Chilling Caper of Converted Candy

Metaphysical / Paranormal event

It was yet fairly early in the morning when those premier generals of the Hashinara Clan arrived at the doors of Yakisoba Yashiki. A heavy rain had begun to fall on their short journey over, clouds blotting out the sun overhead and casting an eerie shadow below. This effect seemed perfect for the dark Western mansion that now loomed before them. While not unheard of in international ports such as Shimonoseki, architecture like this was still very rare in Japan. The pervading feeling of the unnatural, the out of place, was only heightened by the glowing lights behind the mansion's crimson curtains and the infrequent flashes of lightning above.   A sign just to the left of the door, obviously added as an afterthought, read: "焼きそば屋敷"

The heavy, wooden doors before them opened and light spilled out, revealing a man of middling height and impeccable dress silhouetted against the foyer within. Grinning toothily, he introduced himself as Hospodar Mikhail, the owner and host of Yakisoba Yashiki. While his aquiline features and thick accent marked him as a foreigner, Mikhail spoke Japanese surprisingly well. He recognized the quartet immediately as the guests Mōri Motonari had informed him would be arriving presently.   But wait. Quartet? The lady Daimyō of the Mōri Clan had certainly claimed a party of five would be accompanying her. This discrepancy was resolved shortly as Fubuki arrived a few minutes behind the rest of the party. Tensions with the Date Clan had recently made it prudent to avoid being seen as too close to the Hashinara, and so she* had taken a different route. Heedless of their last ally's arrival, Hashinara Yoshitakatomo, Aotsuki Tsukamoto, Maxim, and Ryūzaki Sanosuke entered the comfortable lobby.   A simple wooden podium stood here in the middle of a plush red carpet. It was the sort of furniture used by any restaurant to take reservations and keep track of seating, yet it seemed oddly out of place amongst the marble busts and polished suit of armor. It was this last that attracted the attention of every guest. Hospodar Mikhail made a vain attempt to direct them to the dining room, but Aotsuki was already approaching the armor. Something on it had attracted Kagami's attention. Investigating further, he found a curious splatter of red on the thing's faded tabard. Sanosuke was able to identify the suit as being Castellan in make, likely the final possession of a knight from the Crown of Castille region in western Alexandria. Maxim, too, spotted the incongruous blood. Years of polishing his own armor came to his aid as he recognized that the stuff had been wiped away in clumsy haste. The sword held in the armor's clenched gauntlets had also been cleaned recently.   Entering the still-open door behind them, Fubuki made straight for the dining room on their left. Sanosuke followed shortly, then Aotsuki and finally, with a bit of redirection, Yoshitakatomo. Mōri Motonari was there at the head of the table, still looking quite weak and pale. They all knew Aiō Mototsuna and Kikkawa no Myōkyū, sitting to her right and left respectively. Motonari welcomed them and introduced the final figure, standing with hands clasped politely behind her, as Fukubara Sadatoshi, her adviser, herbalist, and physician. Maxim was the last to enter, Evaine at his side, and the Hashinara all found seats around the long, Western-style dining table at Lady Mōri's request.   Sadatoshi explained that he was well aware of Motonari's condition, but did not have a solution for it yet. Her encounter with the Putrid Jikininki had left her with a hunger that could not be abated and which gnawed at her vitality constantly, leaving Motonari chronically weak and fatigued. Every attempt of the Mōri's mystics to remove the curse met with failure, and so Sadatoshi was forced to fall back on the demands of the body. His only advice was that she should eat fully and heartily. That was why they had all been called here today, so early. Yakisoba Yashiki was well known in Shimonoseki for its extravagant meals. Helpfully, Kikkawa no Myōkyū announced that they'd already put in a large order before the others arrived. All were now only waiting for their food.   While they waited, Motonari confessed that she had some matters she wished to discuss with her guests, esteemed generals of the Hashinara Clan. It was obviously difficult for her to speak, but she continued with effort and asked how they felt the tournament had been going so far. As hosts of a similar event themselves, the Hashinara's opinion was particularly valuable to her. Aotsuki and Yoshitakatomo answered Motonari with compliments, commenting on how well the tournament was run and how it would attract strong warriors from across the land. This was not apparently the answer she was looking for, however. The Lady Mōri appeared quite concerned with several recent outcomes of the battles under her event. Some had ended in what she called "ugly" ways, with deaths and gruesome injuries that she'd rather avoid. The Hashinara had little to offer on this, with Fubuki instead stating that Motonari's methods to undo the damage in their mysterious underground "infirmary" were amazing enough as it was.   That brought their hostess to her second topic. Motonari observed that some of them might be wondering why Fubuki was present at all. She* was not officially a member of the Hashinara Clan, save in her* tenuous role as Aotsuki's champion in the independent tournament. As she was about to reveal the reason, however, the Lady Mōri was wracked by a powerful wave of hunger that left her momentarily unable to speak. A ripple of agitation ran from the head of the table down at this. They had put in the order quite some time ago, so where was their food? Where was their host? Fortunately, Fubuki had some inari sushi on hand, which she delivered on a plate to stave Motonari's hunger until another solution could be found.   Maxim stood at this point and excused himself, leaving Evaine to represent him instead. This action elicited a barbed comment from Sanosuke, but Maxim had seen something out of the corner of his eye; something which both concerned and excited him. When they arrived, Hospodar Mikhail had mentioned a maid also living in this mansion. He had not at that point thought that it could have been the same shadowy maid who had attempted to seduce him the previous day at the tournament. Yet that was who he'd seen, the Kamui moving between rooms beyond two sets of open doors to his east. Maxim made his way carefully in that direction, tentatively exploring each room as he found it.   Meanwhile, Aiō Mototsuna had made a request: the kitchen staff were obviously taking much too long with their hefty order of yakisoba, so the Mōri would be indebted if someone were to go and check on them. With a quick check that everything else at the table was under control, Sanosuke volunteered. He stood and walked first to the double doors at the northern head of the dining room. Finding them unlocked, Sanosuke passed through and found himself in what could only be called an organ room. The eponymous instrument loomed at the opposite end of the spacious chamber, all pipes and shadows amidst the crimson curtains. One thing was certain: this was not the kitchen. Sanosuke moved on to a smaller door leading east, but as he did, something caught his eye. The Silver General was not so impolite to go rifling through a misplaced book, but one word did catch his passing eye amidst the foreign script. "Kyonshi." How curious.   The hall outside opened to the courtyard, but that wasn't Sanosuke's destination. Instead, he followed his nose. Led by a sickly, sweet fragrance, the Silver General rounded the corner and finally found the kitchens. It was not a pretty sight. Strewn across various furniture like discarded dolls, the men and women of the kitchen staff were clearly in no condition to continue their duties. The wounds cut into their flesh were grievous, obviously fatal, and yet there wasn't a speck of blood to be seen. Instead, the floor was covered in a thin layer of individually-wrapped hard candy. A closer examination of one man confirmed Sanosuke's suspicions. A nasty gash through the side of his neck had candy spilling out from it onto his chest. This was no ordinary murder.   Sanosuke telepathically reported that dinner would certainly be a bit late before continuing his investigation. Further searching yielded little except for the burnt remains of noodles in the still-warm fireplace and a clean, smooth skull sitting inexplicably in the center of the oven. Deciding to take the skull and two pieces of candy lodged in its eye sockets with him, Sanosuke began to make his way back.   At about the same time, Maxim had just finished making his way through a bewildering cluster of rooms in the southeastern corner of the mansion. The parlor, storage, and lavatory all had one thing in common: none of them contained the shadowy maid. Finally, bursting through the door into a faded bedchamber, he found her. Maxim called out to the Kamui, but other features of the room briefly gave him pause. First was a great metal chair, rusted in places and sporting leather straps at the arms and legs. He could all too easily imagine what that item's purpose was. Second was the deep crimson bloodstain, vivid on the darker carpet around it. The shadowy maid, the Kamui, ancient goddess of Japan, was currently bent over the stain, scrubbing it up.   When she noticed Maxim had entered the room, Kenas-unarpe Kamui fell back in an exaggerated swoon. A mockery of an overwrought maiden, she demanded to know what Maxim was doing there. His answer was simple: he was here to dine. More importantly, he wanted to know what business she had in Yakisoba Yashiki of all places. Dropping the act, Kenas-unarpe told Maxim to go back to the dining room, if that's what he was here for. This was her "day job." Indeed, when she wasn't luring mighty hunters to their demise in the swamps, she worked as a maid to an eccentric Mavrovlachian host.   Maxim wasn't swayed. He indicated the blood and asked what she had to do with it, but Kenas-unarpe deflected by stating that the guests here were usually too insignificant for her to care about. This was just a restaurant, and she was just a maid, so far as they were concerned today. Putting his doubts aside for the moment, Maxim decided to investigate the rest of the room. A scrap of paper held in a book on the nightstand caught his attention, as did an overstuffed chest lurking in the shadows near the metal chair.   The former item was easy to retrieve, although Maxim was careful not to step in the blood as he made his way to it. Kenas-unarpe Kamui obligingly stepped out of the way, flowing back to where he'd stood just moments before. Plucking it from the book, Maxim took in what appeared to be a page of research notes in a language he didn't understand. The diagrams, at least, were easy enough to parse. They appeared to show the silhouette of a Kyonshi, a magic circle, and something about blood becoming candy. Tucking that away from later, he turned back only to find that Kenas-unarpe had fled at some point. Maxim was now alone in the room. With a grumble, he plodded over to the chest and popped that open.   This turned out to be a mistake. Pressurized candy sprayed out at him like he'd just poked a hole in a mighty dam. Despite his best efforts, Maxim was swept off his feet, tumbling to a halt in a bed of colorful sweets with his head not far from the opposite wall. Fighting his way back upward, he gathered up the treats and another scrap of paper among them. This one read, in an untidy hand: "They haven't found this stash yet, but I'm running out of places to hide the candy. I'll bury a whole bunch of it under the big tree in the courtyard tomorrow. I hope the tree won't mind."   Maxim reasonably concluded that the note must be referring to the tall, brittle tree out in the mansion's courtyard. He pocketed the note with a grunt and took one last look around. Rewarded for his efforts with another stash of candy in the dresser, Maxim made his way out through the nearby door and into the garden.   Not more than a few rooms away, Aotsuki Tsukamoto was either performing a miracle or an act of blasphemy, depending on one's perspective. Fubuki's inari sushi had improved Mōri Motonari's condition, but only temporarily. It seemed that no matter how much the pale Daimyō ate, the color soon drained from her features once again and the hunger set in. Sanosuke's news about the kitchen had, therefore, not come as welcome news. Hashinara Yoshitakatomo made her* own telepathic arrangements, but Aotsuki had decided to try a more divine solution. By channeling Amaterasu's power, he duplicated a piece of sushi. Then another. Soon, Motonari's plate runnethed over with tofu and rice glittering like jewels in the flickering lights of the dining room. The Lady Mōri kept pace, eating the food nearly as quickly as Aotsuki could produce it. Bit by bit, her condition improved.   Fukubara Sadatoshi was elated at this development. If they could get just one more meal, something luxurious and decadent, perhaps that final push would be enough to break Lady Mōri's curse altogether. With the kitchens in such disarray, however, where were they to find such a feast? Fortunately, the seed planted so cunningly by Yoshitakatomo bore fruit. Shigeaki Fujino, premiere psychic and teleporter of the clan, burst in through the nearest door. Her features were obscured behind an enormous metal pot which she carried awkwardly in a pair of mitten-clad hands. With a thunk, Fujino plopped the mighty vessel before Motonari and declared it a "Treasures of the Sea" feast from Yoshimaru Tsumo's oceanside food stall.   Sadatoshi obligingly whipped the pot's lid off and a steaming fragrance like all of the ocean's delights wafted out. Motonari did not hesitate. Chunks of crab, shining shrimp, and whole filets of fish vanished to sate the Daimyō's endless hunger. Eventually, it was done. The Treasures of the Sea were exhausted, but Motonari looked better than she had since the incident on the previous day. With a cursory examination and a triumphant smile, Sadatoshi declared her cured. A curious solution, but a solution nonetheless. Kikkawa no Myōkyū obligingly awarded Fujino with a rustling sack filled with candy for her services. She'd apparently found it discarded outside, and concluded that someone of Fujino's temperament would enjoy it more than most in the Mōri. That, and the merry psychic had just restored Myōkyū's wife to health.   Fujino accepted the candy with a grin, but was soon beset by orders from the other Hashinara in the room. This was already a busy time for her, with clanmates clamoring for transportation to and from Shimonoseki for the tournament, so she did her utmost to keep up with the new requests. Fubuki wanted her to travel to the Matsumoto Black Galleon's Mirror Palace and search it for any food that might have been copied. Yoshitakatomo's more practical demand was that she go back to this "Yoshimaro Tsumo" and make sure that they were adequately compensated for this giant pot Fujino had apparently stolen right from the stall.   She was about to leave, but Fujino's departure was cut short by a strange remark from Fubuki. The others were currently in the courtyard fighting a tree? What could that mean? She'd seen a door to the garden on the way here, so Fujino decided to put her other responsibilities to the side for a moment and check it out.   But a few moments earlier, with his miraculous food no longer needed, Aotsuki had gone in search of the Silver General and their mysterious, missing host. Kagami accompanied him, of course, as well as Tama and some strange fox-masked child riding on Tama's shoulders. Aotsuki wasn't really sure about that last one, but it was probably related to Fubuki in some way, and Tama didn't seem to mind. They traced the same route that Sanosuke had left by, finding an additional note on their pass through. This fragment read, in a measured and orderly script: "...am concerned about the color of her hair. It would no doubt be exotic to the people here, and may..."   Not certain what to make of that, Aotsuki carried on, eventually running into Sanosuke en route from the kitchens. The two compared their thoughts on what had happened so far, then began to make their way back. That required them to pass, however, an open door leading out into the rain-cloaked courtyard. An old, withered tree hunkered there, and even Sanosuke's unskilled eye could see that there was something buried among its roots. Together with Aotsuki and his three companions, they decided to check that out before returning to the dining room.   Once they were face-to-knot with it, the tree took on a bit of an eerie aspect. If you took this ridge and that bump and looked at it all together, it began to seem very much as though the tree had a pair of eyes and a lopsided grin directed back at them. On the other side of the courtyard, Maxim exited his own part of the house just in time to see Sanosuke set one hand on either side of the tree's gnarled trunk and pull. No doubt, the Silver General's prodigious strength would have uprooted the old arboriform had it not grabbed and tried to uproot him right back. Sanosuke's grip loosened in surprise as vinelike tendrils wormed their way into the seams of his armor and swelled, attempting to break the equipment apart. Fortunately, no hauberk blessed by Susano'o was so easily ruined. The tree's first attack was thwarted and the two combatants separated to take up proper battle stances. Aotsuki did as well, since this bizarre turn of events seemed to somehow involve him too.   Through the blistering rain, Maxim watched all of this unfold. He called out mentally to ask if they'd like any help, but since neither of them responded, he decided to continue his own investigation instead. Aotsuki meanwhile raised his shield and prepared to parry any attacks from the arboriform's spindly, bark-clawed arms. When it came, however, the tree's assault was not so physical. The Golden Shield of Ōmi suddenly felt as though barbed roots were digging into his skull. They seemed to burrow painfully through flesh and bone, then suck everything Aotsuki was right out of his head. With a glassy-eyed, dazed expression overcoming his face, he fell backward to the ground and lay there, unseeing.   Naturally, this caused a bit of distress to Kagami and Tama, both of whom worried over their master's condition. Sanosuke recovered his wits enough to tell them it was just a game, then approached the tree and made a second attempt at uprooting it. Ignoring the gnarled claws scratching ineffectually at his armor, the Silver General grabbed the monster around the trunk and heaved. As the tree's roots snapped and parted with the ground, Sanosuke spun around to gain momentum. Vision swinging around, he caught the barest glimpse of Shigeaki Fujino sitting comfortably inside the nearby greenhouse, watching with a cup of tea, before hurling his cargo far into the eastern sky. It was hard to tell just how far it'd flown at a glance, but a few miles seemed a safe bet. Considering the tree didn't have any legs, they could reasonably assume that that problem, at least, wouldn't be back.   With the tree removed from its spot, the ground fell open to reveal a veritable treasure trove of colorfully-wrapped candy. Kagami and Tama delighted in gathering it all up, pocketing it and spreading it around to their friends, while Sanosuke considered Aotsuki's shell of a body sprawled out on the ground. Fujino was a psychic, so she must know about these things, right? When asked, however, the best she was able to manage was a disturbing puppet show, controlling Aotsuki's body to hop and dance around, but doing nothing for his diminished mind.   Fubuki had arrived by that point, also in the greenhouse, and presented a more permanent solution. By isolating the particular bit of time around Aotsuki and rewinding it just a few minutes, she* managed to magically restore him to how he was just before the tree broke his brain. Naturally, Aotsuki didn't remember what had happened because, in a temporal sense, it hadn't. As the others spoke, a picture began to come together, however, and it was particularly unpleasant to consider. This was, perhaps, the White Frog's third close brush with death.   Back in the dining room, Hashinara Yoshitakatomo realized that Fujino had carelessly left without the bag of candy. Exercising her* prerogative as Clan Daimyō, Yoshitakatomo claimed the sweet treats for her* own, substantially bolstering her* stash. At this point, the Princess was left with just Motonari and companions, as all other members of the Hashinara had already spread themselves around the manor. Together, they decided to go watch "the fight with the tree" for the remainder of their lunch. It was not a long walk to the attached greenhouse, but even so the party found themselves too late to see anything but the tree's trunk disappearing rapidly into the eastern sky.   Without much else to occupy them, Yoshitakatomo began to chat about the Yashiki itself. This mansion was certainly not built by any native carpenter, and she* pondered about how long it had been in Japan. Fortuitously, Mōri Motonari had spent some time speaking to the building's owner, Hospodar Mikhail, about the very same issues.   Yakisoba Yashiki had been here before Motonari took power, built sometime during the reign of the Ōuchi Clan. Mikhail himself came to Japan from Mavrovlachia some hundred years ago. A bright young Vampir Warden with a fine future ahead of him in the prisons of that country, he had nevertheless been exiled, forbidden to ever return. Mikhail had not gone into great detail, but Motonari understood the problem to be a too-close association with one of his prisoners. Someone she called "Fronkensteen." Mototsuna overheard her mangle the foreign name, and gently corrected: "Victoire Frankenstein."   Any further discussion on the subject was precluded by Kenas-unarpe Kamui. Of course, to Yoshitakatomo and the Mōri guests, she seemed little more than a maid of curious complexion. With a quick glance around the yard, Kenas-unarpe declared the guests far too rowdy and demanded that one of them accompany her to discuss reparations. This situation, at least, had very evidently not been any of the Mōri's fault. So it was that Fubuki agreed to follow the maid to a discreet location and see what could be done to make things right.   While the tree-yeeting battle resolved not far off, Maxim and Evaine continued their search of the mansion grounds. A few more doors, a washroom, some storage, yielded little of interest save another note. This one read, in a neater hand: "...short, but not too short. She is not likely to be mistaken for a child..." Rounding the front of the building once again, they found themselves suddenly in a graveyard. A small chapel bunkered here, offering shelter from the rain behind its closed double doors. Not far from that, an important-looking crypt could just be seen through the downpour. Maxim asked his squire which they should investigate first, and found he agreed with her answer. The crypt had a set of muddy footprints leading up to it. If they searched the chapel first, they'd be leaving their backs open to whomever had been here not long ago.   With a creak and a shudder, the mausoleum's door slid open. Curiously, there was no dust. Apparently this place saw frequent use. Maxim entered and examined the small stone room's only two features. First was an earthenware jug on the floor which proved to be full of candy. He pocketed its contents, then moved to the large stone coffin wedged against the far wall. With a glance at Evaine and a nod in return, Maxim opened the sarcophagus. Its stone lid was heavy, but no object to Maxim's prodigious, knightly strength. He slid it off gently, without much noise, and beheld inside the sleeping figure of Hospodar Mikhail. Their host was laid out comfortably on velvet padding with a pillow for his head. That was indeed odd. Maxim telepathically reported this information to his companions, then closed the coffin back up again. With shared bewilderment, he and Evaine moved back outside and made their way to the chapel instead.   Meanwhile, Aotsuki had just about fully gathered his wits after that catastrophic encounter with an evil tree. There were too many strange things at work here, too many forces they couldn't just ignore. So, Aotsuki and Sanosuke jointly agreed to investigate the rest of the manor together. They left Yoshitakatomo to entertain the Mōri within the greenhouse, entering Yakisoba Yashiki once again through the same door they'd exited. The next object of interest within was clear enough. A large, solid looking door stood imposingly at the top of a flight of stairs just a few steps from the courtyard exit. Yoshitakatomo had given it consideration before, but now Sanosuke and Aotsuki were going to force it to reveal its secrets.   The door resisted at first. It was solidly locked. Sanosuke applied greater force, nearly snapping the wood in half before it finally yielded. The door was technically still in one piece, but what they saw beyond it didn't make sense. A short flight of stairs led down to a spacious room filled with pews, an altar, and various laboratory equipment. More puzzling was the far door beyond all that. Behind Maxim's looming silhouette, they could see the driving rain outside. That would mean that they were still on the ground floor, despite a glance behind them confirming that they'd come up a full stairway in the main house.   Maxim himself was none too pleased to see Aotsuki and Sanosuke breaking through the opposite door before he'd had a chance to scout the chapel. The two met in the center, and neither of them could quite account for how they'd ended up in the same room. What a room it was. The hulking, bubbling alchemical equipment, metal tank, and stone slab with restraints all contrasted harshly with the otherwise solemn, religious trappings of the chapel. With that, they split up. Maxim took a few short steps to the alchemical table and rummaged through the reagents there. Along with a vial of what looked very much like human blood and a few other curious liquids, he found a note. This one read, in that steady, mature hand: "...hope that the dark clothing I obtained for her is to her liking. It is of a foreign cut. Tianchaoren, perhaps? Regardless..."   Kagami was showing Aotsuki the single piece of red candy she'd found by the slab, while Sanosuke wrapped around to the building's eastern staircase and tried the door there. This portal wasn't locked, but opened to a dark stairwell leading up. Deciding to follow it, Sanosuke rambled through a secret passage and eventually found himself in a ground-floor bedchamber dominated by a large metal chair. The place looked ransacked, but he wasn't to know that it was Maxim who'd rifled through it not long ago. A cursory examination of the surrounding corridors found that they led to a kind of foyer, where Fubuki was even now meeting with a shadowy maid. Deciding not to go any further in that direction, which would have no doubt led him back to the dining room, Sanosuke returned through the secret passage and shortly regained the outer chapel.   At about the same time as the others discovered the chapel, Fubuki was not in a good place. She* had obligingly followed the black-coated maid back through the mansion until they arrived in a secluded sitting room. Fubuki expected the other to speak up about the reparations then, perhaps make some sort of accusation, but the maid did none of these things. Instead, Fubuki was unprepared when the creature turned with a preternatural swiftness and buried a pair of sharp teeth into her* thigh. The wound itself wasn't bad, but the maid seemed to dissolve into liquid darkness and pour herself into the broken skin. That was more concerning. Soon all that remained was Fubuki with a bruise on her* leg and an empty maid uniform on the floor.   Thinking fast, Fubuki cast Liquid Control on her* own blood and attempted to force it back out through the wound. The red splatter that spurted out contained no trace of blackness, however, and Fubuki soon experienced a rush of nausea and fatigue from disrupting her* blood flow. Quickly examining her* own aura, Fubuki found something black and snakelike twisted around where her* spine should be. Every few moments, a wracking pain emanated from that area as the creature inside her drained a bit more life force. In response, Fubuki liquified her* own body. She* quickly transformed into a slime-like creature, rolling about on the floor, but the thing inside was not dislodged. Instead it seemed to distort with Fubuki's own body and continued its macabre feast. At this point, she* was beginning to feel weak, both from the blood loss and the thing devouring her bit by bit. There was little to do now but call for help.   Away in the greenhouse, Yoshitakatomo received some concerning news from her* Black Blade of Doom. Fubuki telepathically explained the situation as best she could, prompting the Princess-Daimyō to excuse herself from Lady Mōri's company and seek out the sitting room. Motonari was not offended, but took this opportunity to depart with her own companions back to Shimonoseki proper. Surely the bizarre and increasingly dangerous nature of this place had not been lost on the cunning Daimyō.   When Yoshitakatomo arrived, she* found not Fubuki, but a thin layer of slime plastered across the bloody rug. Relaying the situation to the rest of her* generals, Yoshitakatomo received something of an answer in Maxim, who identified the maid as a Kamui, an ancient goddess of Japan, and a dangerous one at that. That didn't answer, however, what exactly they were supposed to do about it. With the Daimyō also at a loss, Fubuki finally decided to take drastic action.   Using her* magic to move Susuki Masamune above the gelatinous blob that currently comprised her* body, Fubuki brought the weapon down with force right where the black aura was most powerful. Kenas-unarped Kamui appeared to be struck, dislodged, and finally exploded out of Fubuki's gelatinous body in a spray of slime that further ruined that pleasant sitting room. It was a grievous wound. Fubuki felt herself* slipping, but by some twist of fate, the damage was not so fatal as it could have been. Quickly, now that the Kamui had reformed, Fubuki returned to her* cold-eyed oni form and cast Recreate to restore all her* wounds. Yoshitakatomo, too, was weaving a defensive enchantment, but the creature did not attack again. Instead, Kenas-unarpe Kamui made a snide remark and dissolved into black pitch, seeping into the carpet and vanishing entirely. They remained on guard for a moment more, but Fubuki soon realized what they had witnessed was a specialized ki technique, one designed to teleport Kenas-unarpe to a distant place. They would likely not see her again soon.   As for the other three Cardinal Generals in the chapel, they had gone from fussing with the equipment to examining the large metal tank lurking not far from the altar. Upon closer inspection, the thing seemed to be some sort of metal coffin, with latches to keep it closed and a glass viewing port to see inside. The latter was useless at the moment. Its glass was thickly fogged over from the inside, rending it entirely opaque. With short deliberation and an exchange of notes, Aotsuki and Sanosuke gripped the lid of the tank and heaved it open with an accompanying hiss of hot steam. Inside... was nothing. The coffin was entirely empty save for some padding and a pillow. Just then, a hitherto-uninspected vase in the corner of the chapel violently burst open. Something small and quick, too quick for any of them to get a good look at it, darted out the chapel doors and into the rain below. Without hesitation, the three and their companions gave chase.   Bolting through the downpour, Aotsuki, Maxim, and Sanosuke all arrived at the front door of the Yashiki to see a trio of Kyonshi girls milling about. All three wore similar Tianchaoren clothing and two rickshaws between them hinted at their purpose there. The most stylish of them confirmed it. They had been called here to pick up Mōri Motonari and her party for a ride back to downtown Shimonoseki. Upon their arrival at the gates, however, it had not been Motonari to greet them, but another kyonshi. One of them was not a real rickshaw driver, but a fake using the other two as cover. Naturally, none of them could agree which one it was.   Maxim and Aotsuki shared information once again. The notes they'd found within the mansion seemed to include a physical description of someone; they were most likely the key to solving this mystery. Sanosuke, meanwhile, was more curious about the charms on their heads. All three appeared to be kyonshi, but if one turned out to merely be wearing a disguise, well, that would be a dead giveaway. It was a cunning strategy, but eventually he was forced to conclude that each of the girls were at least genuine in their nature.   The clues seemed to be pointing at the Simpering Rickshaw Kyonshi, the girl on Maxim's leftmost side with blonde hair and a worried expression. Aotsuki's keen eye, too, told him that this girl was hiding something. Still, the Cardinal Generals deliberated on. Eventually, the Silent Kyonshi to Maxim's right decided she'd had enough. She stomped passed Maxim and into the mansion, past Yoshitakatomo, performed a circuit of the house, and finally took her rickshaw and left without a word. None tried to stop her. That tall, quiet figure was the only among the three who had nothing to do with the clues at all. Eventually, led by the fact that the notes had described their subject's hair as "exotic," the three landed on the Simpering Kyonshi. Her Stylish companion sported pink hair but, as they had correctly reasoned, golden locks were more exotic in Tsuwamono Japan than peach-colored ones.   Aotsuki made the final accusation, pointing his finger in archetypical accusation at the Simpering Kyonshi. His target reeled back in surprise, flailing and shouting and spraying candy everywhere from her voluminous sleeves. The long-suffering Sanosuke told her to stop it after a moment, and she did. The other kyonshi, the true rickshaw driver, was sent on her way with a few grumbles, and the Cardinal Generals returned to learning about this strange girl who had sent them on such a chase.   Her name was Haro Uin, a terrible pun sadly lost on the three native Japanese, but which must have caused Hospodar Mikhail no end of delight when he dreamed it up. Uin seemed to be the result of some alchemical experiment; an elaborate plan devised to, as well as they could put together, convert blood into candy. So far as she was concerned, however, this was all nothing but a dream. How else could be explained her total lack of memory and the fact that candy burst out of people whenever she hit them? Proving quite intractable on this point, the generals came to the unfortunate conclusion that Uin wouldn't be all that much further use for information. A number of the pranks and pitfalls tonight could, at least, safely be pinned on her "playing" around.   Aotsuki, Maxim, and Sanosuke all agreed that their next step should be to speak to the host himself. Fortunately, Maxim knew just where to find Hospodar Mikhail. They began making overtures in that direction, but stopped briefly, taking a moment to test the limits of Uin's ability. Aotsuki and Sanosuke stood back while Maxim set himself in front of her and demanded that she punch him. The girl didn't hesitate for even a moment, sending a fist thrusting forward that would have made even a Shotokan master envious. It was quick and accurate, but Maxim was able to deflect the strike with his own fist, robbing it of its momentum. That attack had technically hit him, but hadn't dealt any true damage. Therefore, there was no candy, and the three learned something more about Uin's curious technique.   After a moment, Maxim invited another attack and promised that he would not guard himself this time. Uin obliged, pulling her fist back and launching it with a powerful thud into Maxim's exposed abdomen. Having fought demons and forged a path through hell itself, Knight Commander Maxim thought that he was prepared for almost anything. As a spray of several hundred pieces of candy burst from his stomach and he reeled backward, however, the whole world suddenly went dark. Maxim was dead.   In fact, he turned out to be merely unconscious. His breathing was even and not even a bruise marred his rugged abs. None of the Hashinara, however, could determine what was wrong with him. It didn't seem to be a medical issue, nor was his soul somehow affected. Sanosuke gave one of his candies an experimental lick, hoping for a clue. The energizing jolt that it sent through his tongue reminded him of how it felt when he used the Rex Frame technique to force protective ki through his muscles.   None seemed to have even noticed her* arrive, but it was Fubuki who provided the answer. Maxim's entire ki reserve had been drained in a single strike. Without the life force to sustain his body, he'd fallen into a coma until he could produce more. Once that was clear, it was a simple matter for Aotsuki to infuse a bit of his own ki and raise Maxim from the mud. The Knight Commander was still a bit groggy, but growing more lucid with every bit of ki that flowed into his body. He was up and clear-eyed once again just in time to see Hashinara Yoshitakatomo walk out of the mansion accompanied by a headless suit of armor.   A few minutes ago, following the debacle with Fubuki and the maid, Yoshitakatomo had become distracted by that polished suit of armor standing guard in the foyer. Between the two of them, she* and Fubuki had managed to determine that there was no head inside its helmet. The rest of the armor, however, seemed to be filled with a body, as evidenced by a neck stump sticking up from the breastplate. The thing didn't seem animate, and didn't respond to any mundane questions. Great Necromancer Yoshitakatomo, of course, was not limited to mundane questions.   Casting Speak With the Dead as simply as another might snap their fingers, Yoshitakatomo connected her* essence with the fallen knight's and the two began a dialogue. Roberto Fernández was his name in life, and he had died of starvation many leagues away in Alexandria. Somehow, Roberto's corpse had come into the possession of Hospodar Mikhail, likely before he moved to Japan and founded Yakisoba Yashiki. In keeping with fine Mavrovlachian tradition, Mikhail used the body as prime experimental material. By inscribing alchemical symbols and carefully-timed transmutations into dead Roberto's muscle and bone, he'd been able to turn the corpse into something like a bioengineered zombie. The corpse walked, fought, and guarded the Yashiki, but poor Roberto's soul was unable to move on. He had been a fine Castellan knight and his regrets were few, but he still suffered great guilt at not being able to achieve a warrior's death in battle.   To Yoshitakatomo, the next step seemed clear. She* offered Roberto a second chance to fall in honorable combat. The warriors of Japan were powerful and skilled, several of the most fearsome serving directly under Yoshitakatomo. Little could have made the fallen knight happier as she* led the headless armor out into the rain and pitted it against her* Cardinal Generals.   Through the haze of post-coma wooziness, Maxim became aware that he was, for some reason, expected to fight this animated armor. Indeed, it held a sword, if of a foreign make, in a knight's stance. Yoshitakatomo briefly explained the situation: Roberto Fernández, the fallen knight, would be obliged if Maxim could give him a warrior's death. As a knight himself, Maxim did not see how he could refuse. Aotsuki, Fubuki, Sanosuke, Uin, and the others backed away to give him room for this climactic battle.   The Castellan Armor's former occupant must have been skilled in the past, but it became evident on his first swing at Maxim that he was hopelessly outmatched. Maxim caught Roberto's attack on his lion-crested shield, then countered with a swing of Hokkuken. The strike seemed sure and true, promising to end the match in a single riposte, but something happened then that none could account for. Roberto parried. Not only that, he swept Maxim's sword aside as through brushing away an errant twig. With the might of Castille raging in his heart, Roberto Fernández cut down at his enemy.   Of course, the miracle could not last. The other knight caught the attack on his shield and came away unscathed. Yet each time Maxim attacked, the same thing would happen. Six more times Hokkuken swung, and six times Roberto inexplicably parried with godlike precision. At the end, the Castellan Armor was nicked and dented, but neither opponent had been hurt. To stand toe to toe with the man who swore death upon Honda Tadakatsu, Roberto Fernández must truly have been favored by the gods.   The next strike would decide it. Either Roberto's luck had run out, or he had fulfilled his soul's purpose. The Castellan Armor's longsword came up too slow, and Hokkuken exploded into the alchemical zombie's dead flesh. When the thunderclap died away, all that remained was a pile of armor and steaming, severed limbs in the rain. Roberto's soul was gone, granted a warrior's death at last. A solemn silence came over all present as they paid their respects to this former knight with the heart of a lion.   Fubuki took it upon herself* to tend to the armor, restoring it to some facsimile of its former polished beauty. Roberto's body was about as whole as it could be when she* took it to the courtyard and lowered it into the hole left by the tree. While Fubuki buried the fallen knight, Yoshitakatomo rejoined the party on their short walk to finally speak with Hospodar Mikhail.   The Vampir was where Maxim had left him, sleeping peacefully within his coffin. Evaine crowded in, but the other generals remained outside as a heavy, gauntleted hand roused Hospodar Mikhail. His first response was to look dreamily into Maxim's broad face looming above him. Then, something seemed to click into place in his head and he backed away hurriedly as far as the cramped coffin would allow, bringing his satin sheets up to his chest protectively. What, Mikhail's reasonable question came, were all these people doing in his bedchamber?   Yoshitakatomo remained unfazed even in the face of such behavior. Her* Mitsuhide-infused mask stayed expressionless as she* claimed that they had some questions regarding Yakisoba Yashiki. Then, most of the story came forth. They told him about the maid that had attempted to devour Fubuki and the tree that, in Yoshitakatomo's words, attacked some children. That last was a stretch in a number of ways, but not wholly incorrect. Mikhail, however, failed to believe any of it. That sounded nothing like his maid, Inge, and the tree was indeed curious, but harmless, a luxury import from Mavrovlachia. Understandably, Aotsuki took offense to this. He had, apparently, died at the claws of that tree. Mikhail simply, quite reasonably said that Aotsuki seemed plenty alive to him.   Fubuki had nearly rejoined them at this point, but Haro Uin greeted her* rather than the other generals. Ducking inside the nearby chapel, Fubuki followed her until they reached the empty metal coffin, hanging open just as the others had left it. Uin heaved and moved the heavy tank. As it screeched across the floor, a depression in the wood slowly became visible. It was filled to the brim with delicious candy. Fubuki and Uin shared a laugh, and the Black Blade filled her* pockets with sweets before the two walked back to the others.   Once Uin appeared at the crypt, the Hashinara's jumbled accusations began to make more sense to Mikhail. It was obvious, he concluded, that they had simply been the victims of Haro Uin's notorious pranks. They couldn't really deny that she was a trickster, and the Hospodar seemed to consider the matter settled. Uin, quite bluntly, told him just then that she was going with their guests and wouldn't return. Mikhail had no issue with that. As he explained, she was a failed experiment, and therefore free to do as she wished.   Finally, this provided the opening the Cardinal Generals had been waiting for to ask about Mikhail's experiments. The sleepy Vampir proved unwilling to venture out of the crypt during the day, even in the torrential rain clouding the sky. He was just as hesitant to speak on the matter of alchemy. Finally, Mikhail claimed that he was "diabetic." He had to carefully regulate his sugar intake, and so created Uin from a handy corpse as an easy way of producing candy. However, she hadn't quite worked out the way he expected. Her "source" for candy was simply too dangerous.   Several of those listening caught Mikhail's real meaning. He was no more diabetic than Fubuki was loved by Izanagi. What he really meant when he said "sugar" was "blood." Aotsuki at least could sympathize, having had to deal with Isoko's similar cravings in the past. As they all digested the implications, Evaine and Kagami both snuck up on either side of Yoshitakatomo. The Princess was oblivious as each sheele unloaded a heaping handful of candy into her* pockets. A secret gift from their masters to their Daimyō.   With a few more assertions that the tree was truly nothing to worry about, Hospodar Mikhail finally managed to excuse himself back into the coffin and out of his guests' company. He was heedless of the destruction wreaked across nearly every room of his mansion, but perhaps that was fine for now. With a few straggling thoughts and a comparison of candy, the Hashinara generals made plans to return to Shimonoseki. One of them, Aotsuki, seemed to have picked up an extra companion. Uin attached herself to him and showed little intention of leaving.