A light cutting through the fine paper windows; a line of light dividing the room as it advanced. What used to be ruins and cobwebs was recovering its warmth and colors as the sun poured through the window. Magaska, still half asleep, opened her eyes. A small sparrow watched her from the very same window the sunlight was streaming through.
—Hmm… owaaa, good morning… Mr. Jokuto? —Magaska yawned and looked sideways at the sparrow wearing a kerchief on its head.
—Good morning, good morning! Oh no, miss, my name is Fukurou. Jokuto is my boss; he's organizing the clans that will come to trade. He, he, he, it's a pleasure. —Magaska noticed the color of its small kerchief: unlike Jokuto's sober white headscarf, this one wore a red one with prints of beautiful golden rice spikes.
—My lords, good morning to everyone!! —With cheerful trills, the handsome and round little bird sang on a small carved log adorned with detailed altar ornaments and bird perches. It was close to the window, as if it were an audience chamber.
—Mmh, hhh! It's too early, I don't want to be rude or eat anyone, so I'm going back to sleep. Jacob, you're in charge, zzzzzz. —Mina glanced sideways at the little sparrow, which looked back at her, intrigued. Grumbling, Mina wrapped herself in her blanket and retreated like a large ball of fabric to the back of the room, where she started snoring again.
—Haha, that Mina. We should take her seriously, I'll handle it. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fukurou; we'll gladly join you. —Jacob gave a formal, polite bow. A flustered Fukurou bowed even deeper.
—Mr. Jacob, thank you very much, pardon the trouble. I hope I didn't offend Miss Mina, right...? —With big sweatdrops, Fukurou worried about Mina's reaction. Ithil looked at the little bird.
—Fukurou, right? Don't worry, our friend loves her sleep and waking up is hard for her; she's like a badger or a bear. —Ithil smiled as he put on his shirt. The others were already waking up and nodding along.
—Don't worry, friend sparrow, sister Mina is just like that. —Leonidas felt sorry for the little bird's panic.
—Ooohh, I understand, Mr. Leonidas! I understand, Mr. Ithil. This humble sparrow was worried he might have offended any of your Excellency's guests. —The little sparrow hopped twice to take flight.
—The caravans are coming, my lords. I'll go let Mr. Jokuto know you're ready. —With a final flap of his wings, Fukurou took flight and vanished among the branches of the forest.
—That little one is so cute… —Inola watched from afar as he disappeared into the branches. A sudden urge to hold him in his hands washed over him; taking his cheeks in both hands, he shook his head as if shaking off the thought. Suddenly, the adventurers heard bells chiming from the forest.
Bells followed by the sharp tones and beats of a hyoshigi. The expertly treated wood rang out crisply; the sound was rich, almost metallic, penetrating yet pleasant. Announcing with a thunderous voice, a tanuki with a purple-dyed fiber belt, carrying a bamboo shoot on his back and walking on his hind legs, arrived from among the branches, swaying with great pride.
—The Sho River tanuki group! Excellency and guests, the Sho River tanukis have arrived! We gladly accept your invitation, and with great anticipation, we bring our products.
—Here come the Sho River tanukis! Here they come, here they come, bringing joy and camaraderie, the Sho River tanukis!! —A chest decorated with fine copper hardware was carried by six smaller tanukis; they carried and sang rhythmically as they brought the huge chest in front of the large house. Clad only in cotton ropes, the tanukis seemed to be enjoying themselves as if it were a festival.
—My, how much energy these kids have. —Leonidas watched from behind as the tanukis brought in the massive chest. The copper hardware, tinted emerald green, matched the lush moss growing on the blackish wood of the chest. With a satisfying thud, the chest settled in the garden, where three quails watched from the fence. Each carried a tiny paintbrush made from their own feathers, and with skillful hands, they sketched the event to remember it for centuries to come.
—The Sho River tanukis are proud to bring fine reliefs and delicious foods for the great guests of his Excellency Ayakashi!! —The group of six tanukis knelt before the adventurers.
—Ah, it is a great honor to have the Sho River clan before us today. —Jacob bowed, and the others followed his lead.
—It is an honor for us as well! Open the chest!! —the largest tanuki ordered the others. Inside the chest, bamboo leaf triangles overflowed with crystallized rebrils, honey-seed pellets, tempting salted fish, beautiful knives made of bone and smooth red woods, animal pelt rolls resembling fine velvet, and tapestries illustrating battles and events unknown to the kids.
—Magaska wants more sweet berries!! —Magaska's eyes sparkled greedily.
—Hmm, those pelts look incredibly fine. Wait, pelts? Isn't that a bit macabre? Aren't they forest animals after all? —Jacob hesitated before touching the pelts. Lizva, standing beside Jacob, looked at the tapestries, her eyes shining with anticipation upon seeing a set of small bone flutes.
—Mm, what do you say, Lizva? Do you want these? —Jacob picked up a pair of flutes, thinking something similar about the pelts he had just seen.
—Never mind, Mr. Jacob, these products are made from the clan's successful hunts; when a predator tries to attack us, it's completely normal, —the big tanuki said, striking his chest. Those products seemed acceptable after all.
—Pardon me, Mr. Tanuki, my group and I brought products and goods of our own, though limited. We don't know if you'd care to accept currency from our town. —Ithil addressed the purple-clad tanuki leader.
—Of course, Mr. Ithil, I, Daichi of the Sho clan, accept your currency as items of value and reconciliation among our people!!
—Very well, then let me hand you these six blades of metal. Our friend Jacob is our master blacksmith, he is excellent at his work; I used these blades myself to strike down a powerful enemy, which cost me this hand. —Ithil drew the blades he had used to fight Herrakan and revealed a bit of his mechanical fist. Jacob looked at him, giving his approval with a thumbs-up.
—Blades that defeated a massive demon! I can feel it, the spirit they possess is unique… Mr. Ithil, it is an honor to have you leave these in our care! These blades will be kept in a temple in the heart of the forest as a treasure, they shall be known as the six "Devourers," and they will be used by our tribe to exorcise demons and slay evil beasts!! —Daichi beamed with excitement; he looked like a warrior himself, and the other tanukis stared with emotion at Ithil's mechanical hand.
—Master Jacob!! I had no idea you were a blacksmith, what fine works you create!! —Daichi looked excitedly at the things the group had laid out before them.
—Of course, it's a great honor for my work to have such an astonishing destiny, I am honored. —Filled with pride, Jacob pulled out a short sword matching his stature and offered it to the tanuki leader.
—Mr. Tanuki, I see you are a warrior as well, I leave this sword in your hands, named "Dawn." —The broadsword bore an effigy of the sun on the hilt; the beautiful iridescent wavy pattern of the blade, shining with red and amber tones, gleamed like rays of sunlight. It was an experiment with metals Jacob had performed not long ago. The sword was spectacular, even though no one in the group used swords.
—Owaaa, it's spectacular!! Without a doubt, you are a great Master!!! —The tanuki stared at the sword; to him, it was a massive blade. Feeling the hilt, an immense pride welled up inside him.
—Akebono!! I name it Akebono!!! —The tanuki and the others were excited and cheerful, exchanging food and materials with Jacob and the group.
—Well done, Ithil —thought Jacob, while Mina sleepily finished waking up and joined them.
—Aah, what do we have here? —Mina looked at the items from the chest laid out before the group.
A couple of minutes later, the group heard the rolling beat of wooden drums accompanied by the unique sound of a guiro, rising like a choir of frogs and rain. Deep frog croaks chanted religious mantras, while tiny frog whistles chimed in like a chorus. A line of frogs dressed in pure crimson religious attire leaned on staffs decorated with hollow seed pods filled with small pebbles; every frog in the procession carried at least one percussion instrument.
—Mm, who are they? —Magaska watched the procession. Beautiful golden fish with fine, long fins danced like delicate maidens accompanying the frogs.
—That, Miss Magaska, is the Court of the Western Frogs! They are in charge of giving us clean water on this side of the forest, as well as serving as priests and frogs of their word; sometimes they are judges, other times they're assistants to the trading clans!! —The large tanuki answered Magaska. She looked at him, a sudden immense urge to hug the little animal crossing her mind.
—The great lord in red, Hikigaeru, is here!! —A spokesman stepped forward while floating black tadpoles scurried around him.
—It's a pleasure to stand before people of their word!! Lords Inola and Jacob!! It's a pleasure to meet exorcists from the outside world. —Hikigaeru stepped forward smoking a pipe made from a small elm branch; the knots in the wood and a moss lining on the stem showed how heavily used it was by its owner.
—It's an honor, Mr. Hikigaeru, we are grateful. —Inola offered a smile that captivated the red-clad leader.
—What great charisma! I can tell by your companion spirit that both of you are strong. May the heart of the forest protect you from evil and doom! My companions also bring products and objects for you. I've heard from the pond frogs that you, Mr. Ithil, are the leader, right? —A group of toads carried baskets filled with gems, precious metal nuggets, shells, and small packages of salted seaweed.
—He? Well, you could say that, he he. —Ithil scratched the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed.
—Mr. Hikigaeru, we also bring gift items for you. —Inola untied the rosary from his hair, perfumed with the apple oil he regularly used. The rosary, previously imbued with Inola's energy, flickered with power.
—Ooooh, this is undoubtedly a great gift, an object of power infused with the vital energy of the exorcist Inola… This is a powerful weapon in this world; receiving this item is a pledge of commitment for me, I thank you for this gift. —Mina watched Hikigaeru's procession and spotted small white cotton-like dots on the maidens accompanying him and on the monk himself.
—Is it…? Mr. Hikigaeru, it's a pleasure, I'm Mina, in charge of the group's health. I see small white spots on your bodies with some urgency, are these natural? —Hikigaeru looked at his arm, let out a sigh, and quickly glanced at his people standing nearby.
—I must apologize for this horrible sight, Miss Mina. My people are plagued by an evil we haven't been able to exterminate since the town of Nichiren directed its drainage into the dry well. We've wanted to express our discontent, but it's hard to be outside the forest, let alone be heard outside of it; our complaints fall on deaf ears. —The red figure lamented as he rubbed a white cotton-like stain beneath his garments.
—That's not right… Jacob, can spirits get sick? —Mina asked while Jacob and Inola picked up packages of rebril berries and various products from the tanuki chest and frog baskets.
—Eh? Getting sick as such, only if it's an affliction… like a curse, but biologically they couldn't… What do you think, Inola? —Jacob crossed his arms and legs, giving the affected ones a good look.
—Yes, I agree with you, Jacob. Only if curses are used; even the doom entities of the Purple Magicers could affect them. —Inola picked up some pelts and ran his hand over them as if petting an animal.
—Look, their spots seem to be a disease, don't you think? —Mina asked Jacob as both stared at Hikigaeru.
—Mmmm, this is a bit embarrassing, lords… —Soon, some fish maidens and black tadpoles joined their lord, also displaying the small white cotton-like dots.
—Aaa, it seems to be a kind of fungus… Mmmm. Inola, do we have clear Jassubiana salt? —The tanukis and river frogs were immersed in the conversation; many words were new to them, almost like listening to magic and forbidden rites. Some tanukis and a frog or two covered their ears out of fear of hearing magical secrets, while the quails, ecstatic at the encounter, illustrated and documented everything happening in their precious codexes. It was clearly historic.
—Aa, lords, it's not necessary, we don't want to be a nuisance to you. —Hikigaerou, worried, turned to the adventurers. Mina looked back at him and smiled.
—Health is sacred, Mr. Hikigaerou, especially your people's. —Mina nodded with complete confidence.
—Hmm, yes, I have clear Jassubiana salt right here. —Inola took a pouch of purification salt from his bag.
—From what I understand, this can help. Lizva, could you hand me the malachite dye? —Jacob pointed to his backpack, and Lizva replied:
—Yes, here's the dye! Is this the one we use for the leather work? —Lizva took a medium glass bottle with a dropper. Inside Jacob's backpack, she noticed a felt sack where the adventurer's new weapons rested.
—Yes, that one, thanks, Lizva. —Jacob handed both items to Mina, who immediately used them, mixing alcohol with the bottle's contents.
—Perfect, Jacob. Take this, Mr. Hikigaerou, I've made a remedy for you. You must bathe in a solution of ten drops from this bottle per ten liters of water; the salt will help your people reduce the discomfort. Ah, but this solution will affect snails, mollusks, and crabs their meat will become toxic, so be careful when using it.—
—Ah, I see, Miss Mina must be a purifying priestess —Daichi told Hikigaerou.
—Mr. Daichi, I think you're right. —Hikigaerou seemed to accept the gesture of goodwill.
—Yes!! Something like that, although our Mina is a greeeeaaat warrior!! When she gets angry and turns into a dragon, earth and sky tremble. Magaska wishes she were like her —Magaska leaned forward and said cheerfully to both animal companions.
—Hahaha, enough, Magaska, I'm just an ordinary person, I'm just a drakooria like Ithil, that's all —said Mina as she searched her leather bag for medicines and ointments for the white spots.
—Miss Mina and Mr. Ithil are Drakoorias?! —Both fell silent for a moment before looking at each other and nodding.