Asahina Munashi had returned to Otosan Uchi. He stepped through the mists of the Way, his bare feet settling onto broken pavement and jagged glass. It didn't bother him a bit. Pain was a concern for the living. His hand strayed to his porcelain mask once more; he was still adjusting to its presence on his face.

He had changed much in the last few hours, as had the city.

"Of course," Munashi chuckled to himself. "And why should I not change? Otosan Uchi is my city. Should I not change to reflect it?" His light chuckle soon changed into hysterical laughter. The undead Crane threw his near-skeletal arms to the sky and laughed. His tattered robes whipped about him, and he stumbled a bit. He laughed at that as well. He was so thin and withered that the wind had nearly caught his robes and thrown him through the air like a kite. Munashi cast his robes away; he needed them no longer. He needed none of the trappings of humanity. Now, like his father, he was a force of nature.

He had been cured.

As his laughter died away, he heard an echo of shrill cackling from an alley nearby. He glanced up to see a small gaggle of goblins, watching him carefully and laughing among themselves.

"Well?" Munashi called out. His voice was granted a hollow, unearthly tone by his death mask. "What are you laughing at?"

The goblins cackled again. One staggered forward, pointing a pistol at him with one tiny claw. "Skinny naked man," the goblin chortled. "Skinny naked crazy man. Soon be skinny naked crazy dead man."

"Soon?" Munashi replied. "I think you are mistaken. I'm dead already, little one."

The goblin stopped laughing and looked at its cohorts uneasily.

"Don't be so concerned," Munashi said, taking a few surprisingly graceful steps toward the goblin mob. "Death is nothing to be afraid of. Try it..." He pointed one finger at the goblin mob and a sparkle of black and white motes streaked toward the lead goblin. The little creature clutched its chest and fell backward comically.

The other goblins laughed uproariously at that, until they noticed that Munashi was now pointing at them. They quickly grew silent, then fell to the ground and groveled for their lives.

"Now, now, there's no need for that," Munashi said mildly. "As long as we understand one another, there's no need to fight. Isn't that so?"

One goblin peered up at him and screamed. It scampered to its feet and ran away. The others quickly followed. Munashi frowned in confusion, then realized that perhaps it was not he that had frightened them. He looked back over one shoulder, and enlightenment dawned in his eyes.

The huge, mantis-shaped beast of stone, steel, and glass stood behind the nearest row of buildings, peering down at him with great, segmented eyes. It seemed to be waiting.

"My son," Munashi said, raising one hand to the sky in joy. "My little Yoritomo. How you've grown."

"YORITOMO!" the beast roared. One small building to its left collapsed from the sound.

Munashi laughed and picked himself off the ground. "That's right!" he cried with glee. "That's your name! I see that you like it!"

"YORITOMO!" it roared again.

Munashi stood up again, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. "Indeed, you know your name. But do you know what to do with it?"

The oni cocked its head curiously. One great claw scratched the side of a broken skyscraper.

"The time to revel in your power is done," Munashi said. "Now it is time for you to cleanse the city. Destroy all those who gather against us. Can you sense them allying with one another? Can you sense their power gathering? Are you ready to show them that they are not strong enough?"

The oni peered at Munashi for a moment, then rose its claw to the sky. For a moment, Munashi wondered if perhaps this creature was more than he could control, if it would just kill him again and be done with it. It didn't really matter either way, he had accomplished his life's objective and would return to death once more with contentment. The claw buried itself in the street with a thunderous crash, only two dozen feet from where Munashi stood. The beast waited for a moment, then looked at the undead Crane. It seemed to be waiting.

"Ah," Munashi nodded. "I see. You want to take me with you. How sweet." He moved quickly to the oni's claw and found deep cracks to use as handholds. The oni lifted him into the sky and deposited the little man on its shoulder. The metal and stone flesh peeled itself open and let the Crane inside. Turning, it lumbered off into the city.

On the roof of a building nearby, Daidoji Eien was watching. He had been sensed Munashi's return to the city. He could follow the tsukai now, wherever he went. He had been preparing to kill him, before the oni came.

The plan had been adjusted.

Kin'Iro leapt into the sky, riding the wind as he followed the lurching shape of Oni no Yoritomo.

Though most of the city was dark, Golden Sun Studios shone as a beacon on the eastern edge of town. Between the studio's backup batteries and the magic of the Kitsu, the Lion had not surrendered feebly into darkness. The surviving samurai of other clans had gathered there as well, former family and clan distinctions forgotten. Peasant and eta survivors also huddled within Golden Sun's walls in great numbers, waiting for the next transport so they could be evacuated to the Huburbs. Groups of soldiers from all the clans still patrolled the dying city, hunting the dark creatures or searching for refugees.

In the studio itself, tensions were high. In a board room once used to plan future television seasons, the de facto leaders of the clans had gathered. The initial assault against the oni had been disastrous. The Crab and Lion had been lucky to walk away at all. Now they were planning their next move.

Matsu Gohei sat at the head of the table, his face folded in a sour expression as a young medic tended his wound. His expression seemed to be a mix of pain and resentment for his current Crane and Crab allies. Kitsu Jurin sat near him, paging through Yoritomo Kenjin's journal. Her eyes were dark with exhaustion, and she seemed to nod off from time to time as she searched the volume. Argcklt, the zokujin, hovered by her side. He did seem at all tired though he had not slept in two days. Akodo Daniri filled out the Lion contingent, having remained in the city after sending his other companions to the Huburbs. He paced back and forth across the chamber, his long, tattered coat swirling in his path.

Isawa Kujimitsu and his yojimbo sat midway along the table, representing the Phoenix. The Master of Water and his troops had actually escaped the city, and fought their way back inside at the behest of Phoenix Champion Sumi. Now Sumi had chosen to explore the city and see what she could learn. The other four Elemental Masters and Matsu Chieko, Gohei's second in command, had accompanied her. Kujimitsu seemed nervous, pensive, as he worried for his absent comrades and daimyo.

In an unlikely turn of events, Iuchi Razul, eccentric daimyo of the Iuchi family, represented the Unicorn. The little man wore thick glasses and a dark black bandanna. He sat across from Kujimitsu, busily tinkering with a piece of circuit board. After the tragedy of Shinjo Tower, he seemed to be the ranking Unicorn in the city. He was doing his best to command the remnants of the Unicorn, though he was quite unused to having others listening to him. If it was any consolation, he had few followers, as only the Mantis had sustained more casualties in the city than the Unicorn.

Doji Kamiko sat at the far end of the table, garbed in the blue plasteel armor of a Dojicorp guardsman, her short dyed brown hair tied back in a severe ponytail. Her presence as the new leader of the Crane forces had been a surprise, though a welcome one. The Daidoji soldiers that had laid siege to Golden Sun not twenty-four hours before now held the walls with their Lion enemies against the dark creatures outside.

Hida Yasu and Hiruma Hayato rounded out the group. The two Crabs were even more heavily armed and armored than Gohei. They both stood near the window, watching the city, watching the movement of the great oni carefully.

No one represented the Scorpion, and no Mantis survivors had yet been found.

"Nothing like an oni to screw up a perfectly good Bon Festival," Hida Yasu observed. The sighed deeply, arms folded before his thick chest as he watched the oni rampage through the city. For once, the Crab's heavy armor and weapons made him seem the rule, and not the exception.

"Maybe if you Crabs had not allied with Doji Meda against the Emperor, this would not have happened," Matsu Gohei growled from where he waited nearby. He grunted as the young medic put another stitch into his side. She did her work quickly and quietly, all the while doing her best to pretend she wasn't sewing up the side of one of the most dangerous men in Rokugan.

"Oh, yeah, that's the way that works," Hiruma Hayato replied. "When you kick the people who fight the Shadowlands out of your city, that's when you stop having problems with six hundred foot oni. I thought it was the other way around. Sorry, Gohei. My bad."

"Stop it. You're acting like children," Doji Kamiko said sharply. "Jurin is trying to read."

The Lion shugenja nodded her thanks and returned her attention to the weathered journal of Yoritomo Kenjin. Yasu and Hayato nodded at Kamiko and returned to their vigil. Matsu Gohei gave the Crane a long steady stare. Kamiko looked back at him fearlessly. Inwardly, she was furious. If Gohei said another word about her father, she didn't plan on being as polite as the Crabs. She wasn't sure what she would do. Gohei's lip twitched and he turned away, not wanting to inspire further conflict in a situation already gone terribly wrong.

"Is that book really getting us anywhere?" Akodo Daniri asked.

"Reading is fundamental, Lion," Iuchi Razul commented mildly.

"Funny," Daniri said tonelessly. The actor paced from one end of the room to the other, an annoyed expression creasing his face. "Have you even found anything in that book to help us? Mom said she read that old book a half dozen times and never saw anything in it about an oni."

"Prophecies tend to be vague and symbolic, Daniri," Kujimitsu added. "I do not doubt your mother's word, but perhaps there was something in it that she missed. After all, to her it was not prophecy. It was merely a family heirloom, correct?"

"Exactly," Gohei nodded. "And I will take the analysis of the Master of Water trained sodan-senzo above that of a heimin nothing. Which reminds me. Why is this ronin still here? Why was he not evacuated to the Huburbs with the rest of the nonessential personnel?"

"The thirteen foot mecha he drives makes him essential in my book," Yasu shrugged.

"I tend to agree, nodded Isawa Kujimitsu. The stocky Master of Water leaned back in his chair. "You must put your personal grudges aside, Gohei-sama. Akodo is a powerful weapon, and a boon to our defense forces."

Gohei's lip twitched as the medic pulled another stitch through. "Akodo once said that a weapon in the hands of a fool is a threat to no one but its wielder," the Lion Champion said. "Words to live by for a War Machine pilot, as War Machines seem to have a way of falling into the hands of fools."

Hayato scowled at Gohei. Yasu shrugged and looked back out the window. Daniri stopped pacing and turned to face the Lion Clan Champion. He shook his head slowly, his face livid with anger. "What the hell is your problem, Matsu?" he demanded. "If you have something to say to me, come right out and say it."

Gohei looked Daniri in the eyes. "If you think the coincidence of your relation to Ikoma Genju makes you more of a Lion in my eyes, think again. Our clan is built on more than blood. When you proclaimed yourself a Lion, you knew it was a lie. Our clan is built on nobility, honor, honesty. None of these mean anything to one such as you, and I would not enter into battle at the side of such a coward."

Daniri took another step toward Gohei, leaning close to the Lion Champion till they were face to face. "Then I guess you'd better do something about it," he replied. "Because damn it, there's no way I'm going to sit back here and let that thing destroy the city." Gohei sat forward slightly and scowled, nearly putting himself nose to nose with Daniri. Yasu looked over with mild interest.

"For the Fortunes, please!" Kitsu Jurin pounded one fist on the table. "Is any of this solving anything? Do you think that Oni no Yoritomo will care one whit whether your pride is intact when he devours us all? Is your dislike for one another so intense that you must drive me insane exactly when I'm trying to find a way to stop this damned catastrophe?!?"

"Hey, I shut up when you asked me the first time," Yasu said, looking back out the window. "Some people just don't listen."

"Yasu," Kamiko said in a warning tone.

Gohei rose from his seat, forcing Daniri to quickly step backward. "Jurin, you are right. I am not a man to whom apology comes lightly, but I am sorry." He turned to Daniri. "We shall finish this later, ronin," he said quietly. He delivered a wicked sneer at the Crabs, nodded to the Unicorn and Phoenix, ignored Kamiko, and exited the room. His medic gathered her tools and supplies and hurried after him.

"What's wrong with that guy?" Daniri asked. "He's wound way too tight."

"I know the type," Yasu nodded. "Some people like to think that the world is their restaurant and everybody else is a stupid waiter."

Argcklt looked up at the Crab. "What does that mean?"

Yasu paused for a moment. "I really don't know," Yasu said. "I was kind of hoping nobody would ask me to analyze it."

"I think I got it," Iuchi Razul nodded vaguely.

"For my part, I thank the Fortunes that Shiba still chooses my clan's leaders," Isawa Kujimitsu said. "Is Matsu Gohei really qualified to be leading our forces?"

"As surprising as it may sound, he's a very qualified and capable leader," Jurin replied. "Off the battlefield, his temper often gets the better of him. He's being remarkably restrained, I would say. Were it not for our mutual need to work with one another, I do not think he would stop at words. Daniri, Kamiko, Yasu, you know that he holds all of you in very low esteem for various reasons."

Hayato shrugged. "Yasu is pretty used to disappointing people." Yasu looked at the scout.

"I'm sorry, but I could care less," Kamiko replied. "It's obvious more than ever now that my father had his reasons when he attacked the Emperor. If Gohei can't see that, then I don't think he's the sort of person who should be leading the Lion."

"He knows," Jurin replied. "Believe me, he recognizes more keenly than anyone the sacrifices his position has required of him and the mistakes he has made. One of the first things I found in this journal was the list of events that must transpire before Jigoku could awaken. Primary among them it said that the Palace gates must fall three times. It was Gohei himself who sundered the gates the second time. That makes him just as responsible for what transpires now as your father, the Crab, or anyone else. How do you think that makes him feel?"

"I really don't care how he feels," Kamiko said flatly.

"Wait," Yasu shook his head slightly and pointed one thumb out the window at the oni. "How are the Crabs responsible for that again?"

"We are all responsible, Crab," Isawa Kujimitsu said sternly. "We saw the signs. Munashi rose to power all too quickly. What we mistook for mere ambition was something far worse. Now the Emperor is paying the price for our foolishness."

"Wait," Kamiko said, turning quickly to Kujimitsu. "Are you saying that it's possible Kameru is still alive?"

"It's not just possible," Razul answered. "It's obvious. An oni needs a human name from which to draw its power. If the human dies, the oni ceases to grow any stronger. From the way that creature is growing out there, I think it's a good bet that Yoritomo VII is very much alive, though probably not well."

"You know a lot about oni, for a Unicorn," Hayato said.

"I read a lot," Razul shrugged, and returned to his soldering. "It was sort of a fun hobby of mine, till I found out it was all real. Now it's not fun anymore."

"We have to find the Emperor," Kamiko said resolutely. She moved to the window between the Crabs, staring out at the burning city.

"Damn!" Jurin cursed, hitting the table with her fist again.

"What's wrong, Jurin-san?" Kujimitsu asked.

"The journal," she replied. "The pages are so weathered it's hard to read many of the sections. The parts I can read are the worst sort of prophetic gibberish. Even a Dragon couldn't sort out a good deal of these ramblings, and the ones I have managed to decipher have already come to pass. There's no order, rhyme, or reason to it. If there's a way to destroy the oni in here, then I fear we won't find it in time."

"Is it really that hopeless?" Kamiko asked.

"I admit, I feel the same," Kujimitsu replied. "I only perused the journal briefly, but it seems as if there is little of use to be found therein. I think perhaps we should begin considering other avenues to solve this problem."

"Perhaps once Sumi and the other Masters return they will be able to shed more light upon it?" Kamiko asked.

"I could take a look at it if you want," Razul offered. Looking up halfway from the table.

"Doubtful," Kujimitsu replied, ignoring the Unicorn. Razul shrugged and returned to his work. "The Soul of Shiba perhaps may know something, and indeed that is what Sumi hopes to discover by examining the oni personally. As for the other Masters, while they are loyal and brave, they are inexperienced. I do not believe they could offer much insight that the rest of us could not. I just hope that they return safely."

"Matsu Chieko knows what she is doing," Jurin replied. "Sumi and the others are in good hands."

"So, barring some discovery on Sumi's part, what do we do?" Kamiko asked. "We should form a plan. Have we heard anything from any of the other clans?"

Kujimitsu shook his head slowly. "There are only a handful of Mantis alive in the city. The Scorpion remain silent as well. Caves are a natural magnet for negative chi, so it is very possible that creatures from Jigoku are spilling out into their underground neighborhoods in great numbers.

"Doubt it," Razul said, not looking up.

Kujimitsu looked at the Unicorn. "Any particular reason you come to that conclusion?"

"Scorpions are big into geomancy," Razul answered. "They hired out a bunch of my relatives to help feng shui the tunnels to hell and back, no pun intended. For a bunch of caves, the Scorp quarter is a practical gold mine of positive chi. They're probably doin' just fine."

"So the Scorpions were prepared for something like this," Hayato commented. "Should I be surprised?"

"So we just need to contact them," Kamiko nodded. What about outside the city? Have we heard anything"

"Very little," Kujimitsu answered. "The troops in the Huburbs are occupied transporting the refugees to safety. Every clan has promised to send in more manpower as soon as possible, but it will be hours at best before anything noticeable arrives. We can only depend upon what we have now - Gohei's soldiers, your Dojicorp guardsmen, my own Shiba bushi, Razul's handful of Unicorn, and the Crabs in Kyuden Hida. By my estimations, we are outnumbered at least six to one, not counting the oni. Hopefully Sumi will have some hopeful news to offer when she returns."

"Damn," Kamiko swore. "Is there anything that can hurt that oni? Yasu?"

"Did you try jade?" Razul offered. "I heard that works."

Yasu gave the Unicorn a withering gaze, then turned back to Kamiko. "Oni don't really exist in this world. That's why a lot of them can't be hurt by things that are of this earth. Think of it like a guy on the other side of a shoji screen, sticking a blade through the wall. On your side of the wall, you can only get at the blade. Knock it out of the way, and he'll just stick another one through. Does that make sense?"

"It's a better metaphor than the last one, anyway," Kamiko answered. "So what do we do? How do you stick your own blade through the screen, so to speak?"

"Well, that's exactly it," Yasu replied. "You need to a weapon that exists on both sides of the screen. Crystal, jade, and magic are the best bets. Obsidian is a little less dependable. Those sorts of things exist in every spiritual realm, so they can usually hurt oni."

"Usually?" Kamiko replied.

"Well, there are limits," Yasu answered, turning and leaning against the pane of the window. "Just like in this world, some folks are tougher than others. Sometimes, crystal, jade, and magic aren't enough. Those missiles that we fired at Yoritomo have a pretty good mix of all three, and we didn't even leave a dent."

"The oni is strong in Ningen-do," Argcklt nodded. "I can sense its presence. It draws from the name of the Empire itself. The spirits are afraid. The longer it stays, the more afraid they become. They fear that they will become absorbed into its corruption as it spreads its influence across the Empire. With each moment that passes, the magic in Otosan Uchi weakens and we have less a chance of banishing it to its own world."

"That's disheartening news," Kamiko sighed, returning into a chair and stroking her chin with one hand. "Yasu. What do you recommend?"

"You're asking me?" Yasu asked, eyebrows raising in surprise.

"You're the senior Seeker here, aren't you?" she replied archly .

"I'm just surprised somebody noticed," he replied. "Well, I recommend we evacuate. I could have the Kyuden send out more subs to pull away the rest of our personnel."

"Yasu, what are you saying?" Daniri said sharply. "You actually want to abandon Otosan Uchi?"

Yasu shrugged. "Hey, this isn't about what I want. If I got to do everything I wanted to do, I'd be playing fullback for the Architects. I don't know if you've noticed, Danny, but the Imperial City has seen better days. I know when to cut my losses. From the bay, we could blitz the city long range with the Kyuden's long range weapons. It wouldn't do much about that oni, but it would take care of the rest of the things crawling up out of the woodwork. I guarantee you that."

"What about the survivors still hiding in the city?" Razul asked.

"It's not a plan I like," Yasu admitted. "But it's a plan I could live with, if it worked."

"I do not think it would work," Argcklt said. "You could kill a few creatures, yes, but the rift to Jigoku is wide and getting wider. With each creature you slay, a dozen more will rise. You do not have enough bullets, Crab, to destroy what follows in the wake of this creature."

"You wanna bet?" Yasu asked.

Daniri blinked. "Did you call me 'Danny'?"

"The portal must be closed," Argcklt said. "We must find the path the oni took into this world, and close it."

"Wait," Daniri said, holding one hand out as he paused his pacing. "You mentioned something about the oni feeding off of the Emperor."

"That's right," Kujimitsu said. "That's how an oni-binding typically works."

"So is there any way to break the link?" Daniri asked. "Is there any way to cut it off from the Emperor so that it stops getting any more powerful?"

Kujimitsu looked at Yasu. The Crab returned the gaze gravely, and then nodded.

"Only one," Iuchi Razul said, not looking up from his work. "Kill Yoritomo VII."

"Wait," Kamiko interrupted. "What are you saying here? Are you saying that we kill Kameru?"

"We're weighing our options, Kamiko," Daniri replied. "Look at what's going on out there. That oni is killing thousands, maybe millions of people. Heck, I like the Emperor, but if he's gotta go to save the city, then I'm not afraid to do it."

"He is still the Emperor," Kitsu Jurin said, a hint of outrage in our voice. "We cannot murder the Emperor."

"That's debatable," Yasu replied. "I think Prince Yo-Kam stopped being the Emperor when he summoned up the giant bug."

"We don't know that Kameru had anything to do with it," Kamiko retorted.

"That's not precisely true," Kujimitsu interrupted mildly. "The summoning of an oni requires voluntary surrender of one's identity. A name cannot be stolen. It cannot be coerced with magic. It must be freely given."

"I don't believe this!" Kamiko exclaimed, turning toward Kujimitsu. "Master, are you agreeing with them?"

"I am not agreeing with anything," Kujimitsu replied with a shake of his head. "I am merely stating the facts. It is entirely possible Munashi could have extracted the Emperor's name through torture. We simply do not know all of the facts. Either way, what we do with the Emperor is a redundant question. We do not currently know where the Emperor is. If we knew where he was, I am not entirely certain what decision I would make. The Emperor is more than a man. He is the Empire. That is why Munashi targeted him in the first place, and why we are here now. If I were given the choice, I do not know if I could murder an Emperor. For any reason."

Hayato looked out the window, then back at Kujimitsu. "Onitomo just ate another office building. Office buildings that size have day care centers. If that's not reason enough for you to pull the trigger, it's enough for me."

"I'm sorry, but I'm with the Crabs on this," Daniri said after a long pause.

The doors of the conference room opened, and the thin figure of Kitsu Tono silently entered. He was always a nervous man, but looked even more so know. He quickly folded his hands to stop them from shaking, composing himself as he addressed the men and women who had gathered to decide the fate of Otosan Uchi.

"I have news," he said simply, and bowed to the assembly.

"We are eager to hear it, Kitsu-san," Kamiko replied. "Please, do not stand on formality."

"Of course," he nodded. "We have news from the Scorpion. Bayushi Oroki has made contact. He reports that the population of the Scorpion Quarter has been safely relocated to Bayushi's Labyrinth. It is uncertain how long the caves will remain stable, but he claims that the people will be more than adequately sheltered in the reinforced tunnels beneath the park."

"Oroki," Daniri sneered. "Why am I not surprised he found a way to slither out of this?"

"That is not all," Tono replied. "Oroki also reports that he has a force of thirty Bayushi Shadow hovercraft, two hundred armored Enforcers, twelve shugenja, and two War Machines ready to join us in whatever attack we have prepared. He is merely awaiting our reply."

"Two War Machines?" Yasu replied in surprise. "Where in Jigoku did a Scorpion get any War Machines?"

"Two plus two equals four," Razul said blandly. "Guess who's been looking over your shoulder?"

Isawa Kujimitsu smiled. "I have some experience with Oroki," he replied. "He's not a man to underestimate, by any stretch of the imagination. I would count his assistance as a considerable asset, whatever the odds stacked against us."

"Fine," Kamiko nodded. "Tell Oroki-san to rendezvous with us as soon as he can safely do so. Is that all, Tono?"

"Um... not quite," Tono replied. "I don't know exactly how to explain this... but you have a visitor."

"What?" Kamiko looked confused. "A visitor? What do you mean?"

"It's not his fault," came a man's voice from the hall. "I admit I expedited matters somewhat by using my magic to confuse this poor man. If I had waited until those Lions trusted me enough to let me through to talk to you, I'd be all night waiting to get in here and by then it would be too late." A tall gaijin with pure white hair and a matching white suit strolled into the room, hands in his pockets. Yasu quickly drew a large pistol and pointed it at the man's head. Kamiko put one hand on the sword at her belt.

"Oracle?" Argcklt said, eyes growing even wider. "This man means no harm. This man is an Oracle!"

"Hi, Jared," Iuchi Razul said cheerfully.

"You know this guy?" Daniri asked quickly.

"We had coffee a few times," Razul replied. "I didn't know he was an Oracle, though. Just knew him as some wacky gaijin millionaire."

"Surprise," Carfax answered. "Please, Yasu-san," the man said, raising one hand to display the glowing kanji of Thunder to the menacing Crab. "As the zokujin said, I mean no harm. I am Jared Carfax, Oracle of Thunder."

"An Oracle?" Kamiko replied. "That's ridiculous. There isn't any such thing as an Oracle."

"And before my arrival here I scarcely believed that there existed a woman as strong, beautiful, and charismatic as yourself, Lady Kamiko," Carfax said with an exaggerated bow. "And yet, here we are, adjusting our concepts of reality accordingly."

"Sumi mentioned encountering the Oracles," Kujimitsu said. "Were you one of them?"

Carfax nodded. "Sumi. Also quite an extraordinary woman. In the midst of a bit of an identity crisis, but perfectly understandable under the circumstances."

Kamiko rose an eyebrow. "What do you want from us?"

"What do I want?" Carfax asked. "I don't want a thing. This isn't about me. I'm here to help you find the Emperor." Carfax glanced around the room for a moment, squinting in thought. "I must confess, however, I'm a bit confused. I expected to find more than three of you here."

Hayato glanced around the room, then back at Carfax. "Three?" he asked. "There are ten people in here."

Carfax looked quickly at Hayato. "Hm?" he asked, as if suddenly entering the conversation. "What was that? I'm sorry, I was thinking about something else." He turned to Kitsu Jurin. "I see you have found the journal already. That should save me some work."

"You mentioned the Emperor," Jurin said, closing the book and tucking it under one arm as she rose from her seat. "You said that you would help us find him."

"Yes," Carfax nodded.

"Are you here to help us save him, or help us kill him?" Kamiko asked.

"That's not my decision," Carfax shrugged. "Though I would prefer you didn't kill him. You might need him later."

"You aren't making a great deal of sense," Kamiko said.

"Sorry," Carfax apologized. "It comes with the territory. Oracles are obscure. It's how we work. Anyway, I'm here to help you. You have only to ask me a question. Well, some of you can't ask me any questions, but I'll deal with that on a case by case basis. I would explain why but it's very complicated. For example, I believe it is high time you evacuated Golden Sun Studios. Oni no Yoritomo has decided its time to put you out of its misery. It will be here in minutes."

In the distance, the oni's roar grew closer. The ground began to shake.

On top of an abandoned office building rested a small helicopter. Though one side was embossed with the Phoenix mon, the vehicle was not bright and fiery as typical for the clan. Instead, the helicopter was painted in dark tones of black and grey. The Phoenix were a proud clan, but they were also a practical one. This vehicle was designed for infiltration. The blades whirred silently. The pilot was ready at any time to leap back into the sky and be gone. Barely a mile away, the lumbering shape of the great oni could be seen over the tops of broken buildings. Two men and four women stood at the edge of the building, watching the creature carefully.

One of them was Sumi, daimyo of the Phoenix. She held the ancestral blade of her clan in both hands, concentrating upon the eternal wisdom of the Soul of Shiba. It offered no more help than it had when she had first seen the creature.

"I am Shiba," came the voice from deep within the sword. "I fought beside my brothers and sisters against the armies of Fu Leng, but never have I seen a creature such as this. Only once did I encounter anything that even remotely compared..."

"Only once?" Sumi replied within her thoughts. "Tell me."

There was a long pause. "At the end of the war against the Dark Brother," the blade replied. "When I defied Shinsei's edict and rode out alone to assist the Thunders. I saw a creature that compared to this, though it was not so large and the destruction it wrought was not so terrible. Shinsei said that the creature was the First Oni, the beast who opened the gates between our world and Jigoku at Fu Leng's command."

"How did you defeat it?" Sumi replied.

There was another long pause. "I am not sure that I defeated it. I left it wounded. It left me dead."

Sumi sighed and replaced the blade in its saya. Matsu Chieko, Gohei's assistant and sub-commander of the Lion, was watching her with an earnest expression.

"Did you learn anything more?" she asked.

"Nothing," Sumi replied.

"Maybe we should go, then?" Isawa Hideyoshi said, shivering slightly as he watched the oni. "Before it gets any more dangerous?"

Asako Jo laughed sharply. "I don't think that it gets more dangerous than this."

Chieko shook her head slightly and grinned. "You're young. Don't kid yourself. Things can always get worse."

Sumi closed her eyes again, allowing the power of her magic to flow through her. "Reach out to the kami," she said in soft voice. "See if they have noticed anything that we have not."

The others nodded. Chieko took a few steps back and folded her arms - she was not a shugenja, and knew well enough to get out of the way when magic was about. The new Council of Masters and the Phoenix champion fell deep into meditation, reaching out into the spirits around them. After mere moments, the five of them suddenly snapped back to themselves.

"Did you sense that?" asked Okiku, the new Master of Air.

"I'm not sure what it was," Hideyoshi said evasively.

"Not sure?" Jo replied, "or you don't want to be sure. It looked obvious enough to me."

"That's not possible," Shiba Natsumi hissed. "That couldn't be possible." She looked to Sumi. "Is it?"

"The spirits don't lie," Sumi replied. "The kami don't, at least. The entire city has become Tainted. Otosan Uchi is becoming a new Shadowlands."

"Fortunes!" Chieko exclaimed. "If that's true, then we'll be corrupted if we remain here too long."

"Not for a few more days," Hideyoshi said. "Still, it's not healthy to linger. We've either got to find a way to undo the corruption, or get out of here."

"I don't think that the oni is going to give us a few more days," Sumi said. "It still seems to be recovering from that cloud of... whatever that it coughed earlier. As soon as it's at full strength again, no doubt it will return to stamping the city flat."

"I don't think we should be here when that happens," Hideyoshi said, burying his hands in his pockets and shivering.

"I agree," Matsu Chieko added, stepping forward again. "I think we need to report what we've learned to Matsu Gohei and the others."

"I'm with the esteemed Master of Earth and Chieko-san," Shiba Natsumi said, pulling her long coat tight about her shoulders. "I have a bad feeling about being so close to that oni. We should return to Golden Sun. Sumi-sama, what do you think?"

Sumi was lost in thought, looking at the black mantis silhouette that hovered above the buildings, remembering a time long ago, before she had been born.

A kami's blood spilled upon the earth... There's nothing quite so surprising as seeing your own blood, especially when you thought you were immortal... The old man and the girl are still standing... their eyes full of pain and regret... Everything will be all right now... They will escape... The Black Scrolls will be sealed away, and Fu Leng has been defeated at last...

There is no victory without sacrifice...

"Sumi-sama?" Natsumi repeated, her voice worried.

"Eh?" Sumi turned quickly. "Oh. Yes. I agree," she nodded. "There's nothing more we can learn here."

The six of them turned and crossed the roof. The pilot sighed in relief, eager to be leaving. A flash of light to the south caught Sumi's eye, and she stopped.

"Sumi-sama?" asked Isawa Okiku, glancing back at her. "Is there something wrong?" Okiku and the others were already on board the helicopter, save Chieko who had her pistol ready as she watched the sky for any sign of attack.

"There's something over there," Sumi said, pointing toward the south as she climbed into the helicopter. Chieko boarded behind her, climbing into the cockpit beside the pilot. "Good," Hideyoshi said. "Let's not go that way, then."

Sumi shook her head. "No," she said. "This is important. We have to go check it out."

"My brother..." spoke the sword's voice in Sumi's mind. "He has returned, though he is different... he is always different... more mutable than Bayushi, that one..."

The pilot looked back at her. "Are you sure, Sumi-sama?" he asked. "We don't have a whole lot of fuel left, and the city is dangerous..."

"Do it," Sumi said, her voice echoing with the power of the Soul. "Take us there, now."

The pilot stared at her for a moment, stunned. "Yes, Sumi-sama," he said quickly.

The helicopter rose swiftly from the surface of the roof, it's powerful tetsukami-enhanced engines making no sound. It turned sharply against the buffeting wind of the dying city, swooping down between the wrecked buildings and soaring toward the streets below. The sounds of explosions drew closer, punctuated by the occasional throaty roar.

"Sounds like there's some sort of fight going on over there," Chieko said grimly.

"Around that corner," Sumi pointed. The pilot nodded and pulled back the throttle to increase speed. The helicopter veered around the corner toward the sounds of combat.

"Well," Chieko said. "There's something you don't see every day."

The streets crawled with tiny black creatures, and a handful of significantly larger ones. An army of goblins and minor oni swarmed toward one central point, the intersection of two streets. In the midst of the creatures stood two figures. One was an enormous man in armor of gleaming emerald and burnished gold, wielding a fiery sword in either hand. At his back stood a small woman in robes of dark green hemmed with scarlet. Her eyes and hands glowed with white energy as she hurled flaming bolts of magic into the attacking swarm. The countless Shadowlands beasts obviously wanted nothing more than to destroy the pair, but they could not get close. The man and woman stood upon a heap of fallen goblins and other foul creatures. Their shoulders were sagging from exhaustion, but they fought on.

"What in Jigoku is that?" Hideyoshi remarked. "Who are those people?"

"They look like Dragons," Jo said, leaning close to the window for another look.

Hideyoshi frowned. "There aren't any Dragons."

"Apparently there are two," Sumi retorted. The Phoenix champion pushed open the side door, filling the cabin with swirling wind. Tying one seat strap tightly about her arm, she leapt out onto the skid. The pilot glanced back and was about to say something, but thought the better of it when he saw the look in Sumi's eyes.

"SHIBA!" she shouted, holding one hand to the sky as she summoned the power of the fire spirits. A bolt of raw white flame cascaded from the clouds, tearing into the demon mob. The two Dragons looked upward, startled. Their eyes met Sumi's, and something passed between them before the demons rallied and they were overwhelmed by combat once more.

"Brother," said the voice from within the sword again. "Only threads remain, but the threads are still Togashi..."

"Get us down there!" Sumi cried. "We have to get them out of there!"

"I'll try, the pilot answered," the pilot shouted back.

"You'll do it, damn it," she called back. "Or you'll answer to me. Masters, see what you can do about getting the two of them some backup."

"Here?" Jo asked. "You want us to cast a complicated ritual magic inside a speeding helicopter in a Tainted city?"

Sumi looked back at the Master of Void, and nodded once. "You're the Elemental Masters, aren't you? Earn the name."

"Right," Jo replied. "Let's get to it, then."

The four Elemental Masters locked hands and fell deep into meditation. The helicopter circled the battle, trying to get closer without being smashed into the street by the bizarre wind currents that tore through the city. Chieko pointed her pistol through the side window, firing off several shots into the crowd surrounding the Dragons. The elements thickened as the Masters began their spell, and a sudden change came over the scene below.

Many of the creatures stumbled and fell, as if the earth beneath their feet was unwilling to hold their weight. Some staggered, clutching their throat, the air torn from their lungs. A sudden clap of thunder sounded in the sky and rain began to pelt the things below, causing them to slip and fall as they struggled to climb the mounds of dead. Fires erupted despite the rain, columns of spontaneous flame that consumed the goblins and oni. Though there were only four Elemental Masters present, four was more than enough to turn the elements against the creatures of Jigoku.

The helicopter swooped lower, passing only a dozen feet above the two Dragons. It turned to circle around again. The large, armored Dragon seemed to realize their intent. He sheathed his wakizashi and wrapped his arm around his companion. He fought one handed as she continued to hurl her magic at their enemies. When the helicopter passed another time, he sheathed his katana, crouched, and leaped. The helicopter heaved clumsily at the sudden weight as the Dragon caught the vehicle's skid. Sumi grabbed the Dragon's arm. She knew she didn't have the strength to pull the huge man inside - he seemed almost nine feet tall! - but she refused to let him go nonetheless. The pilot prayed out loud as he struggled to maintain control of the vehicle. A building loomed suddenly before them. It was too close, too fast, there was no way they could turn in time.

And then there was nothing before them but sky. Far below them, they could hear the frustrated screams and pained yelps of the horde. In only an instant, they had ascended over a hundred feet.

"What?" Chieko asked, looking about in surprise.

"Please," said Isawa Okiku, Master of Air, as she massaged her temples with both hands. "Don't make me do that again. Just get us back to Golden Sun so I can find some aspirin and a nice, soft floor to pass out on."

Something was different about the city tonight. Was it the people screaming in terror, running here and there as if their lives depended on it? Was it the huddled, bloody shapes in the gutters, remnants of those that did not run quite fast enough? Perhaps it was the smoke, the haze of fire and darker things that hung impenetrably over everything. Maybe it was the lack of electricity - the once bright city now rendered a dark pit. Perhaps it was the enormous oni that stood above the skyline at the center of Otosan Uchi, roaring its stolen name in defiance of all that exists.

No, it was none of that.

Omar Massad knew what was different about the city.

For the first time since he'd arrived here, he was really having a fantastic time. Oh, not that he hadn't had fun while he was here. Massad had never been the sort to let a good time pass by unappreciated. The Senpet Invasion was an exciting time and he had enjoyed his short tenure with the Locust. Those were good times, but he hadn't really enjoyed himself to the fullest. A certain pall of uncertainty had hung over all of it. The whole time, Massad had felt like a stranger in a strange land. He wasn't certain if he would find a place to fit in. The nagging need to find a niche hung in the back of his head the whole time, ruining his true enjoyment of his time in the city.

Not any more. For the first time, he felt really free. He didn't have any worries, any concerns. He could do anything he wanted.

Omar took a deep breath, letting the city air fill his lungs. He could taste the usual filth and pollution, mixed in with a taint of a different kind. He could taste the fear - here, there, and everywhere. He could sense a great change on the horizon.

He could hear goblins.

Massad opened his eyes and looked around. A young woman in a torn dress stood in the center of the nearby intersection, flailing about with a stout wooden beam. Five or six warped, tiny creatures surrounded her like jackals, each nipping in with their claws and backing away as she faced them, seeking opportunity.

Massad had always admired the jackal. Such a noble animal. It was one of the few animals that realized the way the world truly worked. It didn't matter how others regarded you, as long as you were the last one standing. He turned and walked toward the intersection with a measured pace, humming gently to himself as he watched the spectacle.

The girl lifted her beam high, bringing it down on the nearest goblin's head with a wet crushing sound. The other goblins scampered several paces back as their fellow was killed, reappraising the situation. The girl screamed and lunged at the nearest one. It cackled and danced out of her way.

"Excuse me," Massad called, leaning against a light post as he fished a cigarette from his pocket. "How are you all doing this fine evening?"

The goblins turned and peered at Massad curiously. The girl looked at him blankly as well. "I don't know what you're saying," she cried out, "but please help me!"

Massad frowned. He realized with a start that he hadn't been speaking Rokugani. He was feeling so at home here that he had slipped into his old manner of thinking, and had spoken his native tongue. He cursed himself for his lack of courtesy and tried again.

"I was just saying hello," Massad said, pulling a cigarette from the pack with his lips and fishing out the lighter he had found in the morgue. "Isn't it a lovely evening? You know, I don't usually go for Rokugani women, but you're looking mighty fine. What's your name, sweetheart? Why don't we ditch your friends and find a nice high building where we can watch the sun rise? If it ever rises, that is."

"What?" the woman asked, chest heaving as she stared incredulously at Massad. "What in Jigoku are you talking about? Are you insane?"

Massad shrugged and lit his cigarette, cupping the flame with one hand. "You have to admit," he answered. "You don't see this sort of thing every day."

"Kill!" one of the goblins screamed, pointing at Massad. The tiny pack turned and charged toward Omar, screaming and waving their claws in the air. The girl took advantage of their confusion and fled in the other direction.

Massad sighed. As much as he respected the goblins, he wasn't about to let them kill him. He had already died once this week. "Hey, kids?" he called to the shadows. "Why don't you give uncle Omar a hand?"

"Miiiine," came the moaning reply. Eight shambling figures staggered out onto the sidewalk, pathetic men and women with a pale green light in their eyes. Their skin was bruised and puckered from corruption. Most were wearing nothing but toe tags, just as Massad had found them in the morgue. A few were other refugees he had picked up along the way. The goblins shrieked and turned to run the other way, but the ghuls were already upon them. The air filled with grotesque chewing and ripping sounds. Usually, Massad would call his creations off by now, but this time he didn't. He knew that goblins wouldn't become ghuls - dead goblins stayed dead. He wasn't exactly sure how he knew that but he was as sure as he was alive right now.

Which meant he was mostly sure.

The ghuls finished and turned to their master, bits of black flesh and dark green blood dangling from their ragged lips. They waited for his next command. "Miiine," one commented.

"Let's go find that poor girl," he said to the ghuls. "In the state she's in, she might get into trouble if we don't track her down soon. I'm sure she would love to join us, we just have to convince her. What about you, Kaz? You think you can convince her?"

The undead truck driver stared at Omar Massad blankly.

"Ahh, the silent type," Massad chuckled. "It's all right, Kaz. I know how you feel about Fumi. You don't want to make her jealous." He rested one hand on Fumi's shoulder. Once, she had been a pretty young Shinjo desk clerk. Now she was a shambling thing with a chewed face. Kaz turned to stare at Fumi, then turned back to his master.

"But enough playing around," Massad said, patting them each on the cheek with one hand. "We've got work to do. Let's get cracking."

Massad pushed past the ghul pack and led the way down the street. They followed him, moving quickly and making no sound as their bare feet passed over the pavement. Massad smiled. Ghuls were far superior to Rokugani undead. The Diamond Empire's zombies were loud, clumsy, and stupid. In contrast, ghuls were quick, cunning, and utterly silent when they needed to be. As predators, they were far more efficient. Now that he was here, maybe he could start instituting some changes. Maybe in a few years, there wouldn't be any more zombies. They would all be obsolete, replaced by the more efficient ghul. If Massad was going to stay here, he'd make that his top priority.

Hida Tengyu watched the screens within Kyuden Hida impassively. He saw the great oni bear down on Golden Sun Studios. He watched the fires burn in its path. He could hear the soft rattle of automatic weapons fire as the samurai struggled to fight against its awesome power.

"No," the Crab daimyo said, rising from his seat.

Kaiu Toshimo looked over from his console. "Tengyu?" he replied curiously.

"It isn't right," he said with a shake of his head. "I don't care how damned important the Kyuden is. I don't care how difficult it was to build. This is what we've been waiting for. This is why the Crab exist. I'll be damned if I'm going to sit in the harbor while others die trying to fight that thing."

"Tengyu, we still don't know its vulnerabilities," Toshimo replied.

Tengyu looked at his engineer. "Do you think, perhaps, that its vulnerable to people who sit on their ass and do nothing?"

Toshimo frowned. "That's not what I'm implying, Tengyu. We-"

"Is that a no, then?" Tengyu asked.

Toshimo sighed, and nodded. He knew better than to debate when Tengyu got that look in his eye. "Yes, Tengyu-sama. That's a negative."

"Fine then," Tengyu answered. "Are the repairs complete? Have we fixed Mizu's sabotage?"

"Mostly," Toshimo answered in a hesitant voice. "Theoretically we can operate at full power, though I've never flown the Kyuden in such a condition."

"We're a clan of warriors, but this is our first real war," Tengyu answered. "Life is full of irony."

"Interesting times," Toshimo mused, nodding and wiping his bald head nervously. "Interesting times, indeed. I suppose the surest way to test a blade is to use it."

"Fine, then," Tengyu replied with a grim smile. "Let's do it. Communications, I want all the Kyuden's internal channels."

"Yes, sir," replied the communications officer.

"This is Hida Tengyu, daimyo of the Crab clan, Director of the Seekers, Commander of Kyuden Hida. All crew to battle stations. All pilots to your craft. Engineering, fire all engines. The Crab Clan leaves for Otosan Uchi in five minutes."

To Tengyu's surprise, he heard the sounds of cheering echo through the bowels of the Kyuden. The rest of the crew didn't like sitting around and doing nothing any more than he did. Why should they? Like him, they were Crabs. A Crab knew the value of patience, but a Crab also know when the time for waiting was over.

"They say to fight fire with fire," Kaiu Toshimo grumbled out loud as he quickly adjusted controls and looked over the Kyuden's instruments. "Why not fight a palace with a palace?"

"That's more the spirit," Tengyu replied.

The time for waiting was long since over.

Kyuden Hida came to life, its engines roaring to shame the voice of the great oni.

Inago Sekkou cursed as he peered around the corner. "Damn it all," he said quietly. "There are too many of them. We can't get close."

Kaibutsu attempted to step to the end of the alley and peer around as well, but Sekkou slapped him on the chin and pushed him back. "No, you lout," he said sharply. "You're not the stealthy, one, remember? If they see you, they'll be all over both of us. I should have figured they would be thick so close to the Palace. Or, rather, where the Palace would be if it wasn't stomping around Little Jigoku."

"Who will be all over both of us?" Kaibutsu asked, blinking his tiny eyes as he peered down at the much smaller Locust. "Kaibutsu only wanted to see."

"Goblins, undead, and a few... ogres," Sekkou said cautiously. "Hard to say, as I've never seen anything like them before. Except for in my nightmares and, of course, you."

"Ogres?" Kaibutsu asked, looking up toward the end of the alley. He chewed the air slowly, as if pondering. His large, flat nose sniffed the air tentatively.

"Yes, ogres," Sekkou answered. "Tell me, Kaibutsu. You're not feeling... strange, are you?"

Kaibutsu looked at Sekkou again. "Strange?" he asked.

"Different," Sekkou said. "Since the Taint broke out all over the city. You're still yourself, right? Still the same amiable oaf?"

Kaibutsu thought about it for several seconds. "Think so. Why? Sekkou wondering if Kaibutsu want to join other ogres, right?"

Sekkou folded his arms and nodded. "To be honest, yes," Sekkou nodded. "The thought crossed my mind. You're a Shadowlands beast. I was just curious as to whether you were rethinking your loyalties."

"Kaibutsu beast?" Kaibutsu replied.

"For heavens' sake, it's what your name means!" Sekkou snapped. "You don't think Inago took you in for your charming personality, do you?"

Kaibutsu chewed the air again, and looked toward the end of the alley. "Kaibutsu... confused," the ogre said. "Not certain what to think anymore. Ran away from family long time ago. Family wanted to eat Kaibutsu, and Locusts gave Kaibutsu home. Now... Kaibutsu hear voice. Voice calls Kaibutsu home... But Kaibutsu doesn't have a home... What is voice talking about?"

Sekkou took a step back. He put one hand in his pocket, where he happened to be carrying his last grenade. "And what do you think of that voice, Kaibutsu?" Sekkou asked. "Do you want to listen to it?"

Kaibutsu looked at Sekkou. "No," Kaibutsu said. "The voice says it is Kaibutsu's friend. But Kaibutsu only has two friends left - you and Jiro..."

"That's right, I'm your friend," Sekkou said calmly. "You try and remember that, whatever happens."

Kaibutsu paused. "The voice... hurts people. Kaibutsu does not want a friend that hurts people." Kaibutsu leaned against the wall and slid down, sitting on the ground and holding his head with his hands. "Confusing..."

"Kaibutsu, I hate to break it to you but I hurt people. A lot of people," Sekkou said, speaking carefully. "But I'm your friend." The Locust knew he was probably talking himself into trouble, but he couldn't lie to the ogre. Lies were for fools and tools of the Machine. "That was different," Kaibutsu answered. "Sekkou did not want to hurt people. Sekkou just wanted to break the chains of the all powerful Machine." Kaibutsu smiled broadly. "Kaibutsu helped."

"Er..." Sekkou blinked behind his helmet. "Yes, that's right, Kaibutsu." Sekkou was quite surprised that the ogre had actually paid attention to his revolutionary rhetoric.

"And Sekkou saved Kaibutsu," the ogre said, smiling up at the Locust.

Sekkou frowned. "No, you saved me," Sekkou corrected him. "Remember? When the tunnels collapsed?"

"No," Kaibutsu shook his head. "Sekkou saved Kaibutsu. When you took Kaibutsu with you instead of leaving with Daniri and Mitni and Jiro. Others would have gone to find army. Army would have killed Kaibutsu, because Kaibutsu is an ogre. You did not need to bring me. Sekkou plenty sneaky enough to take care of himself. But you brought Kaibutsu anyway."

Sekkou was silent for a moment. The thought had actually crossed his mind that the authorities would have killed Kaibutsu rather than listen to his story, though in actuality he had been trying to protect the ogre from Mitni's manipulations. The ogre was a lot more perceptive than he had given him credit. "You surprise me, Kaibutsu."

Kaibutsu smiled, showing large, sharp teeth. "How much time Sekkou need?" Kaibutsu asked.

Sekkou looked back at the ogre. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Kaibutsu looked at the end of the alley. "How much time Sekkou need to get to safehouse? To get what you're looking for?"

Sekkou shrugged and folded his arms. "A minute, maybe two, to cross the street and bypass the electronic pass code to get inside. Should be easy, with the power out and the systems running off of backups. If I could find a way to distract those beasts, I'd be fine. It's just a matter of-"

"Good luck, Sekkou," Kaibutsu said, standing and patting the smaller man on the shoulder. "Thank you for being friend."

Sekkou looked up at the ogre. "What?" he replied. "Kaibutsu, what are you talking about?"

"Go make distraction," Kaibutsu answered, charging to the end of the alley. "Give you a minute! Go save world!"

"Kaibutsu, wait!" Sekkou said, but it was too late. The ogre had already charged into the street beyond. Sekkou could hear the screams of the goblins and roars of the ogres as they saw the masked pit-fighter. They would be on him in seconds. The ogre had thrown his life away.

"DESTROY THE MACHINE!" Sekkou heard the ogre shout in defiance.

Kaibutsu had promised to give him a minute.

"Damn you, Kaibutsu," Sekkou growled.

Sekkou never wasted an opportunity. He darted into the shadows and ran for the safehouse as fast as he could.

The sound of trooping footsteps grew closer. A mob of stunted, squealing creatures scurried past. They wielded sticks, torches, and crude blades. A few of them had guns. Goblins. They dressed in ragged, bloody clothing scavenged from corpses or in nothing at all. Their eyes glinted red in the unnatural darkness. Smiles full of sharp white teeth gleamed in every mouth. They moved as a group, pushing and shoving one another as they went. Their leader was larger than the rest. He did not smile, and his eyes gleamed a dull green. He carried an automatic rifle in his claws. Even as the goblins fought among themselves, they obeyed their leader without question, following where he bid.

Zin knew the creature for what it was. It was no goblin, but an oni in the form of a goblin. The Naga called them goblin kings. They controlled the lesser goblins, gave a cruel purpose to the otherwise mindless and chaotic hordes of Fu Leng. Now it was leading a group into the city to cause more death and destruction.

They had not noticed her. She could remain hiding and they would move right past her, one less obstacle in her path as she hunted the Kashrak.

The Akasha had called her the Cure.

These goblins were a disease if she had ever seen one.

She moved with the speed of a snake and struck before the goblins could notice her, twin blades intersecting the throat of the goblin king. The wretched creature merely looked surprised as its head toppled from its shoulders. Its stunted body collapsed to the broken road, dead.

The goblin pack howled in surprise and fury, but Zin was already among them, cleaving with the pearl blades. Her movements were punctuated by flashes of white and black as the daggers carved their way through the goblin ranks. The goblins attempted to fight back at first, but they were no match for her without the goblin king's guidance. The survivors shrieked in terror and scattered. Zin did not bother to pursue. As individuals, the goblins were harmless. She had a greater purpose tonight. She flicked her wrists to clean the blades of their corrupted ichor and continued down the street. She felt satisfied.

This was only the beginning. Tonight, the city would be cleansed. The Akasha would be purified. She could sense a growing power in the west; the Naga were awakening. She did not know what had changed, what had caused them to rise from their slumber so soon, but she knew she had little time left. She needed to kill Kashrak, tonight, or many more Naga would die.

She would never be more prepared than she was right now.

Zin's footsteps receded down the street.

After a moment, Ichiro Chobu ducked out of the shadows and followed her. He stopped to pick up the goblin king's rifle, and hurried on.

The earth shook, and the oni's roar shattered the sky again. The thunderous crash of buildings toppling sounded frighteningly close, and the rattle of automatic weapons fire sounded from nearby.

"The oni is headed this way," shouted Matsu Gohei as he burst into the conference room. "An army of goblins and undead is charging the outer wall. Everyone needs to get out of here, now."

"Some Oracle you are," Kamiko snapped at Jared Carfax. "I think your warning bought us all of two minutes."

"Two minutes more than you had," Carfax replied mildly.

"Where do we go?" Kitsu Jurin asked, rising from her seat. "The Kyuden?"

Yasu shook his head. "No way. Not everyone. Not enough transports, not enough time."

"This isn't your concern," Doji Kamiko said, turning to Yasu and Hayato. "Go get Ketsuen and the other Crabs. Get out there and help those Lions organize their defense. They're capable warriors, but they've never fought anything like this."

Gohei scoffed. "My men won't listen to some Crab rabble." He paused for a moment. "Which is why I should introduce you to them. No one knows how to fight on the defensive like a Crab." The words obviously weren't easy for Gohei to say, but he knew better than to stand on pride when there were Lion lives on the line.

Kamiko nodded, impressed. "Good," she said. "Now get the hell out there, both of you."

"I don't normally take orders from a Crane girl," Gohei replied.

"I'm not 'a Crane girl,' I'm the Crane Champion," Kamiko retorted. "And this is not normal."

"As long as we are understood," Gohei replied with a nod. "Crabs, get your metal behemoth and meet me at the north wall. Jurin, keep Kenjin's journal safe. Get back to the Kyuden any way you can. Kamiko, I am depending on you to protect her."

"Carry the Fortunes, Gohei-sama," Jurin said. Gohei darted out of the room, Yasu and Hayato close behind.

"I'm going to get Akodo," Daniri said, charging out of the room behind them.

The ground shook again. A ceiling tile fell on the table, directly on whatever Iuchi Razul had been working on. The Unicorn swore loudly.

"The rest of you are with me," Kamiko commanded, turning to the rest. "Oracle, don't dare get out of my sight."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Carfax said with a smile.

Kamiko exited the room broke into a run, drawing the short range radio from her belt as she headed for the front doors. "Tono," she called out, tossing the radio to him. "Contact Bayushi Oroki; you know his frequency."

"Where are we going?" Kujimitsu shouted over the din of fighting outside. The portly older man struggled to keep up with Kamiko's long-legged strides. "We need to contact Sumi-sama. We need to let her know the studio unsafe."

"I think that's fairly obvious," Kamiko retorted. "If Sumi has any amount of common sense, she won't come anywhere near here."

"Good point," the Master of Water nodded.

The six of them exited the building and emerged onto the studio lot. Samurai in armor of gold, orange, grey, blue, and the occasional purple charged about aimlessly. Kamiko could hear the unmistakable roar of Matsu Gohei in the distance, rallying the troops and bringing them to order. The black, shadowy shape of Ono no Yoritomo slowly made its way toward them, impossibly large and terrifying.

"Doji-sama," Tono said, holding up the radio. "I have Bayushi Oroki!"

"That was fast," Kamiko replied as she took the small device.

"He was waiting to hear from us," Tono answered.

"Bayushi-san," Kamiko said shortly. "This is Doji Kamiko, acting Champion of the Crane. What is your position?"

"I'm in the tunnels underneath Golden Sun," came the reply, the smooth voice of a young man amused by his own cleverness. "Give me the signal and I'll open the doors for your escape."

Kamiko sighed. Trust a Scorpion to flaunt his advantage to the last. "Whatever you're planning, consider the signal given," she retorted. "The oni is almost here."

"Of course, Doji-sama," Oroki replied with exaggerated politeness.

A cacophony of explosions overwhelmed the chaos of battle. Seven plumes of fire erupted from the streets surrounding Golden Sun Studio, cascading forty feet into the air. The invading armies of goblins, undead, and other creatures screamed in terror as their ranks were blown apart. Sleek helicopters and hovercraft painted in black and blood red rose as the flames receded, tearing into the Shadowlands horde with belly-mounted machine guns. Two large mechanical figures could be seen leaping and flying in the midst of the Shadowlands forces. One appeared to be a large man in black and red, wielding a chain-whip with a scorpion's stinger on one end. The other seemed to be a purple and silver centaur, brandishing a naginata. The golden figure of Akodo and the blunt grey steel shape of Ketsuen soon joined them, wading into the enemy forces where mere infantry could not go.

"That ought to do it," Bayushi Oroki's voice said smoothly from the radio. "I have notified Matsu Gohei to begin moving his troops into those holes we blew in the street. The tunnels should take you anywhere in the city you want to go. They were a parting gift from the Locust Clan. Now they're mine."

"My thanks, Scorpion," Kamiko replied.

"We're all in this together," Oroki chuckled. "Consider it a favor, Doji-sama. Oroki out."

Kamiko frowned and shook her head slightly, returning her radio to her belt. "Follow me," she said to the others. "We need to get out of here as well." She broke into a run again, headed for the hangars at the edge of the docks. "Kamoto," she shouted into the radio. "Kamoto, come in."

"Kamiko!" came her relieved cousin's reply. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it!"

"Planning on leaving without me?" she grinned as she answered.

"Never dreamed of it," Kamoto said. "Are you on the way?"

"Affirmative," she said.

"We'll warm up the engines, but be careful near the docks," he said. "There's been some trouble near the water."

"Right," she said, and clipped the radio back on her belt. "Be ready for anything," she said to the others, and charged toward the hangars again.

"For one so young, you seem well suited to the burden of command," Kujimitsu remarked as he loped along at her side.

"I do what I have to," Kamiko replied.

"And you do it well," Kujimitsu replied. "Should any of us survive, I think that the Crane will benefit much from your leadership. You reminded me of someone just now."

"Your daimyo, Sumi?" Kamiko asked.

"Hm?" Kujimitsu replied. "No, actually I wasn't thinking of Sumi. She's a fine leader, don't get me wrong, but you're much more level-headed than she."

Kamiko looked puzzled. "Then who do I remind you of?" she asked.

The Master of Water smiled broadly. "I was thinking of myself," he laughed. "When I was younger, of course."

Kamiko rolled her eyes and kept running. Jurin, Razul, and Argcklt were keeping pace easily, though Tono huffed a bit to keep up. Kujimitsu seemed to be struggling a bit on his short legs, though he didn't seem tired. His yojimbo helped him along, one arm wrapped around the Master of Water's. At the rear of the group, Carfax simply looked about with a bemused expression as he floated inches above the ground, leaving a trail of swirling, glowing mist in his path.

"I don't suppose you can fly us all out of here?" Iuchi Razul asked the Oracle.

"No, afraid not," Carfax laughed. "That would be interfering, I think. Don't worry. You're doing fine. Keep up the pace, Lion! We're almost through."

"You sound like a damned get-well card," Tono grumbled.

"It's funny that you should say that," Carfax replied. "I've always thought much the same thing. The most valid prophets of the future always sound eerily similar to the most vague, worthless forecasts one can hope to scrape up. I've suspected for many years that the Dark Oracles have had a hand in the greeting card industry, psychic hotlines, and even those weird fortune cookies that the Scorpions are so into, but I've never had any proof. I suppose the whole deal is moot now, with four of the Dark Oracles dead and the Day of Thunder on the horizon. But I think I've said too much. Just keep running. I'm sure we'll all be fine."

"Are all Oracles as annoying as you are?" Tono asked.

"Yes," Carfax nodded. "In fact, I can vouch for them personally."

"We are approaching Otosan Uchi, sir," the pilot said, eyes fixed upon the panels of monitors.

"Excellent," Commander Athmose replied. "Tell me when we have a visual on the city."

"Yes, sir," the pilot replied. At his side, a technician began adjusting instruments and staring at the readouts curiously. He turned back to his commander with a nervous look, then returned to studying the panels.

"Is there a problem?" Athmose asked.

"Our readouts are very hazy," the technician replied. "The city appears to have lost power."

"The Scorpion warned them of our arrival?" Athmose growled, gritting his teeth in fury. He never should have spoken to that fool, Dairyu. Now he was paying for his mistake, no doubt.

"No, that's not it," the technician answered. "The readouts are... distorted. It's as if there is some sort of interference over the city. The few confirmed readouts I'm picking up do not match with previous scans of the city."

"What does that mean?" Athmose asked.

"Some of the buildings appear to be missing," the technician replied.

"Could it be a mechanical error?" Athmose asked. "This ship is a prototype."

"Doubtful," the technician replied. "The Amijdali tested all the systems thoroughly. There's no technology in this ship that didn't prove itself in other Senpet and Amijdali technology. In theory, everything should be working fine."

"Never build a castle on theory," Athmose grumbled.

"I'm sorry, sir?" the technician looked at him, confused.

"Never mind," Athmose replied, dismissing the proverb with a wave of his hand. "Get us closer. I want a clearer idea of what's going on before we go in there. Monitor their radio and television broadcasts. Get me a visual confirmation."

"Yes, sir," the technician replied.

The sound of static echoed in the cockpit as the technician increased the volume of the ship's advanced radio systems. After a few moments, a garbled voice could be heard.

"I'm sorry, sir," the technician said sheepishly. "I don't speak Rokugani."

"Well I do, so be quiet and let me listen," Athmose retorted, eyes on the ceiling as he concentrated on the broadcast. The man's voice was clipped, excited. He seemed out of breath, and slightly terrified. Athmose's Rokugani was a bit rough, but he could make out the words. A frown creased his face as the meaning sank in.

"Damn," Athmose cursed under his breath.

"Sir?" the pilot asked. "Sir, should we maintain our heading?"

"Hold current heading, but reduce speed," Athmose replied. "That was a military broadcast. Crab Clan. The city is under some kind of attack."

"Amijdal?" the technician asked.

"Afraid not," Athmose answered. "Do we have visual confirmation yet?"

"Affirmative," the technician replied. "Coming on screen-- A thousand midnights, what is that?"

The image on screen was dark, indistinct. The outline of a city could be made out, just vaguely, by the light of countless fires. Random explosions flared and vanished. In the center of it all, looming above the skyline like a massive shadow, was the shape of a giant insect.

"It appears as if our Scorpion friend was a bit late in his estimations," Athmose said quietly. "Jigoku has broken loose in Otosan Uchi."

"Jigoku, sir?" the pilot asked.

"Hell," Athmose answered. "Scan the other radio frequencies. I want to know more about what's going on in there find out if there's anyone left alive, and pause our current heading. That looks like a Rokugani problem to me and I'm not going into that without a reason. That beast may have done our job for us."

The Thoth banked sharply, hovering in midair over the ocean. The hum of the great ship's engines was punctuated by the distant explosions and the oni's voice. Athmose frowned and rubbed his eyes with one hand as he recognized the name it screamed. The voices of various terrified Rokugani squawked on the radio as the technician scanned through various frequencies.

"Wait," Athmose said, looking up sharply as his ears picked up something on the radio. "Go back. Go back to that last one."

The sound of a deep man's voice sounded from the radio, speaking in clumsy Rokugani, nearly as clumsy as Athmose's. When it finished its message, it spoke again in the language of the Senpet.

"Repeating message. My name is Orin Wake. I am trapped in a building on the corner of Resai and Eighty-Seventh. There are twenty-seven of us, trapped in a furniture store. There's a mob of goblins outside, and possibly an oni. We require immediate assistance. If anyone is listening, please help us." The message went on to repeat itself in the Amijdal language, and then in Rokugani once more.

Athmose was quiet for several moments as the message repeated again and again. The pilot and technician waited patiently for his command, trying to hide the fear in their eyes. Finally, the Senpet looked up and fixed his eyes on the pilot.

"Take us in," Athmose said. "Take us into Otosan Uchi. Home in on that broadcast."

The pilot looked back at his commander, a flicker of doubt crossing his features, then quickly nodded in the affirmative.

Thoth launched itself into the darkness.

Kamiko peered around the corner cautiously. She could hear the low, guttural roar of some creature from the direction of the docks, but could not tell exactly where it was. Behind her, Kujimitsu, Carfax, and the others waited for her signal to move out.

"I don't suppose that, being an Oracle and all, you could just tell us how to get out of here?" Kamiko asked. "Or at least what's hiding out there so we know what we're getting into?"

"Sorry," Carfax shrugged. "On the other hand, I can do you better." The tall gaijin strolled past her, hands in his jacket pockets. He nodded pleasantly at the rest of them walked right out into the middle of the street.

"What in Jigoku is he doing?" Kamiko whispered.

"If he's really an Oracle, he can take care of himself," Kujimitsu answered.

"If he's not, I'd say this is natural selection at work." Kamiko added.

Carfax walked casually toward the end of the docks. He began to whistle, the merry tune carrying down the street despite the chaotic sounds of battle. The water beyond the edge of the docks began to froth. A half dozen boil-covered zombies staggered out of an alley toward Carfax, jaws hanging slack as they tasted his scent. An enormous reptilian head rose from the water, scowling at the gaijin with palpable hatred.

Carfax stopped, paused, and picked up a small coin from the street, paying no attention whatsoever to the Shadowlands beasts. "Must be my lucky day," he said.

The zombies staggered toward him. The serpent struck, flashing toward him with lightning speed. Carfax put the coin in his pocket and said "Thunder."

A bolt of impossibly pure, white-hot energy hammered the street where Carfax stood. In a single instant, it was over. The zombies were eradicated. The serpent's head had been entirely burned away. It's stump neck sank clumsily beneath the waters again, twitching.

"That was self defense, right?" Carfax shouted over his shoulder at the others. "It sure looked like self defense to me!"

"Lunatic," Kamiko grumbled under her breath. She darted out of the alley, signaling for the others to follow. They quickly made their way to the hangar at the edge of the docks. The door slid open at their approach, and a trio of armed Dojicorp guardsmen were waiting for them. They seemed uniformly astonished.

"That was incredible!" Doji Kamoto exclaimed, striding out from behind the guards and bowing to his cousin. "How did you-"

"I'll explain later," Kamiko cut him off. "We need to figure out where we're going, and get out of here."

Kamoto nodded numbly and gestured at the depths of the hangar. A heavily armed steel-blue Dojicorp helicopter was waiting for them below an open roof. She nodded and turned back to her cousin. "What about the rest of our personnel?" she asked.

"Most have evacuated into the tunnels, or are on their way," Kamoto reported. "Unfortunately, we don't know where to go. This is the only stable dock with access to Kyuden Hida."

"Then we need to get used to not having access to Kyuden Hida," Kamiko replied.

"There's always the Scorpion Quarter," Kujimitsu answered. "It's underground, and well protected."

"With no way out," Kamiko replied. "I'm not ready to put our backs up against a wall yet."

"You don't have to," Carfax said with a shrug. "You just have to find the Emperor."

"Fine, then, where is he?" Kamiko demanded in an irritated voice.

Carfax looked her in the eyes and smiled. "I can't tell you."

Kamiko grabbed the tall gaijin by the lapels and shook him. "Listen, Oracle," she snapped. "I've had quite enough of this. Either you help us, or you don't, but I'm not going to put up with any more of your useless babbling."

"Um... Kamiko," Razul commented idly. "Maybe you shouldn't manhandle the guy who disintegrated the orochi..."

"Don't take it so badly," Carfax chuckled. "I can tell anyone else here, if they ask. I can't answer your questions because you're one of the Seven Thunders."

Kamiko blinked, puzzled. "What?" she retorted. "What are you talking about?"

"Trust me on this," Carfax said with a nod. "You're a Thunder, Doji Kamiko. Some irony, no? Munashi had you locked in that room all that time while he was trying to kill the Thunders. If he only knew, eh? But what's life without situational humor?"

Kamiko's lip twitched. She let go of Carfax's coat, pushed him away, and composed herself. "Kamoto," she said. "Ask this man where we can find Yoritomo VII."

Kamoto looked at her.

"Now," Kamiko added.

"Where can we find Yoritomo VII?" Doji Kamoto asked.

Jared Carfax's eyes glazed over for a moment, and he smiled. "I thought you'd never ask," the gaijin said. He turned and headed for the helicopter. "I'll show you the way. By the way, I call shotgun."

Tsuruchi Shinden couldn't sit still. Waiting was the most difficult part of being a soldier - those long hours of inactivity when you didn't know where or when the enemy would strike. The impossible task of keeping yourself ready for anything at all times, even when absolutely nothing seemed to be happening. It was like juggling razors, like balancing on a needle. He had gotten used to the idea of waiting as an essential part of being a warrior, learned long ago how to focus himself during periods of inactivity, but he still didn't like it.

Especially now. Every time his mind wandered, he thought about what that monk had done to him, how he had cursed him so that he could not help the Emperor, could not tell anyone what he had seen. He was effectively a dead man - he could no longer serve the purpose he was meant to serve. Even now, as the city was being destroyed, Shinden could do nothing.

He was the only man in the city that knew what was going on, and yet he could do nothing.

He could not help the Emperor.

He could not help the Princess.

He could not help that Phoenix prophet, the one who seemed so closest to discovering the curse.

He could not help himself.

All he could do was sit around this hospital and wait for everything to be destroyed. That was all he could do. He could wait. That was it. He had managed to contact a group of Lions converging at Golden Sun Studios, but they told him to wait as well. Maybe someone would come to rescue them. Maybe no one would. All he could do was wait and see.

"Damn it," Shinden swore, steepling his fingers and chewing on one lip. "Damn it, no. There has to be something..."

"Excuse me?" a doctor asked, pausing in the hallway and looking at the Wasp in concern. "Captain Tsuruchi-sama, are you all right?"

Shinden glanced up at the doctor. Her name was Yoriko. She was a mere heimin, not even a samurai. Even yet, she had remained at the hospital when most others had fled. She was overworked, exhausted, and terrified. Even yet, Shinden had seen her save countless lives tonight, including Saigo, who would have bled to death if not for Yoriko's skilled ministrations. The woman was a hero, one of the bravest Shinden had ever met, and he counted himself lucky to have known her if only for a few hours.

"I am fine," Shinden answered, rubbing his eyes with his fists. "My troubles are not worth your time. Please, go and help the others."

Yoriko gave him a doubtful look. "All right, then," she replied, and hurried off down the hall.

"I'm not worth your time," Shinden repeated. "The monk already killed me. I'm just a ghost."

A sudden crash echoed from the far side of the hospital, followed quickly thereafter by screams. Shinden was on his feet immediately, pistol in hand. He raced through the halls of the hospital, toward the sounds of commotion. Ragged, frightened refugees hurried past the other way. A small girl curled on the floor behind a hospital gurney, wailing in terror. Shinden quickly darted to one side and picked her up, handing her off to a man in a white doctor's coat.

"Get her out of here," Shinden ordered.

"Yes, sir," the doctor replied, quickly taking the child and hurrying off down the hall with the others.

Shinden moved on, eyes searching the area ahead for any sign of what was causing the disturbance. At the end of the hall, the path forked right and left. He could see the door to a room to his right, torn off its hinges. Great black scars had been gouged into the wood. He ducked into the room and glanced around. The windows were shattered, pale white curtains floating on the wind. The bed and table had been upended and broken. Jagged black claw-prints marked the floor, leading out into the hall beyond. The wall was streaked with blood and entrails, the remains of the poor patient, too late to save. Shinden peered back out carefully, glancing in either direction. The hallway to the right was silent. The hallway to the left was filled with smoke. He could hear the sounds of glass and tile breaking, and more screams. Shinden quickly hurried in that direction, staying close to the wall and clutching his pistol in both hands.

The floor was littered with bodies. Shinden gave them only a glance and moved on. Most were beyond his ability to help, with great wounds in their throat or stomach. The floor was sticky with blood. The air thickened with smoke and the pained moans of the dying. Shinden could make out something very large in the hallway ahead, a creature that lurched about on four legs and slashed the walls with four long claws. The Wasp took aim and fired. He could hear the metallic ping as the bullet ricocheted off the creature's hide. The dark shape shifted as it turned to face him, burning red eyes gleaming through the smoke. He could smell its breath from here, like ammonia, sulfur, and dead meat. The Wasp choked and his eyes watered, but he held his ground.

"MUTRA OGRIN KASHUS GORIN SAMURAAAAI," the creature rumbled in a deep voice.

"Get out," Shinden hissed in an angry voice. "Get out of here."

The creature cocked its head slightly, like a dog that heard a noise it did not quite comprehend. "GAGIUS KONTIRAS MUDARU, SAMURAAAAAI," it replied. Its voice trailed off into a menacing, throaty chuckle as it took a step toward Shinden.

"Get out of the hospital," Shinden snarled, pointing his gun at the creature. Suddenly this thing embodied everything that was wrong with the city, everything that had happened to Shinden. This thing was evil, and it had to be stopped. "Get out of this city!" The Wasp began firing at the oni, aiming at its eyes. "Get out of Rokugan," he added, kicking the clip out of the pistol and slamming another one home. "Get out of my head!"

The beast kept laughing as it broke into a run, charging directly at Shinden. It covered its eyes with one long claw, deflecting the Wasp's bullets off of its invulnerable hide. Shinden knew he couldn't run fast enough, so he opened fire again. Maybe he could hold it off long enough for someone to get away. Maybe...

He felt the wind explode from his lungs as the creature collided with him. A cold, sharp sensation spread through his midsection. The Wasp looked down in shock to see two of the oni's long claws piercing his stomach. It's red eyes glinted in triumph. It rose another claw high to end Shinden's life.

"I said get out," Shinden gritted his teeth through the pain. The Wasp pointed pistol one last time, directly at the oni's left eye. He had one bullet left. The pain was too great to aim, so Shinden let instinct take over.

Surely the bullet knew the way.

The Wasp fired his last bullet. There was no metallic echo this time, only the soft, wet sound of the oni's eye exploding.

The oni froze in mid-movement. A dull rattle sounded from its head as the Wasp's bullet ricocheted within its invulnerable skull and reduced its brain matter to pulp. Its body wavered for a moment on four thick legs, then slumped forward. Shinden cried out in pain as he was unceremoniously dumped on the floor, claws still piercing his midsection, its great bulk crushing his left leg. His gun bounced out of his hand, rattling across the floor out of his reach.

"Captain!" shouted Yoriko, running down the hall toward him with three other doctors. They knelt beside him and examined his wound.

"He looks bad," said one.

"Damn," Yoriko swore. "What were you thinking, Wasp? That was foolish! There's a Lion rescue helicopter on its way. They would have been here in minutes."

"And who else would have died in those minutes?" Shinden replied. His stomach and leg didn't even hurt, not really. He just felt sort of numb from the legs down. His mouth had filled with a sort of coppery taste, and his vision was starting to blur.

Another doctor shook his head. Two of them darted off without another word, in search of those that could still be helped.

"You're a brave man, Captain," Yoriko said, her voice thick. Tears welled in her eyes. She had seen too much death today.

"I'm a ghost," Shinden replied, smiling back at her. "I'm just glad I had a chance to do something worthwhile before my death caught up with me."

"We won't forget you, Tsuruchi-sama," the other doctor said earnestly. Shinden had never learned that doctor's name. Now he would never know it.

"Just... just hand me my gun," Shinden said, stretching one limp hand toward his lost weapon. "A Wasp... shouldn't die... without his gun. Not even... a ghost."

"Of course," the anonymous doctor replied. He quickly plucked up the gun and handed it to Shinden. The dying Wasp clutched it in both hands across his chest. He thought it would make him feel better, having his weapon back. It didn't, really. He was still dying. At least now he was whole.

"Thank you," Yoriko said, resting one hand on Shinden's.

Shinden said nothing. His eyes were closed, and his face was at peace. The doctors rushed off to help the rest of the wounded, leaving the Captain of the Guard to his rest.

Mojo was falling.

He had screamed for a while, but noticed how silly it sounded and stopped. Now he just heard the wind whipping past. To his left, the mountain wall had become a blur. For a few moments, after leaping off the roof of Eagle's Claw in Washi Takao's wake, Mojo had a distant dream that he might land in a lake or something, though the nearest lake he had seen was five miles from the mountain. No, he had fallen too far. It really didn't matter much what he landed in, he was just as dead.

What a way to go. After everything he'd survived, after everything he'd been through, he was going to end up a bright orange stain on the Plain of Thunder. He couldn't see Takao or any of the other monks. They'd probably landed on a ledge just out of sight of the top and were wondering where he had ended up.

That was just the sort of month this had been.

The wind howled loudly in Mojo's ears, loud enough that his eardrums throbbed in pain. Mojo covered his ears with his hands, though it wouldn't make much of a difference since he would be dead in a few seconds anyway. The wind grew to a keening wail and flailed at his body, pitching Mojo about like a doll. The yojimbo started spinning wildly in midair. Outside his sudden dizziness, terror, and nausea he realized something.

He wasn't falling anymore.

He looked down and saw the earth; it appeared as a greenish blur as he was spinning wildly in the midst of a cyclone. The surface came up to meet him swiftly, but not as swiftly as it hand when he had been falling. The wind spat Mojo onto the earth and he landed face-first with a grunt. Climbing to his feet once more, he glanced around. The earth was still pitching and swaying from his wild ride, but he could see Takao and the other seven Eagle monks. They were already on their feet, arranged in a semicircle around a man in flowing orange robes and a blood-red turban. Mojo recognized him immediately.

"Zul Rashid," Mojo exclaimed as he staggered to his feet. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you a very similar question, Shiba," the khadi replied, fixing Mojo with a sinister gaze. He no longer had his Tainted mechanical eye, and his skin no longer bore the curse of the Oni of Air. Even yet, there was something different about his gaze, something entirely unsettling.

"You know this man?" Takao asked, hands tightening on the shaft of his bo as he watched Rashid carefully.

"He's the former Master of Air, a powerful shugenja," Mojo replied. "I have no idea what he's doing here."

"Saving your life," Rashid replied flatly. "You're welcome."

"Not good enough," Mojo said. "Last man who saved my life just tried to kill me."

Rashid frowned. "Listen, yojimbo, I don't care one whit whether you trust me, or even like me. I don't require your assistance. I am looking for Yogo Ishak. I tracked him here, and we have a score to settle. If you can assist me, fine. If not, thank whatever gods you acknowledge that I happened past and get out of my way." Rashid pushed his flowing cloak over one shoulder and strode past Mojo, headed toward the winding mountain path. A monk stepped into his way, and Rashid glanced sidelong over one shoulder.

"Whichever of you bald men is in charge had best instruct this fellow to step out of my way, or I will not be held responsible for what I do to him," he said.

"Wait," Mojo called out. "You mentioned Yogo Ishak. The Dark Oracle of the Void." Rashid nodded, and turned to Mojo. "Do you know where he is?" Rashid asked.

"There's a man up in the monastery who calls himself Moto Teika," Mojo replied. "He claimed to be the Oracle of the Void, until he didn't have any more use for me, when he tried to kill me."

Rashid glanced up at the top of the mountain. "What is he doing now?"

"Destroying the monastery," Mojo answered. "He thinks we're hiding something from him."

Rashid paused for a moment. "Are you?"

Mojo's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I wouldn't tell you, khadi. You're not acting like yourself."

"And you would know me so well," Rashid retorted. "I assume you have some sort of a plan. Whatever you don't want to tell me must be rather important if you were prepared to leap off a mountain to save it."

"We need to find Isawa Kujimitsu," Mojo answered.

"You had better act fast, then," Rashid said. "He's in Otosan Uchi, and Otosan Uchi is being destroyed."

"Then open the Way for us, Rashid," Mojo said quickly. "Send us there."

Rashid shook his head. "I am afraid that the Way... is no longer a viable option. Ishak's power has consumed it. I fear that there are no Elemental Oracles left. His power is supreme. However, there may be another way to the city." Rashid stroked his goatee thoughtfully.

"Well?" Mojo prompted after several moments.

"Do not hurry me," Rashid snarled. "I gave up the gaijin magics when I came to Rokugan. Remembering the proper rituals is something of a trick, and teleportation is no mean feat under the best of circumstances."

"You're going to use khadi magic?" Mojo asked. "Isn't that like using maho."

Rashid nodded, and drew a long, curved dagger from the back of his belt. "Yes, indeed it is," he replied. "Yet, I am already damned. What difference does it make now?"

"Don't do it, Rashid," Mojo said. "There has to be another way."

"There is no other way," Rashid answered. "Things are coming to a head quickly, yojimbo. He who dawdles, dies. If you need to see Kujimitsu as badly as you say, acknowledge me and it will be done. I shall be the one to pay the price, not you, but I guarantee you that if you seek other means to find the city this night you will find it in rubble. This is the only way for you to arrive when it still matters."

"How do you know so much about what's going on in the city?" Mojo asked.

"The curse of Kaze has dragged me into the darkness," Rashid replied. "I can feel it's ebb and flow now. I am part of its pattern, though I stand outside it. Something large has entered the world tonight, and it has entered in Otosan Uchi. The Taint grows worse, spreads across the Empire and through my soul. I do not have much time left, but I perhaps have enough to destroy the Oracle of the Void. Will you let me help you?"

Mojo considered for a moment.

"Fine, then," Rashid snapped. "I have much to do." He turned and headed up the mountain path, tucking the knife into his belt.

"No, wait!" Mojo said. "Do it. Send us to the city."

Rashid looked back over one shoulder. The knife glinted in his hand. He quickly drew it across his left palm.

Gaijin magic was a strange thing. There was no flash of light, no thickening of the elements. One moment, Shiba Mojo and the eight monks were standing in the foothills of the Eagle's Claw. The next, they were in the midst of a dying city. Flames burned all around them, and the air was heavy with soot. In the distance, an impossibly large creature shambled through the rubble. Behind them stood the Temple of the Elements, still strangely untouched. Washi Takao stood only a few feet away. The old monk hid his surprise well. He looked to Mojo questioningly.

"Wow," Mojo exclaimed. "If this is Otosan Uchi, they let the place go to hell while I was gone."

Isawa Saigo and Yoritomo Ryosei moved quickly through the shadowy streets. The terrible cries of oni and the moans of the undead echoed from nearby. They kept moving, and tried not to think about what would happen if they stumbled onto the twisted things that had invaded.

"Quick question," Saigo said, leaning close to Ryosei as he limped along. She looked up at him, eyes searching.

"Where are we going?" Saigo asked. "Do we even have any idea where your brother would have gone?"

Ryosei frowned. "Not exactly," she replied, "but we can't leave him. We can't abandon him. He's the Emperor, and he's my brother. He needs us."

"I'm not arguing that at all," Saigo answered. "I just don't know how much good it's doing us, stumbling around blindly looking for him."

"He had to have jumped out of the Crescent Moon somewhere between the hospital and the Palace," Ryosei said. "He couldn't have gone far. A fall from that height..."

"The fall probably killed him," Saigo answered. "Ryosei, you know that as well as I do."

Ryosei was quiet for a long moment. She stopped moving, leaning against a blackened wall as she caught her breath. "No," she said. "It didn't. I don't know how I know, but I'm sure Kameru is still alive."

Saigo nodded slowly.

"You don't believe me?" she asked.

"I never said that," Saigo answered. "I'm the last man in the world to be throwing doubts at other people's hunches. I'm just trying to figure out what we're going to do next, if you're right. I mean, look at what's going on. Your brother was half mad when we found him. There's an oni running around the city screaming his name. Whatever's going on here, it's bigger than both of us. I mean, I saw all of this coming and I still can't accept it. I can't wrap my mind around what's going on here, or figure out any thing to do beside run for my life. That's the only thing that seems to make sense." Saigo nodded toward the swath of burning destruction left in the wake of Oni no Yoritomo. The creature itself was nowhere to be seen.

"I don't care," Ryosei said. "If it were me out there, would you abandon me?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" the prophet answered.

Ryosei was quiet for a long time, thinking something over carefully. Saigo watched the street nervously, ready to run at the first sight of a Shadowlands beast. "That's it," Ryosei exclaimed, looking up at Saigo. "You saw all of this happen!"

"Sort of," Saigo said. "The destruction was clear, but the stuff leading up to it was blank. That's the way the visions work. I saw everything, exactly as it is now, but had no idea how to stop it from happening. All I knew is that the city would be destroyed, and the Seven Thunders would be responsible."

"The Seven Thunders?" Ryosei replied. "How are they responsible for this?"

"I don't know!" Saigo sighed. "Like I said, I can't wrap my mind around this. I have no idea what's going on."

"Well, let me ask you this," she asked him. "What else did you see about Otosan Uchi? Did you see the oni?"

"I saw... something..." Saigo said. "I saw two mountains clashing with one another. One of them... one of them might have been Oni no Yoritomo. It was far away, and there was a lot of smoke."

"There was a second mountain?" Ryosei asked. "Was it Kyuden Hida?"

Saigo shook his head. "I don't know. It could have been, but I don't think so. It didn't look like it. The other mountain... it seemed more symbolic than anything else."

"Did you see my brother?" she asked.

"No," Saigo said soberly. "I didn't see anyone. Everyone was dead, except for me and Shinsei."

"Shinsei?" she asked. "You mean Jack?"

"I don't know," he said again. "It might have been Jack, but we didn't know that Jack was Shinsei back then. He seemed... obscured."

"Then how did you know it was Shinsei?" she asked.

"I knew," Saigo said. "I just knew.

Ryosei opened her mouth to ask another question, when a sudden cry came from a few blocks away.

"Yoritomo!" shouted a man's voice, hoarse but triumphant. The sound of a bestial roar and the cackle of goblins answered, followed by the screams, gunfire, and the clash of metal.

Ryosei quickly looked in the direction of the voice. "That was my brother," she said quickly.

"Are you sure?" Saigo asked. "Maybe it was someone else."

She gave him a withering look, and headed off toward the chaos. Saigo limped after her as quickly as he could, grimacing through the pain of his injured leg. Ryosei quickly outdistanced him and was lost in the darkness. Saigo cursed and tried to run faster. Fire shot through his right calf and he stumbled, skidding face first across the pavement. The young Phoenix pushed himself back to his feet and carried on, leaning heavily against a wall as he staggered toward the battle. He found Ryosei crouched in the shadows of a wrecked car. Not one hundred feet further down the street, three deformed, over-muscled beasts and a dozen goblins squared off against a single man in dark green armor.

The Emperor

In one hand, he wielded a large automatic pistol which Saigo recognized as having been in the armory on the Crescent Moon. Saigo noticed that the Emperor's cracked green mempo was now a ghoulish white. Whatever spell had disguised it earlier was gone.

One of the large creatures, what Saigo guessed must have been an ogre, darted in toward the Emperor, swinging a lamp post in both hands. The Emperor ducked under the brutal swing, grabbed the ogre's leg in his free hand, and pulled. A sickly ripping sound was accompanied by the ogre's scream as the Emperor tore a handful of blood, bone, and sinew from the ogre's thigh. The beast crumbled to one knee. The Emperor pointed his gun into the thing's face and opened fire. The porcelain mask crackled with green witchfire as the creature died. With a casual maneuver, the Emperor seized the ogre's belt in one hand, lifted it into the air, and tossed it at the goblins. They ran in terror, but three of them were not quick enough. The ogre's massive corpse reduced them to a black smear of ichor.

The Emperor turned toward Isawa Saigo, and for a moment, the eyes of the prophet and the Emperor locked.

"Yoritomo!" the Emperor shouted, and emptied his pistol into the sky.

Saigo had a very bad feeling.

The remaining ogres and goblins seemed to share the same thought as Saigo. The creatures looked at one another, reappraised their opponent, and fled into the streets, running past Ryosei's hiding place without so much as a glance. Ryosei started to stand, and Saigo quickly rushed to her side, skidding to a fall as his leg finally gave out. She stopped, looking down at him in concern.

"Saigo," she said. "Are you all right?"

"Don't go out there!" he whispered harshly.

"I saw what he did," Ryosei said. "I think I can still reach him."

"It's not him anymore!" Saigo retorted. "Whatever that mask is doing to him, he's not in control anymore! He's not your brother!"

"Then I'll go deal with him," Ryosei said, a cold glint in her eyes. "This is a family matter. If you don't want to help me Saigo, then I'll do it myself."

"I don't think there's time for that," he said. "Something is coming."

"Yoritomo!" the Emperor shouted again.

"YORITOMO!" came the reply, a bestial roar that shook the streets. Saigo quickly lunged upward and seized Ryosei by the shoulders, dragging her back down behind the broken automobile just as the enormous mantis oni appeared over the nearest building. It was less than two hundred feet away. If it noticed them, it could kill them both with a single swipe of its claw. It didn't seem to care. Its enormous segmented eyes were fixed only upon the Emperor.

"You!" the Emperor shouted, pointing at the oni with his pistol. "You have my sword! You have my name!"

"I.... HAVE.... EVERYTHING OF YOURS!" the oni rumbled in reply. "I.... AM.... YORITOMO! I.... AM.... ROKUGAN!"

"And what am I?" the Emperor shouted back.

"REDUNDANT," the oni answered bluntly.

An enormous claw rose high over the street, poised to end the Emperor's life.

The oni exploded in flame.

An enormous shadow passed overhead, followed by the deafening roar of immense engines. The sky was blotted out by an enormous, rocky shape.

"What in the name of Shiba is that?" Saigo asked, staring upward.

"I think it's Kyuden Hida," Ryosei replied.

The Crab fortress passed over the street, headed toward Oni no Yoritomo. The huge beast reared out of the smoke left by the Kyuden's missiles and roared, turning its attention to the fortress. Below, Emperor Yoritomo VII stood in the middle of the empty street, looking dazed and lost.

"Kameru!" Ryosei shouted, stepping from behind the wrecked car.

The Emperor turned and peered at her curiously. He didn't seem to recognize her, his red-rimmed eyes blinking mechanically. He took a step in her direction, his head cocked to one side as he tried to determine what to do next.

"That doesn't look good," Saigo said, standing up painfully beside her.

The Emperor looked quickly at the prophet, aiming his gun at Saigo's head. Saigo froze. The Emperor's finger tightened on the trigger, when the chop of a helicopter's engines suddenly erupted from over the rooftops behind them. A large, steel-blue helicopter flew over the street and turned wildly, doing its best to stay away from the titanic showdown between Kyuden Hida and Ono no Yoritomo. The Emperor watched it curiously. It lowered its altitude nearly to street level and the side door opened. Three figures jumped out of the side, a man, a woman, and a zokujin. Saigo was surprised that he recognized both the man and the woman - Doji Kamiko and Master Isawa Kujimitsu.

"Kameru," Kamiko called out, holding her hands out to her sides and slowly approaching the Emperor. "Do you recognize me?"

Kameru turned and pointed the pistol at her as he strolled toward the helicopter in a wide circle. A low, guttural laugh rolled from the depths of his throat. He wiped his arm across his face, smearing ogre blood across his lips and mempo.

"He's not himself," Saigo shouted a warning. "He's wearing some a cursed mask. It's making him insane." Kamiko looked quickly at Saigo, surprised to see the prophet, then returned her attention to the Emperor.

"It has my sword!" the Emperor shouted. "I want my sword! I need Ambition, and it needs me!"

"His spirit is clouded," the zokujin added in a deep voice. "Kameru is still there, Kamiko. He is still strong, but there is another who is stronger. His spirit is being pulled three ways at once."

"Kameru, you don't want to shoot me," Kamiko called out. "It's me, Kamiko. Kameru, come with us. We'll help you."

"Listen to her, Kameru," Ryosei added, stepping toward her brother. "Take control of your destiny, Kameru. I believe you can do it." The Emperor looked from one woman to the other, hesitant. Behind them, Oni No Yoritomo was thrown backward by the Kyuden's cannons and another building exploded into powder.

"Damn it, we don't have time for this," Isawa Kujimitsu said sharply. He spoke a single word of magic and pointed at the Emperor. A bolt of brilliant jade energy lanced from Kujimitsu's hand into Kameru's eyes. The Emperor screamed and clutched at his face.

"Kujimitsu!" Doji Kamiko shouted, turning to the Master of Water.

"What's done is done, Kamiko-sama. Do not interfere!" Kujimitsu replied, eyes still on the Emperor's. The Emperor pointed his gun at the Phoenix, but the Master of Water fired a second jade bolt into the Emperor's chest. Kameru staggered and fell forward in the street, pistol clattering on the pavement.

"Is he dead?" Saigo asked, running toward the prone body.

"Against my better judgment, no," Kujimitsu answered, glancing at Doji Kamiko. "It seems there are some that feel that the oni-bound Emperor can still be salvaged, and despite what I have seen here I am still willing to listen."

"Thank you, Master Kujimitsu," Kamiko nodded at the older man. The Master of Water said nothing.

They quickly loaded the unconscious Emperor into the Dojicorp helicopter and fled, soaring into the darkened sky again. Behind them, the two great castles continued their duel.

Orin peered out the window, careful not to let too much light escape. If the creatures below noticed him, they would attack without mercy, hurling whatever weapons and bits of debris they could find. Ebizu had nearly lost an eye to a broken bottle only an hour earlier. The mobs of goblins still surrounded the building, but they were strangely quiet. They had ceased their relentless attack and only sat quietly, peering up at the windows with silent rage.

"What's going on, Orin?" Togashi Meliko asked, walking up beside him and clutching his thick arm with one tiny hand.

"I don't know," he turned to face her and pushed the boards across the window once more. Her smile was brave, but her eyes were tired. The tattoo magic she had used earlier had taken a toll. She needed rest. They all needed rest. There was nothing they could do. If they slept now, they would die.

"What are they doing?" she asked.

"They're just... sitting there," he replied. "That worries me more than anything else."

"You're learning, boy," Mirumoto Chojin said, nodding gravely. "Don't be scared of a goblin when he's running about like a maniac, flailing his arms and screaming bloody murder. Be scared of a goblin when he just sits there and thinks, cause you never know what in Jigoku he's going to next."

"What do you think we should do, Chojin?" Orin said, keeping his voice low so that he wouldn't disturb the refugees scattered about the apartment.

"Why do you keep asking me for advice, boy?" Chojin laughed. "I'm surprised we're still alive as it is. You're doing fine, Orin."

"Maybe," Orin said. "But if we fail now, what purpose will any of this serve? I bought twenty people a few extra hours so that they could die anyway."

"Hope springs eternal," Chojin said. "Isn't that what you gaijin always say?"

"I always hated that proverb," Orin replied.

"Well, it was written by a gaijin," Chojin smirked. "What do you expect? The only good proverbs are the Dragon ones."

"Orin-sama!" Gihei exclaimed suddenly, gesturing to the three of them. "Orin-sama, come quick!"

Orin quickly made his way across the apartment, cautiously stepping over two children that had finally fallen asleep. Gihei stood over the jury-rigged radio. A pile of wires and transistors were hooked into a small tetsukami battery harvested from Chojin's armor and a tape recorder on continuous play, broadcasting a distress message from Orin in every language he could speak - Senpet, Amijdal, and Rokugani. Gihei's hands were shaking as he carefully handed Orin the small transmitting microphone.

"What?" Orin said, taking the microphone. "What do you want me to do with this?"

"M-m-message," Gihei stuttered, obviously in shock. "We have a m-m-message."

"So why didn't you answer it?" Orin replied. "I told you what to do."

"C-c-can't speak..." Gihei shook his head slightly.

Orin looked at Gihei for a moment, then shook his head. "Never mind," he said. "I'll handle it." He leaned close to the radio and spoke into the microphone. "This is Orin Wake, trapped in a building on the corner of Resai and Eighty-Seventh. We are in need of assistance, please come in. Over."

"Mister Wake," came the reply, a thick Senpet accented voice. "How did the son of a prominent ambassador come to be in such a situation?"

Orin frowned. "Identify yourself," he replied.

"I am Commander Athmose, formerly of the Cobra Legion. I am en route to Otosan Uchi. Continue transmitting and we will home in on your broadcast."

"What is a Senpet Commander doing in Rokugan?" Orin asked.

"Former Senpet Commander," the man replied. "Let's just say that this is a fortunate set of coincidences in the midst of an unfortunate situation. Maintain your current location and my ship will pick you up. I'm certain that President Maximillian will be pleased to see you again, should we survive."

"There are twenty-seven of us," Orin answered. "All Rokugani refugees. You have to take all of us, or I won't go with you."

"Of course, that was my intent," Athmose replied, sounding mildly insulted that Orin had implied otherwise. "We shall evacuate as many of you as humanly possible."

"You'll evacuate all of us," Orin retorted firmly.

"I will do all I can," Athmose said. "I do not plan on leaving innocents to suffer. I can see what is happening in the city. You must think I am some sort of a monster?"

Orin paused. "I apologize, Commander," he said. "Of course I appreciate any help you can offer. We will hold out as long as we can."

"Our estimated time of arrival is fifteen minutes," Athmose answered. "Try to be waiting on the roof by then, so that we may find and collect you more easily."

"Affirmative," Orin answered. He handed the microphone back to Gihei, who carefully placed it back on the table. The tiny machine continued to emit squawks and static, still broadcasting a signal for the Senpet to track.

"What do you think?" Orin said, turning to Chojin.

"Again with the advice?" Chojin asked. "I already told you about that. What do you think, Orin? Can you trust this man?"

"Well it seems to me that at least one Senpet warship is en route to Otosan Uchi on the night that would have been the deadline for the Emperor's ultimatum. I do not think that Commander Athmose came here to rescue refugees."

"You think the Senpet were going to attack the city again?" Meliko asked.

"Athmose made it perfectly clear that he's not here by the sanction of his government," Orin replied. "This has the stink of Maximillian on it to me."

"Maximillian?" Chojin asked. "The Amijdal president?"

"A wise man, but a ruthless one," Orin said. "My father didn't agree with his policies; that was part of the reason my family got sent here in the first place. I wouldn't put it past him one bit to organize some disenfranchised Senpet into an assassination squad."

"Well, they're a bit late at any rate," Chojin said. "The city has already destroyed itself."

"Yeah, but is that enough?" Orin asked. "If this Athmose is out for blood, should I deliver these people to him? Can I trust him?"

"That's up to you, Orin," Chojin said. "If it were me, I wouldn't trust him, but I'm used to not trusting anyone. Usually, it's only my life on the line, and my secrets. Tonight is different. You've got twenty-three innocents here, lives hanging in the balance. If you turn your back on Athmose, will anyone else answer our distress call? Surely there are other functioning radios in the city. Surely there are military units mobilizing against the oni. None of them have answered us. Perhaps your relationship to the Amijdal president is the only thing that has given us a chance."

"Or perhaps a bloodthirsty Senpet Commander is hoping to kill as many Rokugani as he can and rescue me to curry Maximillian's favor," Orin added.

"Perhaps," Chojin said. "Either story requires some stretch of the imagination. The truth is probably somewhere in between."

Chojin frowned, scratching at his beard in deep thought.

"Here's something to consider," Meliko offered in a quiet voice. "The goblins are planning something. When they attack again, we'll very likely be dead. Does it make any difference whether the Senpet kill us or the goblins do? We've got a chance to survive. Shouldn't we take it?"

Orin looked at Meliko. Her eyes were an odd silver-gold today, dark and exotic. She was exhausted and terrified, but ready to follow him any way he decided to go. Orin nodded slowly.

"All right," he said. "We'll do it." He turned to face the gathered refugees. "Everyone!" he called out. "Organize into your assigned groups and get ready to move up to the roof. We're going to be rescued."

A joyful cheer rolled through the tattered group. "Way to go, Orin!" shouted Gyukudo, the old marine. His gumless smile shone with pride.

"Yeah, whatever," Orin said, blushing a bit from the praise. "Let's just get organized, all right?"

"Orin!" shouted Honzo, one of the lookouts situated by the north window. "You should come look at this!"

Orin quickly made his way to the window, peering out over the shorter man's shoulder. The northern street was clear; the goblins had all moved away. Only one figure stood in the midst of the street now, a tall man with a shaven head and a dark black jacket. The tiny red pinpoint of a cigarette glowed in his mouth.

"Blood of Kharsis, who is that?" Orin swore.

The man leaned back and blew a cloud of smoke upon the wind. Immediately, the shadows around him erupted with dozens of hunched, shambling figures. These were not the small, clumsy goblins. These were men and women who moved with preternatural speed. Even from here, Orin could hear the chilling moan that followed them.

"Miiiine."

"Ghuls," Orin spat.

"Ghuls?" Honzo asked, "What are ghuls?"

"Perfect example of Senpet ingenuity at work," Orin replied. "Why settle for just a zombie, when you can have a smarter, faster zombie that climbs walls like a spider. I heard they were all over the place during the Senpet Invasion. There were probably a few stragglers that crawled out of the sewers and started multiplying when the oni hit town. Damn it, that's what the goblins were up to. They were waiting for the ghuls."

"Now they're just getting out of the way," Honzo added. "Smart goblins."

"I'm ready for 'em, Orin!" Daidoji Ishio shouted from where he sat on the floor, torso bound snugly with bloodstained bandages. "Where's my katana, damn it? I'm ready to fight!"

"Not tonight, Ishio," Orin replied. "Your fight is done." Orin gestured to the nearest three refugees. "Carry Ishio up to the roof, but be careful with him. He's still hurt pretty bad." The three quickly complied. Ishio continued to complain as they carried him off, grunting his indignation and ignoring the extraordinary pain his wound had left him. Meliko followed them, offering soothing words to Ishio that were quickly lost in the Crane's fountain of complaints.

Orin watched Ishio recede up the stairs, then turned back to the two Dragons. "Chojin, any ideas for what we do now?"

"Do you think Athmose will get here in time?" Chojin asked.

"He said fifteen minutes," Orin answered. "Those ghuls could easily scale the walls before then."

"How many are there?" Chojin asked.

Orin glanced back out the window and did a swift estimate. "Forty," he replied.

Chojin was quiet for several moments, then looked up again. His eyes were hard, and his look was severe. "You aren't going to like what I have to say," the old samurai said.

"Well, I've been asking for your advice all night, old Dragon," Orin said. "Might as well take the chance to show me what a mistake I've been making."

"All right," Chojin replied. "We don't have a chance."

Orin glared at the Dragon. "That's it? That's all you've got to say? That we don't have a chance?"

"That's all," Chojin nodded. "That being said, let's go up there and give them a fight. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky? Maybe you'll get a chance to prove me wrong." The old Dragon pushed past Orin and made his way up the stairs, leaving the troubled young man alone with his thoughts.

The tunnels beneath Otosan Uchi were usually dark, but not tonight. Now they were well lit with countless lights from the vehicles and soldiers who had fled Oni no Yoritomo for the safety of the underground. From his armored terrain vehicle at the front of the convoy, Matsu Gohei could pick out troops from every one of the Great Clans and a few of the Minor Ones. He wasn't sure where they had all come from, but they were here now and they were following him. He also saw countless refugees, huddling in the midst of the troops, on foot or on litters carried by those still able to walk. The image of so many huddled in one place might have disgusted Gohei under normal circumstances, but tonight it gave him hope. The people of Otosan Uchi were united. They weren't going down without a struggle. He was proud to be a Lion, proud to lead these troops.

He wasn't sure where he would lead them next, but he wasn't about to admit such a thing openly. The troops were depending upon him to be confident; if he let his own uncertainty show everything would fall apart. Whatever he did next, he had to at least appear to be decisive. Hopefully, good leadership would follow.

The tunnel shook savagely, and more dust sifted from the ceiling overhead. Gohei watched the roof of the tunnel carefully, then turned to the Scorpion seated beside him.

"Will these tunnels hold, Bayushi?" he demanded.

"Hard to tell," Bayushi Oroki replied. The Scorpion was calm and unperturbed in his pressed black suit and smooth red mask. "Nothing like this has ever really happened before has it? I mean, the tunnels were reinforced to withstand earthquakes, yes, but this isn't exactly an earthquake, now is it?"

"Damn that Hida Tengyu," Gohei swore. "Why is he attacking? What is he trying to prove? He's going to bring the whole city down on top of us."

"You never know," Oroki replied. "Perhaps the Crabs will kill the oni and save us all. It would certainly be a welcome change after the mixed results the Lion assaults have had." Oroki made the comment with no venom, no insinuation. Gohei turned and glared at the young Scorpion openly. Oroki simply stared back with a neutral expression, unreadable behind his mask.

Gohei hated Scorpions. He didn't much appreciate the fact that he probably owed one his life, but he was practical enough to realize he was better off with Oroki as an ally than an enemy. For the moment, he was content to absorb the Scorpion's abuse. Once all of this was over, however...

"Gohei, I'm leaving," Hida Yasu's voice squawked over the vehicle's radio. "Over."

"Sir?" the driver glanced back at Gohei.

"I heard it," Gohei snarled, snatching up the receiver and holding it to his mouth. "Stand down, Crab," Gohei commanded. "You and your accursed robot aren't going anywhere. In case you haven't noticed, the city is under attack. I am Lion Clan Champion and commander of the Emperor's armies. Do you understand me? Over."

"I read and understand, but cannot comply," Yasu replied. "The Kyuden is battling Oni no Yoritomo. That's my daimyo. That's my father. As a Crab, my place is with him. I don't mean any offense, Lion. That's why I even bothered to tell you I was leaving in the first place. By the way, Daniri is coming with me. You can try to command him if you want, but I doubt if he'll listen. Over."

"Do you think that you'll make some sort of difference up there, Yasu?" Gohei snapped. "Over."

"No offense, Gohei, but I feel that Daniri and I've got the best chance. This is what the War Machines were designed for," he replied. "Over."

"Fine, then," Gohei snarled. "Go up there and die if you think that would be best. If you need a rescue, you know where to reach me. Over."

"Good luck, Lion," Yasu replied.

Gohei paused for a moment, then pressed the receiver key again. "Good luck to you, Crab. Good luck to all of us. Over and out."

"Interesting," Bayushi Oroki replied. "Perhaps I should send Bayushi and the Four Winds as well."

"The Four Winds?" Gohei asked. "I never knew that Unicorns obeyed Scorpions."

Oroki chuckled. "They don't," he replied. "Not openly, at any rate. Officer Shinjo-san is neither my servant nor my employee. We simply have an understanding. At any rate, you cannot deny what the Crab said. The War Machines are designed for this sort of combat. Perhaps they can tip the scales."

"Or perhaps they'll destroy themselves trying and save the rest of us the trouble of dealing with a bunch of arrogant mecha pilots," Gohei answered.

Oroki inclined his head slightly. "Perhaps."

The Kashrak hunched in the shadows of the abandoned building and began weaving a new spell. He had cast this one before; it would whisk him to another place, perhaps another time. He cast it when he escaped the Naga into the heart of Fu Leng's Pit. He had cast it again to flee the armies of Oni Lord Akuma before they could be wiped out in the Shadow Wars. Now, he was casting it a third time. His work was done here. He had accomplished everything that was necessary. What purpose did it serve him to linger? If Hoshi Jack's plan succeeded, he could always return to share in the rewards. If the monk failed, then Kashrak would live to spread his corruption another day.

The twisted kanji encircling Kashrak glowed brightly, pulsating in rhythm with the larger symbols on the walls and floor. His spell would leech a bit of the power of Munashi's portal but it wouldn't matter in the end. It was only a drop in the bucket. Kashrak could teleport himself away without such extreme measures, but he didn't intend to leave his beloved stronghold and all of his research behind. When the dark Naga left, he would take a third of Downtown with him.

Where would he go? Perhaps to the Burning Sands. He had heard some strange tales of the odd things that happened to the Naga who wandered there, how the black magics of the sand changed them. He found the idea intriguing; perhaps he could harness a bit of that power and add it to his own. He considered returning to the Shinomen itself. Through his warped link to the Akasha, he could feel his people awakening. It would amuse him to show up in their midst, spreading the Taint like wildfire through his very presence. They would awaken only to sicken and die, and the survivors would become his willing supplicants.

The Burning Sands could wait. Kashrak definitely needed to go to the Shinomen right away.

The only thing he truly regretted about abandoning his place in Otosan Uchi was that he would never have a chance to resolve his complex relationship with Zin. She hated him, of that he was sure. He didn't mind. Hate was a powerful tool for change, and when properly fired he could use it to bend her to his whim as surely as love. The girl had great potential. Now, perhaps, he would never get the chance to help her fulfill it. She may already be dead.

"Not dead," Zin replied. "And you may get your chance to help me fulfill my potential after all." The young Naga stepped from the deepest recesses of the abandoned building. She was dressed in a short red tunic and black leather pants, no doubt borrowed from her human friends. Her long hair was tied back in a single braid. Her skin and clothing were covered with dried blood; none of it was her own.

"My dear Zin," the Kashrak hissed, rising on his coils. "I see you have strengthened your link to the Akasha. Please, do not rifle through my thoughts again. I cherish my privacy, and you may not like what you find there. As a friend, I recommend against doing so in the future."

"You're not my friend and you don't have a future," Zin said, taking another step into the room. She reached behind her back and drew out two glittering triangular daggers.

Kashrak's eyes narrowed. The cobra-headed tentacles about his torso whipped into a frenzy, bobbing, spitting, and hissing to reflect their master's annoyance. "What do you have there, girl?" he asked. "Pearl toys of the Akasha?"

"No more talking," she replied, and struck the blades together. A bright flash of sparks erupted from the weapons, blinding the Kashrak. Zin dodged to one side as he spoke a single word of magic and blindly hurled a ball of black fire at where she had been standing.

The glowing kanji on the floor erupted with the power of Kashrak's magic, magnifying the force of the explosion. Zin was thrown against the wall, but rolled quickly to her feet. She looked up to see Kashrak looming above her. A massive tail snaked toward her, but she darted back, slicing the air with the Blade of the Bright Eye. Kashrak summoned his magic again and sent a wave of force rippling through the building. Zin was pitched off her feet, and landed squarely on one a glowing kanji. She felt a fire surge through her, a burning pain that bit into her soul. She stabbed the blade of the Pale Eye into the floor and the kanji went dark, allowing her to scramble to her feet and move away from the glowing symbols. As she moved away, the darkened kanji flared to life again.

"What are you doing?" she spat, crouching low and holding the Akasha daggers in a defensive cross as her eyes darted around the room. "What is this place?"

"I thought you had your fill of talking," the Kashrak replied in a bemused expression. He rose to his full height, over eighteen feet on his coils. His multiple tails thrashed the floor around him. Black pearls glittered in his hands. "You are in a place of raw evil, Zin," the Kashrak said. "The worst place you could have faced me. I do not know what weapons the Akasha have given you, but they are as nothing compared to the power of Oni no Yoritomo."

"Ono no Yoritomo?" Zin whispered. "The creature in the city?"

Kashrak nodded as he slithered across the floor, moving to cut off Zin's exit. "It was here that the gateway was opened. Munashi obtained the beast's identity, but it was my mastery of maho that gives it form. I have created the greatest summoning circle ever crafted. A circle of circles, if you will. Eighteen buildings of equal height, equally distant from the grand Diamond Palace. As the tallest building in the city, it was the perfect focus, and I was able to focus the dark energies of all eighteen summoning circles upon its spire. It is this circle that allowed Oni no Yoritomo to come into being, and it is this circle that has created the portal that is rapidly transforming Otosan Uchi into the new Festering Pit. It is this circle that magnifies my power a thousand fold. You could not beat me before, girl. You haven't got a prayer in Jigoku now."

"Arrogant to the last, Kashrak," Zin said, rising to her feet and glaring at him defiantly. She lunged forward and stabbed both blades deep into the nearest kanji. Dark magic flared around her, hurling her backwards into the wall. The Akasha Blades tumbled out of her hands with a clang. She slid down to the floor, gasping for breath. Blood covered one side of her face. This time it was her own.

"You smell like a Naga but you bleed like the human you are," Kashrak said, sliding closer to her prone form. "What were you thinking, Zin? I shared my accomplishment with you because I know that you cannot stop me. Destroying a circle such as this is much like defusing a bomb. If you do not know what you are doing, it will be you, not the circle, that is destroyed," he stabbed a long, misshapen finger at her. "You know nothing of maho. Like the Akasha that flows through your fragile vessel, you were always too foolish to learn the ways of the enemy." Behind Kashrak, the kanji that had faded from the touch of the Akasha blades flared to light again. "See?" he said. "You accomplished nothing."

"No!" she cried, lunging across the floor toward the Blade of the Pale Eye. Kashrak moved more quickly, snatching up the blade in the end of one tail. A cobra-head spat a cloud of green poison in Zin's path, causing her to cry out in pain and fall, clutching her eyes.

Kashrak left her to her pain as he examined the blade of black pearl. "You know, it would do us much more good as a race if the Naga learned subtlety," he said, gazing at his reflection in the blade. "I mean, really. Eons of collective thought have reduced us to blunt, stumbling fools. They send an assassin to kill me, and name her 'the Cure.' As if I didn't know from the very beginning what they were about. The time of the Naga is over. Evolution has weeded them out, Zin. It is time for a new breed, a new race to take their place. It is not too late, my dear. You are no more a true Naga than I am. You could join me in creating something new, something better."

"No!" she cried, rising to her feet again. One eye was swollen shut and bleeding. The other was streaked with red veins. She could hardly see, but wasn't about to surrender.

"Bah, why did they have to choose a Hiruma?" Kashrak sneered. "If you had been a Shosuro, it would be easier to reason with you. But the Akasha can never do anything easily, can it? Hiruma Tanaki, second child of the cousin of the Hiruma daimyo..."

Zin took a step back, shaking her head. "No," she said. "You don't know anything about me."

"Don't I?" the Kashrak replied. "I was the one who killed you! Do you think that I did not recognize you when you returned as a Naga? Oh, no, do not be mistaken. I have looked into your past, Tanaki. I know you well... I can tell you things that the historical records cannot... I can give you what the Akasha never would... I can give you back the person you once were. I can help you..."

"You're nothing but a killer," Zin retorted. "You don't help anyone but yourself."

"Now, that hurts, Tanaki," the Kashrak replied. "Brash generalizations do not help anyone. No one is wholly good or wholly evil. You yourself must admit that you never would have survived those first few months outside the Shinomen if I had not been there to show you the way. Think about it, Zin. I have done some evil, but I have also done some good. The Akasha dedicates itself fully to my destruction. I, on the other hand, have dedicated my time to persuading you to my way of thinking. Has the Qamar ever even considered my redemption? I am open to other lines of thought. The Akasha is closed, stagnant, unchanging. I ask you this. Who is unnecessary? Who is truly evil? Who needs to be destroyed?"

Zin peered about blindly for her other blade. She could see no sign of it.

"You are not even listening," the Kashrak sighed in regret. "Embrace of ignorance is the last bastion of one who knows that she is wrong. I will give you one final choice. Will you remain the Akasha's lap dog, or will you join me and become something greater than either the Zin or Hiruma Tanaki ever were?"

"I am the Zin, guardian of the Akasha," Zin spat. "Maybe I was Hiruma Tanaki once, but her answer would be the same. Go to Jigoku."

The Kashrak sighed, turned, and threw the Blade of the Pale Eye with such force that it pierced the wall and landed in the bay outside with a splash. He turned to face her, his eye gleaming fiery red.

"I am Jigoku," the Kashrak hissed. "This conversation is over..."

"How is the Emperor?" Carfax asked. He looked over his shoulder into the rear of the helicopter with none of his usual smug demeanor. He seemed truly concerned.

"He is alive," Argcklt replied, inspecting the prone Emperor carefully. "Barely."

Doji Kamiko glared at the Master of Water meaningfully. Kujimitsu looked away.

"You misunderstand me," the zokujin said. "His body is damaged, yes, but his spirit is what is truly in danger. The black spirit within his mask has forced its way into what was once Kameru. It consumes him. If it were not for... something... some other influence within him... he would already be gone."

"How long does he have?" Ryosei asked.

Argcklt paused. "A few days, perhaps. But have hope. The Thunderer saved him once. Perhaps he has not yet fulfilled his destiny."

"Where did you guys pick up that zokujin?" Saigo asked from his seat in the back of the helicopter.

"Can we remove the mask?" Kitsu Jurin asked, ignoring Saigo.

Kujimitsu grunted. "That seems like a phenomenally bad idea," he said. "It's physically bonded to him. I don't think it will give itself up easily. If we remove it, he will die."

"So he dies either way?" Ryosei asked. Carfax shifted in his seat, turning and looking back out at the city again.

Kujimitsu nodded. "That's what it looks like."

"There has to be a way to save him," Kamiko said, shaking her head. "He must have surrendered to Munashi because I had been captured. He must have used me to coerce him. I can't let Kameru die."

"Can't we ask Jared?" Iuchi Razul asked from the rear of the helicopter. "I mean, that's what he's here for, right?"

The helicopter fell silent, and everyone looked at Jared Carfax. Carfax shifted lower in his seat and tried to appear inconspicuous.

"Well, Carfax?" Isawa Kujimitsu. "I'm asking you, then. How do we save the Emperor?"

"I... can't answer," Carfax said, looking back with a nervous smile.

Kujimitsu scowled. "Don't try and tell me that I'm a Thunder, too. I'm not in the mood."

"Oh, of course not," Carfax replied, quickly. "It's just that... well... the question has already been answered."

"What are you talking about?" Kamiko shot back. "The question has already been answered?"

"That's the man you should be asking," Carfax said, pointing at Isawa Saigo. "He's not bound by all the rules just yet."

"Saigo?" Ryosei asked, looking at the young Phoenix. "Do you know what he's talking about?"

Saigo glanced back from the window, surprised. "Actually, I think I do," he replied after a pause. "I think I need to take a look at my journal."

"Another damned journal!" Kitsu Jurin swore. "What is it with you prophets and your diaries? Can't you just remember anything?"

"Prophecy comes clearly, but by its nature it is difficult to remember for long," Carfax replied. "Destiny is a heavy burden, and the human mind is not prepared to carry it."

"Your lucky numbers are three, twenty four, and eighty eight," Iuchi Razul added.

"I gave my journal to Ginawa," Saigo said. "Kamiko, do you know where he might be?"

Kamiko frowned. "Yasu said that Toturi's Army had been evacuated to the Kyuden."

"Kamiko-sama?" the pilot called back from the front of the vehicle. "I don't mean to interrupt, but we need to land, and quickly. There's a lot of turbulence being generated by the Kyuden's engines. It's getting difficult to maneuver in the city."

"Where should we go?" Doji Kamoto asked. "Should we head for the hubs and write off Otosan Uchi?"

"I say no," Kujimitsu replied sternly. "I'm not prepared to give up just yet. Gohei and the others are still trapped in the tunnels. We can't leave them. There must be a way."

"Why not head to the place where the spirits are strong?" Argcklt asked simply.

"Eh?" Kujimitsu answered. "What are you talking about? You sound like Carfax."

"The place where the spirits are strong," he repeated. "The place where the darkness has not encroached."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," Kujimitsu answered. "Perhaps you could enlighten me."

"Can you not sense it? It is near here, to the north," Argcklt said. "I thought surely you could sense it as I can. The Taint is afraid of that place. The earth is still pure."

"To the north?" Kujimitsu asked, still confused. A sudden look of understanding crossed his features, and he laughed out loud. "Of course! The Temple of the Elements! After Oni no Kaze attacked us, I instructed the Caretakers to increase the power of the wards so that it couldn't happen again. The Caretakers are from the same line of shugenja as the Asako who maintain the Great Seal. Surely if anyone could ward off the Taint, it would be them! The Temple should still be safe!"

"How large is this temple?" Kamiko asked. "Could it house the troops and refugees while we plan our counter-strike?"

"The temple itself?" Kujimitsu asked. "No. The temple grounds are vast, however. I suppose they might be protected, as well. The Caretakers are extremely thorough."

"Then that's where we're headed," Kamiko said to the pilot. "Contact Gohei and tell him to rendezvous with us there. Let's just pray that the Kyuden can hold that thing off while we figure out what to do next."

The sound below was terrible. The slap of slack, dry lips, the gouge of fingernails on solid brick, the wicked cackle of the goblins as they danced in anticipation, and the never-ending moan.

"Miiine," they screeched. "Miiiine."

Orin Wake and his small army of refugees had withdrawn to the roof of the building. Most were huddled in a group in the center, where the creatures in the street below couldn't see them. A few others were keeping watch at each corner of the roof. The door leading back downstairs had been braced shut with broken furniture and a few nails. Most of the rest of the furnishings from the apartment had been dragged up to the roof as well. When the ghuls got too close to the top of the building, Orin and his followers lit the furniture ablaze and dropped it on top of them. The tactic had been working well so far, but they were quickly running out of furniture.

"They're coming over!" shouted Haruki, one of the two old Marines. Haruki shoved a lamp at the climbing ghuls, but a long-fingered claw batted it aside. The ghul hauled itself onto the roof, as quick and agile as an ape. The old marine tried to kick the creature, but it caught Haruki's leg and cast him over the edge of the roof. Haruki's scream was brief, punctuated by a dull thud and squeal of glee from the goblins.

"Haruki!" shouted Gyukudo, the other marine. The old man charged the ghul, but Orin got there first. The bear-sword the Dragons had given him gleamed in one hand. The ghul leered at Orin and reached for him.

Without a word, Orin kicked the ghul in the legs. The creature toppled in two pieces. So quick was the cut of Orin's blade, the creature had not even noticed it was bisected. Two more ghuls began to pull themselves over the edge of the roof. At the opposite end, Gihei cried out in alarm.

"They're breaking through on this side!" the bouncer cried.

"We're on it, Orin," Mirumoto Chojin shouted, armor clanking as he charged to the rescue.

From the corner of his eye, Orin saw the massive, green-armored dragon with Meliko a step behind. Confident that they could handle their side of the roof, Orin returned his attention to the matter at hand. The upper torso and legs of the fallen ghul flailed about on the ground. Gyukudo impaled the upper body on a spear he'd improvised from a piece of a bed frame and hurled it towards the others invaders. One ghul vanished, tumbling with a cry back into the alley as the old marine's improvised missile connected.

Orin swung his sword in a fierce, cleaving arc, severing the arm and head of the next ghul. Disabled, it lost its grip and fell back into the alley with a pathetic cry. Carefully, Orin glanced over the edge and saw seven more ready to breach the edge of the roof. Following Gyukudo's example, he kicked the first ghul's severed legs over the side but failed to knock any of the others from their perch. He quickly searched about for any other debris to throw, but saw nothing.

"Gyukudo, get back and guard the others," Orin growled.

"Toyoko's guarding the others," the stubborn old marine shouted.

"Damn it, do you want to die?" Orin snapped.

"They already took Haruki!" Gyukudo snapped back hysterically. "I had a bet runnin' with him for the last thirty years that I'd be the first one to die! Now the bastard's gone and proved me wrong! I'm not gonna hide behind a bunch of kids while there's still fightin' to do!"

Orin nodded. "All right, old man. Are you ready?" "As ready as I'll ever be," Gyukudo replied, tightening his hands on his spear.

"Miiiiine!" came the cry as the first of the ghuls poked its head over the side.

Gyukudo gave a defiant cry and charged, burying his spear in the ghul's face. It roared in frustration and disappeared over the edge. A second ghul leaped over the edge and tried to attack the old marine from behind, but Orin was there with his sword. The creature shrieked as the golden blade cut its legs out from under it. Orin stomped down hard, crushing the ghul's skull. It's arms and legs twitched once, and were still.

Three more emerged simultaneously, charging the gaijin and the old man. Orin stood back to back. Two of them lunged in to attack, while a third ran past them toward the rest of the refugees. Orin swore and slashed at the nearest ghul. It cackled and dodged out of the way. Two more climbed over the side, chanting in unison with the rest.

"Miiine!"

"Toyoko, look out, there's one headed toward you!" Orin shouted.

He heard only a shrill shriek in reply, and could not tell whether it came from the ghul or a refugee. Orin hacked at one of the ghuls again, but it dodged nimbly backward. A second ghul ducked in and slashed at his side with one claw. Orin swore again as another ghul poked its head over the edge of the roof.

"Orin, we need help! Chojin's down!" Meliko shouted.

A savage battle cry erupted and a head rolled clumsily past Orin and Gyukudo. Daidoji Ishio chased after it, swinging his katana in a savage arc and pressing his bandages against his stomach with his other hand. He kicked one of Gyukudo's ghuls off the edge of the roof, and severed the head of another beast. Orin took advantage of the ghuls' confusion and buried his sword in another ghul's chest. Twisting and pulling, he tore the decaying corpse in two pieces.

"Orin!" Meliko shouted again.

"Go!" Ishio snarled, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. "Me and the old man can hold them here." "Who's are you calling old man you Crane poof?" Gyukudo roared.

Orin nodded and charged across the roof. He saw Toyoko and a few of the others circled defiantly around the rest of the refugees. The ghul that had charged them lay in twitching pieces on the ground. He made his way to the other side of the roof. Ebizu, the bouncer, lay on the ground with a ghul perched on his chest and chewing. Twenty feet away Meliko stood over Chojin's fallen body. Her arms and legs were a blur as she struck out at the encroaching ghuls, using the power of her tattoos to magnify her speed and strength. Nine ghuls stood in a ring about her, darting in and dodging away like wolves. Three lay on the ground, skulls crushed or heads severed. Chojin lay face down; Orin could not see if the old Dragon was alive or dead.

"Togashi!" Orin shouted, and cut two of the ghuls from behind with a single stroke of his broad blade. The others turned to face him, but a third fell before they realized the threat he posed. Meliko cartwheeled toward the nearest ghuls, kicking the nearest two with such force that they stumbled, fell, and lay still. She quickly darted back to protect Chojin just as more ghuls rushed toward his fallen body. Orin sliced another apart from behind.

"Togashi!" Orin shouted and charged the last three. A look of stunned fear flashed through their eyes as Orin's sword blazed white. One ghul tripped and fell off the edge of the roof, taking along another who had just emerged over the top. Orin spun his blade in a deadly, two-handed arc. The final two ghuls were reduced to so much debris.

"Orin," Meliko said. She was staring at him with bright green eyes. Her expression was pure astonishment.

"What is it?" Orin asked. "How is Chojin?"

"I don't know," she said. "I think he overexerted himself. But did you just..."

"Kill the bearded gaijin!" snarled a savage voice. Orin realized, to his surprise, that the man spoke in the language of the Senpet. He looked toward the source and saw a short, bald man, smoking a cigarette. His cheeks were deeply scarred. He wore a dark leather jacket covered with chains and belts of knives. Behind him staggered two dozen more ghuls.

Orin hadn't spent much time in the Senpet Nations, but he knew a Jackal when he saw one. He stepped away from Meliko and Chojin, moving slowly and carefully toward the ghul pack. Their eyes followed him. They staggered toward him at their master's command. The Jackal watched Orin with cold, hard eyes.

"Now, now, what are the chances of this?" the Jackal called out. "That the two of us should run into one another so far from home, both of us championing a cause that we don't really understand. How about that, eh, Amijdal?"

"I don't think understanding figures into this, Jackal," Orin replied. "I think I'd pretty much hate you anywhere we ran into each other."

"Oh, I'm hurt," the man replied. "And why so formal? The Jackals are no more. I am Massad, but my friends call me Omar."

"Massad," Orin nodded.

"Soon, you'll call me Omar," Massad smiled. "Kids, bring me the Amijdali's heart."

"Miiiine!" the ghul pack shrieked. They scurried toward Orin on all fours, like great monstrous vermin. There was no way Orin could fight so many. They would tear through him in an instant and then destroy the innocent refugees under his protection. At least two of them had already died.

No more.

"TOGASHI!" Orin shouted and the rooftop burst into light. White flames blazed from the bear-sword, and Orin felt a bit of his strength depart as raw power cascaded into the pack. The ghuls cried in pain as the flames rolled from the blade and burned the flesh from their bones. When the light faded once more, only six of the original pack remained.

Omar Massad stood in exactly the same place, eyes wide. The cigarette dangled from his open mouth.

"Quite impressive," Massad nodded. A dozen more ghuls clambered over the roof behind him. A pounding echoed from the boarded doors as the goblins began to force their way through. "Think you can do that again?" Massad taunted, a knife flashing into one hand.

"Want to find out?" Orin pointed the bear-sword at him.

"Oh my, now you've gone and gotten my adrenaline going," Massad cackled with glee. He spat his cigarette on the ground and cracked his knuckles. "Let's finish this, cowboy."

"Let's," Orin sneered.

The two men broke into a run, the ghuls laughing with glee as they followed their master into combat or charged past toward the other refugees. The doors to the roof burst open and goblins surged out in a mass. Togashi Meliko knelt over Chojin, ready to give her life for the old Dragon. Daidoji Ishio leaned heavily on Gyukudo, katana dangling from one hand. Blood seeped from between his bandages and down his leg as his wound opened again. The old marine was ready to fight the goblins even with the heavy Crane on one shoulder. The others refugees huddled in a circle and readied whatever weapons they had remaining.

"It's over, cowboy!" Massad laughed as he ducked beneath the arc of Orin's sword. "You can't save your friends. You can't save anyone. Why did you come all this way? You could have stayed at home with your fat wife and your television and been perfectly happy. Instead you came to Rokugan to die."

"Shut up, Jackal," Orin growled.

A great roar exploded in the air above them, and a savage wind cut across the rooftop. A great, crescent-shaped vehicle appeared suddenly over the roof, casting green spotlights over the crowd below. The goblins shrieked in pain and collapsed in the light. The ghuls merely peered upward curiously.

Then the docking bay opened, dumping thirty Senpet soldiers onto the rooftop.

"Just my luck," Massad sneered as he lunged at Orin with his knife. "Always trust the Senpet to show up when they're not invited."

Orin knocked the knife from Massad's hand with a savage parry. "I invited them, Massad," he laughed. The sounds of gunfire echoed across the rooftop as the Jackals tore into the goblins and ghuls. The great turrets on the Scarab raked the mobs of undead and goblins still wandering the streets below.

Another knife appeared in the Jackal's hands. "You changed the rules," Massad laughed, dancing backwards. "As much as I respect that, I'm afraid it means it's time for me to leave. I never play a game that I can't win." The Jackal rolled into a back-flap and ran for the edge of the roof.

Orin charged after him, knocking two ghuls aside with a powerful backhand punch. Massad glanced back, his eyes full of momentary terror as he realized that Orin would never let him escape. The bear-sword cut low and Massad fell to the tar roof. He could feel the pain in his legs, and knew that Orin had just cut him down at the knees. He looked back over one shoulder and smiled a wicked smile.

"The Moto said that I can't die, you know," Massad cackled as blood spilled from his lips. "Kill me and I'll just come back."

Orin stood over Omar Massad and lifted his sword in both hands. He shook his head slightly. "Stupid Jackal," Orin said. "You should never have told me that."

Massad's eyes widened in fear as the sword came down.

"Dragons?" Gohei gave a short laugh as he looked at the two new arrivals with skepticism. "I suppose there will be Snakes next."

"What they claim is true, or seems to be," Sumi replied, giving the Lion Champion a level look. "The Soul of Shiba recognizes its own blood, and these two carry the power and wisdom of the kami, Togashi."

The leaders of what was left of the Great Clans in Otosan Uchi were gathered in the lowest level of the Temple of the Elements. The battered soldiers, refugees, and vehicles that had survived were arrayed outside, transforming the once tranquil temple grounds into a mobile arsenal.

In the distance, the great shapes of Kyuden Hida and Oni no Yoritomo dueled. The Oni was untouched, and the Kyuden showed considerable damage on several of its forward cannons. No one had much doubt how the battle would turn if it continued for much longer.

The leaders of the clans had, for the moment, turned their attention to the two strangers found by Sumi during her reconnaissance of the city - Mirumoto Rojo and Agasha Kyoko.

"I can vouch for them," Saigo said, watching Mirumoto Rojo carefully. "I've met Rojo before, though he was shorter then." Saigo was amazed. There seemed to be no trace of the tetsukansen in the Mirumoto at all.

"Why should I listen to you, Phoenix?" Matsu Gohei said shortly. "Who are you, anyway?"

"If you won't listen to him, then listen to me," Princess Ryosei said firmly rising from where she tended her brother to face the Lion. "The Dragon Clan is alive and well. They have secretly protected my family and the Empire for over a century."

"I suspected as much since that strange night in the Labyrinth," Bayushi Oroki mused, not bothering to explain himself further to anyone else. "And they call the Scorpions the masters of secrets. Tell me, Dragons, why have you hidden yourselves? And why do you chose now, of all times, to reveal yourselves?"

"Now is the time to act," Agasha Kyoko replied. Her voice bore a strange ethereal timbre, suggesting that her words were more than mere speech.

"Marvelous," Isawa Kujimitsu said blandly. "The more the merrier. We can all die together. In the meantime, what do we do about him?" He nodded at the Emperor, now bound to a pallet with strong grey tape, enhanced by the magic of the Caretakers. Though his eyes were open, he seemed hardly conscious.

"That mask is familiar, as well," Sumi said. "It once belonged to the Dark Brother."

"Fu Leng?" Doji Kamiko asked, surprised.

Sumi nodded. "It's power caused a great deal of trouble during the Clan Wars, and again during the Wrath. It was cracked by its last wearer, its power reduced greatly. Even yet, it has a powerful link to Jigoku. Your brother has a direct connection to the source of all evil, Ryosei-sama. If we don't act soon, it will consume him."

"What do we do?" Ryosei asked. "How do we remove it?"

"The oni is the first step," Sumi replied. "It is tied to your brother's name. It is a chain on his soul, dragging him into the abyss. With the oni and the mask, he's surely doomed. If we can eliminate one, or the other, he may have a chance."

"And what happens if we eliminate the mask?" asked Isawa Hideyoshi. "If we break it?"

Sumi frowned at the Master of Earth. "You can't break it," she replied. "It was made by a kami. It's practically indestructible."

"Ofushikai?" Iuchi Razul asked, looking at Sumi's sword. "Isn't that a kami's weapon, too?"

Sumi looked uncertain. "Ofushikai is... unreliable..." she said. "The memories that are attached to it suggest that it is... incomplete."

"Incomplete?" Kujimitsu asked in a worried tone.

"Interesting," Bayushi Oroki remarked.

"What if the Emperor were dead?" Shiba Natsumi asked. "Would that harm the oni?"

"You'll never know," Matsu Gohei replied calmly. "If you tried to kill the Emperor, I would see you dead before you took a step." He rested one hand on his katana.

"I wasn't threatening him," she said with an irritated sigh.

"Exactly," the Lion Champion nodded.

"Wait," Kitsu Jurin interrupted. "You said that the Mask was damaged during something called the Wrath. How was it damaged? Sumi, can you remember?"

"No," she answered. "The Phoenix champion was not there when it happened, and accounts of exactly what happened during the Wrath of Beyond are fuzzy at best."

"So what in Jigoku are we supposed to do?" Doji Kamiko asked. "How do we fight something that just won't die?"

"It is already dead," replied a voice.

Everyone in the room turned. The Emperor's eyes were fixed upon Doji Kamiko. The pupils still burned a strange red, but his gaze seemed clear.

"Kamiko, it is already dead," Kameru said. "She killed it before it could pull itself into the city, before it drew on the power of the Emperor's name and became immortal. Kamiko, it is already dead. She already killed it when she called the thunder. You only have to finish the job."

"Kameru," Kamiko said, rushing to his side. "What are you talking about? Who already killed the oni? Who called the thunder?"

"Kamiko, help me," Kameru replied weakly, collapsing back onto the pallet. "Find my sword... find my ambition..."

"Kameru, wake up!" Kamiko cried reaching for his face.

Saigo quickly grabbed her arm. "Umm, I don't think you want to touch him right now, Kamiko," he said. "I saw him rip off an ogre's leg earlier tonight."

"It doesn't matter. He's unconscious again," Ryosei said, shaking her head as she looked at her brother.

"Thunder," said Asako Jo. "What do you think he was talking about?"

Everyone in the room turned to Jared Carfax, who was currently sitting on a small table eating leftover rice a Caretaker had given him.

"What?" the gaijin remarked, chopsticks halfway to his mouth. "Someone says Thunder and everyone automatically looks at me?"

"We didn't seek your aid, Oracle," Matsu Gohei snarled, advancing on the smaller gaijin. "But if I find out you could have helped us and did not, I shall personally test the limits of your mortality. Is that understood?"

Carfax's eyebrows rose. "I'm not used to being threatened."

Gohei slapped the bowl out of his hands, spraying rice over the floor. "Get used to it," he sneered, leaning very close to the Oracle so that their eyes met.

"Fine, then," Carfax swallowed hard. "Ask your question, Lion. Lucky for you, you're not a Thunder. That's lucky for all of us, I guess. Just be careful what you ask, this whole Day of Thunder thing is a tricky area. I can't give away too much."

"Who summoned the thunder against Oni no Yoritomo?" Gohei asked.

Carfax nodded and smiled slightly. "Good question," he said. His head snapped back for a moment, as his eyes clouded with the flood of knowledge. When he spoke again, his voice was not his own. "Ranbe Yuya, the Jade Champion," he replied. "She sensed the fulfillment of the Yoritomo family curse on the horizon, and stood defiant against it. She gave her life to the power of her magic, summoning the thunder against the spires of the Diamond Palace."

"How do we finish what she started?" Iuchi Razul asked.

"Use that which is forged of the life's blood of the earth to finish the deed," Carfax replied. He looked at a nearby Caretaker. "Could I get some more rice?"

The room was silent for a moment.

"That tells us nothing, gaijin," Gohei snarled, reaching for the Oracle's face.

"The life's blood of the earth is the Bloodwhite Stone," Argcklt said from where he crouched in the far corner of the room. His yellow eyes gleamed with an intense light. "It is the mystic receptacle of the earth's soul which my people have sought for centuries. Something that is made by the Bloodwhite Stone can kill Oni no Yoritomo."

"Where do we find the Bloodwhite Stone?" Sumi asked.

Mirumoto Rojo began to open his mouth to answer, when the doors of the temple suddenly opened. A small group of monks and Shiba Mojo stood on the front step. The yojimbo's armor was battered and dusty. His long hair hung in tangles. Argcklt's already large eyes widened even further when he saw the Phoenix.

"Sumi-sama, I need to talk to Master Kujimitsu," Mojo said urgently.

"Mojo, you're alive?" Sumi exclaimed.

"The Bloodwhite Stone!" Argcklt exclaimed, staring at Mojo.

"I, for one, am tiring of dramatic entrances," Jared Carfax commented, sipping his tea."

The Kashrak charged toward Zin, a ton of muscle and raw power. Zin could still barely see, but she chose the largest open area and leaped. She moved narrowly out of the way, tripping on debris and landing on the glowing kanji once more. Her shoulder was badly seared by dark flame before she rolled to her feet. She cast about blindly, trying to locate Kashrak in the bleary, indistinct world created by the cobra poison.

The Kashrak only smiled, staying as far from her as possible. He knew the power of his poison, and knew how to hunt blinded prey. "The blinding is temporary, my dear," he chuckled, using a bit of magic to cause his voice to echo from all directions at once. "For you, consider it to be permanent, as you only have a few minutes of life remaining."

Ichiro Chobu watched from the shadows. He had followed Zin this far, and now he was trapped. A mob of goblins and minor oni clustered about outside, following in her wake. Even the rifle he had scavenged wouldn't help him against so many. Luckily they were unwilling to enter Kashrak's building. It wasn't hard to see why. The Badger huddled in the shadows and prepared to pray to every Fortune he could remember that the girl would win, even though the odds didn't look good.

Chobu quickly discarded that thought. Other than the direct use of magic, prayer had never really done much for him. The kami answered his call; the Fortunes had better things to do with their time. He didn't blame them. If a mortal couldn't help himself, he wasn't worth saving, right? No, Chobu would have to find his own way out of this.

He could run for it. No, the oni could run faster. He could summon his magic and ride the wind, but that would make him a moving target for any flying creatures or goblins with guns. There didn't seem to be any way out of this, except through the Kashrak, and that was no way to go at all. Chobu didn't even consider the gun a viable advantage. A beast like the Kashrak didn't survive this long without being bulletproof.

The Kashrak struck out savagely with one claw. Zin didn't dodge quickly enough this time, though she rolled with the blow. She tumbled to the floor, her shirt a bloody mess. She wouldn't last much longer, and once she was dead the Kashrak would notice the little Badger lurking on the stairs. There was no other way about it. Ichiro Chobu had to save her.

"Damn it," Chobu swore. "I hate being a hero. Heroes always die."

Zin struggled to her feet again. Chobu had to hand it to her; the girl was tough. Kashrak was tougher, that was all there was to it. She would last ten more seconds, tops.

Resisting every instinct toward common sense in his body, Ichiro Chobu charged into the room. He summoned up the power of his magic, but didn't turn it against Kashrak. Instead, he seized Zin by her shoulders and flooded her body with Earth spirits, wiping the cobra poison away.

Zin blinked, momentarily surprised that she could see clearly. She ducked quickly as one of the Kashrak's thick tails collided with the place where she had been standing. Chobu was not quite so agile, and was sent flying backwards into the opposite wall.

"Badger!" Kashrak roared, turning to face the fallen Badger. "What are you doing here? How dare you interfere?"

Zin moved on the Kashrak's distraction. She saw a glint of white on the floor across the room and ran for it. A few of the cobra tentacles noticed her and spat poison in her path, but she rolled beneath the cloud and came up with the Blade of the Bright Eye in her hand. The Kashrak turned and peered back over one shoulder, keeping both of them in view. He was no longer cocky and arrogant. He was wary now, ready for surprises.

"No more tricks," he hissed. "Die." He pointed one finger at Zin, turning his hand to reveal a hand full of black pearls. The dark spheres exploded into a wave of dark energy. The wooden floor cracked and peeled as the dark bolt passed over head. The air rolled back, screaming as it was consumed by a wave of utter corruption.

Zin brought up the Blade of the Bright Eye and summoned the pearl magic in her defense. A shell of shimmering white formed around her, deflecting the dark wave and forcing it back. She staggered back a few steps, unprepared for the power of Kashrak's onslaught. She knew that there was no way her magic could match his for long, not with his power amplified by the great circle of summoning.

Across the room, Chobu opened his eyes. He tried not to move too much, hoping that the Kashrak would think he was dead. The battle was going badly. Zin was holding up, but the cracks in her magical shield wouldn't hold for long. There was nothing Chobu could do... he knew quite a bit about maho. He recognized the spell Kashrak was summoning. It wouldn't leave so much as a corpse.

Then it hit him.

Chobu knew about maho.

The floor pulsated with kanji, exactly the same kanji Chobu had used to summon the Kukanchi, albeit on a much larger scale. He recognized the a focus kanji, a tiny symbol to the left of center that held the whole spell together.

At least, he thought it was the focus kanji.

Kashrak had compared disabling the circle to disarming a bomb.

"Well, I guess it's time to pick a wire, and snip," Chobu whispered. "I just need something to cut it..."

And then Chobu remembered the jade nunchaku in his coat. The ones he had found in the Kashrak's sewer.

Chobu rose to his feet, drew out the nunchaku and ran faster than he had ever run in his life. He leaped over the burning kanji, narrowly dodging the black flames as they rose to stop him. A green cloud of cobra poison exploded to his left, and he drew his leather coat over his face to block it.

"Badger!" Kashrak roared behind him, still absorbed in the spell focused upon Zin. "What do you think you're doing?"

Chobu skidded to his feet and rose the nunchaku high. "Dad, please let me be right."

He felt something collide hard with his back, but ignored it. He brought the weapon down on the kanji with all the force his muscles could muster. A sound like shattering crystal filled the room, and all the dark kanji suddenly flared with a bright light.

"Damn you, no!" the Kashrak roared, tearing his claws free of the Badger's spine. "You don't know what you've done!" The Kashrak began rapidly speaking the words of magic, summoning his earlier spell of teleportation.

A sudden blaze of pearl magic lanced the dark Naga's face, cutting off his spell. The Kashrak stumbled backwards, collapsing in a heap. Zin quickly ran up the heaps of coils, Blade of the Bright Eye shimmering with power. The Kashrak looked up in time to meet her gaze, and opened his mouth to say one final thing...

Which Zin had no desire to hear. She slashed sideways, opening his throat from shoulder to shoulder. Drawing the blade back a second time, she buried it deep in the corrupted Naga's heart and twisted. The Kashrak's body shuddered and lay still. She drew the blade back a third time, when she noticed that the dark kanji were now flaring erratically and the entire building was shaking.

Time to go.

She ran to the wounded stranger's side, heaved him over her shoulders, and ran.

The building exploded in a column of white power right behind her, as did seventeen others throughout the city.

Oni no Yoritomo screamed.

"Where did you get this?" Isawa Kujimitsu demanded, holding up the Bloodwhite Shard.

Shiba Mojo and the Master of Water had retired to a small chamber in the Temple of the Elements. Mojo had refused to release the stone or talk to anyone else until Kujimitsu had agreed. Under the circumstances, Kujimitsu quickly agreed, even sending away his ever-present yojimbo.

"Eagle's Claw," Mojo replied. "A creature called Zesh gave it to me. He said that you would know what to do with it. That you had done it before."

Kujimitsu frowned, staring into the depths of the Bloodwhite Shard again. "What else did he tell you?" he asked.

"He said that you were a friend of the kolat," Mojo said flatly. "Is it true?"

"No," Kujimitsu looked Mojo in the eye. "I am not a friend of the kolat. I am a Kolat Master. One of ten, steering the destiny of the Empire. At one time, we worked toward our own selfish ends. Now some say that our cause is more noble. Whether it truly is, or w are running scared because the Dark Oracles are hunting us is all a matter of perception, I suppose. What of it?"

"Nothing," Mojo shrugged. "I'm just sick of people lying to me and giving me the run-around. Thanks for being honest, Isawa-sama."

"Now you know my darkest secret," Kujimitsu replied with a tight smile. "I think you can call me Kujimitsu."

"So is this where you call in your thugs and put three bullets in my head?" Mojo asked, smiling though inwardly he wondered if it was really a joke.

Kujimitsu rose one eyebrow. "Ironic that you should say that, but no. If Zesh trusts you, then I trust you as well. Zesh is an excellent judge of character."

"What is he?" Mojo asked.

"Zesh?" Kujimitsu pondered for a moment. "Zesh is... Zesh. There is nothing to compare him to. We don't really know what he is, but he hates the Dark Oracles as much as we do, and he protects the Oni's Eye... or the Bloodwhite Stone. Whatever you want to call it. They are the same thing in the end."

"How did that zokujin know that I was carrying it?" Mojo asked.

"The zokujin created it," Kujimitsu answered. "Their people inflicted a great wrong upon the earth by creating the stone, a wrong they have been seeking to undo for longer than either of us can imagine. A wrong compounded when the kolat summoned Zesh and shattered the stone. It is our fault that the magic in the Empire is dying, Mojo. The Oni's Eye once focused the magic of Rokugan. Now it slowly bleeds away."

"Why?" Mojo asked.

"Difficult to tell," Kujimitsu said. "Even more difficult to fix, I imagine. A problem for another time. What else did Zesh tell you?"

"He said you could use that to make a weapon," Mojo replied. "Can you?"

"I've done it before..." Kujimitsu replied. "Together with Ikimura, Toshimo, and Isawa I worked on Akodo, Ketsuen, and Bayushi. Of course none of the manufacturing records mention my assistance. The War Machines were designed to battle the Dark Oracles. Perhaps they could be used to battle Oni no Yoritomo as well. Jared Carfax seems to think so. I know I have mixed feelings about trusting an Oracle, but that's just me. Perhaps we haven't a choice." The Master of Water reached behind him and lifted an ancient helmet off the small table. He placed it between himself and Mojo, gently, reverently.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked.

"It looks like a kabuto," Mojo replied.

"It was made by Isawa," Kujimitsu replied.

"Soshi Isawa?" Mojo asked.

Kujimitsu shook his head and chuckled. "No. Isawa. The first one. The one who followed Shiba. He crafted it for his yojimbo, so that he could use his magic to grant strength to his guardian no matter how far afield he went. It is very ancient, and very powerful. The perfect nemuranai to build a War Machine."

"Can you make a War Machine in one night?" Mojo asked.

"I can make a War Machine in one minute," Kujimitsu replied. "I've been readying this one for months. It's not nearly so big and bulky as the others, it simply needs a pilot and the ritual motivating power of a few shugenja in order to be operational. All I need is that stone in your hand and I can finish it."

"Great," Mojo said, tossing the shard carelessly on the table. "Glad to get that off my chest. Can I go now?"

"I think not," Kujimitsu said, looking up at Mojo with a hint of irritation. "You need to be here for this."

"Be here for what?" Mojo asked. "When you create the War Machine?"

"Of course," Kujimitsu replied with a smile. "After all, it's going to need a pilot. You already know too much, Mojo. Did you think you would get off so easily?"

Mojo sighed and sank back into his chair.

Oni no Yoritomo was not impressed. The samurai had sent their greatest weapon against him, and it was nothing. The best the mighty cannons of the flying castle could do was force it back; nothing they could do could harm it. It charged forward again, lashing out with its great claws. The Kyuden spiraled in midair and moved backward, but not quickly enough. One claw tore a great scar across the armor of the fortress. The Kyuden opened fire again. The oni screamed in rage and ignored the onslaught.

Across its flesh it felt the sting of countless insects; the fleet of aircraft that had emerged from the flying fortress. They were hardly worth notice; the oni took backhand swipes at them now and then but for the moment directed its attention to the great castle. Once it was destroyed, the samurai would realize that there was no way to defeat it. They would see that there was truly no hope at all.

Asahina Munashi watched the battle from deep within his creation. The flesh of Oni no Yoritomo gave way at his command, and now the twisted tsukai watched everything from within the creature's great head. It was pathetic, really, how they continued to rally against it when they knew there was nothing they could do. After forty volleys of missiles with no harm done, why fire another? They were helping to destroy the city, nothing more. There was nothing quite like the stubborn foolishness of samurai.

"Enough of this," Munashi remarked absently. "Destroy Kyuden Hida."

The oni turned its head toward the Kyuden. It's bulk shifted as it heaved air into its metallic lungs. Its back swelled and its eyes glinted with a dark light.

"YORITOMO!" it screamed, and released a cloud of terrible darkness upon the Kyuden. Countless tiny black things carved through the surface of the flying fortress, destroying everything in their path. The castle's armor held stable at first, then began to wither and buckle. The roar of the Kyuden's engines began to stutter, and the great castle faltered in the air.

For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath as Kyuden Hida fell from the sky.

The great castle tore a gouge through the city as it skidded across the surface. The hideous sound of bending steel and cracking stone marked the death knell of the Crab's great flying fortress. It spun like an impossibly huge top as it slowly came to a halt at the edge of Otosan Uchi, a terrible punctuation mark to the city's destruction. A few great guns still rotated on the sides of the fortress and lights still shone deep within, but the greatest weapon of the Crab had been eliminated. The Crab fleet quickly withdrew from attacking the oni, flocking to defend the fallen Kyuden.

"Ah," Asahina Munashi smiled. "That's much better. Now let's go finish the survivors."

A shiny glimmer to his left caught his attention. He saw the golden figure of Akodo, the Lion War Machine. The golden robot wielded a great sword in one hand and fired volleys of missiles at the oni from the other. On the ground, the great gunmetal shape of the Crab War Machine stumbled along, firing green beams of jade light into the swarms of lesser oni that surrounded Yoritomo. Two other War Machines were there as well, a sleek red and black one and a centaur in purple and silver. The four of them fought as a unit, carving their way through the ranks of lesser oni and making a line directly toward the awesome Yoritomo.

"They think they can win," Munashi chuckled. "My child, the others can wait for a moment. Let's show them how you roar once again."

The oni turned toward the quartet of War Machines and drew the air into its lungs...

"Damage report," Hida Tengyu shouted from his command chair. The Crab daimyo was still firmly strapped in and seemed oblivious to the smoke and chaos around him. The creak of buckling metal echoed from somewhere deep within the Kyuden, along with the shouts of men and nezumi trying desperately to repair the damage.

"All engines are off-line," Kaiu Toshimo reported gravely. Blood was smeared under the engineer's left cheek, but Tengyu couldn't tell whether it was Toshimo's or someone else's. "We have major structural damage and a forty foot wide hull breach on level nine. We're not going anywhere."

"I can tell that much," Tengyu snapped. "What about the weapon systems?"

Toshimo glanced at the screens again. Cannons two three and eight are still functional, but our range of fire is limited as we're buried halfway in the ground with a twenty five degree list to port. Also... well, that's strange..."

"What?" Tengyu replied.

"The Taint levels in the city are no longer increasing," Toshimo answered. "They've been climbing steadily since the oni first appeared, but now they've stopped. Eighteen buildings have violently exploded in a circle around the city's edge, as well. I don't think it's a coincidence, though I have no idea what happened."

"Assume it's good news for the moment," Tengyu grunted. "Where is the oni?"

"Half a kilometer to the northwest," replied another technician, clutching a limp injured arm to his side as he watched the monitors. "It seems to be turning its attention to the War Machines."

"Hm," Tengyu scratched his chin. "Train cannons two, three, and eight on the oni, or as close to it as you can. Calculate mortar trajectories if you have to. Hold your fire until my command."

Toshimo looked back at Tengyu. "The oni's invulnerable, Tengyu. We can't-"

"Just stop arguing with me and do it, Toshimo," Tengyu said. "I have a feeling this isn't over yet."

The cloud of darkness rolled toward them, the same cloud that had knocked the Kyuden from the sky only moments before. Yasu, Hayato, Zou, Daniri, and Rakki braced themselves for the worst.

The worst did not come.

Instead a large figure of in flaming armor forged of pure energy appeared before them. Its great burning wings stretched across the road, forming a shield against the cloud of oni. The tiny creatures screeched in pain as they met the flames and were consumed.

"What the?" Shinjo Rakki remarked, dumbfounded.

"Reinforcements," snapped a voice from behind them. A nine foot tall man in armor of dark green and gold rushed forth to meet them. He bore a brilliant golden daisho, and the visor of his helm seemed to glow with an eerie light. "Long time no see, Bayushi Zou. Like the new arms."

Bayushi Zou looked at the newcomer, puzzled. "Have we met?"

"Man, and I used to think I was special," Daniri mused. "Now everybody's got a War Machine."

"Um... guys?" Shiba Mojo called out from where he stood holding back the oni's breath. His strange War Machine was somehow able to access and communicate through their tetsukami radio systems. "Get out of the street! I can't keep this up forever."

The War Machines quickly scattered, breaking off into pairs. The Scorpion and Unicorn darted right, while the Crab and Dragon moved left. The Lion flew straight up, above the cloud. The Phoenix quickly folded his flaming wings and rocketed upward beside him, letting the oni's breath tear unimpeded into the vacant street.

"Wow," Daniri said, looking at the Phoenix armor in surprise. "What the heck is that made out of?"

"Magic," Mojo replied. "Inside it's just me, a helmet, and a whole lot of wishful thinking from the Elemental Masters."

"What else does it do?" Daniri asked.

"Don't know," Mojo answered. "Let's find out."

The oni screamed in anger, furious that the War Machines had survived. Before it could react again, the Phoenix and Lion had closed to meet it. The Lion swooped to the right, raking the monster's hide with its sword. The Phoenix arced left, its arms extending into plumes of pure fire and scorching the oni's right eye. The Crab and Dragon appeared on the ground. The Crab glanced back at the Dragon for a moment, lifted him into the air, and hurled him at the oni. The Dragon landed nimbly on one of the oni's insectoid legs and began scaling his way up. The oni slammed one leg down at the Crab, who quickly dove for cover. The Unicorn and Scorpion darted out to attack it from behind, both striking with blinding speed. The Unicorn leapt into the air, its ascent assisted by boosters along the underside of its body, and gouged the oni's flesh with its naginata. The Scorpion hooked onto a leg with its whip, and began climbing the creature's body as well.

Within the head of Oni no Yoritomo, Asahina Munashi was furious. The oni was not harmed by any means, but to be defied by toys? Impossible. Even more annoying was the fact that he had not known that the Scorpion, Unicorn, or Phoenix had been building War Machines. And the Dragon? More irritating still.

"So what are we looking for here?" Mojo asked as he circled over the enormous creature. "How do we hurt it?"

"That's the whole trick" Yasu replied from within Ketsuen. "Hit whatever looks vulnerable." The Crab War Machine, too heavy to fly and too clumsy to climb, charged about with its tetsubo in hand, firing random jade lasers at the thing's underbelly and dodging legs.

"I can't even tell if I'm hurting it," Shinjo Rakki said. "If this thing had a big blinking blister on the side like all the monsters in video games, I would just aim at that." The Unicorn landed, turned, and leapt again. This time it was caught in mid-air by a leg and flew backwards into a wall.

"The Oracle mentioned the spires of the Palace," grunted Mirumoto Rojo from where he worked his way up the oni's side, also using his armor's magic to communicate with the other War Machines. "Find something that looks like the spire, and aim at that."

The Lion soared over the oni's head, then turned and hovered in midair, staring at its crystalline head. A small portion on the side of its face was a brilliant crystal green, the same color as the spires of the Diamond Palace. The green crystal was marred by a bright silver burn. The Lion locked on with his missile launchers and fired a full volley.

Oni no Yoritomo screamed, a shrill scream of pain and surprise. It turned with incredible speed, one great claw colliding with the Akodo War Machine and sending it plummeting through one building, out the other side, into another, out the other side and into a third.

"Whatever Daniri hit, I think that was it," Yasu said from the ground. "Let's finish this thing." He charged the nearest leg, attempting to find a handhold so he could try to get a shot at the head. The leg swung back and buried itself through one of Ketsuen's legs. The Crab War Machine toppled and lay still, sparks erupting from its body. The leg rose again to finish the job, then wobbled awkwardly and fell off. On the side of the oni's torso, the Dragon lifted his swords high and headed for the next leg.

The oni roared in anger as the Phoenix lanced its face with flame. It turned and coughed another cloud of raw darkness. The Phoenix dropped, suddenly weighted down by the countless tiny oni that clutched its sides and tried to gnaw their way through the magical armor even as they burned.

The Unicorn picked himself up and charged only as the oni spun and struck the street with one sharp claw. The street cracked and buckled beneath the Unicorn's hooves. It disappeared through the surface and was seen no more. It brought the claw back, elbowing the Dragon solidly and pinning him against its body. The Dragon grunted in pain, unable to move or wield his weapons effectively. The oni turned to kill with the Crab, when the Scorpion, forgotten since the beginning of the battle, suddenly appeared at its throat. It buried the stinger of its whip deep in the marred green crystal at the side of Yoritomo's face. The oni whipped its head away from the Scorpion, which was, of course, exactly what the Scorpion wanted. The Scorpion leapt backward and pulled, tearing the side of the oni's face away as the War Machine dropped back to the ground.

Asahina Munashi looked about, surprised, as his perch within the oni's head was now exposed.

The oni screamed in pain and planted one thick leg through the Scorpion War Machine's back.

The Phoenix was at street level now, finally having burned away all of the oni spawn that clawed at its armor. He felt weak now, as if the power of his armor were bleeding away. The Phoenix War Machine was powerful, but only so long as the Elemental Masters focused their magic upon it. Their power was not inexhaustible, and the damage the spawn had done was intense. The Phoenix rose into the air and met the oni's crystal gaze. He could hardly even fly. Either he would kill it now, or he would die trying.

Suddenly, the oni looked away to its left. The Phoenix saw a glint of metal rise into the sky. A large metal warrior in golden, blue, and white rocketed toward the oni, hand on the katana still sheathed at its side.

The last War Machine had arrived.

"MUNASHI!" Daidoji Eien screamed as he dove toward the great oni on a kamikaze trajectory. Eien was beyond caring about what was safe.

Asahina Munashi did not have time to react. He only saw a flash of gold, the glint of steel as the Crane's sword flew from its scabbard, and a great concussive blast of flame as the Crane War Machine exploded.

And Asahina Munashi died a second time.

Oni no Yoritomo's head was consumed in a brilliant shower of white and golden flame. The great beast wobbled on its remaining legs, and the Dragon leapt free from the weakened claw. The Dragon ran forward to grab what was left of the Crab and Scorpion, to drag him to safety.

The Phoenix simply hovered in the air and realized with horror that the oni was still not dead. The side of its head was blown open, and one eye was gone. It turned its good eye toward the War Machines, trying to find which way they had gone. Its gaze fixed upon the Phoenix, and followed it, keeping the vulnerable side of its face turned away.

The Phoenix knew he could fight no more. He didn't have the speed, strength, or power left to circle the oni and finish it off. Then he noticed the heap of smoking rubble at the edge of town. A plan forming in his head, he circled to the opposite side of the oni. The oni easily kept pace, watching the Phoenix carefully and keeping its wound turned away.

This, coincidentally, exposed the wounded side of its head to the fallen Kyuden Hida.

"Fire," Hida Tengyu commanded, a note of satisfaction in his voice.

Oni no Yoritomo screamed for the last time.

"Is this everyone?" Commander Athmose asked sharply, glancing over the refugees quickly as he paced the crew compartment of the Thoth. "I want to be off from here as soon as we can be. I'm not comfortable remaining in this city an instant longer." "Everyone but Orin," nodded Togashi Meliko. "Here he comes now."

The large, thick-shouldered gaijin hurriedly made his way up the ramp. He was covered with blood and short of breath, but he smiled when he saw Meliko and the others safe. He carried his great bear-sword in one hand, and in the other...

"Mister Wake," Athmose nodded to him. "I am Commander Athmose. We spoke earlier."

"My thanks for the rescue, Commander," Orin replied. "I would shake your hand, but..." He looked down at his burden.

"By the sands," Athmose exclaimed, glancing down at Orin's hand. "What on earth are you carrying?"

Orin glanced down and smiled. He lifted the head of Omar Massad, impaled on one of his own knives. "Call it a prisoner."

"You've spent too much time among the Rokugani, Wake," Athmose said, his expression bemused.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so," Orin replied.

TO BE CONTINUED