We teleported this time, to Kanto, where the East Youkai Faction resided, deep into the mountains and valleys, in forests covered perpetually in fog and mist. Upon one such mountain stood a mansion, made in the old Japanese style, with stone paths and tiled roofs, and little gardens with painted curtain walls and koi ponds.
Yet there something off about the mansion, all the things that made a mansion homely, and stately were twisted here, like a bizarre, phantasmal reflection of its real counterpart. The painted walls depicted gruesome scenes, the brutality of nature where they traditionally depicted its beauty, the koi fish in the little pond, a ghostly, pale version of real koi, immaterial and with one eye socket hollowed out, where exited only pitch darkness.
The trees, ominous and gnarled, their roots like teeth jutting out from the ground, their branching like claws grasping at the air, felt like they were observing us as we moved through.
The inside of the mansion itself felt like an imitation of warmth, as if seen from a dream or hallucination, the rough tatami felt rotted and worn, even though at first glance it looked fine enough, the lanterns flickering without wind, the doors opening themselves and the youkai servants, sparse and wandering like lost souls.
It was like an 80s B-movie horror film in here. Only with slightly more realistic graphics.
"Nurarihyon is really leaning full on into the aesthetic huh?" I chuckled.
"It's creepy." Sairaorg said, looking around nervously while Dulio remained lost in his thoughts.
"These are their ways. It is not up to us to judge." My father spoke, his eyes peeled- I knew he felt it too- as the ghost girl servant led us through the twisting never-ending halls and unnaturally long corridors, till finally we reached a meeting hall.
The doors opened into the long hall, with a gallery of youkai nearly a hundred of them sitting in two straight lines, in a display straight out of a yakuza flick. They turned to stare at us all in unison as we entered. The Hyakki Yako, Nurarihyon's Night Parade Of A Hundred Demons. At the other end of the line, with a scroll hanging behind it on the wall was a small raised platform with three tables set on it, one table a little larger than the other two, right in the middle.
On one side of it sat a cat with white fur spotted with dark spots, seven tails lazily flicking about behind her, and on the other, a dog headed man whose fur bristled with sparks of lightning. Conspicuously, the middle seat was empty. He was around no doubt, Nurarihyon that is, probably peeking at us from somewhere, the pervert. My father knew it too. So he stood there, still, waiting them out of the little staring contest. But I just couldn't…
I looked at the whole display and stifled the urge to laugh.
I knew they were trying to be all cool and intimidating but really? At this point it's just hilarious.
I silently pulled out a pair of sunglasses from my storage spell and put them on.
That got me a few curious glances at first and then more and more, till one of them asked.
"What are you doing?"
"Oh, was I not clear enough?" I pulled out a second pair of sunglasses and put them on, over my first pair, simplifying my language to match their accent, "Is that better? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend. I just thought it would be rude not to join in, y'know, with you all being such big posers."
Oooh boy, that got them riled up and my father just sighed in defeat.
Several of them smashed their tables in anger and began shouting at me.
"The fuck you mean, twerp?" A burly Oni Youkai pointed at me and growled.
"I'll cook you like the chicken you are!" A flame youkai lifted his hand, burning with a ghostly blue fire.
As their cacophony of insults began to blur together, I just brought out a third pair of sunglasses and noticed their gazes turn weird.
A peal of thunder rumbled in the room, quieting them all down.
"Silence!" The dog headed youkai sitting at the end of the room roared and turned to me, "Explain yourself, boy."
"That creepy courtyard, the mist arrays, the twilight wards, the distorted corridors and this 'feast' serving a dinner course for all of you 'coincidentally' at the same time as our visit, no doubt in our honour." I pointed out, "And don't think I don't notice the raw, still bleeding organs in place of the main dishes. All of you being just so…" I picked the word carefully, "extra."
I chuckled a little as I continued.
"Don't get me wrong, you get A+ for effort, really. And it would have been really intimidating, if y'know, it was say, the time of twilight instead of fucking high noon out there." I pointed out the open door with my thumb, "It's the social equivalent of wearing sunglasses inside." I put on the third pair of sunglasses, "I just figured, why not join in on the fun? Be a little awkward if I didn't, what do you say?"
A beat passed in silence as they all stared at me surprised at the audacity before the cat beside the lightning dog burst out laughing.
"Munyahahahahaha!" She cackled, rolling on the floor, "He's got you there, boss!"
From thin air Nurarihyon stepped out onto the podium, wearing a Buddhist kasaya, and carrying a cane sword tucked into his cummerbund, and turned his big fat head to me, half smiling, half furious, "Cocky brat! Are you not afraid I will refuse to teach you Touki?"
"Eh, I don't need you to teach me Touki per se. I kinda already figure it out." I shrugged, "I just gotta get in touch with the source of my life yeah?"
Nurarihyon raised an eyebrow.
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
"I'm a Phenex. I just need to keep dying till I get the hang of it!" I answered with a cocky grin.
This seemed to pleasantly shock him and the rest of the flock, as they sent me weird looks.
"What a vicious boy~" The cat showed a full toothed grin and asked, "Then why did you come to us?"
"Senjutsu." I answered, "Can't do all that hard work dying just to go mad the first time I try Sage Mode, now can I?"
"Nyohoho!" She chuckled, "Quite knowledgeable. You did your homework before coming here, nya?"
"Would be foolish to go into business without doing my due diligence." I replied.
Nurarihyon turned to my father who had yet been silent.
"And how much will you pay us for it?"
"Three vials of Phoenix Tears." My father replied.
"Per lesson? How generous, Lord Phenex." Nurarihyon spoke hastily, "It's a dea-"
"Total." My father cut him off, a stern glare levelled his way.
The negotiations had begun.
"Twenty per student."
"Eight total. Adding in your cut from Yasaka's side, that should come up to twelve. Four each is a fair price." My father called out their double dealing.
"Six each. Fourteen total." Nurarihyon didn't even bother denying it.
"Three total." My father dipped back down again.
"Hey! That's not how you negotiate!" He cried in annoyance and they got into a stare off.
"We'll do four each." Nurarihyon finally conceded.
"Then let us finalize the deal." My father pulled out the contract and added in the term for privacy, welfare and non-disclosure etc., moving around on it until they both agreed upon a common solution.
"There, done." Nurarihyon smiled, "You drive a hard bargain Lord Phenex. You can leave them with us now. We will take good care of them."
My father turned to us and gave me and Dulio a hug.
"Work hard all of you. I will come visit you next week. Till then, don't make unnecessary trouble. I'm looking at you, Riser."
"Whaaat? No, I never cause trouble." I joked only to get a stern look that shut me up.
He leaned down and patted my head.
"Take care of Dulio and Sairaorg. I'm trusting you with that, okay?"
I nodded.
"I will dad. Promise."
With that he waved us goodbye and teleported away.
And thus, our Touki training camp began.
...............
Yes, I changed the chapter. I will have the competition between mc and Nurarihyon happen later in a more private setting. Sorry guys.
Thanks to King gluttony for the advice. The drama really was needless. Sometimes logic must triumph over fun. This was one of those times. It will still happen in a different circumstance, way later. But for now, that's it.
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