Summary: The Cabal regroups at the Kamo River and attempts to cross it and get back to their sanctum.
Recap:
Tenzin and Sa-an are both trapped in the basement of a burning wood building. Sa-an suggests they make a run for the back exit. They both cast Armor spells and Sa-an leads Tenzin out of the burning building before it collapses. She is severely burned and her kimono is in tatters. Tenzin bolts out of the building, stops, drops and rolls. Tenzin then uses magic to heal himself. Sa-an does not.
Mori sees Tenzin and Sa-an as they exit. He gets their attention and leads them both into an alleyway as the building collapses. The Fire Samurai and purple hippos do not see them disappear.
Kemosiri and Kontonshin carry a gravely injured Reitaro. They continue to follow the Nezumi (who appear to have grown larger). They are leading them to what they refer to as the Blue Dragon. They eventually find a sewer grating overlooking a shallow river. They smell smoke and see the light of a fire outside. Kemosiri warps the ephemeral grating lock and opens the door to the Kamo River. They see the purple hippos with tentacles and the burning building and the red Fire Samurai. They also see two bridges over the Kamo River. One is occupied by the Red Samurai, the other is occupied by two spear-wielding Mujina. The group thinks about where to go to next.
Tenzin is distracted by a succubus-like spirit. It tries to feed on his essence. Mori rescues him. Sa-an is disgusted with them both.
Kemosiri has a brainstorm. Instead of crossing at the bridges occupied by dangerous spirits, he sculpts the ephemera that is the Kamo River and creates an ephemeral bridge crossing the middle of the river. Kemosiri casts an improvised spell and manages to create a thin veneer of a bridge. In the meantime, Kontonshin sends out a mental signal to Tenzin using sympathetic magic (she knows his True Name) to get him to come to the River. Tenzin hears the signal and leads his group to the Kamo river near the 7th street bridge.
When Tenzin and Co. get back to the Kamo river, they see the others crossing Kemosiri’s bridge just as a hippo surges out of the water and begins attacking the party. It smashes the bridge in two. This attracts the attention of two Mujina guarding the nearby bridge and they begin running to the scene. Kontonshin attacks the hippo with her sword, and others cast spells harming it. Reitaro tries casting spells, but in his injured state, fails repeatedly. He accidentally creates a paradox causing a lightning storm to begin forming in the area.
Tenzin, Mori and Sa-an cross the bridge that the Mujina have abandoned. The Mujina attack Kontonshin and although Kemosiri warps their ephemeral weapons, the first Mujina grabs Kontonshin, and the second uses its faceless maw to swallow her to absorb her identity and memories. Thousands of maggots flow in and out of every orifice. Kontonshin fights the invading maggots keeping her mouth and nose closed even under the onslaught. Kemosiri trips the Mujina swallowing Kontonshin. Kontonshin flails wildly trying to hit either Mujina with her sword. Finally, Tenzin, Mori and Sa-an catch up and dispatch the Mujina.
The group, finally all together, spot a towering nuclear spirit rising over the horizon above Higashiyama. They head towards their Sanctum to avoid the giant spirit and the lightning storm that is slowly descending upon them. They get to their sanctum to find it burnt to the ground. They also spot many tiny Nezumi chittering within the ruins.
To be continued…
Next: The Shadow, part 3
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