Vanished Oni, Thrashing Tree

Miscellaneous

Once the situation following Fubuki's attempted time-assassination had cooled down, Knight Commander Maxim looked around for his lanky companion. The Unnatural Oni had bolted yet again after his snake-throw technique had utterly failed to impact the Hound of Tindalos. It seemed like he'd made his way back down that same set of stairs to the tunnels beneath the arena. Indeed, Evaine was able to pick up his tracks, leading Maxim down that hall, past the portcullis, and to the same junction past where their chase had taken him last time.   Meanwhile, Fubuki was collecting herself* and her companions after that ordeal. Fortunately, it seemed like nobody had actually been hurt. The Hound had eyes for her* alone. Perhaps now they could finally be about the business of returning that Eerie Tree to its rightful owner at Yakisoba Yashiki. It was then that Fubuki noticed Maxim was gone. With little else to do, she* set about preparing a set of rented horses for their expedition while waiting for him to return.

Below Fubuki's feet, meanwhile, Maxim had run into a dead end. Evaine claimed without a hint of doubt that the strange boy's tracks ended at this solid wall. A pair of staircases led up and down to their left and right, but their quarry had apparently taken neither of those. That meant a secret passage. Maxim knocked at a few different places in the wall until he found what he was looking for. Sliding a loose slab of stone from the wall, he revealed a small chamber with a mechanism inside it. The "key" appeared to fit into a curved groove in the base of the nook, no doubt activating whatever machinery or magic would slide this passage open. Unfortunately, Maxim had no such item that might fit the depression inside. He patted himself down again and came up empty. Any further pondering on the problem, however, was interrupted by the arrival of another.   The pale crystal-shouldered oni, Watanabe Hajime, floated all but silently up the stairs to his right and coldly asked Maxim what he was doing there. In return, he said that he was looking for his friend who had fled from that battle above, no doubt hiding there from protection. Hajime couldn't seem to fathom Maxim's fascination with the boy, but cautioned him that any "guidance" the boy might need was well in the Hannya Sūhai's hands. A poignant moment followed, after which Maxim gave in. He'd leave for now, he claimed, but asked Hajime to direct the Unnatural Oni back to him, should the boy wish for it. With that agreement, he departed, returning by the same way to find Fubuki above.   At that time, Fubuki was receiving a hand-carved wooden cross from Zōta of Sancta Sedes. While the dark-skinned foreigner wasn't sure whether that Hound counted as a Demon, he was at least familiar with guarding against extraplanar threats. Some creatures, Zōta claimed, were terrified of "true faith." A symbol like that would keep them away. Fubuki remained dubious, but thanked him all the same and stashed the simple charm away. Noting that Maxim had returned, the two gathered their allies and set off for the forests east of the arena on horseback.   It was a fairly quiet ride, with neither Evaine, Aka no Kitsunebi, Taira no Tokuko, or even Kan Shōjo speaking up much throughout. Maxim kept a close eye out for any disturbances that might have resulted from an eight-foot tree flying five miles at speed to crash into the forest. He soon found it; a set of animal tracks all rushing away from the same direction. It seemed something along that way had spooked them. Fubuki was meanwhile testing the proverbial waters with her* Amatsu-Mikaboshi-given Chaos Sense. She* found that something had scrambled the natural order in the same direction Maxim indicated. With both clues pointing at a solid lead, they trotted their horses in that direction.   With the otherwise quiet forest towering around them, Maxim and Fubuki had little to occupy them except talk. Indeed, there was something the Knight Commander had been wanting to ask this mysterious companion whom fate seemed to keep pairing him with. It was no secret that Fubuki was expected to fight Honda Tadakatsu in two days' time, provided both of them won their respective tournament matches first. That seemed a safe bet, so Maxim wanted to know whether Fubuki thought she* could win against such a monster as that. The other, however, didn't have a straight answer. It was hard to tell, Fubuki claimed, since Honda had probably not yet even revealed her full abilities during the tournament.   With that ominous statement hanging over them, the sextet finally arrived at the tree's landing point. Except, at some point, it had shrunken into a quintet. Fubuki looked behind to see Kan Shōjo lagging quite deliberately on her horse. She was no fighter, so she claimed she'd just hang back at a safe distance unless she was needed. That seemed fine with the others, so they dismounted and took in the situation. The tree was here, there was no doubt about that. It lay prone, on its back if such a term can be applied, in a crater of its own making. Around it, a handful of weasel-like critters dashed back and forth, nipping off pieces of bark with their scythe-like arms and tails.   Maxim had no experience with such critters, but Fubuki recognized them as Kamaitachi. These, at least, were much smaller than the one she'd* had to deal with in the matter of Matsumoto Michiharu. They'd still no doubt be pleased at other creatures interrupting their hunt, however. While Maxim was still deliberating how to deal with the pests, Fubuki took in a deep breath. When she* released it, it was not a human scream that came forth, but the unearthly screech of The Jabberwock. Warned of a more dangerous predator in the vicinity, the kamaitachi all split in different directions, vanishing with a rustle into the surrounding foliage.   The Eerie Tree, too, proved unnerved by Fubuki's display. It thrashed more violently, and something like an intrusive thought forced its way into the minds of everyone present. The sensation was hollow and empty, like rustling dead leaves. It passed without any further consequences but they each felt a bit more unnerved and somehow vulnerable. Taking their companions with them, Maxim and Fubuki carefully approached the side of the crater to get a better view of the tree.   Its face was pointed straight-up, so it seemed like the arboriform couldn't actually see them. That might be why it hadn't attacked directly yet, either with claws or its psychic powers. To test this, Fubuki tossed a handful of cherry petals into the air above the collapsed tree. Indeed, its bark-sharp claws raked up and tore the blossoms to shreds before they could fall to the ground. That was certainly a problem.   The two debated on how best to proceed for a time. Clearly, Fubuki's ability to metamorphose into whatever shape suited her* was their key to retrieving this monster without ending up like Aotsuki. The question was, what to disguise her* as? Another tree seemed the obvious answer, but there wasn't much guarantee that the disgruntled arboriform wouldn't lash out at one of its kind. As many often did when they felt helpless and alone, Fubuki reached out for the warm reassurance of Tsukijō Hanahane.   With a florid, if reserved, soliloquy, the magnificent Bugyō of Wakayama gave Fubuki the answer she* sought. Why not transform into Hospodar Mikhail himself? They had good reason that the tree's owner had never been attacked by it. With thanks to Hanahane, Fubuki concentrated on becoming the silver-haired foreigner. She* got the face mostly right, although something seemed a bit iffy about the nose. Had Mikhail boasted a mustache like that? Regardless, it would surely work for their purposes. Harder to pin down was the voice. Try as he might, Fubuki could not pin down that Mavrovlachian accent.   Giving it up for now, the phony Mikhail floated up over the crater and looked down at the pitiful tree. As its bark-craggled face stared back up at him, the arboriform's panicked movements finally slowed. It seemed pacified for now. Making sure to keep the Mikhail disguise intact, Fubuki created a sizeable enough jar for them to fill with soil and plant the tree for the journey ahead. With Maxim holding one of the pot's convenient handles and Fubuki-Mikhail on the other, they were about ready to go. As the two prepared to leave, however, the arrival of Fubuki's Sable Fox interrupted them with its customary crack of the sound barrier. In its fluffy jaws, it held a rolled scroll sealed with the signet of the Oda Clan. Fubuki-Mikhail took a moment to retrieve the letter before they left. Given the spells he had cast before sending the fox on its way, this wasn't the response he'd expected. It seemed, however, that Oda Nobunaga wanted to avoid speaking directly any more than she had to. In the Half-Demon Daimyō's neat script, the missive read:  

To the care of the Black Blade,   It seems my ship has passed beyond the range of mental communication, so I am writing you this letter instead. It is odd how something which seemed so natural for most of my life could so so quickly become archaic. I must offer my thanks to you for delivering this bundle of letters. I have taken some time to read them, and they have lightened my heart greatly. Perhaps I did achieve some good in my time in Japan.   With the Palace of the Firebird destroyed and my father, Tokugawa Ieyasu, dead, I fear that I have become irrelevant. Or, worse, that I was never needed at all. I performed many acts that I am not proud of during my crusade against the demons of the Tokugawa. Was all the cruelty for nothing? But these heartfelt messages you have brought to me have helped convince me otherwise.   I still feel that I can no longer remain in Japan. Perhaps, with a fresh start somewhere in the Western Empire, I can ensure that my legacy is something greater than that failure to lead the Oda. I hope we will meet again someday, and, when we do, I hope that I will feel more worthy to share your honorable company.   -Oda Nobunaga