L5r - scroll 04 - The Phoenix (2 page)

With a flick of his wrist, Tadaka opened his jade fan. The demon blood spattered against it and ignited. Small puffs of greasy black smoke stained the warm afternoon air. Behind his silken hood Tadaka, the Phoenix Master of Earth, smiled.

The oni lunged at him, and he spun out of its way, behind a small stone obelisk. The pillar showed the rough outline of some nature kami—perhaps Fudo, one of the eight patrons of life. The momentary smile faded from Tadaka's face. Once, this had been a natural shrine, a sanctuary against evil. Now the

minions of Fu Leng had fouled it beyond salvation.

The distraction nearly cost Tadaka his life. Plague zombies, companions of the oni, shambled from the nearby woods. They clawed at Tadaka with their pestilent talons. The Master of Earth spun away. One scratch could poison him with a disease that took first life, and then soul.

The creatures attacked with purpose, as if listening to the unvoiced commands of the oni that had spawned them. The zombies closed in, trying to force the Master of Earth into the arms of their progenitor.

Tadaka heard the song of earth. He spread his arms and turned in a circle. Around him the dry earth splashed up, ringing Tadaka in a wave of dust and small stones. The debris blinded the oni and its minions. The plague-ridden creatures clutched at their eyes. Tadaka sprinted toward a gap in their line.

Blindly, one of the zombies lashed out and caught Tadaka's kimono in its hand. The Master of Earth pulled away, but he lost his footing on the loose dirt and fell. The scabrous zombie loomed over him, blinking its black eyes. A smile cracked its rotted face. Tadaka scrambled back across the ground as the zombie reached forward with its deadly claws.

Suddenly, though, the creature stopped. It gurgled and fell over, half of its body toppling to the right and the other half to the left. Both halves quivered, unwilling to give up their fight, but unable to reach their prey. Behind the bisected monster stood the figure of a samurai, the blade of his katana dripping gore.

The late afternoon sun shone in Tadaka's eyes, but he recognized his savior anyway: Shiba Ujimitsu—the Phoenix Champion. Ujimitsu smiled briefly, and then spun away to confront another plague zombie.

Hope and pride welled up within Tadaka's soul. He called to the earth; it lifted him up, setting him gently on his feet once more. A fist-sized rock settled into his hand.

The Master of Earth turned as the Oni no Byoki charged him again. Tadaka flung the rock at the creature. The stone shot through the air as if fired from a bow. It hit the monster in the side, shattering several ribs and tearing a fist-sized chunk of flesh from just above the monster's hip. The demon bellowed with rage, but the blow didn't stop it.

Tadaka ducked under the creature's flailing arms. He placed his straw sandal on the oni's rump and pushed. The monster tumbled to the ground. Tadaka scampered back, toward the small obelisk. He put the stone between himself and the oni once more as the demon rose. Tadaka took a moment to regain his breath.

Over his shoulder, the Master of Earth glimpsed Ujimitsu fighting the plague zombies. The Phoenix Champion whirled and danced, a red and orange flame in the afternoon sunlight. Zombies shambled toward him, hideous piles of oozing virulence. The champion's sword separated undead limbs from bodies. The samurai's handsome face wore a mask of grim determination.

Tadaka dodged around the obelisk, playing cat and mouse with his demonic foe. The Oni no Byoki lunged across the obelisk at Tadaka. The Master of Earth seized the moment. He reached out with his spirit, touching forces deep within the stone. Awakened, the rock did its master's bidding. It shuddered and sprang into the sky, growing to three times the samurai's height.

The obelisk pierced the oni's chest and carried the plague-ridden demon toward Amaterasu, the sun goddess. The monster cried out, a horrible, flatulent sound. It twisted on the stone pillar like a fly on a pin. Its black blood oozed in great streams down the sides of the stone.

Satisfied that the oni could do no more harm, Tadaka drew his katana and turned to help the Phoenix Champion.

Five zombies surrounded Ujimitsu. All had lost limbs, but the wounds didn't lessen the monsters' desire to kill. They shambled forward on blistered feet, mockeries of the people they had once been.

The Phoenix Champion smiled a grim smile and raised his sword above his head. A voice in his mind whispered the secret of the zombies' destruction. Ujimitsu listened carefully. The voice had never failed him.

As quick as lightning, Ujimitsu struck off the head of the nearest zombie. Foul blood oozed from the creature's neck; it fell and moved no more. Heedless of their comrade's destruction, the others zombies pressed in. Their skin festered with black boils. The air stank from their rotting flesh.

Another voice warned Ujimitsu to beware the plague zombies' touch. Obviously. Sometimes he wished the voices would just shut up and let him fight.

Ujimitsu sprang high into the air, arcing backward over the nearest zombie. The one-armed creature tried to grab the Phoenix as he leapt, but it misjudged the distance. The champion landed lightly on his feet in the withered grass behind the zombie. His katana flashed and decapitated the monstrosity.

Tadaka rejoined the fight. His blade took the head of another plague zombie. The creature's body whirled, as if to face the warrior shugenja , and then fell lifeless to the parched earth. The broken limbs landed with a hideous, damp sound.

For a moment, the two remaining zombies seemed confused. The shrieks of their dying master, still impaled on the obelisk, distracted them. They stumbled into each other.

Acting by silent agreement, both Phoenix warriors sprinted forward. Their katanas flashed simultaneously. The skull of the zombie Tadaka fought sailed through the air and smashed against the bottom of the gore-covered obelisk. The head of Ujimitsu's foe toppled to the ground and rolled until it hit a small clump of dry grass. The creature's brains oozed out of its ears, and its lifeless eyes stared at the afternoon sun.

The samurai nodded at each other and then turned toward the demon, still struggling on its stone spike. Tadaka sang a blessing to send the demon back to the underworld of Jigoku. The warrior shugenja's chant filled the afternoon air, echoing off ancient pines. The oni shrank before the incantation's power. Its festering sores shriveled; its bones dried like twigs; its blood turned to dust.

Ujimitsu strode forward, his brow furrowed with concentration. His sword described a graceful arc and sliced through the oni's neck. The creature's head shattered into black dust as it hit the sun-baked earth.

The Phoenix Champion flicked the gore from his blade in the ancient shiburi movement. Tadaka did the same. The Master of Earth chanted a purification spell over both katana before he and Ujimitsu resheathed their weapons. With a snap of his wrist, Tadaka closed his jade fan.

Ujimitsu let out a long sigh. "A bad business," he said. He adjusted his red and orange kimono and checked himself for wounds. He found none. Even the delicate featherlike designs of his silk robes seemed unruffled by the fight.

Tadaka nodded. "Yes, but well and quickly disposed of. Nothing left but the cleaning up." He used the top of his fan to push his pointed straw hat up on his forehead. The wide, round brim settled back, and sunlight streamed down on Tadaka's stern face. The rocks that hung in small settings around the hat's brim rattled and clacked and whispered the song of stone.

Ujimitsu almost fancied he could see his friend's features behind the concealing hood—almost. "Shall I fetch the eta from the village?" the Phoenix Champion asked.

Tadaka shook his head. "No," he said. "Though dead, these creatures might still infect them. I wouldn't let seven unclean eta touch these abominations."

Ujimitsu nodded. "I recognize one of these zombies—the last one I slew. Her name was Miori. She lived in the village at the bottom of the hill and often came to tend this shrine."

"Probably that devotion is what led to her death," Tadaka said. He looked around the small clearing, appraising the damage and adjusting his loose-fitting red and black kimono. He tucked his fan into one wide sleeve.

The preternaturally tall obelisk stood in the center of the clearing, its worn stone surface carved with the kami's likeness and ancient prayers. It stood serenely, oblivious to the demon blood running down its sides. Nearby the remains of a small shrine, made of bamboo and painted wood, slumped listlessly. The pristine trees of Mori Isawa, the sacred wood of the Phoenix, ringed the scene, silent witnesses to the violence just ended.

The swollen bodies of the twice-dead zombies littered the ground like giant bags of black ooze. Already flies buzzed around the corpses.

Tadaka frowned. His heart sank that he and Ujimitsu had brought such carnage to this peaceful setting. The clearing would never be the same. Its shrine could never be made holy again. Tadaka felt he'd lost a piece of his soul.

As if echoing his kinsman's thoughts, Ujimitsu said, "I used to like this place."

Tadaka nodded. "As did I. What brought you here in such a timely fashion? Chasing the minions of the Evil One within our fair land?"

Ujimitsu shook his head. "Hardly," he said. "I was just passing through."

Behind his hood, Tadaka smiled. "I doubt that," he said. "Only yesterday reports came that you were fighting ogres in Kiken na Roka. The day before that, I heard you were saving villagers at Doro Owari Mura. Both places are a long way from here."

Ujimitsu shrugged. "Those reports are exaggerated. People seem to have trouble keeping track of me. The peasants see my face everywhere, even where I'm not. Besides," he said with a smile, "I travel quickly."

Tadaka laughed. "With the wings of the Phoenix, I'd say. And you don't even look tired."

"How could one tire of our glorious homeland?" Ujimitsu said, smiling broadly now. "Chalk it up to clean living and the grace of Amaterasu, if you like."

"So you were just passing through, then?" Tadaka said.

"Honestly," Ujimitsu replied, nodding. "Miori's grandmother stopped me in the road. She said her granddaughter had journeyed to this shrine two days ago and had not returned. Now we know why." He sighed. "I will hate to tell her of the girl's fate."

"The Evil One's talons have grown," Tadaka said, "to strike so deep within our lands."

Ujimitsu cocked his head. A voice whispered something to him, but he ignored it. "You think, then," he said to Tadaka, "that the oni came to this shrine on purpose, to spread Fu Leng's plague?"

"What else?" Tadaka said. "Even as their dead master sleeps, Fu Leng's servants work his will. Either Junzo—may the sun burn the flesh from his bones—sent the creature to do Fu Leng's bidding, or the shugenja's foul spells tainted some peasant, allowing the oni to acquire a body to live in. Who can say which? These other victims, though, were probably simple peasants— devoted people, like your Miori."

Ujimitsu nodded. "I wish I'd come sooner."

Tadaka laughed darkly. "Even
you
can't be everywhere at once."

Ujimitsu sighed and nodded. "What brought
you
to this place, Master of Earth?"

"I've been in the mountains," Tadaka replied, "meditating— seeking the wisdom of the earth. I thought to stop at this shrine on my way back home."

"It is a dark omen," Ujimitsu said.

"One of many. This place must be cleansed."

"Should I summon a priest?"

"Not even Shinsei himself could wash away this stain," Tadaka said gravely. "The earth must purge itself of the Evil One's blight." His eyes rolled back in his head, and he began to chant. His voice filled the clearing with deep, resonant sound.

Ujimitsu felt a soft rumbling beneath his feet, like the purring of a great cat. Even through the soles of his zori sandals, the Phoenix Champion felt warmth. A pale glow emanated from the obelisk and the bare earth beneath it. He smiled and nodded.

"I'll leave you to it, then," he said. "I'll scout the area, make sure it's abomination-free." Tadaka didn't reply. Already he was deep within the magic.

Ujimitsu glanced back over his shoulder as he hiked into the woods. Even now the earth glowed red, beginning to burn. He shook his head and sighed. The tall pines of Mori Isawa closed in around him, shielding the samurai from sight of the clearing. The cool embrace of the wood restored a measure of the Phoenix Champion's serenity.

He knew of a clear, swift stream running across this path only a short distance uphill. Ujimitsu hoped the water might wash the taste of death from his mouth. A voice in his head whispered,
Soon the taste will be so great that all the seas in the world will not be able to wash it away.

Ujimitsu nodded, and spoke out loud in reply. "You speak my fears," he said. "Fu Leng is returning to Rokugan, and Junzo is his herald."

You must fight him,
another voice urged.

"With a thousand years experience, what else
could
I do?" Ujimitsu asked, shrugging.

You should take the battle to the Evil One,
a third voice said.

"No," said Ujimitsu. "I'm just a simple warrior.
This
is my place; to protect our people is my duty. I'm no wise man, no shugenja, no priest. I'm merely samurai. The Elemental Masters must decide when to bring war to the Evil One."