Laughter is the Worst Medicine, Part 15

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14

The three of them walked to the road. The copse of trees that Gogo was behind was around a bend. When they met the sentinels, it would look like they’d walked from the road. Taru moved his bow and quiver behind him so it would be hidden. His sleeves hung long and full, nothing to suggest he was ready to shoot. A cord to tie them back out of the way remained hidden, but looped and knotted so it could easily be pulled.

Taru let Reizo make a plan and only supplied suggestions when asked. Reizo has a head for battle strategy, he is just inexperienced. And therefore prone to panicking. I must insist Yoshi train his traveling onmyoji in basic fighting.

“Ichiro, when the fight starts, hide Taru and yourself and go grab the guard they’ve got tied up in the confusion. Taru, if they want a fight, you start and finish it. You know when men are about to be violent. I’d rather just ask what happened here, but that’s probably not going to happen.” Reizo resigned himself. “I’ll cast tornado on myself. Stay an arm’s distance away and watch out for flying debris. The kami grab and destroy anything that gets close enough.” At least that’s the theory, this is the first time I’ve created that particular Ofuda for combat.

“After I hide Taru, the guard, and me, I won’t be able to talk to kami for awhile,” Ichiro said.

“Just get back to Gogo,” Someone will be with Suki besides the crazy one, although she is comfortable enough around Gin.

"Stop. State your business." A scarred muscular man yelled at them as soon as three strangers came into view. Reizo dubbed him the leader.

“They’re outside bow range,” Taru said quietly.

Reizo took a few steps forward and called quietly, "I am from the merchant guild in The Capital. I was sent to investigate why the raime shipments haven’t been arriving."

“Still too far,” Taru said.

“What did you say? Speak up!”

The group advanced until Taru said, “Here.”

“I’m from the merchant’s guild. You’ll have to excuse my voice, I’ve had a bit of a cold lately.” Reizo coughed and cleared his throat. Ichiro winced.

Upon hearing the word merchant guild the two men perked up. A predatory smile split the leader’s face. "Merchants? Where are your wares? Your cart?"

Reizo’s heart pounded, now that it looked a fight was imminent. The bow that was suddenly in the leader’s hand looked sinister. As an onmyoji, it won’t be a fair fight against these guys, he reminded himself.

Aloud he said, "I wouldn't recommend drawing that bow. We are not unarmed or helpless. If you answer questions will let you go about your business in peace." I hate leaving trash like this in my wife's home province but learning what happened is more important than dealing with petty brigands. I’ll report it to the Ministry of the Law.

Fortunately the leader was a talker. "We came along and found a perfectly deserted village. All we had to do was burn a few bodies. This place is ours now, Capital boy. Hand over what you have and get lost." Then he laughed.

The man beside him fell to the ground gurgling on his own blood. Taru had shot an arrow through his heart and one through his throat.

Ichiro closed his eyes to block bad memories of that noise.

The remaining bandit yelled, “We’re under attack!” And fired his bow at Taru. His shot missed all of them. The bandit threw his bow aside in disgust and drew a knife.

Ichiro opened his eyes and felt sick as he watched the bandit die. He’d seen plenty of death, but he never witnessed someone taking another’s life. He looked at Taru. The older man's face was blank instead of his customary slightly smiling expression.

“Ichiro, now!” Reizo snapped. Ichiro recovered his wits and told a breeze kami to hide Taru. That particular kami had followed Taru since they set foot on the road, so it would pay attention to Ichiro’s request long after he left Taru’s side.

Then he asked a breeze kami around him the same thing. No one saw him vomiting up two chickens on the side of the road.

Reizo pulled an Ofuda from his sleeve and released the trapped kami. A whirlwind spun from the paper and surrounded him. The wind kami chased each other around and around him in a tight circle, a tiny tornado. They wanted something to destroy. Since nothing was near, they grabbed at the dirt hear his feet and roared in frustration. Then they were surprisingly quiet for a tornado.

He’d written the spell correctly so the kami would only grab larger objects. “Larger” was a relative term. If they found a big enough rock, they would either destroy or throw it. That part is easy for me, since I watched the kami as it was trapped in the paper. Releasing kami always a risk, though. Reizo felt brief pride. An uncontrolled tornado spell would fling dust in his eyes, then flee to find something else to destroy. It would leave him defenseless against arrows and spears. Not hearing over the wind is a small price to pay for protection.

Ichiro walked towards the prisoner at that point, grateful he had a plan to follow. Taru, Reizo, and I can see each other, but the bandits can't see two of us at all.

Taru stepped three paces away from where he had fired his arrow and called over the sound of Reizo’s tornado, "I will kill you where you stand, but take no pleasure in it. I'd rather you live, because where there is life there is hope. I ask you once again, do you wish to surrender. Do you choose life and hope?" Taru moved after he spoke, so the bandit couldn’t pin point him.

"What are you, some kind of priest? A cowardly priest! You won't even fight me fair," the scarred man scoffed and threw a knife who's hilt landed where Taru’s left foot was a moment ago. He was a pragmatic sort who could kill a man he couldn’t see easier than one surrounded by a storm. He drew one of several knives tucked into his belt.

Taru shot him in the heart. In the time it took him to die, the man threw all of his knives.

He’d raised the alarm. Taru pulled out another arrow and waited for them.
—

Picture by Daphne Zaras - http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/headlines/dszpics.htmlOriginally uploaded at en.wikipedia; description page is/was here., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2130165