“You are right, Toshiro of Yamato. Cara and I have come from a distant land. We were sent to hunt down and root out the evil which has come to this land; the evil which corrupted the Kitsune spirit and entrapped you. The Festering.”
“The Festering...” He repeated the word under his breath, then slow understanding dawned on his face. He nodded, looking pleased. “Ah, I understand what you mean. We have a different word for it. Here, we call it Kanosuru. The legendary darkness that creeps in under the vigilance of men. It searches out vulnerable places, and it takes hold of weakened things, spreading out like infection from a dirty wound.”
I nodded. “Exactly. So you know of this, then?”
A shadow darkened his face, and he looked troubled, as if he were searching for the right words. “I know of it, yes,” he said at last, “and there are others who know of it too, but its presence is by no means generally accepted. There are many, particularly in the more populated part of the land, who do not accept that the presence of the Kanosuru is a threat at all. Perhaps it is for the best. But the people in power, they refuse to acknowledge its existence, and that is a very terrible thing, for they are the ones with the ability to stop it .”
That interested me. I took a breath to ask a question, but at that moment, Cara gave a cry of satisfaction. The old woman had woken up, and now sat up with bleary eyes, looking around her in confusion.
“What happened...?” she asked out loud.
Cara glanced up at Toshiro, who gave his head a small shake.
He knelt by the woman’s side. “The shrine was attacked by bandits,” he said to her. “You were knocked on the head, and your husband too, but you are fine now. These warriors saved you.” He gestured at Cara and I.
The old lady rubbed her head. “I don’t know what the Shogun does all day, sitting in his castle in Otara while bandits roam the hills only a day’s journey away, and old folk like me and my husband cannot come to the shrine to worship in peace. And, it seems, those bandits have destroyed the shrine.” She seemed a little teary as she looked at the ruined building.
Her husband was waking up as well, and it wasn’t long before the two old people were walking slowly away from us down the path, arm in arm, leaning on each other a little for support.
“You let them believe that it was bandits that had attacked the shrine,” I said to Toshiro.
Toshiro nodded gravely. “Knowledge of the Kanosuru, the Festering as you call it, is not widespread. It makes sense to me that those of us who know about it should protect simple folk from the knowledge, at least until we can understand more about it ourselves.”
“That makes sense,” Cara said thoughtfully. “Knowledge like that can cause panic. Are the people here superstitious?”
Toshiro looked away, smiling fondly. “Very,” he said. “And with good reason. This land is full of spirits and strange effects. I myself came this morning to leave an offering for the Kitsune. But come, let’s not stand here talking. I have a proposal for you both.”
“Go on,” I said.
“May I invite you to my home? I live half a day’s walk north of here, in the foothills of those mountains.” He pointed toward the snow-capped mountain range that glowed purple off in the distance. “Will you come with me? You could base yourselves there; it is a safe place.”
I looked at Cara and raised my eyebrows in question. She immediately nodded. I could see that, like me, she already liked and trusted this quietly spoken, intelligent man. In Saxe, a person’s honor and integrity were everything; it made the people of Saxe good judges of character. It was clear that he would have more to say, and a friendly, knowledgeable local was always a good friend to make.
I smiled and accepted his invitation.
“I’m going to change out of this armor,” I warned him. “It might seem a little strange. Please, don’t be alarmed.”
I turned my intention on the armor and took a breath, thinking about the light woollens and supple leather boots which were the humbler aspect of the Ironside Persona. There was a wash of warm light and a pleasant sensation of heat, and my outfit had changed.
Toshiro took a step back, gazing at my transformation in wonder.
“This is incredible!” he said, seeming genuinely amazed. “I’ve never seen such a thing! Can everybody in your land do this?”
“Just me, as far as I know,” I replied. “Come on. Let’s go back to your place. I can tell you more about it there.”
He was nodding slowly, looking from me to Cara and back again with a thoughtful expression. “Very well. Leofwine, Cara, I think you two might be just what this land was needing.”
We walked out of the glade, leaving the empty shrine silent behind us.
Toshiro led us down a long, winding path away from the shrine north-west, toward the mountains, the roofs of Otara on our right, and the dense woods where we had entered Yamato off to our left. I could see now that those woods were the outliers of a dense forest that cloaked a range of hills, stretching away to the south into a dark haze under the bright sky. Pockets of woodland dotted the lush grasslands, and the whole place seemed rich and full of life.
I looked up and saw that the sun had passed the midpoint. It was hot, and the air was humid despite the sea breeze. My clothing did not get too hot, and I was glad of my lighter outfit which the Persona of Ironside could transform into. Cara, in her tight leather armor with her weapons
