Light fog lay over Mount Kumotawa this evening, indicating the occurrence of a mild Confluence. The resiny freshness of mist-shrouded pines mingled with the aroma of damp earth in the air. Normally invigorating, it was the scent of anxiety at the moment for the only person on the deserted main path up to the shrine.

  Yuriko’s booted footsteps barely made a sound on the path’s paving stones. There was still enough light so the thermal camera on her helmet was not needed. She wore full combat gear, a tactical vest with ballistic plates, and had her assault rifle held at the ready, but not shouldered. No one would think she had been working as the manager of a convenience store earlier.

  “I’m coming up on the bridge,” Yuriko said into her radio headset.

  Travis, her partner, replied in a deep voice. “Roger, that. No worries about a possible transition. Your GPS signal is coming through strong.”

  Yuriko glanced up at the small helmet-mounted screen to check her map position. “I confirm.”

  “Take care, Boss,” Travis replied. “Being up there without Goro as your backup isn’t the best idea. He picked a bad night to be out sick.”

  “I’m always careful. Let’s just hope that panicky woman who came into the store imagined the figure on the bridge.”

  “No way that could be Hashihime, but do look out for bridge trolls, too.”

  “Ha Ha. You’re being extra funny tonight,” Yuriko dryly replied. She knew the humour was supposed to help her, but she didn’t really need it. Taking a deep breath, she focused her mind on her mission, like she would in combat, and calmed her nerves.

  Yuriko thought that Hashihime fit the description they heard, too. The legend described her as a woman with white face paint in white robes, a jealous and vengeful yokai preying on travellers at bridges. The mountain did have a nasty habit of having some real yokai, but nothing like this had been reported before. Hashihime should be fictitious, being mentioned in The Tale of the Heike.

  “Advancing.” Yuriko shouldered her rifle, scanning around through the red dot sight. Her mission was to scout, not engage, so shooting was a last resort.

  Thirty paces later, her footsteps sounded on the wooden planks of the small foot bridge, barely heard over the burbling stream under it. It was a short bridge and the only one on the path. She saw nothing unusual on it and she peered over the sides and even checked underneath to be sure.

  “There’s nothing here,” Yuriko eventually said.

  Even as she spoke, she saw movement ahead on the path where the fog seemed to be thicker.

  “Wait.” Yurko peered ahead to barely see the head of a large white fox with tall, pointy ears.

  The fox’s eyes locked with hers for a moment. It smirked and then turned away to reveal a peacock-like arrangement of fluffy white tails. In an eyeblink, it darted away and vanished into the fog.

  Yuriko exhaled. “I think I just saw the shrine’s guardian fox, with all nine tails. It’s an illusionary trickster, so it explains the sighting.”

  “Seriously!” Travis replied. “It’s real?”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  “I guess I can confirm that.”

  “Damn. I would have liked to see that.” Travis’s disappointment was clear. “It hasn’t been seen in years.”

  “It’s gone now, though.” Yuriko unshouldered her rifle. “I’m going to take a look around before I head back down. Just to be sure.”

  “Roger, that. More paperwork for us.”

  *****

  Later that evening, far from Mount Kumotawa, a lonely flashlight beam pierced the foggy night. It played slowly around the deserted grounds of a small, rural Shinto shrine on a forested hilltop. A middle-aged, unassuming Japanese man wearing a woollen overcoat waited behind the shrine’s hall, the honden. More yellowed leaves fell from the tree canopy to join the litter already on the flagstones. The man shuffled his feet around occasionally to ward off the chill in the air. After waiting for hours, he wondered if anyone would arrive.

  The man startled when a flutter of wings passed overhead, and a branch above him rustled with the weight of something landing on it. He pointed his flashlight up to see a large crow of darkest black on a spindly branch. The bird’s three beady eyes reflected light back from his beam.

  “They follow!” The bird squawked. “Prepare for them!”

  The crow speaking did not surprise the man. He used messenger birds like it to correspond to his masters in the other world, and it now acted as a guide.

  Footsteps crunching through fallen leaves drew the man’s eyes back towards the woods behind the shrine. His flashlight beam revealed two tall forms emerging from the fog. One of the men was taller than the other, and both were pale and bald with unusually narrow faces. They looked remarkably similar in their lean appearance and confident gazes. Even their clothing matched as both wore black leather coats that reached to their knees, and each held a staff with a glowing, silver knob on the end.

  The middle-aged man recognized them as the sorcerers he was waiting for. It had been a long time since one of their people had come to Earth. He slowly raised his left hand to make the curved three-finger gesture representing their multi-headed serpent god. The two pale men responded with identical gestures.

  The taller man stepped forward. He spoke in a harsh, guttural tongue that the magic amulet he wore translated into Japanese. “I am Adept Talliz, and this is Adept Krezzul, my second.”

  The Japanese man bowed. “I am Yuto Honda, masters. I am honoured by your presence. Decades have passed since I have met an emissary, much less two emissaries.”

  “Your loyalty bears fruit after these many years. You are to be rewarded if your reports are accurate. You have regrown the organization, recovering from the last emissary’s debacle. The fool set us back, trying to kill the emperor.”

  “Thank you, masters. I barely survived myself and worked hard to grow our strength. The imperials think they have eradicated us to our benefit.”

  Krezzul spoke in an admonishing tone. “That remains to be seen. We will determine the true state of affairs.”

  “Of course. I have nothing to hide.” Yuto then hesitantly asked, “…Is it true? We are to finally fulfill Orochi’s divine will?”

  “Yes. It will be time to strike when the Grand Confluence occurs.” Talliz’s eyes blazed with fervour. “We will ensure Amaterasu’s minions will not interfere this time. I trust that the situation has not changed since our departure?”

  “We are diligently watching the Sword Princess and Kumotawa Shrine, emissary. The princess is still at the palace in Kyoto, and the shrine’s security remains light. No one suspects anything out of the ordinary.”

  “Excellent!” Talliz nodded. “Now, take us to a place where we can rest. It was an arduous journey through many worlds to arrive here. It took far too long because the path through Mount Kumotawa is closed to us.”

  “Transportation and accommodations have been prepared, and I can make any other arrangements that you require,” the middle-aged man replied.

  Talliz barely nodded an acknowledgement. He then looked behind him into the fog and waved his hand. “Come to us now.”

  A hunched humanoid with a dark, rubbery hide and very long arms stalked out of the fog. Its exact form and details were blurry. The flashlight’s beam seemed to be absorbed or bent around it, but its long, dagger-like claws clearly glinted in the light.

  Yuto shuddered at the sight. He had only heard of these summoned beasts before.

  “Your conveyance is large enough for my night stalker?”

  “My cargo van will be large enough.”

  “Good. After resting, we need to review all our preparations. I will eventually need to see the shrine and observe the princess for myself.”

  “It will be done,” Yuto replied. “I live to serve great Orochi.”