing but the stampeding sound coming from somewhere ahead. That is, until the black knight's shockingly sprightly step brought him soon out of the tree line and into a broad clearing on the other side.

Under the setting moon, with dawn creeping golden tendrils across the grassy field, Maxim beheld a bizarre sight. An entire castle, foundation, walls, peaked roof and all, was being carried at speed through the space by a red, stony-skinned giant. The creature was pursued by a girl whose white hair seemed almost ghostly in the pale light. Although faster than her size might suggest, she was no match for the long strides of the spiny earthen giant. From the girl's repeated cries for help, only one conclusion could be drawn: Maxim had somehow walked in on a full-castle mugging.   The Wolfpack may have its flaws, but a tendency to inaction was not one of them. As soon as Maxim had taken in the full situation, he was off, scooping the white-haired, and now he saw, beast-eared girl into his arms as he took up the chase. His new passenger didn't complain, instead accepting the sudden aid with only a yip.   The giant was fast, long legs giving it a titanic stride that would be impossible for any human to match. Fortunately, Maxim had surpassed his own humanity some time ago. His legs pumped and shoulders pushed forward as he began to gain on his quarry. The approaching black-shelled thing hadn't escaped the castle-thief's attention, however. The oni—for it must have been an oni, if an extraordinary specimen—reached out with one stony arm and pulled a nearby tree down behind it.   That same trunk crashed into the ground directly in Maxim's path. He'd lose too much time going around. It was not a short tree, after all, but also not particularly broad. Perhaps he could jump over it? As the obstacle rapidly approached, Maxim realized that there was no more time to deliberate. He ducked his shoulder, using his body to cover his passenger as he plowed through the wood without slowing down. A crack that must have woken all of Ago sounded as bark and branches parted before Maxim's mighty charge.   Perhaps there was puzzlement or disbelief on the giant's face as it glanced back once again. It was hard to make out a real face within those craggy features. It was obvious now, at least, that a simple tree wasn't going to slow its pursuer down. Shifting the weight of the castle on its shoulders, the stony oni shook its barb-covered shoulders. A barrage of little boulder-like creatures, each as spiny as its father, poured down off the giant's back. They spun and tumbled through the air, many off-course, but enough heading straight at Maxim to be a problem. This, at least, was an easier challenge to deal with. Maxim had plenty of experience dealing with rains of arrows from the enemy. What made this any different?   Shifting his passenger to one arm, Maxim drew forth his lion-crested shield. With the aegis held aloft in front of him, he weathered the storm of tiny, cursing pebbles. A few passed his guard, but pinged harmlessly off his armor to stick in the ground and be left behind. None touched the girl in his arms, and he had not slowed. Maxim pushed forward. His prey wasn't far now, just a few feet away. Like a driven hound, he was nipping at the heels of the giant. Even Maxim was not prepared, however, for the creature to turn around and throw the castle down at him.   It's remarkably difficult to come up with a plan when a thousand tons of defensive fortification is falling down on your head. Maxim reacted on instinct instead. He dropped the girl to the ground, where she landed with a light bark, then reached his gauntlets up to catch the castle. He might as well have tried to lift Ōmukade. The structure crashed down, driving Maxim into a crater in the ground underneath it and filling the small area with a miasma of dust and dirt.   He'd been almost strong enough, it seemed, but the ground had not. The girl was safe at least, and Maxim didn't seem to be injured. There might not be a lot of air in here, though, and the dust was choking and cloying. He had to get them out. Lifting the castle didn't seem like a good idea, so Maxim did something even less effective: he punched the side of the crater. Like a piston, the knight's gauntlet drove through the earth, but left only a fist-sized hole in the rock leading nowhere.   As both he and his former passenger stared at the dirt-caked gauntlet for a moment, light suddenly streamed in from above. The giant had lifted up the castle by its side. Its craggy eyes peered about, trying to find what had happened to the two little creatures beneath. At this angle, it hadn't seemed to have noticed the crater yet. Maxim had an opportunity. He jumped out, girl in his arms once again, and dashed to the side of the castle. Remembering the technique his master had taught him, he harnessed his ki, took control of the very air around him, and drove a blade of cutting wind into the giant's exposed eyes. Those craggy features squinted, then blinked, but showed no sign of injury. It stood and dropped the castle to the ground once again.   Neither Maxim nor the giant were prepared for what happened next. What had seemed from a distance to be shingles and stone opened wide, revealing rows of wickedly-sharp teeth. The castle itself roared and bit down on the great oni's flank. Matching the sound with a shout of pain and rage, the giant swung back, slamming a tree into the castle's side. Both titanic creatures seemed to be more or less made of stone, but it was obvious even to Maxim that the castle was winning. ...Somehow.   For the first time, the girl Maxim thought he'd been saving spoke. She wanted her rescuer to stop the fight before "he" got hurt. Maxim squinted. She seemed to mean the castle. Even though it was winning. Even though it was a castle. With a roll of his shoulder, Maxim set the girl down and walked calmly into the fray. For a moment, the two giants stopped their brawl long enough to look down at the black-armored figure below them. Then, Maxim spoke. If the giant oni left now, he offered, it'd get to keep its life.   They were simple words, but something about Maxim's tone, or the look in his eye, or perhaps the way he'd run faster than a horse and survived having a castle dropped on his head, convinced the giant. With one last look at the castle, it turned and sprinted away. Maxim didn't pursue, and neither did the castle-monster. Instead, they eyed each other with mutual distrust. Allies they were for the moment, but the tension in the air didn't quite subside.   Their exchanged glare was broken as the girl ran forward, delighted in the rescue, with her arms open wide for a hug. Maxim wasn't sure how to react for a moment, but the issue resolved itself as she sprang right past him and hugged the foundation of the castle instead. If it was a castle. Maxim asked, and was assured that it was. Gujō Hachiman Castle, to be exact, and the girl introduced herself as Endō Shiromaro, its caretaker.   They'd been traveling for a long time, ever since Gujō Hachiman had become a yōkai, looking for a place to settle down for a time. Man-eating castles were not welcome most places. That was not entirely a surprise. When Maxim revealed that he was the lord of this land, however, the rest seemed to fall into place. He needed a castle, after all. Maybe not this one, but it could stay anyway.   As the lord of the province, he'd be the lord of Gujō Hachiman Castle as well. That opened up some possibilities. These two would be interesting to have around, perhaps even useful, and maybe not too dangerous. If he was being truthful with himself, Maxim also had a bit of a soft spot for misfits. He'd collected more than a few in his time in Japan, and this strange pair certainly seemed to fit the bill. He set about making the arrangements, getting Gujō Hachiman a plot of land to call its own—somewhere far from Ago and its people, of course.