(RC) The Shadow – Ch 6, part 3

Summary: The Cabal travels to Kiyomizu-dera and attempts to open a Spirit Road through the Gauntlet back into the Material World. Meanwhile, the Nezumi become more persistant.

Recap:

A very nervous Tenzin decides to look through the Gauntlet to see if their sanctum had been burned down. He sees their sanctum is still safe. Apparently, the Shadow version of their sanctum was burned down, but the real version is untouched.

The Nezumi continue to hang around the Cabal. There are now over 40 of them skulking around the burned out Shadow sanctum. The largest Nezumi, their leader, beseech the Cabal to let them help. They suggest that they can give the Cabal a hand at getting home by taking them to an area where it would be easy to cross over – their burrow beneath Kyoto Station (below the throne room of the Daimyo himself). The Cabal politely, but firmly, refuses. Tenzin uses his Spirit arcane to send the Nezumi away.

Sa-an tells the Cabal that if they get back to the Shadow version of her sanctum, her Cabal might detect her presence in the Shadow and help them get back to reality. All they need to do is go up through Gojo-zaka (the pottery district) to get to Kiyomizu-dera. Her sanctum should be a safe haven.

As the Cabal ventures towards Gojo-zaka, they notice the buildings becoming much older. No tentacles threaten them and the eye at Kyoto Tower does not appear to be tracking them. The Cabal sees groups of the Daimyo’s spirits crossing the Kamo River searching for them. The Cabal quicken their pace.

The Cabal ask Sa-an how she got in the Shadow. She explains that she was investigating them for security reasons. She especially had to obtain more information about the ancient scroll they had won from Reitaro (Ch 2). She tells them she suspected that the scroll may be a fragment of the Shinwa Taizen.

Sa-an continues her story. In 1995, the Kansai Earthquake (Kobe Earthquake) occurred. The Yamaguchi-gumi was rumoured to have found scrolls as a result. Several mages, especially those from the Kodoshigisha and Hagekure Kyodai believed these scrolls to be parts of the Shinwa Taizen. They attempted to retrieve them, but encountered resistance from not only the Yamaguchi-gumi, but from others within the Consilium. A Shadow War erupted with mages from several factions forming their own Shadow Cabal. Eventually, events threatened to spin out of control and threaten the Consilium itself. The Shogun (then only the leader of the Hagekure Kyodai) lead a group to face off with the Shadow Cabal. He returned to the Consilium saying he had dealt with the others. The Shadow Cabal was never seen again and the events surrounding their departure were never fully explained.

Since then, no one has questioned the Yamaguchi-gumi about the scrolls – the matter had been dealt with. When the Cabal arrived and came into possession of the ancient scroll, Sa-an began investigating and was beginning to open up old wounds. She found out that some of the Kakumeiso members were actually old Kodoshigisha Mysterium members who did not commit seppuku after the debacle of 1945 when they dared to move the Shinwa Taizen.

Sa-an finishes her story just as the group approaches the Torii at the entrance of Kiyomizu-dera. They see two giant stone samurai blocking their way. Sa-an gives them a secret password, and they enter. Just as they cross the threshold, the Cabal see a hoard of 80 or more nezumi lead by a very large scarred rat. The Nezumi leader was different than the one they had spoken to earlier in the evening. When asked about the whereabouts of their other leader, the scarred rat says that the old leader was “replaced” because he had not fulfilled his purpose. Again, Tenzin shoos them away with Spirit Magic.

The Cabal enter the enormous hall of Kiyomizu-dera. Tenzin begins chanting in Atlantean in an attempt to cast Spirit Road. He guesses that it should take an hour to cast. As the spell is being cast, the lights dim revealing dozens of glinting eyes in the shadows.

Within a half hour, the Cabal hears thundering noise outside. Kemosiri peaks outside and sees several of the Daimyos’ spirits charging up to the gate of Kiyomizu-dera. In front of them is a swarm of hundreds of Nezumi.

The Cabal locks itself in, but one of the Spirit Samurai guarding Kiyomizu-dera is thrown through the wall and the Nezumi swarm in followed by a gigantic mechanical spirit.

Kontonshin leaps at the mechanical spirit and hits it with her spirit katana. Mori and Reitaro both strike at it with Prime bolts. Sa-an uses Matter to rust the spirit and damage its integrity. Suddenly, the Nezumi swarm Sa-an and Reitaro and they begin gnawing at their weakened bodies. Sa-an and Reitaro desperately try to tear at the dozens of Nezumi clawing, biting and burrowing their way through their flesh, their hands turn progressively blood red.

Tenzin hears a voice in his head. It is the voice of a Spirit Master from the other side of the gauntlet. The voice asks him to stop his spell and assist him on casting a spell to open the Spirit Road from his end. Tenzin hesitates thinking this may be a trick, but reluctantly agrees, stoops his spell and begins assisting the Spirit Master.

Meanwhile, Kontonshin continues to battle the mechanical spirit while Mori tries to tear the rats off Reitaro. The rats begin to swarm Mori and Kemosiri watches in horror as Reitaro collapses to the ground and Mori is overwhelmed.

The Spirit Road opens up. Kontonshin grabs Sa-an and drags her bloody body through. Kemosiri grabs Reitaro and begins dragging him across the barrier. The Nezumi do not seem able to use the Spirit Road. Mori is overwhelmed by rats who begin gnawing at his stomach. Mori, Kemosiri and Tenzin (now overwhelmed by rats) scamper through the Spirit Road before it collapses. They are now all in the Material world.

Kontonshin tries reviving Reitaro and he begins to twitch. Sa-an also begins to twitch. Mori puts up Supernal Vision and studies Reitaro and Sa-an Resonance and determines that they are both dead and that something else has taken over. They hesitate when the Spirit Master who pulled them in confirms what Mori is saying – that Reitaro and Sa-an are physically dead. Kontonshin, her ephemeral Katana long since faded into nothingness, grabs a blade and lops off Reitaro’s and Sa-an’s head.

The Spirit Master then turns to Mori who asks him what happened to him across the Gauntlet. The Master tells Mori he now has 2 souls and that his Resonance is now made up of a combination of two completely different souls melded into one. Mori is speechless and explains to everyone what happened to him in the small room. They speculate that the power to combine two souls together must be Archmastery.

The Cabal leaves Kiyomizu-dera for a well-earned rest. Duncan arrives at Kiyomizu-dera. It is early in the morning and he is wearing his chauffeur’s cap and an apron that says “kiss me, I cook” on it.

Next: The Shih