![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Ghost-Guardian-Titling.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A Tale by Aaron Canton<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The great temple within Daimyo Tatsunori\u2019s capital city was known far and wide. Visitors from distant lands spoke of the beautiful architecture of its buildings, the intricate statues and sculptures which flanked its shrines and graced its halls, and the elaborate rituals that its robed monks performed every dawn and dusk. Merchants called it a place of bountiful wealth where fortunes could be made by anyone whose wares could meet the stringent standards of the priests who purchased items that they deemed worthy of honoring the gods above. And criminals all over the country, from prisoners in local jails, to members of chain gangs working in distant mines, whispered to each other of the horrible fates that awaited those whose crimes were so monstrous that they were hauled to the dungeon under the temple for punishment.<\/p>\n Yasuoka Takako, however, just knew it as home.<\/p>\n The shaman smiled to herself as she stepped through the temple\u2019s massive gates and felt familiar flagstones through her thin sandals. A mixture of scents arose from the buildings and Yasuoka could almost taste the sandalwood incense from the nearest altars, the pollen of the azaleas in the sacred garden, and the fish noodles being prepared in the staff\u2019s eating quarters. Even the distant squabble she overheard of two monks bickering about some error one of them had made during the dawn ritual felt familiar.<\/p>\n \u201cYasuoka!\u201d The hunter turned to see Kiyosuke Takahara, one of the temple\u2019s gatekeepers, waving at her from his post. He sounded astonished, and Yasuoka had to fight not to laugh at his shocked expression. \u201cYou\u2019re back!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I\u2019m back.\u201d Yasuoka allowed her smile to grow by the slightest amount. \u201cYou didn\u2019t think a handful of decrepit ghosts could defeat me, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n Kiyosuke shook his head, but then he asked, \u201cYou really defeated Goh O-Kai?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did. He will trouble the people of this land no more.\u201d Yasuoka inclined her head. \u201cAnd all the other shamans he slew are finally at peace.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s incredible!\u201d Kiyosuke glanced at a nearby jade sundial as if hoping time would suddenly speed up. \u201cMy shift ends soon. I would love to hear all about it!\u201d This his voice grew hopeful. \u201cThere\u2019s a food stall a few blocks from here that opened after you went on your trip. Their dumplings are spectacular. Perhaps, if the priests don\u2019t send you on another mission\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will be happy to tell you of my battle, but for now, I need to see High Priest Kitano.\u201d Yasuoka glanced down the temple\u2019s main walkway, which ended in a five-story wooden building that towered over the rest of the complex. \u201cI have important information he must know.\u201d<\/p>\n Kiyosuke quickly nodded, and a flicker of disappointment flashed over his face before his expression became the stoic ideal which the temple\u2019s monks required of all their on-duty staff. \u201cRight,\u201d he said. \u201cOf course. I\u2019ll see you later, Yasuoka.\u201d<\/p>\n The shaman nodded goodbye to Kiyosuke and then walked up to the five-story building. When she reached its massive oaken doors and pressed her hand against them, she felt a tingle as an unseen force pushed back. Yasuoka took a single breath to focus before bringing forth a tiny bit of chi<\/em>, wrapping it around her hand, and drawing on it to bring forth a strength that could breach spiritual barriers just as her flesh could battle physical ones. Then she pushed again, felt the door swing open easily, and stepped into the inner sanctum of Tatsunori\u2019s ghost hunters.<\/p>\n The room before her was wide open, and though there were altars against the walls as well as elaborate murals depicting the gods above, the center of the room was free of all adornment and consisted only of a simple oaken floor onto which several mats had been placed. Other shamans were on the mats and were either sparring with swords and staves or were sitting in the lotus blossom position while practicing their channeling. A few additional monks scurried between the altars, some leaving offerings and incense, others bowing down to perform the rituals which were required of them.<\/p>\n Yasuoka could see about forty people in the room in total. But she knew from long experience there were many more entities here than that, and so she channeled a little more chi and then looked around again. And, as her gaze passed over the room, for a second time she could see the chained spirits.<\/p>\n Before her were two ghosts whom Yasuoka recognized as the Peng twins, a con artist duo said to have infiltrated noble houses a century ago by pretending to be servants before robbing their new employers and slaughtering everyone on the way out. Both twins were working on a scuffed spot of floor, and as Yasuoka watched, one of them chanted a few words which made the scuff marks quiver and then crumble away. An alter along the far wall was being tended to by another bound spirit, the pyromaniac arsonist Ahuinan, who was being made to use his magic to keep the candles surrounding that altar burning in perfect unity. And when Yasuoka turned to look behind her she saw the ghost of an ancient wizard who had once used magic to shield an invading army from magical attack. That mage, whom Yasuoka had once heard referred to as \u2018the demon O-Tsubi\u2019, was now standing by the building\u2019s front door and casting the shield which prevented anyone who didn\u2019t know how to channel from breaching the inner sanctum.<\/p>\n It had unnerved Yasuoka when she\u2019d first been brought to the temple as a starving orphan and learned that the building was maintained by the ghosts of the worst criminals the land had ever known. But the priests had helped her understand that the criminals were now controlled by the shamans who channeled them, so those spirits could not possibly hurt anyone while they did penance for their heinous crimes. Now she didn\u2019t even flinch as she passed the Peng twins to approach a ghost hunter practicing his fencing on the mats. \u201cGanzaya,\u201d she said as she pressed her hands together and kowtowed to show respect. \u201cI have slain Goh O-Kai and returned. Now I must tell High Priest Kitano about an important discovery I made during my travels.\u201d<\/p>\n Ganzaya waved his sparring partner back and then saluted Yasuoka with his sword. Three magical talismans, each capable of binding a powerful spirit, dangled from its hilt and clanged together in an almost musical manner. \u201cThank you, Yasuoka,\u201d he said. \u201cYour service is once again appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka nodded but said nothing in response, and Ganzaya went on. \u201cKitano will be happy to learn of Goh\u2019s defeat. Daimyo Tatsunori was becoming impatient with our temple\u2019s failure to eliminate that spirit. And, of course, it is a relief that no more shamans will be slain by that damned monk.\u201d He paused. \u201cI don\u2019t sense Goh\u2019s spirit within you. Did you not bind him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I banished him instead.\u201d Yasuoka frowned. \u201cIf anyone does not believe I truly defeated the spirit, they can travel to his monastery and see for themselves that his blight has been eradicated. He is gone and will never trouble anyone ever again.\u201d<\/p>\n Ganzaya grimaced. \u201cI believe you, Yasuoka. Your devotion to our order is well known and nobody who knows you would think you\u2019d lie about such a matter. But High Priest Kitano is going to wonder why you released the spirit instead of compelling him to atone for his crimes by helping you defeat the other evil spirits which still plague the land.\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka glanced at a recessed door in the back of the room. \u201cI would be happy to explain the matter in person. May I see him now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHis ritual to bless Daimyo Tatsunori\u2019s health should have ended just a few minutes ago, so he should be available.\u201d Ganzaya waved Yasuoka towards the door. \u201cHe is on the top floor. I\u2019ll send my messenger spirit so he knows you are coming.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you.\u201d Yasuoka gave another small bow before heading towards the door and the stairs beyond it.<\/p>\n As Yasuoka climbed the stairs, her chi-infused senses observed a spirit named Hare racing upwards. Hare\u2019s true name had been lost to history but everyone knew she had once been a makura sagashi<\/em> \u2018pillow thief\u2019 who had seduced her way into her target\u2019s bedrooms, robbed them once they slept, killed them if they awoke, and then used magic to bolster her speed and enable her to outrun any guards who gave pursuit. Hare had been the first spirit that Ganzaya, the captain of the ghost hunting shamans, had bound, and her ability to traverse long distances in mere moments had proven invaluable in enabling the shamans to learn of distant crises and react in time to avert catastrophes. And even now that Ganzaya was stationed at the temple itself instead of traveling some distant region which was beset by hostile spirits, Yasuoka thought, it still seemed as if Hare still had some use yet.<\/p>\n The thought of spirits and their uses brought Yasuoka back to the reason why she\u2019d wanted to see Kitano so urgently, and she hurried up the rest of the stairs. When she got to the top she took a breath to compose herself, made sure her uniform was as immaculate as it could be after the week of traveling it had taken to reach the temple from the ruins of Goh\u2019s monastery, and stepped into the most sacred chambers in all of Daimyo Tatsunori\u2019s domain.<\/p>\n High Priest Kitano and six other priests were sitting cross-legged in front of the Tatsunori family altar. They wore ornate robes which indicated their high ranks as well as jeweled medallions which they used as foci to help each of them control the many spirits they had bound over the years; additionally, all had shaven their heads as per temple tradition. Incense was rising from the offering bowl in front of the altar, and Yasuoka could see two spirits fanning the incense to ensure the smoke went straight up without lingering in the room. Kitano turned to see her, then smiled and waved the other priests to turn as well. \u201cYasuoka,\u201d the old man said, but then he frowned and cut off whatever he\u2019d been about to say. Instead, he asked her, \u201cGoh\u2019s spirit is not with you. Have you failed?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, High Priest.\u201d Yasuoka prostrated herself before him and waited until he bid her rise before continuing. \u201cI have defeated him. Let me explain.\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka quickly recounted how she had traveled the land for months to locate and bind the spirits she\u2019d thought were necessary to battle the nigh-invincible Goh O-Kai. One of the priests next to Kitano drew a list from inside his robes and began marking names off it, and Yasuoka was pleased to see that she\u2019d eliminated several dangerous ghosts whom the temple had been trying to defeat for years. \u201cThe last spirit I wanted was that of the monk Anand Chah,\u201d she said. \u201cHe was known to be a channeler who could manipulate many entities at once. I had assumed that he was an evil spirit, like all those we have bound for our work, and so hoped to use his power to channel all my other ghosts at once and defeat Goh. But when I met him, I discovered something important.\u201d She took a breath. \u201cHe was not wicked.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the priests raised an eyebrow. \u201cThat is impossible,\u201d he said. \u201cGhosts are bound to this world by unfulfilled desires, but good desires, like protecting one\u2019s family or seeing a pet theory proven correct, are by their very nature limited in scope. It is immoral goals and wishes, such as conquering the world or slaughtering millions, that are limitless. Spirits strong enough to manifest and cause problems are thus inevitably formed by wicked desires. We all know that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe all believe<\/em> that, but it is not true.\u201d Yasuoka shook her head. \u201cAnand had no malevolent intentions. He simply wished to continue teaching.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were mistaken.\u201d Kitano\u2019s voice was flat and harsh, and Yasuoka fought back a jolt of surprise. She\u2019d never heard him use that tone. \u201cAnand must have tricked you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was not only him,\u201d Yasuoka explained. \u201cWhen I went to Goh\u2019s temple, I did not defeat him by channeling my own spirits. Instead I called upon the ghosts of the dead shamans whom Goh had killed over the centuries. None of them were evil; in fact, all were heroes of this order. They came when I summoned them and they battled by my side freely, of their own volition. It was they that allowed me to defeat Goh.\u201d<\/p>\n The priest with the list asked, \u201cBut you didn\u2019t bind him?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. The spirits who fought alongside me wanted to see Goh destroyed, and so I did. It was the least I could do to honor the help they gave me.\u201d<\/p>\n Nobody spoke for a moment. Then Yasuoka glanced at Kitano and was amazed to see that his face had reddened and he was trembling as if suppressing an angry tantrum. \u201cI submit,\u201d she said as she tried to hide her dismay and confusion, \u201cthat we reconsider our doctrines. If innocent spirits exist, then ghost hunters like myself need not only travel the world fighting evil spirits and binding them to our service. We can also search for the spirits of good people which linger on after their deaths. No doubt virtuous ghosts have many skills that would be useful to us, just as the evil ones do, and if we help the virtuous ones achieve the final desires which bind them to this world then they may agree to help us in turn. And\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStop.\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka froze as she heard Kitano\u2019s voice, which shook as if barely withstanding fury. \u201cOur doctrines are absolute,\u201d he went on. \u201cThey have been passed down for generations and are not in error. You have been fooled, Yasuoka. The spirit Anand tricked you, and no doubt Goh did so as well. I\u2019m sure a spirit of his power would have found it easy to fake his own death\u2026 especially for a shaman who was so foolish as to not even attempt to bind him!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen send Hare to Goh\u2019s monastery and confirm for yourself that his blight is gone!\u201d Yasuoka insisted, trying and failing to keep her frustration out of her voice. \u201cI\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou have failed.\u201d Kitano\u2019s voice was like a slap and Yasuoka winced. \u201cYou have fallen away from the fundamental truths of our order. And you have disgraced us all.\u201d Kitano closed his eyes. \u201cRemove yourself from my presence and the temple grounds. When we have decided what penance, if any, would serve to redeem you and return you to our ranks, we will let you know. Until then, this place is forbidden to you. Now be gone.\u201d<\/p>\n It took Yasuoka a moment to recover enough to speak. \u201cHigh Priest Kitano, I defeated a ghost whom nobody else could slay. I deserve\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRemove yourself or we will remove you!\u201d Kitano snapped. \u201cAt once, Yasuoka!\u201d<\/p>\n Another moment of silence stretched between them. Then, at last, Yasuoka forced herself to get up and leave the sanctum.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n #<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHas something happened to High Priest Kitano?\u201d<\/p>\n Kiyosuke chewed his final dumpling thoughtfully before looking back at Yasuoka. They were sitting at the food stall he\u2019d mentioned earlier, and the old lady who had cooked and delivered their orders came over to refill their tea before resuming her post at a huge wok full of sizzling noodles. Kiyosuke picked up his cup, swallowed, and then said, \u201cDaimyo Tatsunori visited last week, and from what I could tell, the meeting went badly. Kitano was snapping at people for the entire rest of the day. That\u2019s the only thing I can think of.\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka finished the last of her dumplings and then sipped her tea as she considered the gatekeeper\u2019s words. \u201cGanzaya said the daimyo was displeased that Goh was still afflicting the land. I\u2019m guessing that\u2019s why he visited. But High Priest Kitano always controlled his temper before. I can\u2019t imagine he\u2019d still be so upset days later that he\u2019d throw me out without even listening to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure?\u201d Yasuoka gave a startled glance to Kiyosuke, who drank some of his own tea and then shrugged. \u201cI haven\u2019t talked to Kitano that much, but he\u2019s always seemed cold and aloof to me. Snapping at someone is just like him.\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka shook her head. \u201cYou don\u2019t know him like I do. After Daimyo Tatsunori brought me to the temple, High Priest Kitano and his closest acolytes raised me. They taught me everything I knew about being a ghost hunter and a shaman. Kitano can be very strict, but he never just dismissed me out of hand, even when I broke a rule and got into trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou broke rules?\u201d Kiyosuke chuckled. \u201cThis I\u2019ve got to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n A smile flickered over Yasuoka\u2019s face before she pushed it away. \u201cAnother time,\u201d she said. \u201cRight now I need to think of a way to make High Priest Kitano understand. We ghost hunters could be so much more powerful if we learned to work alongside good spirits instead of only drawing on the powers of evil ones, but for some reason he won\u2019t listen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure you and he will have more chances to talk,\u201d Kiyosuke said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have another mission now, right? That means you can just hang around the temple training until they send you out again. Kitano has to come down to get food or stretch his legs sometime, so you\u2019ll be able to speak with him then.\u201d He waved for the waitress to come back. \u201cNow, how about we have some mochi to follow up those dumplings? This place has fantastic mochi, some of the best in the city. And you can\u2019t have had many chances to enjoy sweets while you were traveling to all those distant temples.\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka didn\u2019t answer, instead just staring down into her cup of tea. Kiyosuke went on to say, \u201cI could also tell you about my own studies, if you\u2019re interested. You know how I was thinking about becoming a ghost hunter myself, right? Well, I\u2019ve been practicing chi exercises for months, and I\u2019m pretty sure I finally got to the point where I can just barely perceive ghosts.\u201d He paused. \u201cAs long as nothing else is going on. And the ghost sits still.\u201d<\/p>\n His mouth quirked up in a smile, but Yasuoka still didn\u2019t react. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t make sense,\u201d she told him after several moments of silence. \u201cKiyosuke, are you sure nothing else unusual has been going on with the high priest?\u201d<\/p>\n Kiyosuke\u2019s smile grew strained. \u201cI see,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why you finally accepted my dinner invitation. All you wanted was to pump me for information about Kitano.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKiyosuke\u2026\u201d Yasuoka sighed. \u201cWe\u2019ve been over this. I\u2019m on the road for months at a time traveling to distant ruins where I fight ghosts who might kill me. I can\u2019t return your affections.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure.\u201d A hint of bitterness crossed Kiyosuke\u2019s voice, but he shook his head and then quaffed the rest of his tea in one gulp. When he next spoke, he sounded like he was in control of himself again. \u201cWell, to answer your question, everything else has been normal. He\u2019s been conducting all the rituals and training the other monks and the shamans like always. He\u2019s even been sitting in when Ganzaya\u2019s hunters come back from missions and show the ghosts they bound.\u201d<\/p>\n That struck Yasuoka as odd, but it took her a moment to realize why. \u201cUsually a lower-level priest would do that,\u201d she mused, her gaze wandering into the clouds of steam billowing up from the giant wok. She could almost imagine the shadowy, silvery shapes of spirits forming within the steam as she thought back to the many times she herself had presented new spirits to the temple monks. \u201cHigh Priest Kitano has many more important things to do. How could he neglect his other duties just to check on new spirits acquired by the hunters?\u201d Then her eyes narrowed. \u201cUnless he wanted those spirits for himself…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would the high priest want more spirits?\u201d Kiyosuke asked. \u201cHe\u2019s got dozens already.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe would want them if he was planning on personally battling Goh.\u201d Yasuoka nodded. \u201cIt makes sense now. Daimyo Tatsunori probably gave the high priest an ultimatum: deal with Goh soon or else the temple will be punished. So High Priest Kitano decided to fight Goh himself, and to prepare, he began checking the other shamans\u2019 spirits and taking the strongest ones. But strong ghosts are hard to control and some can even possess those who try and fail to break them. I\u2019ll bet when Kitano tried to control the new ghosts, one of them overwhelmed him. That\u2019s why he was acting so strangely earlier. I wasn\u2019t talking to Kitano, but a ghost using his body.\u201d<\/p>\n Kiyosuke frowned. \u201cWouldn\u2019t someone else have noticed?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot necessarily.\u201d Yasuoka finished her tea and stood. \u201cIf the ghost is very powerful, it may know how to conceal itself in the high priest\u2019s chi. Then nobody would notice unless they were specifically examining him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOr,\u201d Kiyosuke said, \u201cthe high priest could just be rude and self-absorbed. It\u2019s been known to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot in our order.\u201d Yasuoka took a few coins from her pocket and tossed them on the counter before Kiyosuke could protest. \u201cWe have served the daimyo and the people of this land for centuries. We wouldn\u2019t be able to do our work if we could not meet the highest standards. Someone so self-absorbed that they could not listen to wise counsel would not be able to advance to the rank of high priest; the other monks and shamans would prevent it.\u201d<\/p>\n Before Kiyosuke could respond, Yasuoka went on. \u201cAnd even setting that aside, I know High Priest Kitano. He is not a cruel or self-important man, and he would not normally dismiss me out of hand. If he is acting oddly, there must be a reason, and I suspect I know what it is.\u201d She turned. \u201cI will determine if he is possessed, and if so, I will exorcise him. Then he will listen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Kiyosuke rose too, but Yasuoka was already hurrying away. \u201cHe should still be doing the nightly rituals,\u201d she muttered to herself. \u201cIf he skips them, the others will realize that he\u2019s not acting like himself, and the spirit can\u2019t risk that. I\u2019ll be able to find him in the upper shrine.\u201d<\/p>\n The doors to the temple complex had been closed for the night, and while shamans could knock and demand admittance whenever they wanted, Yasuoka was confident that the possessed Kitano would have ordered the guards to turn her away. Fortunately, shamans also had ways around that. She slipped around the temple wall until she was near a large tree, then took a breath and focused her chi. \u201cMi-Jae Oh, damned spy,\u201d she whispered as she called to one of the many spirits bound to her. \u201cLend me your agility.\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka shuddered as her chi wrapped around the spirit and dragged it inside of her. Moments later, she felt a surge of energy and realized she had started to balance on the balls of her feet without noticing. She allowed herself a grim smile before springing up the tree, climbing almost as quickly as she could run and flipping from branch to branch without even slowing down. Mi-Jae had famously honed her acrobatic skills to the point where she could launch herself up into rafters or down through deep caves in order to spy on her master\u2019s hidden enemies, and Yasuoka made full use of those talents as she hauled herself up the temple wall.<\/p>\n When Yasuoka reached the top, she flipped over the wall and dropped down behind one of the smaller outbuildings before any of the guards saw her. Then she dismissed Mi-Jae and channeled another spirit, a sprinter named Jiwari who was said to have won every racing competition for five years before finally losing and then murdering the victor in a jealous rage. Jiwari\u2019s speed empowered Yasuoka to race through the compound at an almost inhuman pace, and though a few guards heard her pass, by the time they\u2019d turned, she\u2019d rounded the next corner and was out of sight.<\/p>\n Yasuoka switched back to channeling Mi-Jae when she reached the five-story inner sanctum and then swiftly climbed up to the top level. Once there, she crouched in a shadowy nook as she took her staff from its strap on her back and levered one of the temple windows open. O-Tsubi\u2019s barrier didn\u2019t even slow her down as she funneled chi into her hand and pushed through the spirits\u2019 best efforts. Then the way was clear and she dropped down to the temple\u2019s fifth floor to see that the room was almost empty. It was just her\u2026<\/p>\n And High Priest Kitano.<\/p>\n Yasuoka saw the old man meditating in front of the Tatsunori family shrine, and she took a moment to catch her breath before she focused her chi into her senses. Then she peered at Kitano with magic-enhanced eyes, searching for even a hint of a disturbance in his aura that would indicate another spirit had hijacked his body.<\/p>\n But there was no sign of that. His aura was as it always was: as smooth and deep as a waveless ocean, without even a single disturbance to indicate an intruder.<\/p>\n Then, while Yasuoka continued to peer, Kitano stood up in one swift motion. \u201cYasuoka. I ordered you to leave these grounds.\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka froze. Kitano hadn\u2019t looked behind himself, and he wasn\u2019t channeling anyone, so she had no idea how he could have not just sensed an intruder but recognized who she was. \u201cHigh Priest, please\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were given specific instructions not to return unless I summoned you!\u201d Kitano turned and Yasuoka could see a burning rage in his eyes. \u201cOnce again, you disobey!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how you possessed the high priest and evaded my detection,\u201d Yasuoka began as she raised her staff, \u201cbut I will not allow you to harm that man one moment longer.\u201d<\/p>\n Kitano\u2019s mouth worked soundlessly for a moment before he spat, \u201cPossessed? You attribute my actions to that of some spirit? You know nothing!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guard and protect our order! I will stop you here!\u201d Yasuoka stared at the man as he approached, but he didn\u2019t explain the non sequitur. Instead, he ranted, \u201cI will defend our land from all threats, including you!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am no threat! I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Then Kitano grasped his medallion in an old, weathered hand. \u201cYou were a willful child, and though I thought I\u2019d trained that out of you, I now see I was mistaken!\u201d he thundered. \u201cBut I cannot allow the whole order to pay for that mistake. If you do not surrender and allow me to escort you to the dungeon, Yasuoka, I will take you by force.\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka\u2019s mouth dropped. Distantly, she realized that Kitano had referenced her childhood at the temple, and there was no reason for a possessing spirit to have known about that. And that meant the man before her wasn\u2019t possessed. She was being attacked by the real Kitano.<\/p>\n But she knew she couldn\u2019t worry about that until after she\u2019d dealt with the immediate threat. \u201cYou and I both know the dungeon can\u2019t hold me,\u201d she pointed out. \u201cMy spirits make me too strong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh?\u201d Kitano smiled sardonically. \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n And then he summoned some kaja spirit that Yasuoka had never seen before, and she knew she had to fight.<\/p>\n Yasuoka reached out with her chi and grabbed the hulking rhinotaur that she often used in battle. His strength flooded into her and she lunged for Kitano with a blow that could have knocked boulders from a mountainside. Kitano, however, twisted around her with a grace she\u2019d never have imagined from someone as old as him. She lashed out again and again, struggling to catch or strike him, but he dodged each time.<\/p>\n Then Kitano channeled another spirit, this one a shrouded harpy with bone-like talons, and Yasuoka leapt backwards just before the high priest\u2019s hands could grip her shoulders. She quickly swapped spirits and summoned a pyromancer. His knowledge of fire magic filled her mind and her fingers twisted into a complex sigil as she cast a wall of fire around herself. She needed time and space, she thought, so she could figure out what was going on and how to stop Kitano or at least escape\u2014<\/p>\n But then Kitano used his harpy spirit to soar over the fire wall and drop lightly behind her. Desperately, Yasuoka switched back to the rhinotaur spirit and swung her staff to knock him down. He once again evaded her, looking more like he was dancing then dodging around blows that would have staggered any other opponent Yasuoka had ever sparred with, before he suddenly channeled what looked like an ancient, decrepit crone. That spirit seemed even more ghostly than the others and Yasuoka\u2019s next blow passed harmlessly through the monk. She gaped as the monk stepped through her, then turned, but not before Kitano had dropped whatever spell the spirit had empowered him to cast and resolidified. She felt sharp jabs over her spine as Kitano hit her in three precise spots.<\/p>\n And her chi disappeared.<\/p>\n Yasuoka gasped and frantically grasped for her power, but it was like Kitano had ripped it away. Then she felt his hands on her head and something cold tore through her, causing her to shiver uncontrollably and fall to her knees. There was a horrific wrenching feeling and a bolt of pain unlike any she\u2019d ever known. The floor rushed up towards her but she could do nothing to stop herself from hitting it.<\/p>\n A few moments later, the room swam back into focus. Kitano was standing over her with a grim smile, and as he waved his hand, all the spirits that she\u2019d spent years capturing and binding manifested themselves next to him. She reached out to them but could no longer feel the bond, and as she watched, Kitano gripped his medallion and they were brutally dragged into it.<\/p>\n \u201cA shaman with strong spirits might be able to break out of my prison, but not a traitor with no magic whatsoever,\u201d he hissed. \u201cYour rebellion ends here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHigh Priest,\u201d Yasuoka managed as pain flooded through her. \u201cI\u2019ve done nothing to deserve this!\u201d<\/p>\n Anger flashed over Kitano\u2019s face, but he shook his head and forced it away. \u201cYou almost destabilized the entire order and destroyed what my predecessors and I spent centuries building,\u201d he growled. \u201cWhatever your merits and your services, I cannot allow that to happen again.\u201d And then he looked away. \u201cGuards!\u201d he bellowed with a voice so loud he had to be channeling a spirit to bolster it. \u201cTo me! There is an intruder that must be brought down to the cells at once!\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka tried to get up again, but her body was too weak to move, and when the armed monks came to pick her up she couldn\u2019t resist at all.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n #<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The underground dungeon of the temple complex was bigger than Yasuoka could have imagined.<\/p>\n It hadn\u2019t seemed so large when she\u2019d been allowed to glimpse it as a child, Yasuoka thought as she lay slumped on her thin cot. Back then, Kitano had simply led her down a narrow flight of stairs within the inner sanctum into a basement that held maybe a dozen cells. Each of those chambers had been built out of thick stone and iron bars, but their furnishings had been comfortable and there hadn\u2019t been torture devices or anything else that would have made the temple monks look cruel. And after Kitano had explained how the temple was sometimes called upon to punish the worst criminals in the land, the ones so bad that they could only atone by having their spirits removed from their bodies so they could be made to serve the temple and its monks, Yasuoka\u2019s fears had been assuaged.<\/p>\n But it turned out that the single block of cells she\u2019d seen as a youth wasn\u2019t the full extent of the dungeon. Now the guards had taken her down below the inner sanctum and then through another concealed door which led to a maze of passages that seemed to sprawl under the entirety of the complex. There had to be hundreds of empty cells, and Yasuoka couldn\u2019t help but wonder why they were there. After all, it wasn\u2019t like there were that many criminals who deserved such a harsh punishment, and Yasuoka had never seen more than a few men and women be sent down to the dungeon in a year.<\/p>\n Of course, she had more things to worry about than just the temple\u2019s jail being too large.<\/p>\n As the hours passed and feeling slowly returned to Yasuoka\u2019s body, she kept thinking back to her confrontation with Kitano. \u201cWhy is he acting like this?\u201d she muttered to herself. \u201cWhat did I do? I know how hard he\u2019s fought to stop evil spirits from hurting the land, how much he\u2019s sacrificed to uphold the temple and its traditions. He\u2019s spent his whole life serving our order. All I did was give him information that could help us to fight evil spirits! Why oppose that if he\u2019s not possessed?\u201d<\/p>\n Even the fight in his room didn\u2019t make sense. Yasuoka could well imagine him being mad that she\u2019d disobeyed him and returned to the temple grounds, and of course he could be offended at her insinuation that he was weak enough to be possessed. But he hadn\u2019t needed to fight her; he could have simply let her verify for herself that he wasn\u2019t being controlled by some monstrous ghost and then could have ordered her out again or even suspended her and refused to send her on any more missions. Attacking her was unnecessary. And ripping away her ghosts wasn\u2019t just an unnecessary move given how badly Yasuoka had been outmatched, but it made her completely useless as a shaman. How could she fight evil spirits when she had no ghosts of her own to draw on?<\/p>\n \u201cUnless he really does plan to keep me down here forever,\u201d she muttered.<\/p>\n As a feeling of pure despondence enveloped her, Yasuoka once again tried to summon her own chi, but while she finally felt a faint flicker of power for the first time since Kitano had defeated her, it was nothing like the power she\u2019d been able to wield before. Even if she still had her ghosts, she thought bitterly, she\u2019d never be strong enough to wield them. What had Kitano done<\/em> to her?<\/p>\n With no answers forthcoming, Yasuoka stayed still for a few more moments before she slowly and achily pulled herself into a lotus position on the cot. She couldn\u2019t see what use meditation would have at the moment, but it was what her mentors had taught her to do when she was confused, and she wasn\u2019t going to doubt everything she\u2019d been taught just because her high priest was acting strangely. She took a few breaths, summoned the tiny scraps of chi that she\u2019d managed to recover, and then began to focus inwards.<\/p>\n Time seemed to slow along with her breathing as the aches in her body faded by the slightest amount. She could feel the few bits of chi she\u2019d gathered up flowing through her, brushing past her senses and giving her flickers of sights and sounds from the spirit world. It wasn\u2019t anything like how being immersed in chi usually felt, but it was all Yasuoka had, and she let herself open up to those sensations as she continued to meditate.<\/p>\n And then she heard someone crying.<\/p>\n Yasuoka flinched, the sound vanished, and a frustrated scowl flickered across her face before she caught herself. \u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d she called, but nobody answered. \u201cWho else is here?\u201d<\/p>\n Only silence answered her.<\/p>\n Frowning, Yasuoka wondered if she might have heard a ghost, but she couldn\u2019t think of why a bound spirit would be permitted to hide out in the cells crying. Nor was it possibly that she\u2019d heard a free spirit; the only people who could have died and left ghosts here were either prisoners being punished, in which case their spirits would have been bound immediately, or the temple monks themselves, who would have no reason to haunt the dungeon. So who had she heard?<\/p>\n Yasuoka shook her head and then focused as best she could on drawing out the tiny remnants of chi still within her. Soon she heard the crying again; it seemed to be coming from the cell to her left. \u201cSpirit,\u201d Yasuoka called. \u201cCome before me. I want to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n There was no reason to think that would work, Yasuoka told herself. She didn\u2019t have the power to control a bound spirit, let alone induce a free one to serve her. But then a silvery presence began to appear in front of her cell and her eyes widened. \u201cImpossible,\u201d she hissed.<\/p>\n The ghost that formed before Yasuoka was a woman a few inches shorter than her. She wore a simple dress unlike any the ghost hunter had ever seen in person; it reminded her of a mural on the temple walls depicting one of Daimyo Tatsunori\u2019s ancestors leading a small force of shamans in routing Kara \u201cTiger-Claw\u201d Yatsushiko\u2019s army of outlaws. Some of those bandits had been depicted as wearing uniforms with similar textures as that of the ghost\u2019s dress. Yasuoka asked, \u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can see me?\u201d the ghost asked, her voice trembling as she peered at Yasuoka.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d Yasuoka tried to stand but couldn\u2019t; it took all her effort to just keep drawing on the remnants of her chi, and after only a few seconds her body flopped back to the lotus position.\u00a0 \u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy name is Mai Lin, ma\u2019am,\u201d the ghost said.<\/p>\n Yasuoka inclined her head. \u201cWhy are you here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was a camp follower of a large army which came to this land long ago.\u201d She looked down. \u201cI cannot remember when. I have been here for so long\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka said, \u201cNever mind that. You were part of Kara Yatsushiko\u2019s bandit force?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGeneral Yatsushiko led us, yes. My brother was one of his scouts and I followed him; the army let women stay with them as long as we did chores in camp.\u201d Mai tilted her head. \u201cBut the general was not a bandit. He was a great warrior who had beaten many foes. We never expected to be defeated by the local daimyo.\u201d<\/p>\n It was not surprising, Yasuoka thought, that the woman didn\u2019t want to consider her leader a mere bandit. It was even possible that Mai had forgotten Yatsushiko\u2019s depravity during her long stay in the dungeon; ghosts were almost always unstable, and the dungeon was hardly conducive to mental health. \u201cHow did you get here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter our defeat, we were all brought to this dungeon. They did not tell us why.\u201d Mai shut her eyes. \u201cThere were rumors they would use horrific tortures on us, so I hung myself before they could do so, but somehow I stayed here even after I died.\u201d She lowered her head. \u201cI could not stop myself from watching as the temple monks picked General Yatsushiko\u2019s strongest warriors and bound their spirits into captivity before letting Daimyo Tatsunori send the rest to another prison.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u201d Yasuoka fought to maintain her lotus pose even as her exhausted body demanded rest. That had to be why the dungeon was so large, she thought. It had apparently once been used to house enemy armies so the monks could pick which spirits would best serve the ghost hunters. And that also explained why nobody had seen Mai; the dungeon wasn\u2019t used for armies anymore, so nobody would have any reason to go to its distant corners in centuries. But then why, she wondered, had Kitano put her here and not in the central block of cells everyone knew existed?<\/p>\n Yasuoka let her head drop into a nod. \u201cI suppose bandit leaders like Yatsushiko often had many powerful followers who\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe were not bandits!\u201d Mai cried, tears beginning to flow from her eyes again as Yasuoka made herself look up. \u201cMy brother and those with him were soldiers. I understand that a losing army is subject to being captured and imprisoned, even made to suffer, but none of them did anything to merit their spirits being seized by the people here!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou are mistaken.\u201d Yasuoka tried to make her voice as gentle as possible. \u201cThe temple monks would not enslave a spirit simply for fighting on the side of a losing army. Only the worst criminals are punished in this manner. I would know; I have bound many ghosts, and each showed itself to be irredeemably evil before I battled it. The prisoners too are carefully screened so only the very worst ones are held here and subject to execution. We would never hurt someone who did not deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe your monks don\u2019t do it anymore, but that\u2019s what they did to us!\u201d Mai\u2019s voice was pure anguish. \u201cI was with the army. We did not steal; we paid for any supplies we took. We were not bandits!\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka shook her head. \u201cEven if prior generations of ghost hunters were willing to bind those who were not evil, which I cannot imagine, the current generation would never tolerate that practice. I have served with them for several years and I know them well. If your companions really were honorable soldiers and not bandits, then their spirits would long since have been freed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s true!\u201d Mai wailed. \u201cI don\u2019t care if everyone here thinks my brother and the army were bandits and not soldiers; it\u2019s what happened!\u201d<\/p>\n The ghost sounded completely sincere, and as Yasuoka considered, she realized that her story might actually be possible. Not that the temple order as it currently existed would knowingly enslave innocents, of course; they would never do that. In fact, as far as Yasuoka could tell, nobody else in the order had ever knowingly encountered an innocent spirit, which was why Kitano\u2019s acolytes had been so astounded when Yasuoka insisted they existed. But what if Mai was right and some previous generation had been less enlightened? And then, what if in the intervening time between Yatsushiko\u2019s defeat and the present day, the true facts had passed into myth and everyone had come to believe that Yatsushiko\u2019s army really was a collection of bandits? If that were true, then the ghost hunters really were unknowingly using spirits who didn\u2019t deserve to be bound and forced to serve the temple\u2014<\/p>\n Yasuoka\u2019s eyes widened. If that were the case, she thought, it could explain why Kitano had been so enraged when Yasuoka had tried to explain that good spirits existed. If the other monks and shamans grew to believe that not all spirits were evil, they might think to check the ones who were serving in the temple. They might then find that Yatsushiko\u2019s army didn\u2019t deserve to be bound, and they would want to free them. But Kitano lived and died for the order. He\u2019d worry that releasing powerful spirits like Yatsushiko and his soldiers could devastate the temple\u2019s ability to defend itself and protect others. And so he very well might want to prevent that from happening, no matter the cost.<\/p>\n Moreover, who was to say that Yatsushiko and his people were the only potentially innocent spirits who had been trapped? Yasuoka didn\u2019t think any new prisoners were being punished here who didn\u2019t deserve it; she knew too well how stringent her companions were about making sure only the worst of the worst were forced to atone in this way. But if Yatsushiko\u2019s army could have become bandits in legend, than so could other ghosts who had had lingered on for centuries while myths and legends sprung up around them. How many hauntings were attributed to some monstrous bandit or psychopathic murderer when the spirit in question had never really hurt anyone?<\/p>\n Yasuoka didn\u2019t think any of the spirits she\u2019d bound were like that; as she\u2019d told Mai, the ones she\u2019d encountered had demonstrated their evil before she\u2019d fought them. But if other shamans believed the legends and didn\u2019t check their targets before casting their binding spells? Then even more of their spirits, the ones they relied on to defeat hostile ghosts, defend the temple, and even fulfil its basic rituals, would need to be freed. But Kitano would never stand for that. In fact, he might do whatever he could to keep those spirits bound and in service.<\/p>\n Even as she thought that, Yasuoka wanted to dismiss the very notion that Kitano would cover up harm done to innocents. But she had to admit that he was a man solely devoted to the order, and that he might very well try to hide evidence such as her testimony rather than see his life\u2019s work weakened. And while that was undeniably an evil act, just as Yasuoka had come to learn not all spirits were evil, she thought she had to at least consider the possibility that not all those who served the temple were good. After all, if Kitano was doing what Yasuoka thought he was, then he was unquestionably committing a great evil.<\/p>\n And he needed to be stopped.<\/p>\n A flicker of despair rose up in Yasuoka at that last thought, since of course she was still trapped in the temple dungeons with no spirits and barely any chi. But then she looked at the ghost standing before her and smiled as she understood what she could do. It was a plan that just might work, and what was more, Kitano could only anticipate it if he was willing to admit innocent spirits existed.<\/p>\n Which he would never, ever do.<\/p>\n \u201cGhosts can manifest and interact with living beings when they become extremely agitated,\u201d Yasuoka said. \u201cAre you still able to feel that depth of emotion?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI would never!\u201d Mai quickly shook her head. \u201cI don\u2019t want the temple monks to see me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut you could do it?\u201d When Mai slowly nodded, Yasuoka went on. \u201cHow far, precisely, can you venture outside the temple grounds?\u201d<\/p>\n Mai frowned. \u201cAnywhere in the city. But I don\u2019t leave the temple anymore. There is no point, and when I see the living people building up their city, I only think\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a point this time.\u201d Yasuoka took a breath. \u201cI can stop Kitano and make sure all the innocent spirits here are freed, but you\u2019ll need to deliver a message and do one other thing for me.\u201d<\/p>\n The ghost frowned. \u201cWhat else do you need?\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka slowly made herself stand, wobbling a little but managing to stay upright this time, and then looked directly at Mai. \u201cHow many other free spirits are down here? Surely there were others who died before the guards could bind them?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps fifty,\u201d Mai said.<\/p>\n A grim smile flitted across Yasuoka\u2019s face. \u201cPlease gather them up. We have work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n #<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kitano\u2019s men came for Yasuoka within a couple of hours. What she hadn\u2019t expected was who the lead henchman was. \u201cGet up, traitor,\u201d growled Ganzaya as he led three other muscular ghost hunters to her cell. He kept one hand on his sword hilt as if he thought Yasuoka was about to burst free and attack him. \u201cOn your feet.\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka did not resist as Ganzaya opened her cell and beckoned her out. \u201cYou know better than this,\u201d she said as she exited the room and fell into step between the guards. Her body was still exhausted, but she\u2019d recovered just enough that she could walk without stumbling. \u201cYou know what Kitano is doing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know that I serve the temple.\u201d Ganzaya turned and spat at Yasuoka\u2019s feet. \u201cWe\u2019ve been this land\u2019s only protection from evil spirits for centuries. If we fall, ghosts will destroy everything. Our homes, our families, everyone we care about will be ruined.\u201d He clenched a fist. \u201cI\u2019m not going to let that happen.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have no intention of destroying\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHigh Priest Kitano said you tried to murder him to take his spirits for yourself!\u201d Ganzaya snapped.<\/p>\n Yasuoka shook her head. \u201cHe is lying. You told me earlier you know my loyalty to the temple\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI also know Kitano\u2019s. I would never have believed you capable of this if he hadn\u2019t told me himself.\u201d Ganzaya\u2019s eyes flashed with anger. \u201cBut he did tell me, and I trust him more than anyone else. He is<\/em> the temple, and just like our order, he will never be corrupted.\u201d He shook his head. \u201cNow move along.\u201d<\/p>\n They didn\u2019t stop when they reached the central area of the dungeon. Instead, Ganzaya went up the stairs to the ground floor of the temple\u2019s inner sanctum, and his men forced Yasuoka to follow him. That was as Yasuoka had expected, just as she\u2019d expected Kitano to send people to get her. Enough time had passed for Hare to check the ancient monastery and confirm to the ghost hunters that Goh O-Kai was truly defeated, and no other shaman had been able to handle such a monster, so Kitano would know that Yasuoka was as powerful as she claimed and he\u2019d fear that she might be strong enough to eventually escape despite him stealing her ghosts and sealing her chi. That meant he\u2019d want to deal with her permanently.<\/p>\n Moreover, Kitano surely wanted as few people to know about this as possible. That had to be why he\u2019d put her in a distant cell rather than one of the ones everyone knew about, and also why he\u2019d picked the ultra-loyal Ganzaya and a few handpicked acolytes instead of sending more people. It was also why he was having her taken away now that it was time to kill her: he didn\u2019t want to take the risk of other guards bringing some prisoner into the dungeon and stumbling upon Yasuoka\u2019s murder, which was remotely possible even if he had her killed in the furthest cell imaginable. Instead, he had no doubt told Ganzaya to bring her up to his rooms, where nobody in the order would dare intrude without his explicit permission.<\/p>\n The ground floor of the inner sanctum looked deserted, and Yasuoka guessed that all the other shamans had been sent away by Kitano to further ensure secrecy. When Yasuoka glanced behind her she could see the guards had strained expressions on their faces, which indicated to her they were probably channeling. That made sense; if she had managed to keep any spirits in reserve after fighting Kitano, now would be the time to use them, so of course the guards were watching out for any ghosts she might summon.<\/p>\n And hopefully, she thought, not paying attention to anything else. \u201cGanzaya,\u201d she asked. \u201cIs Kitano going to kill me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou deserve nothing less.\u201d Ganzaya\u2019s voice was a harsh growl.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly the worst criminals are supposed to be executed and bound to the temple.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTreason against the temple is the worst crime.\u201d Ganzaya snorted as the group passed a thick statue near an altar. \u201cI\u2019m not sure even centuries of serving the temple will be sufficient penance for your actions. But\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Kiyosuke stepped out from behind the statue and swept his staff at the legs of the guards who were trailing Yasuoka.<\/p>\n Normally, Yasuoka knew, any of the three guards could have beaten Kiyosuke without effort. But now they were completely focused on watching for any spirits that Yasuoka might summon, especially since they \u2018knew\u2019 that Yasuoka must have some very strong ghosts to have returned from her last mission alive. With all their attention on the spiritual world, they had none for mundane opponents, and when Kiyosuke\u2019s staff tripped them, all three fell in a heap.<\/p>\n The men reacted quickly and raced to get up, but they needed a few seconds to do so, and in that time Kiyosuke had thrown himself down on top of their prone forms. That knocked them down again and kept them occupied as Ganzaya swiveled around. His lips drew back in a sneer and he said, \u201cI don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing here, gatekeeper, but you\u2019ll share her punishment if you try to help her escape!\u201d Then he brought his hands together as he began to channel chi\u2014<\/p>\n And a look of horror raced across his face.<\/p>\n Yasuoka didn\u2019t need to use any of her own chi to know what he was seeing. His gaze swept around at what could only be the army of unbound, innocent ghosts which Yasuoka had directed Mai to gather up, hide under the floor, and then rise and surround Ganzaya with once Kiyosuke had created a distraction. Ganzaya didn\u2019t know they were harmless; he just believed that Yasuoka\u2019s spirits were so powerful they\u2019d let her defeat the unstoppable Goh O-Kai. For ghosts like that, killing one lone shaman would be simplicity itself.<\/p>\n \u201cGet back!\u201d Ganzaya screamed. \u201cNow!\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka didn\u2019t wait for him to recover his wits. She instead drew on every scrap of energy she had left and lurched forwards into him, tackling him down and then falling on top of him. Her hand reached his sword hilt and she drew it from his scabbard before he could stop her. Then she put the tip to his throat and got around him so she could also look at the other three men, who had just gotten up to advance on Kiyosuke. \u201cSurrender or I kill Ganzaya.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t.\u201d One of the guards took a shuddering breath. \u201cThat\u2019s \u2013 that\u2019s murder.\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka\u2019s voice was quiet and implacable. \u201cI am a ghost hunter. I travel the nation slaying and binding those spirits that would harm others. I can guarantee I have dealt more death than all of you put together.\u201d She let the point of the katana press into Ganzaya\u2019s neck just hard enough that a single drop of blood dripped down. \u201cI am perfectly willing to deal some more.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStop!\u201d Ganzaya cried out.<\/p>\n The other guards looked at each other and then dropped their own weapons. \u201cLock them in a storeroom,\u201d Yasuoka ordered Kiyosuke. \u201cThen come back and get Ganzaya too.\u201d<\/p>\n When all four men had been locked up, Kiyosuke gave Yasuoka an amazed expression. \u201cWhat is going on?\u201d he demanded. \u201cWhy are they trying to kill you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a long story.\u201d Yasuoka hesitated, knowing she needed to press on and stop Kitano or else he would just keep sending people after her, but she couldn\u2019t make herself advance on what was still possibly a suicide mission without saying something else. \u201cBut thank you for coming. You were the only one I could think of who might help.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHelp?\u201d Kiyosuke shook his head. \u201cI was about to go to bed, when my shutters began banging and the shrine on my dresser fell over. When I figured out it was a ghost I channeled to see it, but before I could attack it, the ghost said you\u2019d sent it and told me to wait here!\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka inclined her head. \u201cRight. I meant that you were the only person I could think of who would be able to perceive the ghost but would not immediately attack her or assume she was lying.\u201d She shrugged. \u201cYou told me you could make yourself see them, but you are not a ghost hunter yourself, so you have not learned to instinctively hate them like everyone else here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d Kiyosuke smiled a little before he shook his head and said, \u201cWell, if these monks are really trying to kill you, then we need to leave. I unlocked one of the side doors to enter and we can use it to get out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot leave yet.\u201d Yasuoka dropped Ganzaya\u2019s sword, which she did not know how to use well, and instead took Kiyosuke\u2019s staff. \u201cKitano will come after me forever if I do. I need to stop him now, for good.\u201d<\/p>\n She turned towards the stairs to the upper level, but her body shuddered with exertion and Kiyosuke dashed to her side. \u201cI don\u2019t think you\u2019re ready for another fight,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s go and you can come back when you recover\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere will be no coming back from this.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Yasuoka and Kiyosuke stepped back as Kitano descended the stairs. The old man showed not a trace of his age as he stepped onto the temple floor with the strength and gravity of a seasoned warrior, and when he took his staff from his back and swung it around, his motions were smooth and sure. \u201cYou will not be permitted to destroy that which has been built here,\u201d he told Yasuoka. \u201cYou both will be slain and bound to serve this temple like any other criminal. As will all this other trash.\u201d His eyes flicked around at what could only be Mai\u2019s group of innocent spirits.<\/p>\n Kiyosuke uttered a noise of protest and stepped forward, but Yasuoka thrust out her hand. \u201cYou have already helped me immeasurably,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cBut this fight must be mine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d Kiyosuke asked.<\/p>\n Yasuoka let out a soft breath. \u201cBecause I helped support this man\u2019s power. It is my responsibility to stop him.\u201d And then she managed a faint smile. \u201cBesides. Between the two of us, I am still the more seasoned warrior.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not a ghost!\u201d Kiyosuke\u2019s voice was a sharp hiss. \u201cYou haven\u2019t fought someone like him and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka advanced towards Kitano and stopped when she was about three meters from him. \u201cHow many of the spirits held here truly deserve their fates?\u201d she asked. \u201cAnd how many should have been released long ago?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvery ghost deserves its fate.\u201d Kitano thumped his staff into the ground, and the building seemed to vibrate under Yasuoka\u2019s feet. She took a quick breath and tried not to think about the army of ghosts that Kitano was no doubt calling to his side. \u201cTo question that is to risk bringing down our order.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur order would survive.\u201d Yasuoka raised her own staff higher. \u201cWe would retain all our martial abilities, and the ghosts of the truly wicked besides. We\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou cannot know which spirits we will have need of!\u201d Kitano\u2019s voice thundered through the room. \u201cAny future battle could rely on any of them; if we release one and need it later, we could fall.\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka shook her head. \u201cIf our order truly requires the sacrifice of the undeserving, then we deserve to fall, no matter what other good we do. But it doesn\u2019t. Have you so little faith in our order that you think we cannot go on without sacrificing the innocent to our cause?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no innocent spirits! There cannot be any innocent spirits!\u201d Kitano jabbed his staff at Yasuoka. \u201cAnd when you are just another shade bound to me and my temple for eternity, perhaps you will finally understand that!\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka summoned a spark of chi in time to see Kitano bringing several ghosts into himself. He leapt forwards\u2014<\/p>\n And the rest of the ghosts, led by Mai, plunged into Yasuoka.<\/p>\n The ghost hunter felt a wave of brutal cold envelope her and for a moment she could only try to draw upon her empty reserves of chi to control the spirits that were occupying her body. But then her mind caught up and she reminded herself that these were not evil spirits who had to be wrestled into submission so they would obey her orders. These were allies. Friends.<\/p>\n They did not need to be ordered. They had already been asked. Nothing else was required.<\/p>\n And so Yasuoka stopped struggling and let their ghostly strength fill her. Each was weak on its own, but with fifty ghosts or more inside her and funneling her chi at the same time, she felt a wave of strength like she had never before experienced. When Kitano\u2019s staff slammed at her head, Yasuoka barely had to think before her arms snapped up to block with her own weapon, and she didn\u2019t even felt the blow as she deflected it.<\/p>\n Kitano let out a scream of rage and redoubled his attacks, and as Yasuoka directed a thin stream of the newly-given chi into her eyes, she could see the spirits he was using. He called upon a rhinotaur ghost to give him immense strength, and she darted to the side, relying on the energy of three dozen dead soldiers to move quicker than she could have imagined. Kitano swiveled and drew upon Ahuinan to create a massive vortex of fire from his fingertips, but one of the ghosts empowering Yasuoka had once known some shield spells, and Yasuoka reflexively twisted her fingers and muttered the few words needed to create a barrier of shimmering water which enveloped and drowned the flames. Kitano unleashed a flurry of additional attacks, even jumping in close to strike at her pressure points again, but Yasuoka dodged the attacks easily before smashing at his head with her own staff.<\/p>\n With a roar of anger, Kitano grabbed the ghost of Mi-Jae Oh. Yasuoka grimaced at seeing one of her own spirits bound and forced to empower Kitano, but when he darted towards her and then used Mi-Jae\u2019s supernatural agility to slip around her and strike at her back, Yasuoka drew on her ghosts\u2019 energy and just barely managed to dodge away. Then she summoned another water barrier and hurled it at the high priest\u2019s head. The attack was too big to evade and Kitano had to switch spirits to block it, which allowed Yasuoka to close in and hit him in the ribs. She heard a faint cracking sound and Kitano gasped before making himself jump back.<\/p>\n Kitano grabbed at the spirit of the demon O-Tsubi and formed a shell of protective magic over himself. Yasuoka hit it with her staff but could not break through, and he snarled at her before backing up a step. \u201cDeal with her!\u201d he screamed at the ghosts around him. \u201cNow!\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka flashed a grim smile. \u201cIt is easy to use bound spirits, because as long as we are strong enough to compel them, they cannot resist our orders,\u201d she noted. \u201cBut only if we are indeed strong enough. You have many spirits, Kitano. You even have the ones you stole from me. But you cannot make them all obey you at once.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou aren\u2019t strong enough to make any obey you at all!\u201d Kitano spat. \u201cI blocked your pressure points. Your chi is sealed off and will stay that way indefinitely. Not even I could heal you. You cannot control those ghosts!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t need to.\u201d Yasuoka stepped back. \u201cJust watch.\u201d<\/p>\n Then she spread her arms wide, drew on the strength the spirits were giving her, and shouted in a voice she knew boomed throughout the city, \u201cInnocent spirits who have been trapped in this realm for years, decades, and even centuries without cause, who have been forced to hide from the temple monks and shamans that would have enslaved you! I beg of you to give me your strength and help me stop the leader of those monks! In return, I will personally examine each of you and release any who is not guilty. And\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n She felt herself hesitating, because she knew the next promise she had to make would truly separate her from the order of the ghost hunters forevermore. But there was no choice. She could not back down with the knowledge she had.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026and I will also examine the ghosts of every other shaman, and release those which deserve it,\u201d she vowed. \u201cI will use force, if need be. No matter what it takes, I will see justice done. Please give me the strength to carry out my mission!\u201d<\/p>\n There was silence for a moment, and then Kitano looked behind Yasuoka and paled. Yasuoka turned too and froze for a moment. And then a fierce grin formed on her face.<\/p>\n Spirits were there, not just fifty or even a hundred but what looked like thousands. Some wore clothes that looked decades old, others had crests from ancient dynasties, and a few wore items so foreign and ancient that she could not place them at all. The forgotten spirits of the city, those which the temple monks did not think were strong enough to be worth binding or even to become ghosts at all, or those which had simply died and been overlooked. The dead of the centuries rose in a tidal wave and flowed into Yasuoka, who stiffened as she felt a vortex of energy so pure and powerful that she felt like it was pulling her apart.<\/p>\n Kitano screamed something, but Yasuoka didn\u2019t hear it. She simply raised her staff and batted aside O-Tsubi\u2019s spell as if it was made of cotton. Then Kitano grabbed an ornate ritual dagger from inside his temple robes and charged\u2014<\/p>\n Yasuoka struck him in the head with her staff, and the high priest collapsed in a heap.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n #<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAre you invincible now?\u201d Kiyosuke asked.<\/p>\n Yasuoka smiled at him, then shook her head. She was sitting in the lotus position on the temple floor with Kitano\u2019s form in front of her as well as Ganzaya and his three henchmen, all of whom were unconscious thanks to a sleeping spell taught to her by an innocent ghost who had been a magical doctor before dying. \u201cIf I were to try binding them all, I could perhaps empower myself that way, but I will not do that,\u201d she said. \u201cI pledged to help them pass on and I will. Even if I hadn\u2019t, me potentially needing their power doesn\u2019t entitle me to keep them here as my slaves when they don\u2019t deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n Kiyosuke nodded and then asked, \u201cHow will you determine which ones are truly innocent? I mean, can\u2019t ghosts lie?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d Yasuoka examined Kitano\u2019s body for a moment. \u201cJust like humans. I will need to investigate. For those who are reputed to be monsters, I will need to talk to other ghosts who knew them, and will need to unearth whatever reputable records exist to learn the true stories. I have no doubt it will be difficult.\u201d She then looked up at the ghosts around her, using the chi a few were still lending her to see them. \u201cBut it is worth doing. And there is at least one whose wickedness I already know beyond question.\u201d<\/p>\n She leaned forwards and chalked a final ritual symbol around Kitano\u2019s body, then drew on the chi from the ghosts around her and grasped the high priest\u2019s form. His body writhed for a moment, and then Yasuoka\u2019s hand pulled his ghost up into the air. \u201cYou will serve me until the order is cleansed of all innocent ghosts,\u201d she told him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have no right!\u201d he screamed. \u201cYou\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n She waved an arm and concentrated, and the high priest\u2019s mouth slammed shut. \u201cBetter,\u201d she said. Another wave of her arms brought forth the ghosts that Kitano had bound, as well as those of Ganzaya and his henchmen, none of whom could resist her. \u201cI will inspect you all as soon as I can,\u201d she pledged. \u201cAnd free any who deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n Kiyosuke coughed. If he was upset by Kitano\u2019s death, he didn\u2019t show it, although Yasuoka figured that was likely due to Kitano having threatened to kill him too. \u201cWhat about your chi?\u201d he asked. \u201cWill that heal on its own?\u201d<\/p>\n Kitano smugly shook his head no and Yasuoka said, \u201cI doubt it. If I need help in battle I will likely have to rely on innocent spirits who are willing to aid me in exchange for me trying to complete their final tasks and help them pass on. At least, that is, until I can find a healer who can undo what he has done.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight.\u201d Kiyosuke then gestured around Yasuoka. \u201cWhat about the ghosts who helped you just now?\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka looked at the innocent spirits around her and her mouth quirked upwards. \u201cFortunately, I suspect the only thing which was binding most of these spirits to the world was their desire to see the destruction of the temple which threatened all of them. With Kitano gone, I think\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n She spread her arms and drew on the spirits\u2019 chi again, this time directing it back at the ghosts. \u201cBe freed,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd move on in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n Then almost all of her strength left her and she sagged. When she made herself look up again, she could only see Mai, who flashed a brilliant smile. \u201cThank you for saving them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd yourself?\u201d Yasuoka asked. \u201cWhat desire still binds you to this world?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want to help you liberate any other innocent ghosts enslaved by your order,\u201d Mai said at once. \u201cAnd then I\u2019ll be able to pass on. I\u2019m sure of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Yasuoka relayed that message to Kiyosuke and then made herself stand. \u201cKitano sent the other shamans away so they would not interfere. I will track them down so I can examine their ghosts and free those who are not guilty,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I will also look for a healer. Just because Kitano could not undo his own damage does not mean that it is impossible for me to be healed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI guess you won\u2019t be back here anytime soon,\u201d said Kiyosuke.<\/p>\n Yasuoka actually laughed at that. \u201cI cannot return to the temple for obvious reasons,\u201d she said. \u201cI will no doubt journey all throughout the land. By myself if necessary\u2026 though I hope it will not be.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy? Who do you think will go with you?\u201d Kiyosuke asked.<\/p>\n Yasuoka just looked at him with a smile.<\/p>\n Kiyosuke\u2019s eyes widened and he blushed. \u201cI\u2014I appreciate it, but I\u2019m not as good at ghost hunting as you. I\u2019m just a gatekeeper. I can barely channel!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI trust you to have my back and to protect me when I need it,\u201d Yasuoka said. \u201cThat is much more important than pure combat skill. And I\u2026\u201d She took a breath. \u201cI enjoy being with you. Before I could not act on it because I thought I had to devote myself entirely to the temple, but now I see how wrong that was.\u201d She moved closer to Kiyosuke. \u201cI would be very happy if you were to join me on my journey, Kiyosuke Takahara.\u201d<\/p>\n The gatekeeper seemed stunned for a moment longer before he forced himself to nod. \u201cWhen do we start?\u201d he said as a radiant smile spread across his face.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to leave town immediately before the other ghost hunters find Kitano and start looking for me,\u201d she said. \u201cThen we can ambush the first ones who come after me to examine their spirits, and I can also start inspecting the ghosts I just took off of Kitano and the others. Follow me.\u201d<\/p>\n She headed towards the door with Kiyosuke and Mai behind her, and though Yasuoka was so weak in the absence of the spirits\u2019 chi that she had to use her staff as a walking stick, she still felt better than she had in months. She had been wrong about all ghosts being evil and about all ghost hunters being good, but now her errors had been corrected and she\u2019d made a start at fixing the evil at the heart of Daimyo Tatsunori\u2019s domain. Now all she had to do was keep going and free innocent spirits just as she punished guilty ones.<\/p>\n And she would not stop until both evils, those of ghosts and ghost hunters alike, were purged from the land forever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Tale by Aaron Canton The great temple within Daimyo Tatsunori\u2019s capital city was known far and wide. Visitors from distant lands spoke of the beautiful architecture of its buildings, the intricate statues and sculptures which flanked its shrines and graced its halls, and the elaborate rituals that its robed monks performed every dawn […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[146],"tags":[273,3206,1433,3205,149,3207],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Featured-Gaston-Short-Story.png","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1UVey-7Wp","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30529"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30529"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30530,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30529\/revisions\/30530"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}