Tattoos in Japan: Why they're so tied to the yakuza - BBC News

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Jesse and Goemon sped down Tenma bridge between two large, glass covered buildings and descended into the streets below. Hands pulled at them. Voices screamed as if angered at their presence. Crazed people darted in their way to block their path. Bloodied and still bodies lay in heaps at every step between crashed or burnt out cars.
Zombies, everywhere.
Jesse shivered inside her amour. Any reservations left about what she had to do were disappearing by the second as the nightmare unfolded around her.
Jesse had to save these people...at least the ones that were left to save.
To save herself, she felt like she could fail; as if it were an option she could take and be proud of it. But to save others? It just didn’t work that way. To stop the deaths of innocent lives caught in this mess, she was willing to go beyond any limit she had. Where the feeling was coming from she didn't know, but it was rising in her throat, red-hot anger mixed with...sadness, and regret. She just couldn't let innocent people suffer like this. Couldn't let them die. Not again.
Again?
Jesse’s armour clad feet bit into warm tarmac as she came to a sudden stop. Noise faded. Like a cloud opening in the sky to let a single beam shine through, the veil in her mind pulled away. Jesse staggered.
In chaos before her, she saw a small girl skipping through, not a worry in the world as she smiled up at Jesse, her simple white dress flowing around her. A fluffy toy with dangly ears flopped around in her hand as she hummed a little song that was the only thing Jesse could hear.
Jesse felt her mind opening up as she desperately tried to remember, a warm fluttering feeling filling her chest. Who was this girl? What was that song?
The vision beckoned as if a key. She reached to grasp it—
Like a blast of cold wind hitting a small flame, the feeling disappeared.
The girl stopped. The smile dropped from her face. Cold eyes stared with no emotion as her face turned blue, water dripping from her hair and down onto her round cheeks.
You let me die, she whispered into Jesse’s mind.
You let me die!
“No!”
“Jesse!” Goemon grabbed her just as a car flew past and smashed into the wall at her back.
“Oi Jesse, shikari shite yo!”
Goemon was speaking as he whirled her away, but she couldn’t understand, her brain still reeling from the vision.
“Jesse, get a hold of yourself!” he said again, his eyes narrowing as buildings blurred past. It sounded different.
“You’re speaking English?”
Goemon nodded. “Merlin.”
Leaping up to a small balcony above the madness, Goemon sat her down.
Jesse just couldn’t push away the image of the girl as she tried to steady herself, her thoughts heavy and dull. A pressure squeezed at her mind.
“So weak. And you wish to take my power?”
The voice rumbled through her mind freely, revealing in its wake the state of Jesse’s defenses. In embracing the memory, she had let go of it all, and he had been waiting.
The bastard had destroyed her fleeting chance of seeing into her past. As she mentally prepared to raise the barrier once more, she sent her own message.
I’m coming for you, and I will make you pay. For everything you’ve done to these people.
“You will fail, just as you failed her! Come—”
The voice cut out as the gates to her mind closed, the probing tendrils snapping back against its strength. Jesse slammed her fist into the floor of the balcony, cracks in the stone spreading out as if shattered glass.
“Okamoto?” Goemon said.
Jesse nodded.
“Jesse are you ok?” Merlin’s voice popped into her mind, weak and static filled.
I’m fine, Merlin. I can hardly hear you.
“Interference from Okamoto...power is growing. As a precaution...closing this...communication to strengthen your defence before...fails. I will continue...look... from afar, connection allowing. Things here...quite strange....”
“Strange?”
“Cameras. Lots.”
Ah.
“Please hurry, Jesse. I am not sure...can hold the barrier, and more mindless...arriving by the second. Here and... other side of the wall.”
“I understand, Merlin.”
“Godspeed.”
Goemon offered a hand which Jesse used to pull herself up.
“Keep your defenses up Jesse, you can’t give him another chance like that,“ he said.
“Trust me Goemon, his chances have just taken a big turn for the worse.”
Goemon smiled.
“Let’s go.”
Skipping down they quickly moved down the side streets and towards the castle grounds that beckoned in the near distance, disturbing sights endless in the space between.
Draped bodies over failed police barricades. Blaring horns from empty cars splattered with blood across broken windshields. Fire and smoke billowing from buildings that darkened the sky. Groups of wild and feral looking children giggling and screaming as they chased down adults together and ripped everything they came across apart like a pack of cursed piranhas.
Anger ran hot in her blood. Her grip around Excalibur tightened.
In turning away from the worst areas, a clear path seemed to be forming, one where few rioters were massing.
As they broke out onto the main road surrounding the castle, the reason became clear. Fifty metres from where they stood was a wall of people, greater than even the castle wall beyond. Lining the road on all sides they stood, some suited, some not, some shirtless and exposing tattoos, others with wildly coloured hair and clothes, men and women alike.
Swords, pistols, daggers, rifles, machine guns, a spiked ball linked to a piece of wood; all were armed in more ways than Jesse could even imagine. How many lines deep the rows went she couldn’t see. There must have been thousands of them.
A Japanese flag waved in the air from one of several blacked out vans that were parked on the rising hill behind. The flag was the only thing moving as it rippled in the air, the large gate of the castle visible at its rear.
There was a single yell, followed by a thundering boom of a drum that made Jesse flinch. Behind the mass was a huge ornate drum , a man each side pounding in steady unison. The vibration rumbled windows down the street toward them in its deep and ominous tones.
As if summoned by the drum, a blue and white helicopter swooped down, stoking fires in the buildings and whipping smoke across the road. A large camera jutted from it’s side that opened up to allow a woman to jump out as it touched down.
Clutching her hair and head low, she ran across to them.
As soon as Jesse saw the eyes she knew; there was nothing behind them; empty and unseeing. The woman let her hair fall around her neck as she began to speak, her voice as hollow as her eyes.
“The world is watching, Jesse Harbinger. Goemon. To be granted an audience with the Shogun you must first prove yourselves worthy.” She glanced back at the army of Yakuza,”he advises you that they are much improved from last night’s failures.”
He’s calling himself the ‘Shogun’ now?
“Jesse, let us find another way in, skip past them completely,” Goemon said, his feathers already beginning to shimmer gold and chrome as he grew in size.
Exactly what Jesse was thinking.
“I would not recommend that, Goemon. It would only take a simple command for me to jump from the helicopter, or for other innocents nearby to meet similar ends. He strongly advises you to attack here, through the Otemon Gate.”
Jesse grit her teeth. It was a trap they couldn’t escape.
Sweat was beginning to line the woman’s face, inner stress breaking through the controlled surface.
With no answer forthcoming, she bowed and headed back to the helicopter. High above them it rose, the pounding of the rotor blades mirroring Jesse’s heart as it disappeared past the canopy of smoke.
Excalibur, do that thing with the colours.
“Vision of Justice, Jesse.”
Just do it.
A sea of red displayed before her. Not that she had expected otherwise.
Neither did she expect to be smiling beneath her helmet, anger mixing with electric excitement in her veins.
Excalibur, can we do this?
“The stronger the enemy, the greater the number, the more our power will grow, Jesse. We are a weapon of war and destruction against those of evil. This is what we are made for.”
Jesse’s smile had only grown wider. She didn't try and hold it back. Embracing the wave of bloodlust and excitement was the only way to ride its swells. To push back only lost her in it; this much she had learned.
“Jesse, if I die today, I want you to know that it would be an honourable death. Thank you again, for giving my life purpose once more,” Goemon said, his voice calm and measured.
“Save it for another day, Goemon. We’re not going to die. You're going to see your family again, and so am I.”
Jesse strode forward and raised Excalibur above her head, the blade ringing as it began to fill with a yellow radiance.
“We smash straight through them, don’t stop moving. Head for the gate.”
Goemon nodded as he raised his huge sword to shield his eyes. They’d fought enough for him to know what she was going to do. Clasping his buckle over his cape, he disappeared.
“Hey everyone!” Jesse shouted, “Look here!”
Blank faces looked on as the blade filled to the tip and began to glow as if capturing the sun itself. With a brilliant flash of gold it released, engulfing everything in blinding light.
Cries of pain and confusion roared from the men, but the drum kept on.
Excalibur still above her, Jesse ran, feeling Goemon by her side as they rocketed forward on the wind. Still thirty metres between them and the dazzled men, Jesse brought Excalibur down in an arc of gold, just as Goemon summoned a mighty gust with his sword.
An expanding wave of energy ripped down the street and exploded into the mass. Goemon’s blast of wind then struck, sending bodies flying back and through the air. Into the confusion they tore. The drumming stopped. Roars filled the air, as loud as a football stadium.
Gun fire exploded from all directions as Jesse and Goemon cut through, moving too fast and too close to be hit. Power roared through Jesse as her strength and speed only grew with each landed blow, Excalibur dancing in her grip as she gave herself to the feeling. All seemed to be in slow motion, screams stretching to drawn out moans, bullets whizzing through the air and thudding with dull impacting echoes that never hit her.
From the corner of her vision she saw Goemon’s blurred shape swatting men around like flies as he ran through them, snarling like a beast.
But still the men came. Hit after hit they stood, bloodied and beaten but still coming.
Zombies. Puppets controlled by Okamoto beyond their mortal limits.
Moments and many precise strikes later they were on the bridge and heading towards the gate, weapons and armour slick with blood. But as the enemy thinned, so did their cover. Yakuza in the turrets opened fire with automatic weapons, as those behind them did the same.
The shields lit up in bright patterns for the first time as Jesse and Goemon upped the speed, weaving and slipping through. The gate neared.
Several, small and metallic objects dropped into their path with soft clinks. It took a second for Jesse to realise what they were.
Goemon didn’t.
“Goemon!”
With a series of deafening blasts of heat the grenades exploded one after another, launching Goemon in a hail of shrapnel and fire that bloomed over the lurching bridge. An orb of light lit around Goemon for a brief moment before he was engulfed in flames, and he came fully into view..
Jesse dashed toward him, catching his arm just as he fell over the edge, swinging him back around and rolling with him, his body hot and shining chrome gold, his white cape destroyed.
He blinked heavily before jumping up on his feet, ready and alert once more, steam rising from his scale-like feathers under the burnt cape.
A volley of shots smacked off Jesse’s shields as if a reminder to move. Together they sprinted for the gate through the cover of smoke and flame as men closed in from behind. The earthen bridge trembled at their feet, loud splashes of falling rocks sounding below.
At full speed Goemon slammed into the gate, throwing it wide open against its ancient and whining hinges, and rolled through. Jesse followed as the doors recoiled back, almost closing in her face.
As they swung half-open, Jesse watched as the horde of yakuza came across the half-destroyed bridge toward them, weapons blazing through the smoke and flame.
And then the bridge lurched to the left, cracking at their feet. Goemon stepped forward, raised his monstrous sword high in the air, and stabbed it deep into the ground. The earth split open, a gaping wound growing down the bridge. There was a moan of rock and metal, and the bridge collapsed, huge rocks falling to the moat below, taking with them hundreds of Yakuza, screaming as they fell.
Goemon, not missing a beat, swung shut the gate doors, and brought the ancient bolt across them.
Gunshots peppered the metal doors.
For a brief moment they just stayed there, in the beautifully presented courtyard, breathing and regaining strength.
Yells broke out ahead as more men entered through the courtyard exit to the main grounds. So much for a break.
Goemon sprinted forward and jumped off the wall, launching himself like a rocket at the men before making quick work of them.
Onward they pushed, through the main grounds and sprawling gardens, finding little resistance from the few enemies littered inside. Quickly they approached the inner wall and the main tower that lay within. Jesse looked up at the ancient tower, taken back by its beauty and serenity amidst the chaos. Two men she hadn’t noticed suddenly stole her attention, standing as still as statues, as if gargoyles on the edges of the gate. One was thin, the other muscular and big, both topless and sporting tattoos over every inch of skin except their face.
Each held a long blade in their hands; katana. Sparing no time to think, Jesse bore down upon the smaller one as Goemon took the other. As Excalibur swept towards her target, she felt it; Okamoto’s presence, sick and filling, but mixed with something else, rotten and hot. The man disappeared from her attack in a movement so quick it could have been Goemon.
Something hard hit her back. Jesse smashed into the ground, dazed but not hurt. Goemon was faring no better, the other man somehow growing to match Goemon's size, pounding him back as his muscles bulged to the point of ripping.
Jesse jumped up and pushed through the gate, Goemon following behind as the men stayed in pursuit. The castle grounds opened out into a large square beneath the main tower.
Jesse spun around just in time to block the next attack, coming face to helmet with the man. His eyes stretched unnaturally back, as if being pulled by the back of his head. Dark veins grew from his temples and down his neck. From his sword, black wisps rose like steam.
"My power only grows, Jesse," the man spat through gritted teeth, "you cannot win!"
The man's foot slammed into Jesse's stomach, sending her reeling back, but unhurt.
As he drew close to attack again, Jesse took aim with Excalibur and shot forward in a straight blur; her spear-like attack she had honed during training. The sword's aim was true, and the man fell, with no way to recover.
"I've got no time for your games, Okamoto," she said as the man’s eyes glazed over.
A roar Jesse knew too well filled the air, pain in its shrill tones. Goemon. Turning around, she saw him, huge sword impaled through his larger foe whose hands clutched Goemon's head.
Goemon's eyes went white as they rose into his skull. The hands fell away. Goemon dropped his sword, arms limp.
His eyes flicked to Jesse, his back straightening from it’s bent position, lips curling into a smile.
Jesse felt sick. The demon had failed to possess Goemon before. Okamoto couldn't, could he?
"How interesting, a Tengu of all things," he said, looking down at his hands and picking up the sword.
He had.
"And such unused power. What a fool!"
Goemon picked up his sword from the ground and began to walk towards Jesse, his legs flopping forward and catching the ground at wrong angles. Dragging the sword he came, the edge cutting into the stone, as if he was unable to raise it.
The behemoth of a sword began to rise as Goemon's pace broke into a slight, stumbling trot. He stopped, and then tried again. Only a few paces did he step, each one seeming to lock to the ground more firmly than the last.
"Stronger than I thought. No mind. If I can't attack with the piece, then I'll just take it off the board!"
A whirring sound came from above. Jesse arched her back to see the blue and white helicopter streaking across the sky at great speed, headed straight for them. For Goemon.
Goemon's eyes darted to and fro, and then locked on Jesse, pleading. He was back.
"Jesse, I can't move!"
Jesse burst towards Goemon as she heard the chopping rhythm of the helicopter blades beating close behind her, swelling the air.
Never had she moved so fast. Reaching Goemon she put her arms around him and jumped, just as the whine of the helicopter couldn't get any louder.
A gale of wind and heat lifted her and Goemon away as a mighty boom rocked the castle grounds, the air around glowing red. Jesse thought she could hear a woman's scream among the sounds of smashing glass and crumpling metal sliding across the floor behind her.
With loud thuds the helicopter's rotor blades smashed into the earth, lifting up huge swathes of dirt and stone. Rocks and other debris smashed hard against Jesse's armour as she and Goemon tumbled to the ground.
As they slid to a stop and the thundering roar shaking the ground settled, Goemon lay still, eyes closed. Several places on his body had the smear of his black blood, the chrome and gold of his feathers failing to take, as if something had stopped them from forming.
She lifted up his head, trying to check if he was ok.
"Goemon!" she said as her helmet came down around her face.
A smile broke out across Goemon's lips as his eyes fluttered open.
"Too easy," he said.
"What?"
Goemon's talon-like hand shot out and grabbed the top of Jesse's head.
“Keep your helmet up,Jesse,” he said with a wink, releasing his hand and chuckling.
For a moment Jesse just stared, but Goemon rose and gave her his hand.
“Come on, let's get this bastard, but don’t let anyone touch you.”
Up they rose, avoiding the smouldering wreckage of the helicopter. There was no need to check for survivors.
Before the great steps of the castle, a figure loomed at the top. Jumping down, he landed on the stone floor beneath it, and slowly rose.
Okamoto.
He walked up to them, sword dangling at his side, already smeared with dried blood that matched what was dotted over his exposed and heavily tattooed torso. Heat seemed to be rippling off him, making the air thicker as he approached.
Jesse and Goemon raised their weapons.
“I would never have thought, as a young and simple country boy, that my long and arduous path would lead me here of all places, to this,” he began, looking through them both, and breaking out in a smile.
“A girl with a legendary but broken sword. A Tengu, a creature from myth. Both after the power I possess,”
Jesse kept her eyes firmly on him, not for one second letting them stray. Excalibur trembled in her grip.
“But you see, I can help. I can offer you something that was never offered to me. A way out. A way to scupper the hand fate has given you before it’s too late. Like it is for me.”
Jesse only stared, Goemon casting glances to her.
“I offer you death, and all the peace it brings.” Okamoto said with a smile.
“No thanks,” Jesse replied, unable to think of anything better.
Okamoto’s eyebrows raised.
“You are not the crazed beast I saw in the vision. Not yet.”
He stopped for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.
“It matters not, what is done is done. For that, I have to thank you, Jesse. Without you, this power would never have come to me. Without you, I would never have been forced to take such drastic steps and let go of all that was holding me back. And only without you, will I be able to become what I now must. To that end, I will take your power, as you so wish to take mine, and use it to rebuild the world. Starting with Japan.”
Before Jesse could even think to reply, Okamoto shot forward. Jesse raised Excalibur to block and Okamoto was gone. She darted around to look, Goemon doing the same.
“I’m here.”
Jesse spun to meet the whisper behind her, only for a massive blow to crack her helmet from the other side. Never had she felt such power, the force far eclipsing anything Goemon had ever hit her with. Spinning and tumbling it she went, smacking into the ground and coming to a rest several feet away.
Stumbling to her feet and swaying with dizziness, she looked over to see Goemon just standing, body still but eyes furrowed and darting. Okamoto had him frozen in place, Goemon not free of the effects of the possession.
I can’t let Okamoto touch me.
Rallying her strength she sped towards him, Okamoto smiling as he brought his sword up to block in a casual but sure motion.
Excalibur clattered against his sword and held as Jesse pushed forward using all her strength. Okamoto laughed.
“Is that all you have? Is that all this pathetic sword has?”
Okamoto’s blade flashed purple and black, a feeling of pure ice like fear and doom colliding into Jesse’s senses.
Something felt wrong. Excalibur was dull and lifeless in her hands.
Okamoto began to push back, his face edging closer and closer to Jesse’s helmet, so close she could smell his sweat.
“Give up, Jesse. You were not meant for this, and I am not one to play such games.”
“Enough!” Jesse screamed, heaving him back and then in one fluid motion, cutting deeply down the front of his body.
Shock lined Okamoto’s face, his eyes wide, but as Jesse continued to stare, the eyes became soft, the shock turned to a smirk, and the flesh of his body began to heal, sewing the tattoos back together in perfect synchrony, as if the tattoos themselves were pulling the skin together.
“What?” Jesse mumbled, unbelieving. She had cut him, she knew. Had seen it. But why did it feel so empty, and how could he heal so quickly?
Okamoto held out his hands, beckoning her.
Jesse obliged, darting forward and thrusting Excalibur straight through his chest, all the way to the hilt.
“Die!” she screamed.
A woman’s face was suddenly before Jesse, blood bubbling from her lips and eyes wide as Excalibur buried into her chest above a blue and white logo. A camera fell to the side from her limp hands, still active and recording. The woman looked at Jesse for a moment in pure shock, trying to breathe but failing, before the efforts stopped, and her eyes glazed over.
Recoiling in shock Jesse pulled Excalibur out, stumbling back and over and colliding into something at her rear. The woman’s corpse fell over the camera, hiding it from view. Jesse looked up to see the face of Okamoto, smiling widely at her.
“Oh, what a monster you are, Jesse, and now the whole world knows.”
Confusion marred Jesse’s thoughts as she tried to think. Behind Okamoto was the wreckage of the helicopter, a line of red leading to the woman propped against the tower wall. A survivor. All around in a wide circle, stood bloodied and beaten Yakuza. To the side of the helicopter lay, Goemon, injured, but worse than he had been.
Down his chest was a huge slash, writhing with the flurry of feathers locking into place over it to begin healing.
With dread, it dawned on Jesse. What had she done?
“Too easy,” Okamoto said with a laugh.
Anger, fear and confusion reigned supreme over Jesse’s thoughts as she gripped Excalibur and rose, swinging it as hard as she could at Okamoto’s neck. There was nothing empty about the blow.
In a flash Okamoto raised his sword, taking a wide stance and blocking Excalibur in a mighty crash.
Jesse roared, trying to push both the blades closer to his neck, straining with all of her strength.
Okamoto lowered his head, and spoke, his voice quiet and kind.
“You were too slow, Jesse. Nothing can stop my power now, not even myself.”
“Just fight me normally!” Jesse screamed.
“War is never normal, Jesse, but you wouldn’t know that,.” Okamoto said as he pushed with greater force.
Like a bone snapping inside of her she watched as a crack split down Excalibur’s blade, the missing piece inside of her and the blade screaming, bleeding golden light. Jesse cried out in agony that spread all over her body.
Okamoto kicked her away, Jesse falling back to the floor and lying in pure pain, Excalibur freeing from her grip and clattering away.
“Helmet down, please,” Okamoto said as he stalked over to her. Jesse’s helmet retracted, and he yanked her sweat-drenched hair back so she was looking straight up at him.
“And here we are once again, only this time, it’s real.”
Jesse’s heart thundered in her chest as she watched the blade rise.
I’m going to die. I’m going to die. No, No!
“Merlin!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, the thought exploding from her brain and mouth at the same time before any other, “help me!”
The sudden outburst made Okamoto hesitate.
“Merlin?” he said.
Nothing happened. Okamoto raised an eyebrow, and then his sword.
A rush of wind suddenly swept through the space, a feeling tingled at Jesse’s senses like that when she had taken the sword in the cave.
A momentous bolt of lighting exploded from the heavens and crashed into the ground twenty metres away from the helicopter, sending all the assembled Yakuza flying. Only Okamoto stood firm, his grip still on Jesse’s hair.
From the brilliant flash, Kuma appeared, Merlin on his back, staff raised, swirling blue and red, the kimono Tsukasa had given him billowing at his back, the patterns dancing across it as if alive. Kuma smashed through the Yakuza that tried to stand, snapping and crushing them as he went.
Voice like thunder, Merlin spoke as he jumped from Kuma’s back and drifted in the air, the swirling light growing brighter in his staff.
“Release her!”
His staff exploded in a lightning arch of red and blue energy that smashed into Okamoto and launched him back into the walls of the tower.
Screaming in agony, he raised his sword and deflected the burning beam up and above him, the energy cutting through the castle diagonally across its entire length. The old stone groaned. Wood splintered. The castle shook.
Okamoto lifted himself from within the rock just as Kuma was upon him, managing to dodge the wildy snapping jaws and roll beneath the advancing beast.
Raising his sword, he cut through and under Kuma’s belly. The hound howled in pain and fell to the floor in a growing pool of blood. Okamoto circled round the fallen beast and in a swift movement, plunged his sword deep into the mass of shard like fur. Kuma writhed and then became still, Jesse feeling all connection to him disappear.
“Kuma!” Jesse cried, trying to reach but still unable to move.
Okamoto tried to walk back to Jesse, but vines grew around his feet, locking him in place. Desperately he tried to slash at them, but more came each time. Jesse had seen them before. The vines from the tomb.
From above a glowing orb of blue smashed into his chest and sent him reeling backwards once more into the foundations of the castle in a huge impact, the vines keeping hold and then trapping him within.
The castle shuddered again, groaned, and then began to fall. In a growing cascade of tearing wood and stone, roof and window, the castle leaned and then smashed to the ground where Okamoto, and Kuma had been only moments before.
Merlin raised his staff to form a protective shield around Jesse and the still prone form of Goemon as a wall of smoke and debris hit them. As it died down, he waved his staff once more to clear the smoke.
There was no sign of Okamoto. There was no sign of Kuma, she couldn’t even feel his presence.
Kuma. No.
It all happened so quick.
Merlin drifted down and landed heavily on the stone, hunching over and panting, sweat covering his face as red wisps began rising from his back. Jesse summoned her strength and found she could move. She ran to him.
Jesse felt the rampaging energies inside of the wizard, felt them ease as she came close, and settle completely as she took his hand.
“I,” he panted, too exhausted to speak.
“It’s ok Merlin, take your time.”
She helped him rise to his feet, and then suddenly swayed herself as a bout of dizziness swept over her, prompting Merlin to hold her instead. She let her head fall into Merlin’s chest, and held him close.
He had risked it all to come and save her.
“Thank you, Merlin,” she whispered, and then she cried.
All around, Yakuza members began to stand, hobbling and moaning at their injuries and looking confused at the destruction around them. Okamoto’s mind control was over. They had done it.
All they had to do now was find his sword.
Merlin gently pushed Jesse back, holding her shoulders as his breath became steady.
“Jesse, I—”
Something red and hot splattered into Jesse’s cheek as a blade stopped inches from her face, coming straight out of Merlin’s chest. Okamoto’s blade. Jesse fell back in fright, seeing Okamoto standing behind Merlin, blood and dust covering his body.
Merlin spluttered, blood dripping from his mouth as the blade twisted.
“Merlin!”
A strange look came across Merlin’s face. His eyes widened and glazed over. The blood dripping down his chin from his mouth began to retreat. Silver hair lifted from his shoulders, drifting on an unseen wind. Merlin seemed to grow bigger as the hair flew around him, so much so that Jesse was sure he was actually growing..
Okamoto suddenly reeled back, clutching his hand in pain, as if burnt.
Dark clouds filled the sky, angry sparks of blue forking across them in violent bursts. Merlin’s hands spasmed and then locked tight, the muscles growing and rippling under the skin as bolts of blue and red flickered across them. His staff grew thorns and twisted with growing red veins.
Jesse scrambled back, a sense of dread washing over her that she had never felt before. Worse than Okamoto’s, not even comparable. Okamoto, eyes wide, was feeling it too, slowly backing away. This wasn't his doing.
And then Merlin spoke, the sound coming from everywhere and nowhere, a whisper and a scream that rumbled the very ground upon which they stood.
“Mam, ble dych chi wedi mynd?”
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Jesse and Goemon sped down Tenma bridge between two large, glass covered buildings and descended into the streets below. Hands pulled at them. Voices screamed as if angered at their presence. Crazed people darted in their way to block their path. Bloodied and still bodies lay in heaps at every step between crashed or burnt out cars.
Zombies, everywhere.
Jesse shivered inside her amour. Any reservations left about what she had to do were disappearing by the second as the nightmare unfolded around her.
Jesse had to save these people...at least the ones that were left to save.
To save herself, she felt like she could fail; as if it were an option she could take and be proud of it. But to save others? It just didn’t work that way. To stop the deaths of innocent lives caught in this mess, she was willing to go beyond any limit she had. Where the feeling was coming from she didn't know, but it was rising in her throat, red-hot anger mixed with...sadness, and regret. She just couldn't let innocent people suffer like this. Couldn't let them die. Not again.
Again?
Jesse’s armour clad feet bit into warm tarmac as she came to a sudden stop. Noise faded. Like a cloud opening in the sky to let a single beam shine through, the veil in her mind pulled away. Jesse staggered.
In chaos before her, she saw a small girl skipping through, not a worry in the world as she smiled up at Jesse, her simple white dress flowing around her. A fluffy toy with dangly ears flopped around in her hand as she hummed a little song that was the only thing Jesse could hear.
Jesse felt her mind opening up as she desperately tried to remember, a warm fluttering feeling filling her chest. Who was this girl? What was that song?
The vision beckoned as if a key. She reached to grasp it—
Like a blast of cold wind hitting a small flame, the feeling disappeared.
The girl stopped. The smile dropped from her face. Cold eyes stared with no emotion as her face turned blue, water dripping from her hair and down onto her round cheeks.
You let me die, she whispered into Jesse’s mind.
You let me die!
“No!”
“Jesse!” Goemon grabbed her just as a car flew past and smashed into the wall at her back.
“Oi Jesse, shikari shite yo!”
Goemon was speaking as he whirled her away, but she couldn’t understand, her brain still reeling from the vision.
“Jesse, get a hold of yourself!” he said again, his eyes narrowing as buildings blurred past. It sounded different.
“You’re speaking English?”
Goemon nodded. “Merlin.”
Leaping up to a small balcony above the madness, Goemon sat her down.
Jesse just couldn’t push away the image of the girl as she tried to steady herself, her thoughts heavy and dull. A pressure squeezed at her mind.
“So weak. And you wish to take my power?”
The voice rumbled through her mind freely, revealing in its wake the state of Jesse’s defenses. In embracing the memory, she had let go of it all, and he had been waiting.
The bastard had destroyed her fleeting chance of seeing into her past. As she mentally prepared to raise the barrier once more, she sent her own message.
I’m coming for you, and I will make you pay. For everything you’ve done to these people.
“You will fail, just as you failed her! Come—”
The voice cut out as the gates to her mind closed, the probing tendrils snapping back against its strength. Jesse slammed her fist into the floor of the balcony, cracks in the stone spreading out as if shattered glass.
“Okamoto?” Goemon said.
Jesse nodded.
“Jesse are you ok?” Merlin’s voice popped into her mind, weak and static filled.
I’m fine, Merlin. I can hardly hear you.
“Interference from Okamoto...power is growing. As a precaution...closing this...communication to strengthen your defence before...fails. I will continue...look... from afar, connection allowing. Things here...quite strange....”
“Strange?”
“Cameras. Lots.”
Ah.
“Please hurry, Jesse. I am not sure...can hold the barrier, and more mindless...arriving by the second. Here and... other side of the wall.”
“I understand, Merlin.”
“Godspeed.”
Goemon offered a hand which Jesse used to pull herself up.
“Keep your defenses up Jesse, you can’t give him another chance like that,“ he said.
“Trust me Goemon, his chances have just taken a big turn for the worse.”
Goemon smiled.
“Let’s go.”
Skipping down they quickly moved down the side streets and towards the castle grounds that beckoned in the near distance, disturbing sights endless in the space between.
Draped bodies over failed police barricades. Blaring horns from empty cars splattered with blood across broken windshields. Fire and smoke billowing from buildings that darkened the sky. Groups of wild and feral looking children giggling and screaming as they chased down adults together and ripped everything they came across apart like a pack of cursed piranhas.
Anger ran hot in her blood. Her grip around Excalibur tightened.
In turning away from the worst areas, a clear path seemed to be forming, one where few rioters were massing.
As they broke out onto the main road surrounding the castle, the reason became clear. Fifty metres from where they stood was a wall of people, greater than even the castle wall beyond. Lining the road on all sides they stood, some suited, some not, some shirtless and exposing tattoos, others with wildly coloured hair and clothes, men and women alike.
Swords, pistols, daggers, rifles, machine guns, a spiked ball linked to a piece of wood; all were armed in more ways than Jesse could even imagine. How many lines deep the rows went she couldn’t see. There must have been thousands of them.
A Japanese flag waved in the air from one of several blacked out vans that were parked on the rising hill behind. The flag was the only thing moving as it rippled in the air, the large gate of the castle visible at its rear.
There was a single yell, followed by a thundering boom of a drum that made Jesse flinch. Behind the mass was a huge ornate drum , a man each side pounding in steady unison. The vibration rumbled windows down the street toward them in its deep and ominous tones.
As if summoned by the drum, a blue and white helicopter swooped down, stoking fires in the buildings and whipping smoke across the road. A large camera jutted from it’s side that opened up to allow a woman to jump out as it touched down.
Clutching her hair and head low, she ran across to them.
As soon as Jesse saw the eyes she knew; there was nothing behind them; empty and unseeing. The woman let her hair fall around her neck as she began to speak, her voice as hollow as her eyes.
“The world is watching, Jesse Harbinger. Goemon. To be granted an audience with the Shogun you must first prove yourselves worthy.” She glanced back at the army of Yakuza,”he advises you that they are much improved from last night’s failures.”
He’s calling himself the ‘Shogun’ now?
“Jesse, let us find another way in, skip past them completely,” Goemon said, his feathers already beginning to shimmer gold and chrome as he grew in size.
Exactly what Jesse was thinking.
“I would not recommend that, Goemon. It would only take a simple command for me to jump from the helicopter, or for other innocents nearby to meet similar ends. He strongly advises you to attack here, through the Otemon Gate.”
Jesse grit her teeth. It was a trap they couldn’t escape.
Sweat was beginning to line the woman’s face, inner stress breaking through the controlled surface.
With no answer forthcoming, she bowed and headed back to the helicopter. High above them it rose, the pounding of the rotor blades mirroring Jesse’s heart as it disappeared past the canopy of smoke.
Excalibur, do that thing with the colours.
“Vision of Justice, Jesse.”
Just do it.
A sea of red displayed before her. Not that she had expected otherwise.
Neither did she expect to be smiling beneath her helmet, anger mixing with electric excitement in her veins.
Excalibur, can we do this?
“The stronger the enemy, the greater the number, the more our power will grow, Jesse. We are a weapon of war and destruction against those of evil. This is what we are made for.”
Jesse’s smile had only grown wider. She didn't try and hold it back. Embracing the wave of bloodlust and excitement was the only way to ride its swells. To push back only lost her in it; this much she had learned.
“Jesse, if I die today, I want you to know that it would be an honourable death. Thank you again, for giving my life purpose once more,” Goemon said, his voice calm and measured.
“Save it for another day, Goemon. We’re not going to die. You're going to see your family again, and so am I.”
Jesse strode forward and raised Excalibur above her head, the blade ringing as it began to fill with a yellow radiance.
“We smash straight through them, don’t stop moving. Head for the gate.”
Goemon nodded as he raised his huge sword to shield his eyes. They’d fought enough for him to know what she was going to do. Clasping his buckle over his cape, he disappeared.
“Hey everyone!” Jesse shouted, “Look here!”
Blank faces looked on as the blade filled to the tip and began to glow as if capturing the sun itself. With a brilliant flash of gold it released, engulfing everything in blinding light.
Cries of pain and confusion roared from the men, but the drum kept on.
Excalibur still above her, Jesse ran, feeling Goemon by her side as they rocketed forward on the wind. Still thirty metres between them and the dazzled men, Jesse brought Excalibur down in an arc of gold, just as Goemon summoned a mighty gust with his sword.
An expanding wave of energy ripped down the street and exploded into the mass. Goemon’s blast of wind then struck, sending bodies flying back and through the air. Into the confusion they tore. The drumming stopped. Roars filled the air, as loud as a football stadium.
Gun fire exploded from all directions as Jesse and Goemon cut through, moving too fast and too close to be hit. Power roared through Jesse as her strength and speed only grew with each landed blow, Excalibur dancing in her grip as she gave herself to the feeling. All seemed to be in slow motion, screams stretching to drawn out moans, bullets whizzing through the air and thudding with dull impacting echoes that never hit her.
From the corner of her vision she saw Goemon’s blurred shape swatting men around like flies as he ran through them, snarling like a beast.
But still the men came. Hit after hit they stood, bloodied and beaten but still coming.
Zombies. Puppets controlled by Okamoto beyond their mortal limits.
Moments and many precise strikes later they were on the bridge and heading towards the gate, weapons and armour slick with blood. But as the enemy thinned, so did their cover. Yakuza in the turrets opened fire with automatic weapons, as those behind them did the same.
The shields lit up in bright patterns for the first time as Jesse and Goemon upped the speed, weaving and slipping through. The gate neared.
Several, small and metallic objects dropped into their path with soft clinks. It took a second for Jesse to realise what they were.
Goemon didn’t.
“Goemon!”
With a series of deafening blasts of heat the grenades exploded one after another, launching Goemon in a hail of shrapnel and fire that bloomed over the lurching bridge. An orb of light lit around Goemon for a brief moment before he was engulfed in flames, and he came fully into view..
Jesse dashed toward him, catching his arm just as he fell over the edge, swinging him back around and rolling with him, his body hot and shining chrome gold, his white cape destroyed.
He blinked heavily before jumping up on his feet, ready and alert once more, steam rising from his scale-like feathers under the burnt cape.
A volley of shots smacked off Jesse’s shields as if a reminder to move. Together they sprinted for the gate through the cover of smoke and flame as men closed in from behind. The earthen bridge trembled at their feet, loud splashes of falling rocks sounding below.
At full speed Goemon slammed into the gate, throwing it wide open against its ancient and whining hinges, and rolled through. Jesse followed as the doors recoiled back, almost closing in her face.
As they swung half-open, Jesse watched as the horde of yakuza came across the half-destroyed bridge toward them, weapons blazing through the smoke and flame.
And then the bridge lurched to the left, cracking at their feet. Goemon stepped forward, raised his monstrous sword high in the air, and stabbed it deep into the ground. The earth split open, a gaping wound growing down the bridge. There was a moan of rock and metal, and the bridge collapsed, huge rocks falling to the moat below, taking with them hundreds of Yakuza, screaming as they fell.
Goemon, not missing a beat, swung shut the gate doors, and brought the ancient bolt across them.
Gunshots peppered the metal doors.
For a brief moment they just stayed there, in the beautifully presented courtyard, breathing and regaining strength.
Yells broke out ahead as more men entered through the courtyard exit to the main grounds. So much for a break.
Goemon sprinted forward and jumped off the wall, launching himself like a rocket at the men before making quick work of them.
Onward they pushed, through the main grounds and sprawling gardens, finding little resistance from the few enemies littered inside. Quickly they approached the inner wall and the main tower that lay within. Jesse looked up at the ancient tower, taken back by its beauty and serenity amidst the chaos. Two men she hadn’t noticed suddenly stole her attention, standing as still as statues, as if gargoyles on the edges of the gate. One was thin, the other muscular and big, both topless and sporting tattoos over every inch of skin except their face.
Each held a long blade in their hands; katana. Sparing no time to think, Jesse bore down upon the smaller one as Goemon took the other. As Excalibur swept towards her target, she felt it; Okamoto’s presence, sick and filling, but mixed with something else, rotten and hot. The man disappeared from her attack in a movement so quick it could have been Goemon.
Something hard hit her back. Jesse smashed into the ground, dazed but not hurt. Goemon was faring no better, the other man somehow growing to match Goemon's size, pounding him back as his muscles bulged to the point of ripping.
Jesse jumped up and pushed through the gate, Goemon following behind as the men stayed in pursuit. The castle grounds opened out into a large square beneath the main tower.
Jesse spun around just in time to block the next attack, coming face to helmet with the man. His eyes stretched unnaturally back, as if being pulled by the back of his head. Dark veins grew from his temples and down his neck. From his sword, black wisps rose like steam.
"My power only grows, Jesse," the man spat through gritted teeth, "you cannot win!"
The man's foot slammed into Jesse's stomach, sending her reeling back, but unhurt.
As he drew close to attack again, Jesse took aim with Excalibur and shot forward in a straight blur; her spear-like attack she had honed during training. The sword's aim was true, and the man fell, with no way to recover.
"I've got no time for your games, Okamoto," she said as the man’s eyes glazed over.
A roar Jesse knew too well filled the air, pain in its shrill tones. Goemon. Turning around, she saw him, huge sword impaled through his larger foe whose hands clutched Goemon's head.
Goemon's eyes went white as they rose into his skull. The hands fell away. Goemon dropped his sword, arms limp.
His eyes flicked to Jesse, his back straightening from it’s bent position, lips curling into a smile.
Jesse felt sick. The demon had failed to possess Goemon before. Okamoto couldn't, could he?
"How interesting, a Tengu of all things," he said, looking down at his hands and picking up the sword.
He had.
"And such unused power. What a fool!"
Goemon picked up his sword from the ground and began to walk towards Jesse, his legs flopping forward and catching the ground at wrong angles. Dragging the sword he came, the edge cutting into the stone, as if he was unable to raise it.
The behemoth of a sword began to rise as Goemon's pace broke into a slight, stumbling trot. He stopped, and then tried again. Only a few paces did he step, each one seeming to lock to the ground more firmly than the last.
"Stronger than I thought. No mind. If I can't attack with the piece, then I'll just take it off the board!"
A whirring sound came from above. Jesse arched her back to see the blue and white helicopter streaking across the sky at great speed, headed straight for them. For Goemon.
Goemon's eyes darted to and fro, and then locked on Jesse, pleading. He was back.
"Jesse, I can't move!"
Jesse burst towards Goemon as she heard the chopping rhythm of the helicopter blades beating close behind her, swelling the air.
Never had she moved so fast. Reaching Goemon she put her arms around him and jumped, just as the whine of the helicopter couldn't get any louder.
A gale of wind and heat lifted her and Goemon away as a mighty boom rocked the castle grounds, the air around glowing red. Jesse thought she could hear a woman's scream among the sounds of smashing glass and crumpling metal sliding across the floor behind her.
With loud thuds the helicopter's rotor blades smashed into the earth, lifting up huge swathes of dirt and stone. Rocks and other debris smashed hard against Jesse's armour as she and Goemon tumbled to the ground.
As they slid to a stop and the thundering roar shaking the ground settled, Goemon lay still, eyes closed. Several places on his body had the smear of his black blood, the chrome and gold of his feathers failing to take, as if something had stopped them from forming.
She lifted up his head, trying to check if he was ok.
"Goemon!" she said as her helmet came down around her face.
A smile broke out across Goemon's lips as his eyes fluttered open.
"Too easy," he said.
"What?"
Goemon's talon-like hand shot out and grabbed the top of Jesse's head.
“Keep your helmet up,Jesse,” he said with a wink, releasing his hand and chuckling.
For a moment Jesse just stared, but Goemon rose and gave her his hand.
“Come on, let's get this bastard, but don’t let anyone touch you.”
Up they rose, avoiding the smouldering wreckage of the helicopter. There was no need to check for survivors.
Before the great steps of the castle, a figure loomed at the top. Jumping down, he landed on the stone floor beneath it, and slowly rose.
Okamoto.
He walked up to them, sword dangling at his side, already smeared with dried blood that matched what was dotted over his exposed and heavily tattooed torso. Heat seemed to be rippling off him, making the air thicker as he approached.
Jesse and Goemon raised their weapons.
“I would never have thought, as a young and simple country boy, that my long and arduous path would lead me here of all places, to this,” he began, looking through them both, and breaking out in a smile.
“A girl with a legendary but broken sword. A Tengu, a creature from myth. Both after the power I possess,”
Jesse kept her eyes firmly on him, not for one second letting them stray. Excalibur trembled in her grip.
“But you see, I can help. I can offer you something that was never offered to me. A way out. A way to scupper the hand fate has given you before it’s too late. Like it is for me.”
Jesse only stared, Goemon casting glances to her.
“I offer you death, and all the peace it brings.” Okamoto said with a smile.
“No thanks,” Jesse replied, unable to think of anything better.
Okamoto’s eyebrows raised.
“You are not the crazed beast I saw in the vision. Not yet.”
He stopped for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.
“It matters not, what is done is done. For that, I have to thank you, Jesse. Without you, this power would never have come to me. Without you, I would never have been forced to take such drastic steps and let go of all that was holding me back. And only without you, will I be able to become what I now must. To that end, I will take your power, as you so wish to take mine, and use it to rebuild the world. Starting with Japan.”
Before Jesse could even think to reply, Okamoto shot forward. Jesse raised Excalibur to block and Okamoto was gone. She darted around to look, Goemon doing the same.
“I’m here.”
Jesse spun to meet the whisper behind her, only for a massive blow to crack her helmet from the other side. Never had she felt such power, the force far eclipsing anything Goemon had ever hit her with. Spinning and tumbling it she went, smacking into the ground and coming to a rest several feet away.
Stumbling to her feet and swaying with dizziness, she looked over to see Goemon just standing, body still but eyes furrowed and darting. Okamoto had him frozen in place, Goemon not free of the effects of the possession.
I can’t let Okamoto touch me.
Rallying her strength she sped towards him, Okamoto smiling as he brought his sword up to block in a casual but sure motion.
Excalibur clattered against his sword and held as Jesse pushed forward using all her strength. Okamoto laughed.
“Is that all you have? Is that all this pathetic sword has?”
Okamoto’s blade flashed purple and black, a feeling of pure ice like fear and doom colliding into Jesse’s senses.
Something felt wrong. Excalibur was dull and lifeless in her hands.
Okamoto began to push back, his face edging closer and closer to Jesse’s helmet, so close she could smell his sweat.
“Give up, Jesse. You were not meant for this, and I am not one to play such games.”
“Enough!” Jesse screamed, heaving him back and then in one fluid motion, cutting deeply down the front of his body.
Shock lined Okamoto’s face, his eyes wide, but as Jesse continued to stare, the eyes became soft, the shock turned to a smirk, and the flesh of his body began to heal, sewing the tattoos back together in perfect synchrony, as if the tattoos themselves were pulling the skin together.
“What?” Jesse mumbled, unbelieving. She had cut him, she knew. Had seen it. But why did it feel so empty, and how could he heal so quickly?
Okamoto held out his hands, beckoning her.
Jesse obliged, darting forward and thrusting Excalibur straight through his chest, all the way to the hilt.
“Die!” she screamed.
A woman’s face was suddenly before Jesse, blood bubbling from her lips and eyes wide as Excalibur buried into her chest above a blue and white logo. A camera fell to the side from her limp hands, still active and recording. The woman looked at Jesse for a moment in pure shock, trying to breathe but failing, before the efforts stopped, and her eyes glazed over.
Recoiling in shock Jesse pulled Excalibur out, stumbling back and over and colliding into something at her rear. The woman’s corpse fell over the camera, hiding it from view. Jesse looked up to see the face of Okamoto, smiling widely at her.
“Oh, what a monster you are, Jesse, and now the whole world knows.”
Confusion marred Jesse’s thoughts as she tried to think. Behind Okamoto was the wreckage of the helicopter, a line of red leading to the woman propped against the tower wall. A survivor. All around in a wide circle, stood bloodied and beaten Yakuza. To the side of the helicopter lay, Goemon, injured, but worse than he had been.
Down his chest was a huge slash, writhing with the flurry of feathers locking into place over it to begin healing.
With dread, it dawned on Jesse. What had she done?
“Too easy,” Okamoto said with a laugh.
Anger, fear and confusion reigned supreme over Jesse’s thoughts as she gripped Excalibur and rose, swinging it as hard as she could at Okamoto’s neck. There was nothing empty about the blow.
In a flash Okamoto raised his sword, taking a wide stance and blocking Excalibur in a mighty crash.
Jesse roared, trying to push both the blades closer to his neck, straining with all of her strength.
Okamoto lowered his head, and spoke, his voice quiet and kind.
“You were too slow, Jesse. Nothing can stop my power now, not even myself.”
“Just fight me normally!” Jesse screamed.
“War is never normal, Jesse, but you wouldn’t know that,.” Okamoto said as he pushed with greater force.
Like a bone snapping inside of her she watched as a crack split down Excalibur’s blade, the missing piece inside of her and the blade screaming, bleeding golden light. Jesse cried out in agony that spread all over her body.
Okamoto kicked her away, Jesse falling back to the floor and lying in pure pain, Excalibur freeing from her grip and clattering away.
“Helmet down, please,” Okamoto said as he stalked over to her. Jesse’s helmet retracted, and he yanked her sweat-drenched hair back so she was looking straight up at him.
“And here we are once again, only this time, it’s real.”
Jesse’s heart thundered in her chest as she watched the blade rise.
I’m going to die. I’m going to die. No, No!
“Merlin!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, the thought exploding from her brain and mouth at the same time before any other, “help me!”
The sudden outburst made Okamoto hesitate.
“Merlin?” he said.
Nothing happened. Okamoto raised an eyebrow, and then his sword.
A rush of wind suddenly swept through the space, a feeling tingled at Jesse’s senses like that when she had taken the sword in the cave.
A momentous bolt of lighting exploded from the heavens and crashed into the ground twenty metres away from the helicopter, sending all the assembled Yakuza flying. Only Okamoto stood firm, his grip still on Jesse’s hair.
From the brilliant flash, Kuma appeared, Merlin on his back, staff raised, swirling blue and red, the kimono Tsukasa had given him billowing at his back, the patterns dancing across it as if alive. Kuma smashed through the Yakuza that tried to stand, snapping and crushing them as he went.
Voice like thunder, Merlin spoke as he jumped from Kuma’s back and drifted in the air, the swirling light growing brighter in his staff.
“Release her!”
His staff exploded in a lightning arch of red and blue energy that smashed into Okamoto and launched him back into the walls of the tower.
Screaming in agony, he raised his sword and deflected the burning beam up and above him, the energy cutting through the castle diagonally across its entire length. The old stone groaned. Wood splintered. The castle shook.
Okamoto lifted himself from within the rock just as Kuma was upon him, managing to dodge the wildy snapping jaws and roll beneath the advancing beast.
Raising his sword, he cut through and under Kuma’s belly. The hound howled in pain and fell to the floor in a growing pool of blood. Okamoto circled round the fallen beast and in a swift movement, plunged his sword deep into the mass of shard like fur. Kuma writhed and then became still, Jesse feeling all connection to him disappear.
“Kuma!” Jesse cried, trying to reach but still unable to move.
Okamoto tried to walk back to Jesse, but vines grew around his feet, locking him in place. Desperately he tried to slash at them, but more came each time. Jesse had seen them before. The vines from the tomb.
From above a glowing orb of blue smashed into his chest and sent him reeling backwards once more into the foundations of the castle in a huge impact, the vines keeping hold and then trapping him within.
The castle shuddered again, groaned, and then began to fall. In a growing cascade of tearing wood and stone, roof and window, the castle leaned and then smashed to the ground where Okamoto, and Kuma had been only moments before.
Merlin raised his staff to form a protective shield around Jesse and the still prone form of Goemon as a wall of smoke and debris hit them. As it died down, he waved his staff once more to clear the smoke.
There was no sign of Okamoto. There was no sign of Kuma, she couldn’t even feel his presence.
Kuma. No.
It all happened so quick.
Merlin drifted down and landed heavily on the stone, hunching over and panting, sweat covering his face as red wisps began rising from his back. Jesse summoned her strength and found she could move. She ran to him.
Jesse felt the rampaging energies inside of the wizard, felt them ease as she came close, and settle completely as she took his hand.
“I,” he panted, too exhausted to speak.
“It’s ok Merlin, take your time.”
She helped him rise to his feet, and then suddenly swayed herself as a bout of dizziness swept over her, prompting Merlin to hold her instead. She let her head fall into Merlin’s chest, and held him close.
He had risked it all to come and save her.
“Thank you, Merlin,” she whispered, and then she cried.
All around, Yakuza members began to stand, hobbling and moaning at their injuries and looking confused at the destruction around them. Okamoto’s mind control was over. They had done it.
All they had to do now was find his sword.
Merlin gently pushed Jesse back, holding her shoulders as his breath became steady.
“Jesse, I—”
Something red and hot splattered into Jesse’s cheek as a blade stopped inches from her face, coming straight out of Merlin’s chest. Okamoto’s blade. Jesse fell back in fright, seeing Okamoto standing behind Merlin, blood and dust covering his body.
Merlin spluttered, blood dripping from his mouth as the blade twisted.
“Merlin!”
A strange look came across Merlin’s face. His eyes widened and glazed over. The blood dripping down his chin from his mouth began to retreat. Silver hair lifted from his shoulders, drifting on an unseen wind. Merlin seemed to grow bigger as the hair flew around him, so much so that Jesse was sure he was actually growing..
Okamoto suddenly reeled back, clutching his hand in pain, as if burnt.
Dark clouds filled the sky, angry sparks of blue forking across them in violent bursts. Merlin’s hands spasmed and then locked tight, the muscles growing and rippling under the skin as bolts of blue and red flickered across them. His staff grew thorns and twisted with growing red veins.
Jesse scrambled back, a sense of dread washing over her that she had never felt before. Worse than Okamoto’s, not even comparable. Okamoto, eyes wide, was feeling it too, slowly backing away. This wasn't his doing.
And then Merlin spoke, the sound coming from everywhere and nowhere, a whisper and a scream that rumbled the very ground upon which they stood.
“Mam, ble dych chi wedi mynd?”

5 years ago, I posted this in /japan and since then, every few months to a year, I get someone asking for advice in my inbox. I guess google still shows the original post some love, so I thought I'd write a solid update, and my advice for success.
previous post tl;dr: I moved to small town Kyushu 5 years ago, with no Japanese language ability, no university degree, and lots of hand tattoos.
Most people said "glhf" or remote work was going to be the way forward for me. Others suggested a new career with the yakuza. It took some time, but I found my way through networking.
I moved to Fukuoka, which in itself created opportunities. I worked for 2 months at an English school, which was a total scam (they gave me 4.5 man yen for 2 months work, and later asked for it back), all while teaching with the little white taxi driver gloves on. It wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. However, one place I was teaching at was a small IT company. When I quit the English school, I told my class and they asked me to come interview for a programming job. I still didn't speak Japanese, and they didn't speak English, but there's a lot of companies that will employ a foreigner just so they can say that they are "global". This was the case for me.
Fast forward a year and a half, I'm still employed there but the money sucks and the hours are long and I'm not learning Japanese. I quit. And I went to language school full time for three months. I should have gotten more out of the school, but my wife and I were having a troubled pregnancy so there wasn't much more I could do. I did however, finish the 3 months with somewhat of a foundation, enough that I could finally begin to build Japanese skills on my own.
Through that programming job, I met many people in the community. I did my best to be enthusiastic and overly kind. And after school ended, I started sending out messages, and stalking the CEO of the company I wanted to join at events. If he was there, I was there. I was there with Canadian beer and presents. Eventually, he asked me to interview. I didn't ask him.
Through the community that I had been able to enter, I found my next job, working for a wonderful company with great benefits and above average compensation. I'm not programming, which makes me worried career wise, but I've got plans for the future.
The point is, networking got me where I am. Willingness to learn, a smile, and not being afraid to put myself out there at community events made it possible. Since then, I've made a family. I built a house by the beach. My neighbors didn't know what to make of me at first. I have some sports cars now, and I tend to wash them in a tank top in the summer. But I always greet everyone who walks by, and now, they see me, and not the ink. I participate in the community groups and events. And they tell me where the cops are hanging out lately so I don't get speeding tickets (not that you should ever speed).
It has been a long 5 years. But though study, hard work, and networking, I now speak the language well, and got a good job. I hope that other people who got their ink before Japan was even a thought in their head (like me) can read this and find their own success out here too.
tl;dr Network your butt off. Kill them with kindness. Study Japanese. You'll do OK.

Hi everyone! Recently I've found myself on a downward slope in terms of partners. Plenty of people have either stepped back from threads or simply haven't replied, so I'm on the search yet again! I do paragraph form roleplaying in 3rd person over Discord, canon characters only for fandoms and for the first time in years, I'm looking for OCxOC interactions! Sadly, I'm still not open to doing OC X Canon interactions. I don't always do regular postings but I always, always have time to share ideas with my partners.
First up is She-Ra 2018, and I’m totally caught up, finale and all! I'm open to pretty much anything with this series, AU or canon wise, but I would love to do something involving Catradora! I've seen people do pirate, band, magical school and so many different AU's, I would love to try them all! One of my favorites is a She-Ra AU with the bending abilities from the Avatar series, including an Avatar Adora and her friends, water bending Glimmer and sharp shooter Bow, being pursued by fellow firebender Catra!
Second is RWBY, and again, I'm open to plenty of ideas with this, but I have a slight preference towards AU's for this series. I don't mind trying out new ships, the only die-hard one I don't like mixing with other ships is Arkos, but anything else, I'm up and willing to try! I would love to dive deeper into Ren and Nora's relationship, or how characters would act in a more dangerous or even horror setting. I'm ALSO HOWEVER A HUGE SUCKER FOR DOMESTIC LIFE WITH SOME FUN AND LOVING SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS
Third is Apex Legends, and with this one I'm looking specifically for something involving either Wattson, Mirage, Wraith, Octane or Lifeline. I'm a fan of both in-game and AU ideas as long as your ok with me still learning how to do fight scenes. I'm REALLY keen on finding a Mirage to my Wattson, or someone to pair with Gib!
Fourth is My Hero Academia, and like my previous post, I'm looking for AU's! One idea I've come across is of Class 1-A graduating and becoming heros, only to learn later down the line as pros that the system isn't all its cracked up to be, and some ditch the public eye to becoming vigilantes (And before you ask, I haven't had the chance to read the spin-off of the same name, but definitely will be!) I've also seen Battle Royale versions of this and would love to work off that. I'm pretty much up for anything when it comes to this series right now!
Fifth is Persona 5, and I'm huge into AU's for this series. I've seen anything between mafia/yakuza to pirates and princesses, so I'd love to talk more about this with someone. We could do post P5R events, or a separate path/scenario, or even something a bit darker that's set in a modern world. I'm a huge fan of really big and really loud Phantom Thieves, maybe something similar to a GTA style heist, with planning, getting ready, the heist itself and the days following.
When it comes to Overwatch, I'm a huge fan of the series and I'm ready to try out your ideas! I've been an active player since it release, and I've been following the lore for years. Wanna do something before the fall? Maybe focus on the mysterious teams like Blackwatch or even Talon?
When it comes to F/F ideas, I have only a handful I wanted to try out! These all range from two individuals meeting over the summer and bonding (Think Fried Green Tomatoes era), two actresses competing for a role in a big breakout film (This can lean between modern and a more classic Hollywood setting!), two women meeting in unlikely circumstances and having to team up (This can be just about anything, I'd love to chat more about it!) and a more specific one, a pair of female wrestlers who're enemies in the ring but start to form a bond over time and while travelling around the world (This one will mainly be focusing on things like in-ring drama with a side of personal issues as well.)
For series AU'S, I would love to do any of the following;
Hollywood AU - Something similar to the Netflix show of the same name, or something set in a 40's-60's Hollywood era. Maybe one character is the American Sweetheart type of person but can’t sing or act, while the other is incredible at their craft, but is too wild and carefree to apply themselves to it?
Battle Royale/Hunger Games AU - I love characters fighting to the death, or being pitted against each other with heavy doses of drama in between. If you don't mind having some fan favorites going at each other for survival, I'm the girl to get in contact with!
AI and Human - Enough said! Just looking for some space/futuristic stuff where an AI and human are friends, but relationships continue to grow
Fallout/Apocalypse/Zombie AU - I would love to have characters travel across New Vegas or zombies eating at each other!
Darker ideas/Horror and drama - I live for darker ideas (with a few exceptions), especially in the horror categories!
Just normal AUs - Bring on your coffee shop au's and your florist/tattoo shop ideas!
With all of this being said, please, PLEASE don't contact me if you plan on starting off with "hey i wanna do a ___ roleplay" and then proceed to lead me in circles with "Idk" or "Whatever you want". Come to me with ideas beforehand! Give me some enthusiasm! I've had plenty of partners that start off fantastic, only to lose touch three messages into planning, or will suddenly go AFK. I don't mind if you need to take some time off, or even if you wish to stick to OOC and idea sharing, but it's so disappointing to start a roleplay only to have the other person drop out with no reason why. If we haven't roleplayed in a while and you wish to continue, a surprise post from a dead thread is my favorite!
If any of the above interest you, please PM/DM me for more information! Thanks!

It's that time once again for another roleplay ad! I had a lot of partners contact me to start, but nearly all of them have either fallen through or backed out.
I do paragraph form roleplaying in 3rd person over Discord, canon characters only for fandoms and for the first time in years, I'm looking for OCxOC interactions! Sadly, I'm still not open to doing OC X Canon interactions. I don't always do regular postings but I always, always have time to share ideas with my partners.
First up is She-Ra 2018, and I’m totally caught up, finale and all! I'm open to pretty much anything with this series, AU or canon wise, but I would love to do something involving Catradora! I've seen people do pirate, band, magical school and so many different AU's, I would love to try them all! One of my favorites is a She-Ra AU with the bending abilities from the Avatar series, including an Avatar Adora and her friends, water bending Glimmer and sharp shooter Bow, being pursued by fellow firebender Catra!
Second is RWBY, and again, I'm open to plenty of ideas with this, but I have a slight preference towards AU's for this series. I don't mind trying out new ships, the only die-hard one I don't like mixing with other ships is Arkos, but anything else, I'm up and willing to try! I would love to dive deeper into Ren and Nora's relationship, or how characters would act in a more dangerous or even horror setting. I'm ALSO HOWEVER A HUGE SUCKER FOR DOMESTIC LIFE WITH SOME FUN AND LOVING SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS
Third is Apex Legends, and with this one I'm looking specifically for something involving either Wattson, Mirage, Wraith, Octane or Lifeline. I'm a fan of both in-game and AU ideas as long as your ok with me still learning how to do fight scenes. I'm REALLY keen on finding a Mirage or Crypto to my Wattson, or someone to pair with Gib!
Fourth is Umbrella Academy, and I'm looking for anything involving the Hargreeves, specifically Vanya and Diego. I really liked where they went with Vanya this season, slowly reconnecting with her family despite the issues from S1's finale. I also think Diego and Lila had wonderful chemistry, and wouldn't mind doing some adventures from their time together, either post asylum in canon or even a normal AU with the two trying to escape. I don't really enjoy shipping any of the Hargreeves together, sorry !
Fifth is Persona 5, and I'm huge into AU's for this series. I've seen anything between mafia/yakuza to pirates and princesses, so I'd love to talk more about this with someone. We could do post P5R events, or a separate path/scenario, or even something a bit darker that's set in a modern world. I'm a huge fan of really big and really loud Phantom Thieves, maybe something similar to a GTA style heist, with planning, getting ready, the heist itself and the days following.
When it comes to Overwatch, I'm a huge fan of the series and I'm ready to try out your ideas! I've been an active player since it release, and I've been following the lore for years. Wanna do something before the fall? Maybe focus on the mysterious teams like Blackwatch or even Talon?
When it comes to F/F ideas, I have only a handful I wanted to try out! These all range from two individuals meeting over the summer and bonding (Think Fried Green Tomatoes era), two actresses competing for a role in a big breakout film (This can lean between modern and a more classic Hollywood setting!), two women meeting in unlikely circumstances and having to team up (This can be just about anything, I'd love to chat more about it!) and a more specific one, a pair of female wrestlers who're enemies in the ring but start to form a bond over time and while travelling around the world (This one will mainly be focusing on things like in-ring drama with a side of personal issues as well.)
For series AU'S, I would love to do any of the following;
Hollywood AU - Something similar to the Netflix show of the same name, or something set in a 40's-60's Hollywood era. Maybe one character is the American Sweetheart type of person but can’t sing or act, while the other is incredible at their craft, but is too wild and carefree to apply themselves to it?
Kentucky Route Zero AU- Its that last stretch of road that's the hardest to cross. I would love to do something with a small batch of characters meeting and passing through via one or two main characters quest through the unknown.
Battle Royale/Hunger Games AU - I love characters fighting to the death, or being pitted against each other with heavy doses of drama in between. If you don't mind having some fan favorites going at each other for survival, I'm the girl to get in contact with!
AI and Human - Enough said! Just looking for some space/futuristic stuff where an AI and human are friends, but relationships continue to grow
Fallout/Apocalypse/Zombie AU - I would love to have characters travel across New Vegas or zombies eating at each other!
Darker ideas/Horror and drama - I live for darker ideas (with a few exceptions), especially in the horror categories!
Just normal AUs - Bring on your coffee shop au's and your florist/tattoo shop ideas!
With all of this being said, please, PLEASE don't contact me if you plan on starting off with "hey i wanna do a ___ roleplay" and then proceed to lead me in circles with "Idk" or "Whatever you want". I won't even bother responding if you plan to come in like that. Come to me with ideas in your message beforehand! Give me some enthusiasm! I've had plenty of partners that start off fantastic, only to lose touch three messages into planning, or will suddenly go AFK. I don't mind if you need to take some time off, or even if you wish to stick to OOC and idea sharing, but it's so disappointing to start a roleplay only to have the other person drop out with no reason why. If we haven't roleplayed in a while and you wish to continue, a surprise post from a dead thread is my favorite!
If any of the above interest you, please PM/DM me for more information! Thanks!

First| Previous| Next
“He’s so cool. So handsome.”
“He must be a talent or something. Look at his eyes!”
Goemon’s magnetism for attention as they rode the train into central Osaka was not aiding their efforts to blend in at all. They stood by the doors between the long benches of seats down either side of the train where groups of girls sat, giggling and pointing. Jesse tried to stay concealed behind Goemon’s bulk, tightening the draw strings on her hooded jumper. Along with her large sunglasses, it made sure her face was well hidden.
Goemon had been loving every second of their adventure in this strange new world. Now he was sweating and pale green, hardly even able to speak. How could someone who could basically fly feel motion sickness?
“Jesse, it’s the next stop,” the Priest said directly into her head. It was such a strange feeling.
Goemon nodded with effort.
Merlin’s magic was, for a change, working. But it didn’t sit well with her.
Jesse felt a mix of emotions. Anger. Relief. Frustration. She had almost agreed with Goemon when he suggested throwing Merlin back in the tomb along with the corpse of the giant. He hadn’t been joking.
Merlin had found a weapon, but in the process of doing so, nearly killed them all, unleashing something not only evil, but incredibly powerful. A Demon, no less. In typical Merlin fashion he had then revealed to her the extent of his troubles, what he had been holding back. It wasn’t just his magic, but rather the whole world’s magic that was in peril.
It was a lot to take in. It always was. But that wasn’t the worst of it.
She had taken a life.
It had happened so quick she was still confused. She saved Taro from certain death. She made the right choice, she was sure. But the man had been possessed; an innocent soul for all she knew. She had cried as Merlin said a prayer and Goemon had tossed his body to the roots.
“He would probably thank you for freeing him, Jesse.” Merlin had said, but it didn’t help the guilt.
It was only made worse by the memory of the rushing relief she had felt as his life had flooded into her, easing the pain from the missing piece, and making her crave more.
There had been no silver lining to the incident, nothing surfacing from beyond the veil in her mind. Her memories it seemed, were more firmly locked away than ever.
The phone in Jesse’s pocket rumbled, distracting her from her conflicting thoughts. Pulling it out, she looked at the screen.
“From what I and Excalibur can sense, the Demon is somewhere in this area,” Merlin’s voice rattled around in her head.
The screen highlighted a mapped area, full of narrow roads and shops.
“Exit the next stop and leave the station,” the Priest said.
Merlin’s disastrous attempt at using his power had afforded one breakthrough, however. When he had transformed Kuma he had realised something, a connection between magic and the conflicting powers of technology.
Taking an old phone he had been experimenting with, and while holding Jesse’s hand, he had been able to make it ‘spark to life’, as he called it. Now he could connect to and control it from afar, see everything they could and more. The phone’s screen had a strange blue hue spilling from the edges like leaking gas. Across the back were blue and red pulsing veins. The battery remained firmly at 100%.
“This contraption,” he had excitedly declared, “however small, marks the first joining of technology and magic. A true marvel, and a hope for the future.”
It allowed Merlin to be with them, without being there, which was perfect. He had wanted to come, but Jesse had refused. She couldn’t risk it. Wouldn’t risk it. Even leaving him at the temple with the priest had filled her with dread. At least Kuma was there now.
Kuma : It truly had been a miracle. On a whim she had tried to connect with the canine, for Taro’s sake, not expecting anything. But it had worked, and the pure feelings she had felt radiating from the beast’s heart had been almost too beautiful to believe. It was like nothing she had never felt before. Without a doubt, the dog was now as bound to her as Goemon was and possessed a transformation just as terrifying. Before they had departed he had happily transformed to reach and lick her face with a huge slimy tongue, before switching back to his smaller size in an instant, wagging his tail excitedly in a way that said,” hey, look what I can do!”
There was no question of him joining them, however. As strong as his bond was to Jesse now, it was nothing for what the beast felt for Taro. He would never leave his side.
So now she had an uncontrollable and dangerous wizard, a kind of bird-man beast samurai, and a dog that could transform into a monstrous super-wolf.
She sighed. It felt like she wasn’t quite doing this right, but it was better than being alone.
“Tenjinbashi-roku-choume, Tenjinbashi-roku-choume, ashi moto go chui kudasai”
The train speakers announced their arrival at the station.
‘Tenjinbashi-roku-choume’ station : just north of the heart of Osaka. The train ride had only been 30 minutes, but the scenery had quickly transformed from sprawling country side to big city lights. The only thing Goemon had recognised aside from the creek in the mountains was the wide river they had crossed before arriving at the station. The shimmering water had made his eyes momentarily flash with excitement, before closing as the train rocked from side to side.
The temple, Merlin and the others, were back in Minoh, a city in the North of the prefecture. The temple was deep in the mountains, nestled along a winding creek that led to the waterfall they had heard while escaping the tomb.
Jesse looked around, spotting foreigners of all kinds among the crowds. No doubt they would be holidaying, sightseeing, having fun, maybe even venturing to the waterfall.
And Jesse, what was she here to do?
To kill. Again.
The thought sent shivers down her spine. What was she becoming?
And the Demon, if he kept body skipping, what would she do? Just keep killing? The feeling of wanting to run away crept in her thoughts, but she couldn’t. She had helped Merlin escape the tomb. She had forced him to try and find the weapon. It was her fault, and she had to deal with it. Besides, it wasn’t even a choice; there was no one else.
People bustled past her hurriedly, making Goemon and her flow with the crowd towards the steps leading up and away from the platform. Jesse gripped Excalibur’s hilt in her pocket, willing herself to stay calm.
The sword had shrunk down to just its base, Goemon’s doing the same, much to his disappointment.
“Excalibur can choose its form,” Merlin had reminded them as it had shrunk conveniently into her palm.
The crowds rose up the stairs and out in the night air. It was cooler than the day, but still warm. The smell of food filled their senses. People rushed all around, busy and uninterested in her and Goemon as they made their way home from work or dinner late at night. Bright lights shone from the buildings surrounding them, causing Goemon’s neck to arch back and stay there, frozen in awe.
“Across the street is the Shoutengai. Go there,” the priest said.
Glancing across the intersection that was next to where they had emerged, she could see a large arched entrance that jutted out from under a tall building. Bright lights and shops beckoned within.
After patiently waiting for the lights to change, they crossed and entered the high-ceilinged space. Inside, the long arcade stretched far away into the distance, curving out of view near the end.
Following the phones directions, they walked through, Jesse’s nerves and Goemon’s wonder at everything making the pace slow. Shops, restaurants and strange places passed them by as noise assaulted them from all directions. Adverts and music, noisy arcade like buildings, karaoke bars and pachinko parlours. Shop staff stood in their way and greeted them with a bow, coaxing to them to go inside.
All the smells were getting to Goemon, who was salivating as he stared lovingly through the windows and counters, following slightly behind Jesse. Jesse was too nervous to really take in her surroundings, instead focusing on the phone and the map. The few times she had made eye-contact with the workers in their path she had felt compelled to awkwardly bow as they did.
They had been slowly making their way down the arcade for 10 minutes, and still it meandered on. Merlin suddenly spoke.
“Turn here, Jesse. Go down the small alleyway to the left. Stop somewhere and wait for a moment. He is close.”
To Jesse’s left was a narrow alley, with small shop serving small dumpling like things straight on to the street. They entered the alley, coming to a stop a bit further down by a standing-bar. They stepped up onto the small deck that was bordered by a rail. A western-looking man with dread-locked hair nodded politely as they did, and the barman came to their attention, offering a small bow. Jesse responded in kind.
Goemon started for a moment at the dread-locked man, appraising him with a raised eyebrow, before turning to the barman.
“One beer, and tea for my girlfriend.” He smiled as he spoke, which turned into a laugh as he saw Jesse’s face go red.
“You need to relax, J,” he said as they received their drinks, along with a chilled towel.
How could she relax? Her heart was thundering inside her chest. The Demon was nearby. There were so many people. She would be seen. What if…
“Oi,” Goemon said as he grabbed her shoulder and bent down to look her in the eye, “you’re not alone. I’m with you. It will be OK.”
“I’m fine, G, really I am. Don’t worry about me.”
With a slap on Jesse’s shoulder he turned back to the bar, swigging his beer as he lent back on the rail, wiping his forehead with the towel. Using the letters of their names instead of the full ones was a precaution they had thought to take, but it sounded so weird and forced to do it. Even Goemon’s name, the priest had said, would attract attention.
Jesse nervously played with Excalibur’s hilt in her pocket. It tingled to her touch, as if the sword itself were also anticipating the worst.
“You’re Japanese is better than mine! Where are you from?” the barman asked as he took a note from what Goemon had left on the bar; only a small portion of what the priest had given them.
Before she could reply however, there was a sudden rush of bodies behind. A dozen men in suits swept through.
“Yakuza,” the barman said, his face drawn with worry, “lots of Yakuza. Something is happening.”
The man at the end of the bar nodded. He seemed to be staring intently at Jesse and checking his phone. Had he realised who she was, or was Jesse letting her paranoia get the better of her?
Before she could do anything but nervously smile, there was another rushing of feet down the alley. This time, it was not men in suits, but in uniform. Police.
“Yep, might need to close up early tonight.” The barman said with a wry smile.
“The Demon is located further down in the alley. He’s possessed a gang member of some kind. There are many of his people with him, drinking at a bar that opens into the street. Be careful, Jesse. These men are dangerous.”
It was Merlin’s voice. Somehow he was looking ahead.
Goemon finished his beer.
“Let’s go take a closer look.”
They waited a moment before departing, and then went down the alley. It was like a maze of interconnecting paths and roads that kept to no pattern, with people drinking, eating and laughing everywhere. Hanging lights and lanterns provided soft light that gave the place a warm and cosy aura; completely at odds with how Jesse felt. Various pieces of music played from the myriad of vendors while delicious smells of cooked meat and other food filled the space with a mouth-watering fragrance.
As they ventured further down however, the number of patrons became less, the noise dying out. More shops were closed, people hurriedly moving away in the other direction.
Then they saw the policemen coming back their way. Oddly, they were smiling, laughing and completely relaxed.
“Let’s get a beer or something guys, no problems here.”
Goemon and Jesse exchanged glances. Goemon knew the law when he saw it, and was just as bemused as her, as they watched the men pass. Jesse felt a cold and heavy presence around the mean, like she was wading through cold and thick fog.
“This feeling,” Goemon said, “is the Demon. It’s just like when he tried to possess me.”
It became thicker as they walked on, turning a corner to see a large group of suited men sprawled around some outside seating of a bar that had a Hawaiian theme. They were loud, laughing and drinking heartily. The staff looked scared.
All the other shops were empty. Around the street, a few men lay badly beaten and bruised.
Goemon pulled her out of view as they looked on. Merlin’s voice buzzed in their heads.
“This kind of Demon strives for power, constantly skipping between those it finds superior; it is no surprise he has found such men. He can assume their power, their knowledge, their skills, their very identities. Others are drawn to him. A master manipulator. Proceed carefully.”
It looked to be true. The men around him seemed to hang on his every word as he spat them loudly between gulps of drink. Every now and he would turn to a man slumped back in a chair behind him, punching him harshly across the face to cheers of the others. Blood trickled freely from the mans head and swollen cheeks. Jesse wasn’t even sure if he was still alive.
Like a robot a young waitress neared the table where he sat, passing more drinks to the men. Her expression was blank and unblinking.
“We can just stand here while he hurts people. We have to help,” Jesse said to Goemon.
Now was probably the best chance they were going to get. Few bystanders. Few witnesses. Best of all, they all seemed to be gang members. A lack of innocent definitely helped Jesse’s conscience.
“That body he possesses looks like an ordinary man.” Goemon said.
“Do not be fooled, Goemon.” said Merlin, “Demon of his ilk possess many powers.”
The comment didn’t stop Goemon, who stepped confidently out, ignoring Merlin’s warning. Jesse followed.
Almost immediately the Demon’s head lifted. He stopped talking and stood.
“My friends, it appears we have visitors.”
Without a word, the men around him turned to face her in one smooth motion, and then remained completely still, as if frozen.
“Goemon, I’ll go for the main guy. You fly in and get that injured man out of there. He doesn’t look like he’ll last much longer. Get the other guys who are hurt, too.”
Goemon breezed past, his hair and skin igniting in a flurry of black and golden feathers as he seemed to float before zipping away.
A blast of wind hit the tables where the men sat, sending them flying and sprawling to the ground. In a flash, the man who had been seated behind them was gone, and Goemon was back, depositing him beside Jesse.
Goemon stumbled as he let them down, clutching his head. Black blood dripped from his nose.
“The bastard is doing something,” he said between grunts, “the closer you get, the more you feel it. Argh!” Goemon cried out in pain.
“He is growing in power, Jesse.” Merlin said through their connection. The sound was distorted, as if being disrupted by another, stronger signal.
“Can you do something, Merlin?” Jesse asked.
“I, er, I…”
It was probably better not to ask.
“Goemon, get the other guys and stay with them,” Jesse said as she began to walk forward.
The Demon’s eyes were wide as he recognised her despite her guise, the smile fading from his face into a hard frown.
“Tell me, little princess, how many people are you willing to kill?”
Jesse didn’t reply.
“Let us see. Get her,” he ordered.
Jesse grasped Excalibur’s hilt. She only wanted to use it on the Demon.
“Excalibur lend me your power, but no armour, no sword. Not yet.”
She tried to relax, to feel the power as it surged through her. Follow it, she told herself.
The men rushed forward. The one nearest threw a punch, she ducked, ramming her fist into his stomach. Lifting off the ground he slammed heavily into a nearby shop grate. The next, seeing how easily his ally had been thrown, thought better of his fists, producing a small knife he slashed at Jesse as she rose. It passed her face and she grabbed the man’s arm. Spinning round and leaning her weight into a throw, she let go, his arm snapping as he tumbled over the ground.
Against Goemon, her strength had seemed almost normal. Now she could see that she was much stronger; the man had felt near weightless. It filled her with confidence.
Something else was tingling at the edge of her perception, a sense of those round her and how they moved, like a pressure in the air. Was this something from Goemon?
She darted forward. 5 more men. The Demon just stood, watching. Then he smiled.
Like a thousand children crying in chorus, a scream erupted in Jesse’s mind, as if their high-pitched voices were vibrating red-hot barbed-wires that were dragging through her brain. She stumbled, falling to the floor as a boot of the nearest thug reached her stomach. Slam.
“Just who are you…”
The air rushed out of her. She heard the Demon’s voice, a crawling whisper in her head.
“Kind of empty in here, isn’t it? Hahaha…”
Jesse jumped up, blocking a blow to the head. Her hood flew back, hair whipping around her face as her sunglasses flew off.
Aiming for a chin, she threw her weight upwards, striking hard. The man left the ground as she spun to face the next. But she was a second too late.
Bang.
A shot rang out.
Searing pain ripped through her stomach.
Bang. Bang.
Jesse fell back.
A gust of wind sailed past her as she felt Goemon’s arms wrapping around her body.
More shots. Thud. Thud. Thud.
With incredible speed they returned to the end of the alley, landing next to the men Goemon had saved. Jesse looked down.
Around her mid-section, gold armour swelled and glowed in pulses, bright spots dotted through it marking where the bullets had entered.
“Jesse, I was unable to stop all of the damage,” Excalibur said, “you are hurt, we must retreat.”
“I’m shot?” Jesse said in disbelief. How stupid. Of course they would have guns.
Goemon too, was in pain, slumping beside her and clutching his side. Looking across at him, she was suddenly overcome at how futile everything seemed. Excalibur was no match for bullets. No match for a Demon who could control people’s minds. What was she even doing here? Was this all a joke?
The men slowly approached, their guns still drawn. Moving in for the kill.
The pain in Jesse’s head still throbbed with every strained beat of her heart, growing in intensity as the Demon strode through his men. Suddenly, he stopped.
“What the hell are you idiots doing?!” A voice roared from behind the group. Alone, a man approached. Tall and slim, he was well-dressed in a sleek black suit. He wore no tie on a bright red silk shirt, unbuttoned towards the colour to reveal a thick gold necklace over complex tattoos. A pony tail that pulled back his slick hair ran down wide shoulders. His eyes were alive with fury set in a gaunt face that was sharp and jagged, the cheek bones high and prominent. His voice boomed through the men.
“Jesse, you need to get out of there, now!” Merlin shouted, his voice in a panic.
From the man’s side, he drew a long blade that slid slowly from its holder, a note of pure misery playing as the sword scrapped against the sheath. Jesse’s heart lurched in her chest as a deep sorrow engulfed her, silencing the screeching that had been in its place.
“That’s it, that’s the sword. It’s….” Merlin’s voice crackled and disappeared.
The sword. All Jesse could do was watch as the Demon turned to face the man. Panic flared in his eyes.
“Shoot him! Shoot him now!” he yelled at the men around him, who suddenly began to move on their own accord, staring around as if confused as to what was happening.
“Okamoto Kumicho!” some of the men said, dropping to the ground and bowing deep, their heads touching the floor.
Kumicho : the head of a Yakuza group. Jesse stared as the translation worked in her head. As if things couldn’t get any worse. These men were all part of the Japanese mafia.
“Shoot me?!” Okamoto shouted, “I am their leader. I am your leader! I took you from nothing and made you the man you are, Okajima! And this is how you repay me? By starting a war? By rampaging across half of Osaka and then doing this? What have you done?!”
The beautiful sword was now fully out from its sheath, reflecting the lights in the small alley down it’s length. As the man’s rage grew, the sword seemed to shine brighter.
The Demon was looking around, as if trying to find someone to flee to.
Jesse felt it too. Okamoto’s gaze seemed to lock all those it gazed upon in place, his aura paralyzing them in fear. It seeped down the alley to her: the most pure and horrific evil she had evil felt.
She wanted to run, but could not, her body crying out at the slightest of movement as her strength failed her. Goemon lay next to her, passed out but breathing. They both needed help.
This was no fairy tale; she had got shot. What did she think was going to happen? How naïve had she been? Was she going to die here?
Sharp pain began to meet her strained breathing as she failed to tear her gaze away from Okamoto. The sword he held seemed to call out to her, mocking her with waves of energy that rocked her like tides at sea, each one viler than the last.
That evil thing was meant to be her salvation. Her only hope. The thought of joining with such a weapon made her want to vomit. There just had to be another way.
“Die!” Okamoto shouted as he sprang forward. He moved in a flash, the sword swinging out as it cut through the air towards the Demon , who didn’t move. Couldn’t move.
The Demon’s body exploded into a cloud around the man as the sword ran through him. As if trying to run, the cloud burst in Jesse’s direction, only to be drawn back in as the sword twisted around. Okajima’s eyes went black.
“Okajima! What the hell is this?” Okamoto shouted.
“Kumicho…forgive me.” Okajima hissed through his teeth as the blackness rippled over his eyes.
Black smoke began to fizz and hiss over the exposed parts of the sword, smoke burning from it as the cloud was drawn in.
Okajima fell away to the floor as the last wisps of smoke trialled up the sword and into the hilt. Jesse swore she heard the Demon scream as a black sheen glimmered over the swords surface, and then disappeared.
Okamoto dropped to his knees, breathing hard and sweating. His eyes were open and wild.
“This power…,” he whispered.
One of the men ran to his aid.
“Kumicho…” he squealed.
The sword flickered, and the man fell.
“You have all betrayed me!” Okamoto screamed as he rose.
Panicked yells rang out in the alley as each man perished in quick order, hardly moving as Okamoto dispatched them one by one, as if resigned to their fate.
Then he turned to her.
Jesse blinked, her eyes failing. She was exhausted, could barely even keep them open. The armour that covered her in places was fading.
“Excalibur…” she called with her mind, but there was no answer. There was simply too much damage.
“You…I know you,” Okamoto said as he approached. Specks of blood covered his face, matching the deep red of his shirt.
“The girl from TV…but more than that. You called to me. Your sword…” He pointed at her hand that clutched Excalibur’s hilt.
“You were looking for us,” he said, running his fingers across the blade as blood dripped from it to the floor.
As he fingers trailed off the end he pointed the sword at her. His eyes flicked to Goemon, drawn to the feathers that were retreating down his neck and growing around the place of his injuries.
“What the hell is all of this?” Okamoto whispered.
“Yoshi!” a voice broke out behind him.
An old man approached, followed by several men in suits who kept their distance, weapons drawn as they stepped through the slain men on the street. He had a long white beard and wore a pure white kimono. Calm seemed to radiate from him as he bowed his head, only a little more than a nod.
“Tsukasa,” Okamoto hissed,” I have dealt with this. Justice has been served.”
“I wouldn’t call this, Justice. Put your sword away, Yoshi,” Tsukasa said, “if you can.”
Tsukasa’s gaze was firmly on Okamoto’s blade, as if he couldn’t look away. At his own waist was an almost identical but smaller version that remained sheathed. Tsukasa gripped it tightly.
Okamoto scowled, but slowly began to bring the sword around, placing the tip at the edge of the scabbards entrance. He didn’t even look as his fingers guided it into position, keeping his gaze on Tsukasa. It paused at the rim.
Okamoto’s arm jerked and spasmed as he began to groan. A low rumble emanated through the alley as a wind swept through, bustling around his body.
“Argggghhh!” Okamoto screamed, slamming the sword into the scabbard with a high-pitched whine of steel. The heavy aura that had pervaded through the space was suddenly gone. Okamoto’s deep breaths were rough against the silence. His hand dropped away from the hilt, bloody and raw.
The men behind Tsukasa ran to the aid of the young man who lay next to Goemon, also helping the others who had regained consciousness. Tsukasa nodded to Jesse and Goemon too, and then men helped prop them up from the floor.
“What are you doing, old man,” Okamoto spoke, his voice low and tired.
“Taking them with me. If the boy survives, war may be avoided. If he dies…”
“You would dare go to war with me? You would risk everything? Who is he?”
“I would have no choice, old friend. Daisuke is the son of a prominent family. They hold great power within the Kazeyama-kumi. We live and die by the rules, Yoshi. Even you and I.”
“Tsukasa…I am so close to our dream. Don’t do this.”
“Your dream, old friend. It is out of my hands.” Tsukasa said, looking down.
Okamoto didn’t answer. He looked at Jesse.
“Why is she here?”
Tsukasa looked over toward Jesse. If he was surprised, nothing was betrayed on his face.
“If she had not been, Daisuke would be dead. We both owe them our gratitude.”
“But she is the girl from TV…she has power…they were looking for me…” Okamoto trailed off, a look of confusion coming over his face. He shook, shaking his head and standing straight, regaining composure before he spoke again.
“Do as you must. I will await your decision. If there is war, you know what will happen.”
“I do.”
Tsukasa fixed his gaze on Jesse and simply nodded as Okamoto walked past. The men behind quickly moved out of his way as he went through, jumping into a car at the end of the alley and speeding off.
Jesse was fading. Fast. Darkness reached from their edges of her vision. The pain didn’t even seem that bad anymore. She felt down to where it was, and lifted her hands. Slick red ran off her fingers.
“Miyakegawa Kumicho, we must move. The police are coming.”
Tsukasa nodded, and Jesse felt herself being lifted as she closed her eyes.
“Jesse! Jesse! Can you hear me? Are you ok?” Merlin’s voice suddenly shouted in her mind.
Jesse gave in to the warm feeling spreading through her body and fell into its dark embrace.
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