Chapter 112 - Promises Kept

The rain continued unabated. The cobblestone road began to rise and fall with the gentle curve of the land, signaling to Yuzu that they were nearing the foothills that marked the eastern edge of the city. The two storey block houses with dark timber framing were still densely packed near the outskirts, but due to the terrain there were many stretches of road lined on one side by thickets of trees and underbrush.

The streetlamps in this part of the town were not consistently lit, and many stretches of road in their route were dark and draped in shadow. This far from the city center the lamps were no longer fed by underground pipes, but were hand lit. And in the dead of a rainy, lonely night such as this the lighters responsible for making rounds were not as diligent in their duties to relight lamps that had gone out. Thus, they came across several streets that were completely dark, followed by several streets that were lit.

In the pockets of darkness, Yuzu could use the golden threads as a general guide for the direction of the path, but she was effectively walking blindly forward. Not wanting to show this weakness to the traveler, she could only tread carefully to avoid stumbling on a random rock or unevenness in the path. With each stretch of darkness her eyes would fixate on the next visible pool of light in the distance, holding her breath in muted anxiety until they reached the light again.

Beside her, the traveler did not seem to be affected by the darkness. He didn’t speak much, only coughing or groaning on occasion. Every so often he would ask how far they were from the chest, to which Yuzu would reply in vague assurances. The rhythmic clacking of his staff was slow and even, as if his mind was focused on keeping a steady pace forward.

After the traveler’s confession, Yuzu couldn’t think of another way out. He had lost his memories, his sense of self, his identity. Truly the only thing keeping him together was the single thread of retrieving the chest. She did try to continue the conversation afterward, asking prompting questions to try to spark his memory of treating the girl, but he would only shake his head and apologize for not being able to remember.

As they neared the edge of the city Yuzu gave up on trying to come up with an idea to escape.

“We’re close to the storage shed now.” Yuzu said as they crested a small hill. They passed the final building, where the road and the houses cut off sharply, making way for rolling fields of grass. The darkness stretched out into the distance. From this vantage point there was no indication that there were buildings ahead. She planned to try to lead the traveler out into the fields as far as possible until he lost control. She hoped that he would make her death quick, like it was in the vision.

Once again Yuzu found herself comfortable with the prospect of death. She had done everything she could, truly. Just the simple act of escorting the traveler to the edge of the city would probably save hundreds of people. Thousands? Thousands sounded better. Perhaps she’d get lucky and after killing her, the traveler would run into the wilderness instead of heading into the city.

She wondered if people would find her body. She didn’t have any identification on her. Perhaps even if she was found, they wouldn’t be able to identify her. Zwei and Xiang would wake up to see that she was missing. They’d search for her, but maybe it would be better that she just disappeared than finding her mangled corpse.

Xiang would probably notice that the chest was missing. Yuzu laughed inwardly. That would be the main reason he’d search for me, to yell at me for breaking the terms of contract.

A light sparked in Yuzu’s eyes as she blinked several times, muttering softly under her breath, “Terms of contract…”

She glanced at the traveler, who had stopped and faced her after sensing her change in disposition. With a business-like tone she said, “Now that we’re almost there, I just need to verify the contract so you can claim the chest. Can you please show it to me?”

The traveler hesitated before saying, “I don’t have it.”

Yes! Yuzu cheered inwardly, finding her opportunity. “Ah… Unfortunately, I need to see your copy of the contract to confirm your claim on the chest.”

Victory quickly turned to regret as the traveler suddenly began trembling violently. He leaned heavily against the staff, gripping it with both hands as his back began to bulge up from within.

Yuzu bit her lip as she saw that the traveler was about to lose control. “It’s not that I won’t give it to you- Isn’t there any way you can retrieve the contract?”

“No, no, no…” The traveler groaned. There was a tearing sound as thick black tentacles began ripping out of his back.

Yuzu’s eyes widened as she blurted out without thinking, “That’s- that’s fine! There’s another way to get back the chest!”

“How?” The traveler’s whole body shook as the tentacles were simultaneously popping out of his back and retreating back in. He was in a fierce internal battle as he held onto the promise.

“The way is… the way to get the chest without the contract- per the terms of the contract, after thirty days without being claimed the chest becomes property of the pawn shop, and is available for sale to the general public.” Yuzu recited the words of the contract that she had explained countless times in the past. “Therefore- even if you’ve lost the contract, there’s still a way to get it back.”

“Yes, the contract is our promise, our vow to you that the chest is kept in safekeeping. Just like you promised to return for the chest, we have to keep our promise as well.”

Yuzu’s hands were balled into tight fists behind her back as she watched for the traveler’s response, fully expecting him to not accept her words and explode into a monster.

However her words seemed to do the trick as the tentacles calmed down and were reabsorbed into the traveler’s back. His breath was heavy and ragged as he said, “Yes. A promise must be kept.”

“The contract you made with me is still valid for twenty five days.” Yuzu said. “Therefore, to retrieve the chest you simply need to return after the time is up.”

“Yes.” The traveler nodded heavily, then turned away from Yuzu, facing towards the dark fields outside the city. His voice was hollow as he said, “I will return when the time is up.”

In Yuzu’s spiritual vision the knot between her and the traveler’s string unraveled as he began walking away.

She breathed a small sigh of relief, shaking her head in disbelief. Somehow she was alive. Somehow she had managed to delay the traveler’s transformation into a monster and avoided another disaster in the city, at least for the time being.

Would the promise of the chest be enough to keep him sane for twenty five days? Yuzu had no idea. It had only been five days since she’d last seen him and he was already in this condition. If he did lose control, would that promise remain in his memory and bring him back to the pawn shop?

She shook her head as she mulled over the fact that she had been caught completely unprepared by the traveler, and only managed to make it out by pure luck. It wasn’t just her that was in danger, but her family as well. She needed a better answer if he showed up again.

Once again, she thought about paying Argus a visit. Surely he would have a lot to say about this topic. But what would he ask for in return? Another dangerous journey into the depths of a ruins? She was hesitant to owe him anything. As a pawn shop owner’s daughter she much preferred her patrons to be in debt to her, rather than the other way around.

The golden tapestry shimmered softly in the night, offering no answers to her questions. Her white thread drifted calmly around her in a flowing ribbon, safe for the time being. The thread of the traveler had long disappeared from her sight.

Unlike every other thread that Yuzu had seen, the traveler’s thread did not linger with his departure. It dissolved into the night, leaving her unable to track it down or trace its past. Yuzu nodded as she thought back to when the traveler first appeared this evening; she had only become aware of his string after the traveler had approached her.

Yuzu frowned, thinking about the differences between regular strings and the corrupted thread of fate. It was far more erratic and sharp in movement than normal threads. It came and went without warning making her unable to predict or prepare for its arrival.

She didn’t know when or where the traveler would appear, but as she looked out into the darkness beyond the city she felt with growing certainty that she would definitely meet him once more. A growing unease welled up inside her as she realized that she had not averted disaster, only delayed it.

~

The morning sun cast its rays across a lightly clouded sky, glittering off the rain-washed streets and buildings as a new day began in Noga.

At the small clinic on the east side of the city, four carriages bearing the emblem of the Noga Police pulled up along the street. Finn hopped down from the front carriage, gathering the three officers that had been assigned to him for a short meeting before picking up the patients.

As they spoke quietly amongst each other another carriage pulled up beside them. This luxurious black carriage with gold accents stopped directly next to them, the door flung open enthusiastically as a bright-eyed girl in a red and black uniform waved to them from inside.

“Good morning, Finn!” Char Char said brightly.

The officers all looked over curiously towards the girl, whose uniform had the crest of the Red Lion Security Company on it. Her hair was tied back in a tall ponytail and she had on a sharp looking pair of black leather gloves and a sword sheathed at her waist. As she hopped down from the carriage the sword caught on the doorway and clattered noisily, jamming itself in the door.

With a sheepish look she twisted her body to pull the sword free and stepped towards them.

“What’s with the costume?” Finn asked in a curious, bemused tone.

“It’s not a costume!” Char Char said grumpily, hiding her embarrassment with a scowl, “I’m training to be a security escort, this is the standard issue uniform.”

“Isn’t your family a bit too rich for that profession?” Finn rubbed his chin with a grin on his face.

“It’s a dignified career!” Char Char rebuted.

“Absolutely. I have many friends in the security business.” Finn lied as he smiled congenially, not wanting to turn the conversation into an argument. “I presume this is uniform is related to the training that you mentioned last night.”

“Yes, after I mentioned it to my trainer she told me that this would be a great opportunity to do some hands-on training.” Char Char nodded, “She should be arriving here soon.”

“Understood.” Finn nodded, then turned to his colleagues, “Officers, please meet miss Char Char Zhao. She is the one who discovered the shrine of the maiden and is the reason why we are here today.”

The three officers nodded to Char Char, not sure what to make of the obviously underage girl who had just come out of an extremely expensive looking carriage.

“I’m here to help bring the patients to the shrine.” Char Char said to the group with a friendly nod. It wasn’t a request, but a statement of fact.

“Of course.” Finn nodded, “Your presence is greatly appreciated.”

Truth be told, he couldn’t care less whether or not the rich girl took part in the operation. He only planned to stick around to arrange the final details, before leaving the rest to the officers. Therefore, it didn’t hurt him to stroke Char Char’s ego and let her feel included.

“I’m just about to go in to talk to Dr. Ilec. Would you care to join me?” Finn asked. He then turned to his subordinates and said, “We’ll be back shortly with the patients.”

“Yes, sir.” They saluted to him, placing their right palm over their hearts.

Finn gestured for Char Char to lead the way. The girl didn’t need further encouragement as she strode down the path purposefully.

They found Dr. Ilec without too much trouble, he was waiting for them outside the tent with the patients that were being readied to head to the shrine. As he saw Char Char and Finn approach, his expression took on a complicated look of relief and anxiety.

“Char Char, Officer Mackenzie.” Dr. Ilec nodded. His eyes flickered to Char Char’s attire but he didn’t make any mention of it.

“Good morning.” The pair returned the greeting.

“I have twelve patients here who should be able to make the trip.” Dr. Ilec said, “Their symptoms are fairly progressed. Please be gentle with them, as the main symptoms at this stage of the disease is lethargy and confusion.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Finn said, “The officers I’ve brought are competent and have appropriate training for this.”

He didn’t mention that two of them were Exalted, with powers that could deal with problems should they occur.

“I’ll be going too.” Char Char said with a smile, “You don’t have to worry about a thing.”

Dr. Ilec nodded with a smile that accentuated the wrinkles at the edges of his eyes, “I’ll leave my faith with you two, then. I have two nurses that have volunteered to go with you, as well, if you have room.”

“Certainly.” Finn nodded.

They quickly wrapped up the rest of the details and arranged for the patients to be brought to the carriages in preparation for departure. As this was happening, Dr. Ilec brought Char Char and Finn into a private tent.

“I have one more request for you.” Dr. Ilec said to Finn. He glanced at Char Char briefly before continuing, “A colleague of mine has gone missing. He is a cleric of Yuima named Hakuya who provided a great amount of assistance in battling this disease. I was hoping that he was simply preoccupied and would return in time, but it’s been a few days and he hasn’t shown up.”

“A cleric of Yuima?” Finn frowned, instantly recalling from the reports that it was a cleric of Yuima that had discovered and reported the ritual at the woodcutter’s cabin, “Do you have any leads on where he could be?”

“No.” Dr. Ilec shook his head, gesturing to a sack on the table that he had brought out, “He disappeared in the middle of the night, leaving his belongings here.”

“What kind of belongings?” Finn asked, taking a look at the pile of goods.

“I didn’t take a close look, to be honest.” Dr. Ilec said, “But they look too valuable for him to just leave behind.”

“Tell me the details of his disappearance.” Finn said.

Dr. Ilec recounted the details of the night of Hakuya’s disappearance as Char Char stepped forward to look at the goods that had been neatly spread out on the table. There were vials full of herbs and salts, metal bowls and strange alchemical tubes and contraptions.

She randomly picked up a number of the items, not finding any clues as to her friend’s disappearance, when her hand brushed against a scroll of parchment that had been squished underneath some other items. She tilted her head as she unfolded it and read the contents with curiousity.

“A pawn shop contract?”