Samurai Lost in the Time Rift 3.2

3.2

The cavern was not different from the earlier one but here its was wider and higher in every aspects. The length of the cavern was also far beyond the sight of man, but the four sets of taisettsu patrols came back empty with three of them. There was the missing fourth patrol of Sori and his two men.

"Gunso, prepare some rice cakes for us." Taisa sank down on the flooring and laid back. He had walked for along time, climbing and dropping down small crevasses hoping to find the way out but there was none. So did Fudo and Edo side, and he noticed the slaves short of three men.

"Taisa, Sori left with three of the men to go in the other direction." Gunso replied as he handed over the rice cakes. "We are in dire needs of getting more food."

Taisa Mori looked at the Gunso and then broke half the bread to pass it to him for keeping. Unknown to the group, Sori and his men found something interesting.

"Sori, those are the creatures which we fought earlier." There were six of them and are guarding an outpost build by blending to the rock wall. Three stood guards while three more were sitting there by the outpost entrance.

"Could it be that this leads to somewhere or its only an outpost?" One of the slaves asked. Sori was not one to know so he did not reply. He patted one of the slaves.

"Go back to he camp. Tell Gunso what we saw." But the slave refused to go.

"I am not a samurai. I need someone to accompany me." The slave asked for company and Sori nodded to the request. "Take the yari."

Sori had now only the sharpened serpent bone which resembled a short dagger. He looked back at the outpost and noticed only two guards are there and the third was missing. He knew it was going to be trouble if the other guards seek the two men of his. It was a hasty decision but one he made saved the other two. He got out of the concealment behind the rock and ran towards the outpost.

"Hai! Serpent faced warriors." Sori danced and jumped as he approached the outpost. His shouting attracted the five creatures who were there, as Sori ran to the opposite direction of the outpost to distract the guards.

The third guard who had earlier walked off to check on the rocks for what it may had perceived as the sustenance, was then jumping and shouting on the side. It joined the other two guards in cornering the 'sustenance'.

"Come and get me you, fools!' Sori pranced and jumped around but soon he was manhandled by one of the guards and then the second grabbed his legs. He felt them pulling at his body as if to tear it apart but the pressure eased off on the shout of one other.

"Hold it! He may had escaped the pit." The one who spoke was not the three who guarded but the one of the three who were sitting outside the outpost. The guard holding his legs let go of it, and Sori tried to struggle loose. He did not make it as the third guard came from the rear and knocked him into unconscious.

Across the cavern for some distance, Teishin Buke was getting agitated at the waiting. He walked up to the Taisa.

"I demand we know what you have seen." Teishin Buke stood there with his hands tucked into this obi at the front.

"I saw nothing that we have not seen before in this cavern, or the one below us. Edo also say nothing, but Fudo saw something. A monument that resembled you but it was bending over for the serpent to strike from its rear." Taisa replied which drew all of them to laughter.

"Fools! I am your Teishin. Do you hear me?" Teishin Buke had taken his left feet to balanced his body for the smooth unsheathing of the katana. "I can removed your head for that insolence."

Taisa Mori got up form his seating and faced the other samurai.

"Teishin Buke, in the land of the Shogun, your rank matters, but down here, only our survival matters. If you do not wished to be with us, please take your leave. Or wait for the real Yomi to declared your ranking again."

Deep down inside him, Teishin Buke wanted to kill the Taisa but he knew that his skills paled to that samurai. If he does fight, the others won't joined hut would sided with the Taisa. Even the slaves are the same in this alliance. His next alternative was to walked away again or do the honorable seppuku.

"We would see justice, Taisa. Yours and mine would be laid to the Shogun. I should not fight with you here as ...we all need to stayed alive to get out. But marked my words, Taisa Mori; the Shogun would see to your decapitation." The Teishin once more walked away in shame.

"That earned you a swift death from me, but with him doing the honor on you, I think he would use the kitchen mallet on your skull." Gunso Mita was always upfront with his words made the Taisa laughed.

"I may be dead before we leave this place; there are the serpents and those foul creatures. I did not tell him that I had to hide twice from the creatures. If he knew that, he would cower behind the slaves."

They both laughed but Edo was not. He himself saw the serpents; not one but three in one of the corners of the cavern. He feared that the longer they are here, they may all just perished here.

"No more lights or hidden entrances, farmer." Bento taunt the farmer to make up another believing tale like the one spun below but Fudo was not taking up the lead. He was praying that the last patrol would returned safely.

Sori woke up from his blow to the head to find himself laid against the rock wall. His sight was greeted by the presence of two dead carcasses that resembled humans. That was not all he saw but sitting across from him were two more like him; but naked without any clothes and close to starvation humans. He looked around and could find no creatures there near him, and then crawled over to see the two living humans.

They looked odd to him; bearded and their hair was white and yellow. He jumped back and recalled that these could be devils in disguise. 'Are these Tengu?'; Sori asked himself. What he knew of them are from the monks; they are disruptive demons and harbingers of war. They appeared in a large number of shapes, but it usually falls somewhere between a large, monstrous bird and a wholly anthropomorphized being, often with a red face or an unusually large or long nose. These two had rather long and protruding noses.

"They are fishermen from across the sea; probably from Kuril islands ( now known as Kurile islands ). They are Ainu."

Sori crawled back on his haunches to hear of a voice to his right. He was not prepared to see the frail looking person there with the long dishevel hair and emancipated looks. The person was also unclothed and appeared to be like Sori.

"I recognized your looks. You are Nihon." The frail figure spoke out. "I was Nihon too before I was captured by the Ainu."

Sori now recognized the accent of the other; a southern islander inhabitant. He turned his body around and sat on his haunches.

"Hajimemashite, Obi Sori desu. Douzo yoroshiku," ( I am Obi Sori-san. Nice to meet you. ) Sori prostrate to the frail figure who tried to emulate the same but failed as the body was weak.

"Ah.....Hajime..mashite, Ito....Tanaka desu.............. Douzo yoroshiku," ( I am Ito Tanaka-san. Nice to meet you. ) The frail figure replied back weakly and in between breaths.

"Please tell me where am I? I remember the mist and then this dark cavern." Sori asked of the frail one.

"I do not know either but I been here for sometime now......" The person named Ito spoke and then took a deep breath.  "There are no hiro mo yoru mo ( day and night ) in this cavern."

"But if you get out, you might get some hiro but its a short spell." Ito took another long breath. "I think this is Yomi but the creatures are different. They are more horrifying in looks."

Sori laughed and then asked if the other could speak more. Ito nodded and explained the pit.

"Here the creatures tried not to kill us, but ......" Ito took his breath. "Maimed or starved us till we die."

"Then they would dragged us to the pits and dropped us down." Ito smiled. "I seen them do it but they have done me yet. I am stronger."

Ito picked up a piece of rancid flesh and bit into it.

"I am in Yomi so I would live like in Yomi." Ito bared his toothless mouth and tried to grab Sori who jumped back. Sori crawled with his hands and legs pushing him backwards while the frail man tried to move towards him with slowness.

"I ....need your......flesh....fresh....fresh...." Ito mumbled and then fell forward on his front. He laid there unmoving with the head bowed to the flooring with the spine of the body displayed prominently.

Sori got up and ran to the other side of the pit and curled himself up like an unborn infant. He cried of fear and for God to spare him the nightmares he was having.