Nansei: Fourth Arrow - Danger in Demon City

Hey, Master? Your head still attached to your neck?

？！

I'm still surprised you volunteered to have Lord Lobo carry you by the scruff of your neck so Bakin and the pups could ride on his back.

It looks very dangerous, Senpai. A-are you sure you'll be okay?

...

..."Don't worry. I'll make sure to catch him if he falls"?

Okay. Thank you, Hessian. I'm relieved to hear that. Please keep an eye on him along with Lobo.

Woof!

Indeed, I am truly in your debt, what with the Dog Warriors still unable to enter spirit form.

I must thank you too, Lord Hessian, for letting us take your usual spot!

(Yaaawn...)

Forgive me for speaking to you while still in my spirit form, Master.

As good as it is that we managed to warp to this island without being separated like last time...

...I'm sorry you've been forced to take such dramatic measures in the name of expediency.

？！

According to our radar (read: Sousuke and co.), the signal on this island seems to be coming from its center.

？！

No. I'm sleeping.

Hehe.

You know, I am aware of just how urgent the situation is, but I am still enjoying this southern wind on my face.

And just look around at this breathtaking mountain river scenery!

Lord Lobo, I am painfully aware that you are a wolf, not a dog.

But, as I've never before ridden on either, I must say: this is quite the experience!

This must be how Fusehime felt while riding atop Yatsufusa.

You mean Fusehime, the daughter of the castle lord from the Satomi clan, and her faithful spirit dog Yatsufusa?

I remember they're two of the most important characters in the "Nansou Satomi Eight Dog Chronicles." They're really the ones who set the story in motion!

Indeed!

I must say, Lady Mash, it does this author's heart good to meet such an avid reader as yourself.

I know our journey through these southern islands is beset on all sides by innumerable dangers.

But the chance to experience an adventure like this is, in some ways, a dream come true.

？！

Ah, right.

Omicchan never did get around to tellin' us, did she?

I would be curious to hear it as well. I believe you also said it has something to do with Tametomo's exile.

I'd like to hear it, too. Especially if it will help us understand what makes Minamoto-no-Tametomo tick.

What? Did you think an author would be embarrassed to recite one of their own works?

Take it from me: that's never been a problem! I could go on about my stories all day if given a chance!

Th-that being said...

I'm, uh...a little concerned about that floating mollusk over there...

Hm?

What, you worried 'bout crowdin' into Toto-sama's territory? All right, I get that.

But painters are all about showin'. We know tellin's writer territory.

Even Toto-sama ain't so crude as ta forget that. I think.

I see... You know, Tetsuzou, both you and I are awfully fortunate to have such wonderful daughters.

Ahem. Very well, then without further ado...

All right! Here we go!

"Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki" is a fantasy story about Chinzei Hachirou, aka Minamoto-no-Tametomo.

Everything that happens up through his defeat during the Hougen Rebellion and his exile to the Izu Islands aligns with what happened historically.

From there, though, the story takes our protagonist along a very different path.

Having killed his own child, everyone expected Tametomo to meet a miserable end by taking his own life.

Instead, he fled to the province of Higowhat we know today as Kumamoto in Kyushu. Essentially, a return to his old stomping grounds.

From there, he gathered allies, built up his strength, and eventually raised an army, all so he could defeat his archenemy, Taira-no-Kiyomori.

But then, the two ships carrying Tametomo and his army ran into a fearsome storm, which brought them to the distant south.

Though his ships were smashed to smithereens, Tametomo eventually washed up on the islands of Ryukyu.

Wait. He drifted from Higo to Ryukyu? No way. That's way too far.

That's how I wrote it, so that's how it happened.

Besides, Tametomo's legend originally came from the Keian period's Chuzan Seikan, which, let me remind you, is all about Ryukyu history. But I digress.

Tametomo found that Ryukyu was in the grip of a wicked, greedy sage who wielded evil arts and commanded a foul, monstrous beast.

The beast had long since eaten Ryukyu's true king, but his only child, Princess Neiwannyo, still lived, though she was hiding in the kingdom's countryside.

Upon his unplanned arrival, Tametomo and Neiwannyo met and quickly became friends.

The king's only daughter...

(No, it's unlikely she was anything like Baobhan Sith. A human princess would almost certainly be far more chaste and dignified.)

I take it Tametomo then set out to save the kingdom to help his new princess friend.

Very astute!

Furthermore, Neiwannyo actually had a secret.

Within her dwelled the soul of Tametomo's first wife, Shiranuihime, who had thrown herself into the sea to pacify the raging storm that destroyed his ships.

Incidentally, by the story's end, Tametomo, along with Sutemaru, the son he had with Shiranuihime, would go on to save the land from its crisis, thereby erecting a new Ryukyu Kingdom!

Of course he did! Any strong knighI mean, warrior, would do the same!

You do realize you just spoiled your own story, right?

An' here's a fun fact. I (read: Toto-sama) was the one who designed the big bad beastie!

Gave it an ox's body and a tiger's head, so it'd be all kindsa weird and scary as hell!

...Of course, it was originally supposed to be a boar with muscles like iron that ate thorns by the bushel and couldn't be touched by either blade or flame.

I swear, Tetsuzou...

Hm?

？！

You're right, Senpai. There is a certain romance to it that's been adapted in many modern-day fantasy stories!

Katsushika Hokusai drew all the illustrations for "Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki"...

In contrast, "Nansou Satomi Eight Dog Chronicles" featured not only Hokusai, but many notable ukiyo-e artists, including Yanagawa Shigenobu and Keisai Eisen, as well.

？！

It's true, Senpai. Not many people in today's world know about it.

But that wasn't the case in the Edo period.

Back then, "Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki" was a hugely popular book that made Kyokutei Bakin famous.

It wasn't until after the Meiji period that "Nansou Satomi Eight Dog Chronicles" became so influential.

...I think Toto-sama's sayin', "Hell yeah, it was", but don't worry 'bout him.

I-I'm sorry. I should have known better than to discuss popularity in front of the book's creators...

For what it's worth, the "Eight Dog Chronicles" were also very popular from the Edo period onward.

I know they were even regularly performed as kabuki and joururi plays, which were both popular and critical successes!

I-it's quite all right. Don't worry about it. I mean, I will still worry about it myself, but I also know that popularity waxing and waning is just the way of the world!

Besides, I received a great deal of inspiration for both "Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki" and "Nansou Satomi Eight Dog Chronicles" from various Chinese novels.

I can claim precious few of the works attributed to me to have been entirely my own creation.

But as long as my readers felt the heart and soul I put into the ideas I brought to my work, and perhaps inspired them to create works of their own...

...then I feel as though I accomplished everything I could have hoped for.

Now I think Toto-sama's mutterin', "Now THAT'S what I call fulla yerself." But again, don't worry 'bout him.

Didn't he agree to keep quiet?

He can't help it! He feels like he's about to spurt ink any moment!

...

"We're almost to our destination"?

？！

...

Ah! Lobo just dropped Senpai!

Oho. Looks like this island's settlement is a proper town.

Check out all those inhuman creatures walkin' around like they own the place. Hell, maybe they do.

There's gotta be at least ten times more of 'em than there was on the last island.

These ones look all hazy though. Like...ghosts or somethin'.

It's like they're puttin' on some kinda shadow puppet show, pretendin' to be regular townspeople or somethin'.

Rrr. (Pant, pant, pant...)

Hey. Keep your head down, or they'll see us.

They don't look all that strong, but we don't want so many ganging up on us.

And by "us," you mean Master, right?

Man, Lord Izo, if nothing else, you really do take your work seriously, don'tcha? I had ya all wrong.

Where'd that come from? Knock it off.

By the way...

I get we're having Lobo and Barghest hide in their spirit forms since they're both so damn big.

But how're the rest of us supposed to be subtle when we're carrying these dogs around!?

What choice do we have!?

We have to find the other dogs if I'm to have any hope of regaining all my Servant abilities!

Dammit, keep your voice down, Gramps! Take a page from Hessian and learn how to sign or something!

Whoops, you're right! Sorry about that!

(Flashing V sign)

Woof.

Man, I didn't think the demonic energy in this town would be so thick it'd even prevent the dogs from smelling anything.

？！

I have the results here, and...I'm afraid they're not good.

The signal seems to be coming from all over the town. I can't narrow it down further.

It could be right next to you, or it could be all the way on the other side.

Ah, don't worry 'bout that. Just knowin' it's here is a big help. We can take it from here.

？！

(Nod)

...Phew. This is much better.

Hey, all of you, get a load of this. I found another proclamation on the street outside.

Looks pretty new, too. The ink ain't even dry yet.

There're still a buncha words I can't make out, but I recognize the characters "Gi," "Chu," "Kou," and "Tei."

？！

Yup. So the rest of the flyer's prob'ly describin' what they look like. Guess this means they're wanted dogs.

Already? But hardly any time has passed since we found them.

I can hardly imagine there being an efficient way to send information between islands separated by a sea of space-time itself.

The enemy must be using the beads' power for themselves.

The Dog Warriors all share a bond through their beads.

That bond must be what alerted the enemy to the fact that four beads had gone missing.

Really? Is that how it works?

Toto-sama here ain't a familiar, so it's hard for me to wrap my head around.

...

Senpai, you've been going for a pretty long time now. This might be a good time to take a food and water break.

？！

Woof, woof, woof.

？！

Oh no, you don't. Master's health takes top priority right now. You'll just have to be patient.

(Whiiine...)

(Aww. He looks so sad.)

(Now I wish I'd brought some food for the puppies, too.)

(If this were Faerie Britain, I could make them a small feast just by converting magical energy into ingredients, but...)

(Pat, pat)

Huh? What's up, Lord Hessian?

Sunset...? Oh, you mean "night"? "After night"? "Search"?

Oh, I gotcha! You're sayin' we should go back ta searchin' once it's dark.

Makes sense. If these nasties are up durin' the day, maybe they'll all go to sleep at night.

...It's a good idea, but I don't think we have that kind of time.

Oh, right. Sorry, Lady Mash.

Hey, Old Man Bakin. I got a question for you.

...Enough with the "old man" stuff, Izo. Now what's this all about?

I already told you. I got a question, and you're gonna answer it.

Thinking's never been my strong suit, so whatever answer I came up with would be wrong.

So it'd be a lot faster to just ask you.

You spent more time thinking about Tametomo than anyone else in Edo, right?

So... Was he really such a small-minded hero?

Small-minded? What do you mean?

You said these islands are the Eight Views from Nansou, right?

It looks like Tametomo's ruling this land like a king...

...but the only things living here are these hazy, inhuman creatures.

All they're doing is going around pretending to live like people from Edo used to. It's a sham.

And there's not a human to be found anywhere.

No hardworking farmers or merchants, no kids running around, no old folks taking it easy...

Would Tametomo really be satisfied ruling over a flimsy little illusion like this?

...

What? Did I say something to offend you again?

These islands might be small, but they're his, right? Isn't he supposed to be a patriot who'd do anything for his country's future?

Is the Tametomo I'm on my way to cut down not a great man with great ambitions?

...Just ta interject real quick: Tametomo never does become king of Ryukyu in "Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki."

His son, Sutemaru, does.

...Oh. His son, huh?

So then, neither the Tametomo of history nor the Tametomo of the stories ever became a king?

I'm surprised. He clearly had great ambitions, even as a young man. I suppose this means he dedicated himself to being a warrior right up to the end.

Besides...even if he had seven Holy Grails, creating true humans would remain well beyond him.

？！

Pretty much, though it's just a hunch.

I only tacked a few reasons on after the fact, just like Dustcloth's tail looks like it's been tacked on.

Woof?

Tametomo...

Tametomo made a name for himself as one of the greatest warriors of his generationno, one of the greatest Japan has ever known.

I'm proud that my story, along with Tetsuzou's illustrations, helped contribute to his reputation.

I believe Minamoto-no-Tametomo the Heroic Spirit went to his final resting place encouraged by the knowledge of how he'd be remembered.

But nothing, no matter how beautiful, lasts forever. Times change. Meetings become partings. The living inevitably pass on.

Minamoto-no-Tametomo should never have taken his own life after being banished to Izu Oshima, let alone his son's.

He should have kept living.

I believe that is Minamoto-no-Tametomo's true regret.

...I see. So does that mean you think Tametomo wants another shot at life in the modern world?

Incarnation, I think it's called?

But don't they say that a true warrior finds meaning in life through death?

...You don't know what you're talking about.

Okada Izo, how old were you when you died?

Ha! Just like an old man to ask a stupid question like that! Fine. I was twenty-eight, if you must know!

And I wish I could've lived a lot longer!

Not that I had any right to do that, given all the people I killed in the name of "divine punishment"!

... ...I see.

So you were ten years younger than my Souhaku...

Huh?

No...I'm sorry. I should not have asked something so personal.

I guess the Bakumatsu period really was a...tumultuous time.

Forgive me. I wrote you off as just another ronin.

Trust me, there wasn't much difference between a ronin and a Tosa country samurai.

Whatever you wanna call me, it doesn't change the fact that I was a man-slayer.

As long as I brought back heads of enemies of our Kinnoutou, or Kinnou Party, my friends and comrades were happy. That was all I needed.

...I see.

...

All the Dog Warriors just curled up on the floor near Bakin's feet...

It looks like they're trying to console him.

...Hehe.

Looks like becomin' a Servant's mellowed ya out too, Bakin.

I never could've imagined ya apologizin' ta Toto-sama before, seein' how ya always used ta fight.

(Sleeping)

...Woof?

Hessian Lobo. Are you back from reconnaissance?

...

？！

What!? One of the other Dog Warriors is...about to be crucified!?

...

Rrrr!

That's Daikaku!

All of you, stay put! I know it's hard, but we can't be rash here!

Rrr... Arf(Muffled)

According to what Hessian Lobo learned during his reconnaissance...

...Tametomo doesn't seem to be anywhere on this island, either.

Hmph. He's gotta be doin' this on purpose.

Maybe he's tryin' ta lure us out or somethin'?

If he is, though, it's weird...

The Dog Warriors ain't ordinary dogs, and these Eight Virtues beads are precious treasures ta the enemy too, right?

What would they have ta gain from puttin' one of each on display like this?

...It's gotta be torture.

That's why they went out of their way to change the bead into its dog form.

They were probably gonna keep making it suffer until we showed up. Am I wrong?

...(Gulp)

...

...Awooo...

Awoooooo...

Khh... What a heartrending howl.

That poor puppy, doing its best to endure so it won't put its friends in danger.

And I can do nothing to help... The shame is unbearable.

Big as you are, I guess all dogs must look like pups.

Senpai...

？！

No, we can't.

Remember, they're waiting for us to show up so they can nab the other Dog Warriors.

Besides, there're too many of them. We'd be surrounded in no time, and we're on their turf, too.

...Huh? What is this?

...Senpai!

I'm picking up a strong signal from the place where Awa used to be!

This sharpness... It's the sixth Dog Warrior! And it's headed right for you!

？！

But so what? These dogs aren't fighters, no matter how many of them you get together.

If anything, this might be what the enemy is afterto round us all up in one fell swoop.

...(Inhale)...

Hey! Kurazou!!!

Tetsuzou!?

...Hm? What did you just say?

I'm sayin' you've gotta step up and do somethin' about this!

Dog Warriors, cat samurai, it don't matter! These are YOUR precious animals, right?

...Khh! You think I don't know that!?

That's...Genpachi! The Dog Warrior with the Shin bead of faith!

Bow!!!

Wow!!!

The Dog Warriors... Okay. I think I can manage with this many in one spot.

Master of Chaldea, would you lend me your strength? There is something I wish to try.

？！

Hold it! Not so fast!

Since I was the one who fanned the flames, it's only right that I draw the heat now!

So it's down to this again, huh? I swear, no progress at all.

Gi, justice... Rei, courtesy... Chu, wisdom... Shin, faith... Kou, piety... Tei, respect...

With six heavenly spiritual lights, there is nothing and no one I fear!

Lamenting and praying to the heavens and earth, I look back once again to where the path of creation shall lead!

Whoa! That dog is...beautiful!

The Dog Warriors all combined into one enormous dog!

Is that Yatsufusa, the spirit dog from "Nansou Satomi Eight Dog Chronicles"!?

...Not quite.

Unfortunately, we do not have all Eight Virtues, so it's Rokufusa, not Yatsufusa, as in six and eight!

Senpai! The enemy doesn't know what to make of them!

？！

Come, Rokufusa! Let's show these creatures a thing or two together!

...

We've made it out of the town, but we're still being pursued!

The enemy forces are still swelling in number! We're not out of danger yet!

How are they sending in so many reinforcements so quickly!? The longer we drag this out, the worse our chances get!

We don't gotta take 'em all down! We just gotta make a path through 'em!

Lord Lobo and Rokufusa are fast enough that they can!? What's wrong, Lord Bakin!?

Ghh... Strength...fading! I can't...support them...any longer!

Rokufusa just split back into the original six Dog Warriors!

No! Don't go so soon!

...

？！

Khh...! I'm sorry, everyone!

...(Gasp)

Ah... P-Pops!? Why now of all tim

No, wait. This is...

What the hell!?

Michi!? You're back?

Damn, here comes the next wave! Get ready!

Th-this is gonna be tough...!

Aah!

Dammit! One of them snuck up on Michi!

Omicchan!

Arf, arf! Woof! Gruff!

No, Dog Warriors! You have to stay back!

Otherwise, they'll take you, too!

You need to stay with the Chaldeans and help the

？！

Their signal is rapidly moving away!

It looks like...they're headed towards the island of Sagami.

Sousuke's the only Dog Warrior we're missin'.

He's the only one they managed to take along with Omicchan.

...Dustcloth, huh. Guess he was trying to be a loyal mutt.

(Sigh...) Looks like brute force only got us so far.