The Ravenous Mire

Life, Supernatural

Part 1

  As Knight Commander Maxim followed his new friend through the streets of Osaka, he began to suspect that something was amiss. They were traveling through dirty alleys and squalid canals, leaving the wealthier parts of town behind. That in itself wasn't worrying. It was natural to expect that someone like their prey would be found in the slums. Rather, little Eru Darusu seemed to be taking them straight for the woods at the edge of town.   He still didn't rightly trust their guide, so Maxim voiced his discontent with this. The big knight's voice was so heavy in the air, holding such menace in the simple statement, that Eru Darusu immediately changed direction. She'd "forgotten" where they were going after all. Soon, Maxim's group was moving in more of a southward direction, down the gentle slope leading toward the port in the distance.

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That port was not meant to be their final destination, however. Maxim's guide stopped his party about halfway down the slope, with the docks still a half mile away at least. Their destination lurked at the rear of a small plaza in what may have been the grubbiest part of Osaka. The building itself did not impress. Built of heavy, dark wood, it was obviously not well cared for. A sign over its entrance read "The Tanuki's Adoration Black Toad Inn." Whoever owned this place now hadn't even bothered to remove the old sign.   The new owner was, according to Eru Darusu, a man simply named Greasy Ii. Ii had purchased the tavern after its previous owner (a Tanuki of some wealth) had sold it off to follow the migration of wealth closer to Osaka Castle. Now it was a den of iniquity and the type of place ne'er-do-wells tended to congregate. Not that Greasy Ii himself was a bad fellow. He was always kind to the street kids, including young Eru Darusu. They'd even been paid to cross out the old sign and write the inn's new name in black paint. Maxim could believe it. The shoddy job on the sign did indeed look like the work of a bunch of children.   Apparently, if Maxim wanted to make a good impression with this "Greasy Ii" guy, he'd want to bring a snack for the man's bird, Kasha. The good Knight Commander was not in the habit of carrying snacks in his armor. A quick survey of his companions brought a ball of pink mochi to the fore. That would probably do. Haures was more or less right when she said that birds would eat anything. The venom in her mouth when she said it made Maxim think that the demoness was perhaps speaking of someone in particular. That didn't matter, however. He cautioned his allies to stay close to him if something happened, then told Haures not to act out.   That seemed rich to Haures, coming from Maxim. He'd been too tepid of late, she chided. Their Mistress would be pleased to see him act out quite a bit more, in fact. With a grimace at that reprisal, Maxim squared his shoulders. Mildly-cursed mochi in hand as an offering, he entered the Black Toad Inn.   In the darkness beyond the threshold, a big man with a red bird on his shoulder welcomed Maxim. Greasy Ii didn't look all that greasy. A bit swarthy, maybe. Perhaps the nickname referred instead to the kind of establishment he liked to keep. The whole room was covered in a thin patina of soot, or grease, or some mixture of the two. Behind a makeshift bar, Ii was scrubbing a glass with a dark brown rag. Maxim could only hope that brown was its original color. Beyond him, the bar only had one other patron. Sitting in the center of the squalor, white clothing standing in stark contrast to the filth around him, was a man with light hair covering his sharp features. This matched every description of "Crow" that Maxim had heard.   Ignoring the criminal for now, Maxim strode up to the bar and wondered aloud if the good fellow who ran the place might take a few of his coin. It was so very hard to get rid of. Now, Greasy Ii had never been offered money in as suspicious a way as that before, but he wasn't about to turn it down either. Before this scintillating conversation could develop further, however, both of their attention was drawn to Eru Darusu making her way across the black-streaked floor. She called out to the seated man by the name "Karasu," informing him that she'd brought Maxim here just as he'd wanted.   It seemed that Crow, or Karasu as he may be called, was already quite drunk off the black sake jar in his hand. He groggily paid Eru Darusu a few coins to conclude their agreement, then watched as the urchin traipsed back to Maxim and pointed an accusatory hand back. The realization dawned through a thick mist of liquor that Crow's minion was playing both sides. He stood, violence apparent in his body language, and began to lurch angrily at the urchin who'd made a fool of him. All it took to stop him was a quick whisper from Maxim to the shadows behind him.   A dozen black chains burst from the dark wood around Karasu and wrapped around him in an instant. The poor criminal, obviously not a fighter at the best of times, was immediately held helpless in their stygian grip. Struggle though he may, it was no use. Maxim strode over and told the man, in no uncertain terms, that his debts had come due. Crow didn't seem to know what he was talking about. Perhaps it was the drink, or just the sheer chaos of the situation which had suddenly descended upon him. All the criminal could babble about was posters of some sort.   Fortunately, it didn't really matter whether Karasu understood what was happening. Maxim gave him two options: either he came willingly or Maxim would knock him out and drag his body to justice. He was not so engrossed in the interrogation, however, that Maxim failed to notice Greasy Ii approaching with a heavy black club in his hand. The proprietor of this place had a reputation to keep up, and part of that was watching his customer's backs. Whatever business Maxim had with that patron in the ground in the weird black stuff, they could handle it somewhere else. Or, perhaps, Maxim could part with some coin.   This ultimatum confused Maxim, and rightly so. He had, after all, plunked a few coins on the bar after walking into the place. Either Greasy Ii hadn't seen them or he didn't think it was enough. Regardless, the swarthy proprietor would not be dissuaded. He was about to make the deadly mistake of swinging that club at one of the most powerful men in Japan. Then, Maxim felt it. There was a heat in the air, and a familiar gust of magic that shot out through the air at Greasy Ii.   Dropping everything he'd been doing, Maxim was across the room in an instant. Shield raised, he barely managed to deflect Haures' spell so that it incinerated a patch of wood on the ceiling rather than Greasy Ii himself. It was at this very moment, to witness this act, that Aotsuki Tsukamoto and Saitō Dōsan teleported with Shigeaki Fujino into the room.   They'd been meant to meet for lunch, the limits of which were rapidly approaching as the morning advanced. Maxim had been busy, and apparently in trouble so, following a brief mental conversation, Aotsuki had thought to drop in. Now, he stood out in the grungy room like a gold tooth in the mouth of a beggar. Everyone stopped to regard the golden presence of the Champion of the Sun. Everyone except Maxim and Haures, who glowered at each other after their almost-hostile exchange. Neither seemed willing to budge.   Aotsuki explained to the proprietor that this was all a big misunderstanding, and Greasy Ii absolutely believed this god-boy clad in gold. It seemed as though another fight might erupt, however. While Saitō Dōsan took Crow away (and part of the floor with him), Aotsuki ushered the others outside. Soon, only Eru Darusu was left. She fiddled with something for a moment, then finally heeded the warnings to escape. When she left, Maxim's coins were gone from the counter.   As the young Daimyō took care of damage control, Maxim and Haures continued their standoff. It seemed that the demoness no longer felt she could trust her charge. After all, what had he done recently to advance their Mistress' goals? What did he care for some insignificant human in some back-alley inn? Haures had stoked her doubts on the foreign knight, and now they were raging in a fire of distrust. Maxim was too soft-hearted. He could not serve as an agent of their shared deity.   Of course, this wasn't entirely true. Maxim had not been idle. Just yesterday, he'd slain some of the Princess of Wrath's "competition" and received her blessing for it. At this declaration, spoken with the conviction of truth, Haures seemed to relax slightly. If what Maxim had said was true, then it was possible he was not quite a lost cause. After all, she herself was notorious in the circles of Wrath for taking a long and calculated route to vengeance.   As this discussion flowed, Aotsuki felt a familiar tug on his hakama. It was, of course, Kagami. She'd spotted something neither of them had. Some sort of insect crawling about on Haures' person. Just then, the demoness gasped. Something had bit her on the neck. As she twisted, a long red centipede spilled from her sleeve and skittered away into the floorboards.   As Maxim and Aotsuki both rushed forward, Haures slumped. The wound looked bad. Around it, the skin had turned black and seemed to be spreading. She was already unconscious and breathing raggedly. This, it was obvious, could be no ordinary poison. Earthly venoms were useless against Demonkind in any case, as Kagami supplied. Struck with the unfairness of the situation, to have his ally struck down just as he seemed to be getting through to her, Maxim did the first thing he could think of. Leaning down, he tried to suck the venom out of the wound.   It was quickly clear that Maxim was no doctor. His ministrations were sloppy and, while some of the venom did get in his mouth, the majority of it seemed to remain in the wound. Perhaps because of his more vital constitution or perhaps by way of Aotsuki's holy presence, the fell liquid had no effect on Maxim. Still, Aotsuki hesitated. He was a servant of Amaterasu and could cure any worldly affliction with a simple touch. Yet this was a demon. A creature of evil and darkness, whom he'd seen kill at a whim. Would the Goddess of Light truly wish for him to use his gifts to save one such as Haures?   A sharp rebuke from Tsurugi snapped Aotsuki out of his conflicted daze. If the goddess Amaterasu were here and now, did he really think she would stay her hand from saving the person ailing in front of her, even if that person was a demon? Aotsuki shook his head. She would not. Reaching forward, he brushed fingers glimmering with golden light across Haures' throat.   Immediately, the demoness began to breathe more steadily. The black tint on her pale skin, too, retreated until it was a mere blotch around the two puncture wounds where she'd been bitten. It did not, however, vanish entirely. Just as Kagami had suggested, this was not an earthly poison. Whatever imparted this was powerful enough that even the Goddess of the Sun could not burn it away completely. Maxim was starting to have some worrying thoughts on that point. After all, wasn't this centipede just like the one which had fallen out of his hand when he'd released Eru Darusu? It had almost slipped by in the chaos, but hadn't Kasha, Greasy Ii's bird, called that urchin by a different name? "Oyau"?   As if in response to the thought, Eru Darusu appeared in the doorway. Only, it wasn't quite the urchin who had led Maxim to this place. This was less a girl and more a woman, draped in a long red centipede which wormed through her ragged clothing. A hazy wave of humidity seemed to roll off her, as though Maxim and Aotsuki had just stepped into a swamp during the heat of summer. Now, the creature who had called herself Eru Darusu chuckled darkly and pointed to Haures' ailing form. If they'd just get out of her way, she'd finish what she'd started with that one.

Part 2

  Maxim was not about to let the urchin, or whatever she was, anywhere near his fallen ally. Haures still lay, comatose and vulnerable, on the floor nearby. The Knight Commander interposed himself between the two. He had a theory, and put voice to it. Was Eru Darusu, or Oyau as she was apparently called, a Kamui?   The urchin's answer was vague, her attention focused entirely on the prey in front of her. Hokkuken's reaction, rattling violently in its sheathe, told Maxim the answer. Meanwhile, Aotsuki Tsukamoto was looking into the predator's eyes. Oyau Kamui was not malicious in her hunting of Haures, but there was a bottomless hunger there that she could no doubt hold back for only so much longer.   The two Cardinal Generals readied themselves for what seemed like an inevitable battle. Aotsuki reached out to Shigeaki Fujino, asking her to take everyone outside to safety. But there was no response. An icy pit opened up in the young daimyō's stomach as he realized what that likely meant. There was no time to act on it, however. Oyau Kamui was even then producing something from within the tattered rags of her clothing.   That something proved to be a toad. Huge and odious, it inflated its throat pouch and let loose with an enormous, wall-shuddering CROAK. Along with the sound came a foul stench that quickly rolled throughout the room like a spreading fog. Aotsuki was quick and managed to get himself over Haures' prone body. The fell stench struck his shield like a physical force, then flowed off and away from their fallen companion. Maxim was not quite so fortunate. He managed to deflect the majority of the fog with his own shield, but a hideously rank whiff still invaded his nostrils. A brief headache assaulted him, then faded. That seemed to be the worst of it.   Or, not quite. The awful toad stench had filled all corners of the room, including the shadows where Kashirin was hiding. The Binbōgami's lithe form slid into view and collapsed on the floor. She was unconscious, with ugly black splotches forming and shifting beneath her skin.   If Maxim still held any reservations against fighting Oyau Kamui, they now vanished. He moved to Kashirin's side, just in time to intercept the swamp thing's advance on new prey. As Maxim did so, he noticed something odd: he was sweating. Profusely. Indeed, the whole room seemed to be like the inside of an oven. Heat was even visible before him as wavy distortions in the air. Maxim vaguely remembered seeing something like a psychic matrix come from the Kamui that might have caused this, but there was no time for that now.   An enormous red centipede, curled all around Oyau Kamui's body beneath her rags, now listed and struck like a snake. Maxim guarded the strike and parried with one of his own, but Hokkuken only scratched and glanced off the insect's monstrous carapace. So too with Kagami's attacks from across the room. The sheele had launched three light orbs to harry Oyau Kamui, but the centipede only blocked the first. After this, Kagami's target seemed to recognize that they were no threat and let the bubbles of energy splash against her body without effect. Driven by instinct she may be, but Oyau Kamui was clearly no fool.   Aotsuki himself kept his distance, ready to defend against any further assaults on fallen Haures. Indeed, neither of their fallen allies seemed to be doing well. The dark poison beneath their skin was growing and their breaths grew ragged. Maxim knew he'd have to end this quickly. Setting his shoulder, he put all his rage and all his power into his shield as she smashed it directly into Oyau Kamui. An average human would have been turned to paste by the impact. The swamp goddess, however, was picked off her feet and launched through the furthest wall. A second crash sounded as she passed through another wall and vanished from view.   Aotsuki and Maxim had a moment to breathe now. They conferred between each other on how to proceed. Certainly it was not a good situation. With Fujino's seemingly out of action, they had no way of quickly and reliably moving these two and everyone outside to safety. It was too much to hope that their foe was dead; she clearly was much more than she seemed. Perhaps their only recourse was to end this monster here and eliminate the threat.   As the two spoke, a thunderous boom came from outside the Black Toad Inn. That wasn't the direction Maxim had hurled the Kamui, however. Before either of them could go to investigate, their attention was taken by that very same Kamui crawling back through the hole she'd opened on her way out. She appeared entirely unharmed and undaunted by the throw; her eyes still locked on Kashirin's prone form. Even so, there was a ray of hope. Aotsuki spotted a black fox outside carefully picking up Fujino's body and vanishing again with another boom. That was surely the work of their maverick ally, Matsumoto Ooawagaeri.   For all her hunger, Oyau Kamui was no slavering beast. She spoke to the two and answered their questions, albeit in a distracted manner. There seemed to be no pulling her from her prey, but Aotsuki and Maxim at least managed to tease out that it was the "divinity" of these two that Oyau Kamui was after. It must have something to do with the soul, at that, because Aotsuki's offer of a bit of White Wolf God flesh he had in the kitchens back home did nothing to tempt her.   Too soon, the kamui was striking out at Kashirin again. Although the binbōgami seemed to be faring better than Haures, a strike from that centipede on her helpless form could end it all. Maxim was a moment too slow. The draconic red insect snaked around his shield and bore downward toward its prey. Kashirin's life surely would have ended there, but a tiny scream shattered the tension of the moment. That yell had come from Tama, who violently pushed Aotsuki forward with an expression of utmost concentration. The Golden Shield of Ōmi did not resist, but instead rolled with the momentum and came to a halt right in front of Kashirin. His crested shield raised, Aotsuki's glorious presence was such that he deflected not only the first attack, but drew the next several to him as well. Once, the centipede's fangs punctured Aotsuki's fair flesh, but the blood within him was that of Amaterasu herself. He would not fall prey to any poison, no matter how dark.   Seeing his opportunity, Maxim delivered a flurry of strikes upon the Kamui's flank. Hokkuken cut into flesh and drew dark blood, but Oyau Kamui's wounds healed almost as soon as Maxim could open them. She seemed nigh invulnerable. Searching for answers, Maxim considered his resources. Fortunately, the mental network seemed to be holding and there was someone he could call on. Harukor, a fine bearish man of Ainu descent, offered a bit of his expertise.   This creature was a Hoyau, or Oyau, or even Oyau Kamui. Apparently there was some dispute on whether they truly qualified as Kamui. Spirits of the boiling swamp, Hoyau were extremely poisonous and to be avoided at all costs. Maxim stifled a sarcastic comeback. He was *well* aware of that. Hoyau were also called "sak-somo-ayep," or "that which must not be mentioned in the summer." They were known to favor the heat and hated the cold. None of that would save Maxim's current situation. Sweat beaded on his brow, but he thanked Harukor anyway and returned to the fight.   In the meanwhile, Aotsuki had not been idle. With the kind of multitasking skill that only a true leader of the Hashinara Clan could display, he'd been juggling divine energy and mental conversations of his own. Ryūzaki Sanosuke, coming from business elsewhere, seemed quite apathetic on the situation until Aotsuki mentioned that Fujino was in danger. That seemed to get the Silver General's attention. At the same time, Amaterasu's light was flowing into Haures and Kashirin from Aotsuki's gentle hands. He had to expend even more of his gift, but the binbōgami at least stirred. What's more, she seemed entirely healed as her eyes opened. Perhaps feeding off the absolute misfortune of this situation had countered the effects of the poison.   Even so, while she was visible, Kashirin was vulnerable. She flitted away into the shadows far from the fight, so imperceptible in her presence that she seemed to vanish right before Oyau Kamui's eyes. Haures, too, began to stir, but she was much worse off. Kagami's ministrations had the opposite effect, sparking and charring as the holy magic encountered demonic flesh. Amaterasu's light channeled through Aotsuki did not seem to discriminate, however. Haures was snatched from death's door and brought back to a conscious, if severely-weakened state.   Despite the fact that she still bore nary a wound, things were not proceeding Oyau Kamui's way. She was infuriated by Kashirin's disappearance, casting around the room for a glimpse of the missing binbōgami. Despite her search, she caught only a glimpse of what was happening outside before it was too late.   Concerned for the safety of Shigeaki Fujino, lynchpin that she is to the Hashinara Clan, Ryūzaki Sanosuke had instead called upon her aunt, Shigeaki Tōno for help getting to Osaka. Tōno did not possess the hard-working and reliable qualities of her niece, and she was about to settle down for lunch. Eventually, Sanosuke managed to convince her to help out by offering to pay for an even better meal. To the Silver General, it was a small price to pay. He would have taken Tōno to lunch for free.   Now, Sanosuke had arrived outside. A few bodies were strewn around, among them the impressive frame of Saitō Dōsan, but Fujino was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she was inside the Black Toad Inn. The sweltering heat rolling from that building certainly hinted at something going on within. To be sure, Sanosuke sped around the exterior. On his way, he saw some sort of conflict happening inside. A creepy urchin-looking girl with a centipede was facing off against Maxim and Aotsuki. With no sign of Fujino, that seemed to be his next stop.   Blowing in through the same hole that Maxim had opened with Oyau Kamui's body, Sanosuke wasted no time in attacking the perceived threat. She deflected his first two punches with the centipede, asking bewilderedly who this newcomer was, before the last strike grazed across her temple. So far, Oyau Kamui had been seen to heal from most any wound instantly, but it seemed she still possessed some mortal frailties. The jolt from Sanosuke's charged fist sent her to the ground, unconscious.   Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. Sanosuke didn't dally, but instead exited the battle-ravaged inn. Tōno was still waiting for him outside and Fujino was even now being returned by Ooawagaeri's black fox. That left Maxim, Aotsuki, and their companions inside with the blistering heat. Haures was finally back on her feet and Kashirin was surely hiding somewhere nearby. Both had overcome their poison. There had been no casualties, and yet...   As Maxim looked down upon Oyau Kamui's fallen form, Hokkuken howled in his grip and he knew what he must do.   It was a moment of conflict for Aotsuki. He could read the foreign knight's demeanor enough to know what would come next. Yet Aotsuki could not bring himself to intervene; not after Oyau Kamui had caused so much perdition amongst his allies. Turning a blind eye, Aotsuki left the room.   What followed was not an exercise in vengeance, but one in futility. Maxim brought Hokkuken down in a plunging arc, but Oyau Kamui's heart healed as quickly as he could split it open. He sliced off her head in a single swift cut, but centipedes erupted from the wound and pulled the flesh back together. The girl never even stopped breathing. Even Haures made an attempt, but her scorching white fire didn't so much as singe Oyau Kamui's flesh. Finally, Kashirin attempted to destroy the heat within the area by striking its matrix with a spell. The magic, a divine-level destruction weave, merely splashed against Oyau's psychic power with no effect.   Meanwhile, outside, Sanosuke and Tōno had decided to have lunch at this very place. Tōno apparently visited the establishment often. She was on good terms with its owner, Greasy Ii, who was now back on his feet. Indeed, with Aotsuki healing the lesser poisoning everyone outside had fallen prey to, the situation seemed to be fully resolved. That curious Sable Fox made its departure, and Greasy Ii led the way into his sweltering inn.   ...Only to see Maxim, sword held high, delivering a deadly blow to "Little Oyau" on the ground. In truth, Maxim had tried severing both the centipede and then the big toad dwelling within Oyau's clothing. Both died, but neither caused the Kamui's steady breathing to falter in the least. Greasy Ii, however, was incensed. This was his favorite little urchin, and Maxim had already proven himself to be trouble.   Unfortunately for Ii, no amount of anger was going to allow a humble innkeeper to square up against one of the famed Cardinal Generals. Maxim remained stoic throughout the verbal assault. It was likely only the events just transpired that saved the poor innkeeper from a gruesome death at the hands of either a demoness or a binbōgami. Eventually, Ii gave up and decided to go up the chain of command. Osaka was, when it came down to it, Silver Meteor Storm territory. The Silver General, indeed, was right outside. His face red, sweating profusely from the heat, Greasy Ii burst out the door and begged Ryūzaki Sanosuke to do something about the kidnapping that was happening inside.