Owari no Exodus

Population Migration / Travel

Leaving the mysterious iron-red key on his floor for the moment, Aotsuki Tsukamoto instead took his business to Owari Castle. It was the opinion of Saitō Dōsan that young Akechi Mitsutoshi would be the person to ask about all matters of demonology. Upon his arrival with Shigeaki Fujino, however, Aotsuki immediately discerned that something was wrong.   It was far too quiet. Owari Castle's ramparts, which should have been manned at any hour in these turbulent times, were entirely bare. Only a single ashigaru guard stood at the steps leading to the castle's entrance. Though armed, he would prove no resistance at all to a dedicated invading force, or even a single powerful enemy general.

A seed of worry began to sprout within Aotsuki's heart. Moving to the startled ashigaru, he asked what exactly was going on here. At first, the guard didn't know what he meant. To him, everything was in order. Further questioning did eventually elicit the reason for the castle's empty state. Put simply, the entirety of the Oda Clan had left. All but Akechi Mitsutoshi, who served as the castle's custodian in their absence. It was fortunate for Aotsuki that the one man he wanted to speak to was who had stayed behind. However, the sudden exodus from Owari was still concerning.   According to the guard, they had departed for the lands of central Japan to join the Takeda Clan in their assault on the Uesugi. Although Takeda Shingen's requests for aid had gone unheeded by the Hashinara Clan, Shōemon had ensured that the Oda Clan would fight at their side.   Fortunately, it seemed that the castle was not as ill-protected as it first seemed. The guard admitted that he himself was something of a formality. The real protection was a magicked barrier, cast by Akechi Mitsutoshi, which would alert them of any interlopers or invading force. Hopefully, the warning would come in enough time for them to request Hashinara reinforcements to be teleported in.   Aotsuki couldn't fault this strategy, but it presented a new problem. Could he simply walk in? Would the barrier stop him? No, it was only an alarum. The young lord entered the castle without incident while Fujino vanished off to some other task.   Owari Castle's entry hall was, not surprisingly, as deserted as the rest of the grounds. Aotsuki was not forced to wait long, however, before Akechi Mitsutoshi arrived. The young was flushed and a little out of breath. Indeed, he gave Aotsuki the impression of a boy left to care for the house while his parents were away on business: awkward and out of his depth, but earnest.   A quick discussion with Mitsutoshi confirmed much of what Aotsuki had heard from the guard. When the Cardinal Generals had last visited Owari, the Oda Clan was in shambles. Oda Nobunaga's departure had left them with no leader to cleave to and there was much dispute on who was worthy to take her place. Fortunately, Shōemon's return to the clan seemed to have quelled the situation. That farm girl had always been more than she appeared. Under her leadership, they had rallied together and departed with haste to join the Takeda Clan on the battlefield of Central Japan. Indeed, when Aotsuki thought it through, that course of action itself might be a tactic to reinforce the clan's tenuous bonds.   Unfortunately, Mitsutoshi was less able to shed light on Aotsuki's demonic key situation. He offered that merely accepting a key was likely not enough of an action to enter into a contract with a Demon. However, even he could not say for certain. Although Oda Nobunaga herself had pioneered the field of demonology in Japan, it was still a very new field for even the most brilliant of occultists.   Throughout the conversation, Aotsuki had been delivering snippets of information to Tōdaisen Nobuhara, adviser at Wakigami Castle. The erstwhile onmyōji now returned with his own suggestion: why not ask a demon? The Hashinara Clan had experienced more than a few encounters with the infernal by this point, both as friend and ally. Indeed, Shax should still be kicking around Wakigami Castle somewhere.   Should being the key word. With no small amount of concern, Nobuhara delivered news that the miserable demoness was nowhere to be found. With her bound master, Hashinara Yoshitakatomo, away in the Dreamlands, there was no telling what Shax could get up to unsupervised. With a kind farewell to Mitsutoshi, Aotsuki made a hasty departure to Wakigami.   When he arrived, the young lord did not look for Shax, however. Her absence was worrying, true. However, it was also quite frankly none of Aotsuki's business. That was a Yoshitakatomo Problem. Instead, Aotsuki determined to follow up on a promise he'd made not long ago. He made his way through the general quarters to Minamoto no Yoshitsune's room.   The legendary warrior was seated next to her window, enjoying the evening air. At Aotsuki's knock, she bid him enter and relax with her. Together, they watched the moon rise as Aotsuki described the reason for his visit.   Indeed, Minamoto no Yoshitsune had been feeling a fell presence around Wakigami Castle. It felt much like a foe she remembered from her distant past: one Taira no Kiyomori , who had cursed both herself and Musashibō Benkei with his dying breath. That admission brought about a realization in Aotsuki. Yoshitsune did not know that Kiyomori still lived. His presence in the castle, and that of his associates in the Black Ocean Society must be behind the malaise Yoshitsune was feeling.   In some depth, Aotsuki went on to describe the encounter he and his companions had faced with Kiyomori beneath Wakigami Castle. That had been to sort out some business over the Matsumoto Family's succession, but it absolutely indicated that Kiyomori had some manner of hideout within the castle. Immediately, Yoshitsune's demeanor raised from relaxed to alert. The way forward was clear to her.   As soon as Aotsuki was ready, they would collect Benkei and find this hidden chamber. Then, they would put an end to Kiyomori for the final time. This, perhaps, was a bit more than Aotsuki had bargained for. Still, he owed no loyalty to the Black Ocean Society, and he had given Benkei his word. He agreed.