Legions, Part VIII

Legions - Destinies
Otaku Kamoko

The plains stretched in all directions, the tall grass blowing in the gentle breeze. There was nothing to see in any direction save the mountains in the distant east. Under normal circumstances, Kamoko found such surroundings relaxing, a place where she could forego her concerns and embrace the simple joys of riding with the wind in one's hair. The current circumstances, however, were hardly normal.

A demon loomed over Kamoko, its serpentine form writhing in a barely concealed lust for destruction. Its arms moved sinuously about its sides in a strange dance of violence, as if it could not keep the claw-tipped weapons in check. Its body was strangely beautiful, sinuous, graceful, and feminine. “Consider my offer, daughter of Otaku,” the demon hissed. “You could purge the traitors within your clan. You could restore the purity and honor of your clan, and it would only cost you your soul.”

“No,” Kamoko said, her voice without fear.

“Are you certain?” Kyoso no Oni asked. “I will give you power such as you have never known. I will protect you from the Taint. I will help you control the Dark Moto, and lead them to destroy the Kolat within the Unicorn. All you must do in return is permit me to join with you, and together we will destroy that accursed fool Moto Tsume.” The demon's tail twitched in anticipation. “Think of it, Kamoko. Is your soul worth so much that the Kolat and Tsume must continue to shame the Unicorn? Is it not a samurai's duty to give her life for her clan? Would you not give even more?”

Kamoko's jaw muscles clenched. Her every instinct longed to smite this foul creature before her, although that would almost certainly end her life. And yet she could not deny that her life was worth less than the prize it offered. Could such a being be trusted? She doubted it. But wasn't it worth the risk?

Risk? She was already at risk. Kyoso was an Oni Lord. If Kamoko denied its offer, it would likely destroy her then and there. But perhaps there was another way. The Dark Moto were gathering their forces and would attack the Unicorn soon; that would not change. But, perhaps if Kamoko could lead them she could lead them to their doom, drawing them to a place where the true Unicorn could destroy them once and for all. Was not such a thing worth one's life and soul?

As Kamoko hit upon the solution, an unfamiliar feeling filled her – doubt. What if she could not control herself once the demon gave her its power? What if the Unicorn could not defeat the Dark Moto? What possible success could she reap by doing something so foolish as inviting an Oni Lord into her soul? A cloud of confusion melted away and Kamoko saw how the oni had deceived her, causing her to view its mad suggestions as somehow rational. She looked up at Kyoso with clear eyes.

“Well?” the Oni Lord said with a sly smile. “Have you made your choice?”

Kamoko's sword flew free of its saya. Even as she drew, the Oni Lord burst into black flame.

Otaku Kamoko fell dead upon the earth, but not before driving her sword through Kyoso no Oni's heart.

A few moments later, Kamoko came to herself on the plains of Thwarted Destiny once more. She knew she had faced her destiny once more, and had not made the same decision she had made in life…

But was the choice the correct one?

Legions - Destinies
Doji Kuwanan

A clear, triumphant note rang through the halls of the Asahina Temple.

Between the halves of a second, Doji Kuwanan brought his sword to a halt. His brother Hoturi stood unmoving, not flinching from the blow that would have taken his head. Kuwanan held Shukujo, the Ancestral Sword of the Crane, across Hoturi's throat. A single drop of blood trickled down the side of the older brother's neck, staining his white kimono.

And between the halves of a second, Kuwanan made a choice.

For the last several months, the Crane Clan had been hunted nearly to their destruction. The Crab had razed Kyuden Kakita, and just when it seemed that Crane lands were safe once for a time, a second army attacked with even greater ferocity. This army was led by the man that stood before Kuwanan now. His brother, Hoturi, the Champion of the Crane Clan. had led an army of Shadowlands madmen into the heart of Crane lands, leaving a trail of murder and destruction.

Kuwanan would not have believed it had he not faced Hoturi personally, and he might have died during their confrontation at Kyuden Doji if not for Uji. He had looked into his enemy's eyes and seen the soul of his brother reflected there. Injured after his escape from Kyuden Doji, Kuwanan had been brought to the Asahina Temples – the final stronghold of the once proud Crane.

And here, his brother had dared show his face again, weaving a wild tale of Scorpion machinations and a magical duplicate that shared his memories. Kuwanan had not doubted that this was some twisted attempt to torment him further before burning the Asahina Temples to the ground… and then the sword had sung.

Shukujo was among the finest blades that had ever existed, and during its possession by countless Crane champions the spirit within the blade had developed a number of wondrous abilities. Among those, it recognized its true owner. When wielded by the true lord of the Crane it would release a joyful, harmonious note.

It had not sung for Kuwanan. Upon striking Hoturi's flesh, it sang once more.

“The blade knows its true owner,” Daidoji Uji said from the doorway. None had seen him enter.

Yet Kuwanan was not so sure. So many of his friends and family had perished at this madman's hands. He was a warrior, a man who trusted in what he could see and feel. Could he spare this killer's life because a magical sword had conveniently told him to do so? Ridiculous. Blood demanded blood in turn. Perhaps Hoturi's armies truly held the Asahina Temple and his clan would die today regardless, but Hoturi would not live to see his victory.

Kuwanan tightened his grip on his sword. He saw a look of sadness cross Hoturi's features. A second drop of blood spilled as the razor sharp sword moved slightly on the Crane Champion's neck.

No.

There was no magic at work here.

Shukujo had not told Kuwanan anything he had not already known. He had simply refused to recognize the truth within himself. Kuwanan had lived his life in fear that he, like Hoturi, would fail to meet their father's impossible standards. He had been consumed with desire, a desire to be more like his successful and well-liked brother. Since their mother's death he had been overcome with regret that he had not been there to try to save her – as Hoturi had been. Fear. Desire. Regret. The three greatest sins a samurai could face, all of these had taken root in Kuwanan's soul, and Hoturi played a part in each. Kuwanan saw only what he hated in himself, his failure to protect Kyuden Doji from the False Hoturi.

This was no monster – this was his brother.

And he would have killed him.

Kuwanan drew the sword away, and was surprised to find himself standing on the plains of Thwarted Destiny. He realized what he had seen had been his destiny, and he had chosen as he had in life – to believe his brother and spare his life.

He was, however, somehow not surprised when Daidoji Uji emerged from the darkness as he always did. The grizzled warrior's armor was strangely blackened in places. Blood seeped from a bandage on his thigh. Relief shone in Uji's eyes as he staggered forward. Kuwanan quickly seized Uji's arm, helping his old friend to remain upright.

“Uji,” Kuwanan said tersely, scanning the mist for any sign of an enemy. If there was one, Uji had long since escaped it.

“It is good to see you, Kuwanan-sama,” Uji said in a dry, tired voice.

“What has happened? Has the battle begun again?”

‘A different battle altogether, my lord,” Uji replied. “We have much to do.”

Legions - Destinies
Hitomi Kazaq

The Kazaq tossed and turned in his sleep. Most of his people slept soundly in tightly coiled bundles in temples or trees throughout the forest, but peaceful rest was rare for the Qamar's son. The young Naga had always suffered from unusual visions during dream. He awoke with a start, his fangs bared in an instinctual response that even his civilized upbringing could not repress.

A gentle inquiry filtered through the group consciousness that Kazaq shared with his people. His father had felt his disturbance and reached out even in sleep, inquiring after his son's well-being. Kazaq radiated a sensation of calm that he did not truly feel, and felt his father's awareness diminish back into sleep.

The vision had been bleak. A Dragon named Hitomi had dragged the Pale Eye from the sky. For twenty-seven days, darkness ruled the earth. A new being, a beast forged of the stuff of heavens and the heart of the Foul, reigned over the mortal world from the darkness. The balance between light and darkness was thwarted and all began a spiral into ruin…

And, worst of all, the greatest heroes of the mortal realm did not seem to notice.

He knew of this Hitomi. She one of the greatest heroes of the human Empire. Surely she would not wish for such a thing to come to pass. Such a trip would be dangerous, of course. Even though the Naga were now allies of Rokugan there were many humans who did not understand, who saw them as monsters. There was no time to dwell on the danger – how much greater danger would there be if he did not warn them?

He must waste no time.

Kazaq rose from his curled heap of bedding and reached for his spear. As his hand clasped around its haft, the scene around him twisted and melted away, replaced by the grey plains of Thwarted Destiny. Strange tattoos crawled over his arms and body. He remembered his life and death. He remembered the time after, his soul wandering tormented and alone, severed from the Akasha. He remembered the face of the broad-shouldered Naga who now stood before him, beaming with pride.

“Father,” he said, surprised.

Isha said nothing. Kazaq realized then that he sensed approval from his father and understanding. Not through the mere body language and empathy he had learned in his time among the humans, but through the true bonds of the Akasha once more.

“How can this be?” he whispered.

“The Fortune of Rebirth has witnessed your destiny and the choice that you have made,” Isha replied. “She has seen that it was the Lying Darkness' influence upon Hitomi that severed you from the Akasha. Embracing your own destiny once more has allowed her to draw upon the power of this realm to correct what has gone astray… you are returned to us, my son.”

Kazaq was overwhelmed with so many emotions he could not speak. He merely closed his eyes and bathed in the joy and happiness of an infinite sea of Naga souls, welcoming back one of their own.

Then Kazaq opened his eyes. There would be time for happiness later.

“Father, I have remembered my vision,” he said. “The one about Hitomi.”

“Yes, I remember it too,” Isha replied. “You did all that you could to prevent it, but do not blame yourself. In the end, Lady Hitomi possessed the strength to rise above the darkness – she did not become the monster that you believed she would be. Your vision has not come to pass.”

“No, father,” Kazaq said, shaking his head rapidly. “You do not understand. Hitomi never was the beast forged of the stuff of heavens and the heart of the Foul – she merely aided in its creation.”

Isha's eyes widened as he recognized the full import of his son's words.

“Father,” Kazaq whispered. “My vision has come to pass.”

Legions - Destinies
Hida O-Ushi

Hida O-Ushi stood in the family shrine in the upper levels of Kyuden Hida, looking out over the endless expanse of the Kaiu Wall. Many times throughout her life she had come here to find focus. This place was close enough to the constant battle of the Wall that she could still survey her troops, yet far enough away that she could gather some sense of focus. Her time as Crab Clan Champion had taught her the value of patience and strategy; it was a difficult lesson for her to learn. When faced with a problem, O-Ushi was the sort that generally marched out and buried that problem in the earth with her hammer.

That sort of problem was not the problem she faced now.

When she listened for the cry of battle, she heard nothing. When she looked out upon the wall, she saw no sign of the enemy. The true enemy was not here.

“My lady,” said a quiet voice from the doorway.

O-Ushi turned. Her face immediately brightened when she saw the lean figure of her beloved husband, though her sudden joy dimmed when she saw his bleak expression.

“What has happened?” she asked.

“The Steel Chrysanthemum marches on Ryoko Owari,” he replied. “Bayushi Paneki reports that the Scorpion armies cannot stand against Tsuneo. Not alone.”

O-Ushi nodded. As much as she personally despised the Scorpion Clan, Ryoko Owari was the second largest city in the Empire. To take the City of Lies would not only provide a strategic hub for the Hantei's armies, but would also greatly demoralize those who still stood against him. If he could claim such a prize, was even Otosan Uchi beyond his grasp?

“This is a great victory for us,” Yasamura added somberly.

O-Ushi said nothing. Though Yasamura never spoke against her, she knew her husband's true opinions on the Crab's alliance with the Steel Chrysanthemum. She would have wished it another way, but they had been given no option. Hida Tsuneo, the Hantei's general, was one of the most honored military figures in their history – many among the Crab had leapt at the chance to support him. Further, the Hantei had given them little freedom. His armies had occupied the Crab's most fertile farmlands. If O-Ushi had not given her clan's help willingly, the soldiers on the Wall would starve. The Shadowlands was quiet of late, and had been for some time, but she could not risk leaving her troops weak against another attack. Her loyalty toward Emperor Toturi was great, but her loyalty toward the Empire was greater.

But what good did it do to protect the Empire if it would be ruled by a tyrant?

“The children of Hida have given their oaths to both the Hantei and Toturi lines,” O-Ushi whispered. “How can we choose one or the other and still call ourselves samurai?”

“I stand by whatever decision you make, my love,” Yasamura replied, “but I think our choice should be clear. To stand against Steel Chrysanthemum means we would risk a great deal. We will have difficult times ahead, and face impossible odds. We may suffer. We may die.”

“But we will die as Crab,” O-Ushi replied.

Yasamura nodded.

O-Ushi opened her mouth to reply but was struck with a sudden vision. She saw her husband, leading the Crab cavalry into battle against the spirit legions. She saw him fighting beside the Scorpion, brilliantly forcing back their enemy despite superior numbers. She saw an arrow strike him in the throat and take his life. She knew without a doubt that if she sent him forth this day that she would never see her husband again.

“My love?” Yasamura said, confused by her uncharacteristic hesitation.

“The risk may be too great,” O-Ushi said in a thick voice.

Yasamura blinked. “You always taught me that no risk was too great, Ushi-chan.”

O-Ushi frowned. She stepped toward Yasamura. Impulsively, she seized his face with strong hands and kissed him. For several long moments she held him there, hoping to remember all she could of him. When she released him, his expression was one of awe and bewilderment.

“Take your swiftest cavalry legion and ride to Ryoko Owari,” O-Ushi said.

Yasamura smiled. “Keep the Wall safe until I return, my love,” she said.

O-Ushi returned his smile, though it was bittersweet.

“I will,” she said.

Legions: Destinies
Hida Yasamura

In his youth, Yasamura had been a happy, good natured young man. He was rarely seen without a carefree smile. Some thought he was a bit too uncaring of what the future held. When he came to live among the Crab, all of that changed. Though he had found true happiness beside his wife, O-Ushi, he rarely had cause to smile anymore.

A shroud of thick, fetid smoke hung over Ryoko Owari. The fighting within the City of Lies had raged out of control for more than a week, with ground being won and lost almost by the hour. This was a strange place to fight for the future of the Empire. Even at the best of times, Ryoko Owari was haven of smuggling, sin, and vice. Yasamura did not wish to think of the many questionable substances that were burning inside the vast rows of warehouses near the docks. He had avoided the fumes as best he could.

Yasamura signaled for his men to regroup. They had suffered terrible losses during the fighting, but were succeeding in driving their enemies from the city. The Steel Chrysanthemum's forces outnumbered them nearly three to one, but for every Crab that fell, five of the traitors lay dead. And that was to say nothing of the black and red clad phantoms that moved through the back alleys and smoke-filled streets like ghosts. Yasamura had never considered the Scorpion his allies, neither as a Unicorn nor as a Crab, but in recent days he had come to admire them for their unique strengths.

“What is your command, Yasamura-sama?” a gunso asked him.

Yasamura looked at his men. They were exhausted. Their armor was streaked with grime and gore, and many bore wounds that were in desperate need of treatment. No one in the Empire could question the incredible duty these men had performed. No one could fault them for their performance in the face of superior numbers. No one would question his decision if he ordered them to fall back. Indeed, in doing so, he would save many of their lives. And in doing so, he secretly told himself, he would ensure that he could see his wife again. Was it wrong, to wish for his men to live, and to see his beloved O-Ushi once more? How could it be?

And yet, as he looked at their faces, he saw only one thing: the desire for victory. Not one among them wished to fall back. Not one among them wanted to see their enemy survive the day. And not one would fail to give his life for the Crab. Yasamura drew a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

But was this truly even his battle? In the end this was a Scorpion city and the Scorpion were nothing if not survivors. Perhaps even the loss of Ryoko Owari would not be a large thing… the Clan of Secrets would recover as they always had before.

“What is your command?” asked Tatsune, his lieutenant.

“Withdraw,” Yasamura replied.

Tatsune's eyes widened in surprise.

“We cannot attack the city from the south,” Yasamura answered. “We shall attack from the north, and force the spirit soldiers into the fumes from the burning warehouses. Then their superior numbers will not be as much of an advantage.”

Tatsune grinned fiercely.

“Prepare to charge,” Yasamura said, his voice even.

Only moments later, the battered Crab cavalry collided with the traitors' flank with the force of a hurricane coming ashore. Yasamura stood tall in his saddle, his bloodied katana held above his head. “Hida!” he screamed.

“Hida!” his men answered.

Something tugged at Yasamura's neck with such force that he nearly fell from his mount. It was a strange, annoying sensation. He reached up with his left hand to feel an arrow sprouting from his throat, slick with the blood that was coursing from the wound in his neck.

“O-Ushi,” he whispered.

His first thought was that he would never see her again.

His next was the pride she would feel when she learned of the manner of his death.

Yasamura ripped the arrow from his neck, ignoring the pain and the fresh river of blood that followed. “Attack!” he screamed to his men. “For the honor of the Hida!” Blood sprayed from his mouth in a wide gout when he shouted, but his men answered him. With a fierce cry, they redoubled their efforts and crashed again into the traitors' ranks. Yasamura's vision began to fade even as he braced his sword arm and spurred his horse forward.

His soldiers followed him to victory, only realizing later that he had died upright in his saddle.

Then the vision faded, and Yasamura found himself standing in the Realm of Thwarted Destiny once more. His hand moved quickly to his sword as he cast about for any sign of the enemy. Instead, he found himself surrounded by familiar faces, his fellow heroes, the Legion of the Dead.

One that he knew well was waiting for him.

O-Ushi.

Yasamura's weathered features folded into a rare smile.

Legions - Destinies
Tchickchuk

Tchickchuk was not a usual sort of Nezumi. Through a strange series of circumstances he had been trained by one of the most clever human courtiers the Empire had known. His path to becoming a revered chieftain was built upon what he had learned from the Scorpion. He had learned subtlety, guile, and manipulation. What's more, he learned much about humans…

When a human died, it was believed that the part him that mattered, lived on. This part was called a soul and all humans had one. All humans would go on forever when they died, though from what Tchickchuk knew of humans they believed that not all the fates that waited for them were good ones. Many humans lived all their lives in fear that their souls would be doomed to one of the darker realms of afterlife. Tchickchuk found it funny. Worry too much about living in a world of pain and misery and the world becomes pain and misery, right? Seems simple enough, but of course humans were never simple.

When a Nezumi died, things were not quite so complicated. Nezumi were not born with an immortal soul that somehow made them worthy. A Nezumi was stitched together from the love, hope, and memories of his tribe, bound together in an individual and given a name. When he died, what there was of him returned to the tribe. If the Nezumi was fortunate, then the deeds he did in life would guarantee that he would be remembered forever. The shamans of his people were so powerful that they could bind their names to memory and live forever in the realm of dream, as the Transcendent. Other Nezumi, no matter how great or small, lived on only in memory.

And that is what Tchickchuk was now. Just a memory.

The Transcendent shamans had retrieved him from the dreams of his people. Tchickchuk was a strange mix of reality and myth, the true exploits of the mighty chieftain named Tchickchuk as well as accomplishments that could only be legendary. For instance, while Tchickchuk clearly remembered being the proud father of over six dozen litters, even he often doubted whether that truly could have happened.

But things such as these were not his concern at the moment. When this new Spirit Realm folded over on the Legion of the Dead, Tchickchuk and the other Nezumi memories that had accompanied him were untouched. They saw the wave of illusion that erupted and swallowed their comrades, but were unaffected. Scurrying into the mists, Tchickchuk found that he could see the visions of both his comrades and his enemies.Some souls chose as they chose in life, and with each such choice the Realm of Thwarted Destiny became more stable.

Some souls failed where once they had triumphed, and each time they did the realm grew darker.

Some found victory where once they found defeat. Each time this occurred the sky grew slightly more golden.

Some made no choice at all, and had no affect at all.

One, a strange dragon Tchickchuk had not seen before, lingered in the shadows. It did not merely watch as Tchickchuk did. It manipulated, it coerced, it steered the realm toward their its purposes. At first Tchickchuk thought that surely this was some creature allied with Iuchiban, seeking to twist this realm into a domain of evil that its master could control.

But the more Tchickchuk watched, the more he wondered. If conquest was its goal, why play these games? His Scorpion teacher had taught him that powerful men do not play games – they merely win. Unless, of course, the game was a means unto some other end.

As he sat upon a stone and wondered, a voice whispered in his ear.

“Now ask yourself this, Ratling,” the Shadow Dragon said. “If I am so clever as you have seen, how have I failed to notice you spying on me? And why have I not stopped you, little memory?” The Shadow Dragon coiled out of the mists, looming over the Ratling with a predatory gaze.

Seizing upon his first instinct, Tchickchuk ran as far and as fast as he could on all four legs. It was several minutes before he caught his breath and realized what the dragon had even said.

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