"Water Demon In a Gambling Den"
May. 24th, 2022 11:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dochermes"Water Demon In a Gambling Den"
9/22/2019
Two bodyguards led Jeremy Bane in off the hot steamy Tokyo street into the equally hot steamy nightclub. The music was loud and repetitive, there was lots of decorative smoke and many sweating faces shouting at each other from inches away. Bane was not the only white face there by any means, he spotted a party of Arabs and even a North African. As they passed the bar, the bigger of the bodyguards went over and came back with three glasses.
"Rinsu vodka, very good. Custom you try." He handed a glass to the Dire Wolf and sipped his own gingerly.
Bane tried it. It tasted okay. Alcohol had not have any effect on him for many years, as his tagra tea diet made his body process anything he took in and discard what it didn't need. He drained the glass and said, "Thank you." Both bodyguards reluctantly finished their own as if they wanted to savor the flavor. They led him to a door at the rear of the nighclub, where a huge sumo-type in a tight suit opened a door for them. Here was an equally huge room filled with gambling tablescrowded with excited men, and assorted beautiful women of different nationalties milling about to encourage them. The two guards slowly made their way through this room, giving Bane a chance for a good long look. Again they were admitted through a rear door, up a wide staircase to still another wrestler who admitted them through another locked door. This room was dim and stuffy and the reek of different smoke was heavy. On long couches were sprawled stupefied men and women who smiled blankly as Bane passed by. Paraphenalia of many kinds was scattered on the floor.
One more time, they were passed through a guarded door but this time went down a brief hallway which ended at a pair of polished, sliding doors. Two more guards, one immense and one wiry, let them through. Here was a modern office with a huge steel and glass desk behind which a serious-faced mustached man in a white suit sat smoking a cigar. A dozen men and women were reading reports or standing by. The boss snapped a brief order, one man bowed and hurried out. A phone rang and a very young Japanese woman with red-tinted hair answered it and began arguing with someone on the other end.
As he saw the intruder, the man behind the desk sat up straighter. "Dire Wolf! You are as I expected you to look."
Bane nodded politely. "Mishioka-san. Our paths have never needed to cross."
The Yakuza baron smiled the insincere greeting of a born predator. "Your history is known. You have been in Japan before and left much destruction behind you. So very American, if I may say so. But you are not police. You are not interested in my business deals?"
"No," Bane said. "I am a knight of Tel Shai. You know my life is fighting monsters. Tonight, though, I have actually come to warn you that you are in danger."
"Really? How so?"
"A sorceror from the Winter Snow school has a grudge against your clan. It was his foolish nephew who got so far in debt that he saw no way out but to lie down on train tracks. Old Uzawa took it hard. I know he reached into the Half-World and called a water demon here to slay you in a most intolerable way."
Mishioka put the cigar down. "These are tales to frighten children in the nursery. Dire Wolf, let me explain something. When you were shown here, my guards watched your reactions closely. The drink, the gambling, the women, the drugs.. none mattered to you. You did not show any interest. They are skilled at spotting reactions. But still, every man has his weakness."
"Of course. Mine is honor. I have no reason to protect you, Mishioka-san. You are a gangster like many others. But I do not want sorcerors sending demons to kill the living. That goes against my duty. That is why I am here."
Now the Yakuza let the smile slip. "No! You must have some other motivation. I think one of my enemies has hired you to assassinate me. You surrendered your gun at the door and you are now surrounded by tough and skilled fighters. Now you will tell me the truth."
The Dire Wolf glanced around the room. Three women in modest pantsuits stood nearby, but the rest of the people there were indeed fit, dangerous-looking men in their thirties. He turned back to his host. "You should be a good judge by now, Mishioka-san. Listen to my voice. Look at my eyes. Am I lying?"
"No..... No, I don't think so. Now I am a little worried."
"As you should be." Faster than anything anyone in that room had ever seen, Bane turned and slapped the red-haired woman hard across the face. She growled the whiplash snarl of a big cat and changed. In a blur, her skin turned dead-white and puffy, her lank black hair fell over her face and water dripped off her. Every one in that room gasped or screamed at the unexpected horror of her appearance.
The water demon swung around and lunged for Mishioka but Bane jumped between them. His arms blurred out and back, slicing at the demon with daggers he had drawn from his sleeves. The demon shrieked so loud it was painful to hear and fell apart into a gooey mass of decay on the luxurious rug. Only now the Yakuza guards start to respond, too late. They stared down at the hideous sludge that a few minutes ago had been one of their fellow workers, then glared up uneasily at the American with the grey eyes.
As calmly as if nothing unusual had happened, the Dire Wolf picked up a linen napkin from a table and wiped the silver blades of his daggers carefully before returning them to the sheathes beneath his sleeves. "That was a nasty one," he said casually. "I think that was one of the water demons who turns its victims inside out."
"That.. that was Etsuko. I knew her family. She has worked for me two years..!"
"No, I'm sorry. Etsuko was already dead, and the demon was impersonating her. Her body is probably hidden nearby. It won't be a pretty sight, I regret to say. Well, now I have to hunt down Uzawa. He knows this kind of spell is forbidden." Bane stepped around the mass on the floor. "I suggest your men wear gloves when they clean that up. It'll dissolve further but it will smell pretty ripe in a few minutes."
"Wait. Stop. I must speak." Mishioka rose to his feet and slowly, reluctantly gave the slightest of bows. "I am trapped by giri. You saved my life as everyone saw. I owe you a debt and I cannot allow you to leave without my repaying it somehow."
"I know," Bane said. "It would lead to bad blood between us if I just said to forget it. Tell you what. Take tonight's proceeds from your nightclub. Donate it anonymously to that hospital I saw by the airport. Will you do that?"
Mishioka looked as apalled at this thought as he had been when he saw the water demon coming at him. "But... you yourself?"
"That will be my reward. Think of it as my earning good karma, if you like." The Dire wolf straightened his jacket. "Is there some rear exit? I'd just as soon not have to march through those rooms of tempations again, if I don't have to."
6/19/2013
9/22/2019
Two bodyguards led Jeremy Bane in off the hot steamy Tokyo street into the equally hot steamy nightclub. The music was loud and repetitive, there was lots of decorative smoke and many sweating faces shouting at each other from inches away. Bane was not the only white face there by any means, he spotted a party of Arabs and even a North African. As they passed the bar, the bigger of the bodyguards went over and came back with three glasses.
"Rinsu vodka, very good. Custom you try." He handed a glass to the Dire Wolf and sipped his own gingerly.
Bane tried it. It tasted okay. Alcohol had not have any effect on him for many years, as his tagra tea diet made his body process anything he took in and discard what it didn't need. He drained the glass and said, "Thank you." Both bodyguards reluctantly finished their own as if they wanted to savor the flavor. They led him to a door at the rear of the nighclub, where a huge sumo-type in a tight suit opened a door for them. Here was an equally huge room filled with gambling tablescrowded with excited men, and assorted beautiful women of different nationalties milling about to encourage them. The two guards slowly made their way through this room, giving Bane a chance for a good long look. Again they were admitted through a rear door, up a wide staircase to still another wrestler who admitted them through another locked door. This room was dim and stuffy and the reek of different smoke was heavy. On long couches were sprawled stupefied men and women who smiled blankly as Bane passed by. Paraphenalia of many kinds was scattered on the floor.
One more time, they were passed through a guarded door but this time went down a brief hallway which ended at a pair of polished, sliding doors. Two more guards, one immense and one wiry, let them through. Here was a modern office with a huge steel and glass desk behind which a serious-faced mustached man in a white suit sat smoking a cigar. A dozen men and women were reading reports or standing by. The boss snapped a brief order, one man bowed and hurried out. A phone rang and a very young Japanese woman with red-tinted hair answered it and began arguing with someone on the other end.
As he saw the intruder, the man behind the desk sat up straighter. "Dire Wolf! You are as I expected you to look."
Bane nodded politely. "Mishioka-san. Our paths have never needed to cross."
The Yakuza baron smiled the insincere greeting of a born predator. "Your history is known. You have been in Japan before and left much destruction behind you. So very American, if I may say so. But you are not police. You are not interested in my business deals?"
"No," Bane said. "I am a knight of Tel Shai. You know my life is fighting monsters. Tonight, though, I have actually come to warn you that you are in danger."
"Really? How so?"
"A sorceror from the Winter Snow school has a grudge against your clan. It was his foolish nephew who got so far in debt that he saw no way out but to lie down on train tracks. Old Uzawa took it hard. I know he reached into the Half-World and called a water demon here to slay you in a most intolerable way."
Mishioka put the cigar down. "These are tales to frighten children in the nursery. Dire Wolf, let me explain something. When you were shown here, my guards watched your reactions closely. The drink, the gambling, the women, the drugs.. none mattered to you. You did not show any interest. They are skilled at spotting reactions. But still, every man has his weakness."
"Of course. Mine is honor. I have no reason to protect you, Mishioka-san. You are a gangster like many others. But I do not want sorcerors sending demons to kill the living. That goes against my duty. That is why I am here."
Now the Yakuza let the smile slip. "No! You must have some other motivation. I think one of my enemies has hired you to assassinate me. You surrendered your gun at the door and you are now surrounded by tough and skilled fighters. Now you will tell me the truth."
The Dire Wolf glanced around the room. Three women in modest pantsuits stood nearby, but the rest of the people there were indeed fit, dangerous-looking men in their thirties. He turned back to his host. "You should be a good judge by now, Mishioka-san. Listen to my voice. Look at my eyes. Am I lying?"
"No..... No, I don't think so. Now I am a little worried."
"As you should be." Faster than anything anyone in that room had ever seen, Bane turned and slapped the red-haired woman hard across the face. She growled the whiplash snarl of a big cat and changed. In a blur, her skin turned dead-white and puffy, her lank black hair fell over her face and water dripped off her. Every one in that room gasped or screamed at the unexpected horror of her appearance.
The water demon swung around and lunged for Mishioka but Bane jumped between them. His arms blurred out and back, slicing at the demon with daggers he had drawn from his sleeves. The demon shrieked so loud it was painful to hear and fell apart into a gooey mass of decay on the luxurious rug. Only now the Yakuza guards start to respond, too late. They stared down at the hideous sludge that a few minutes ago had been one of their fellow workers, then glared up uneasily at the American with the grey eyes.
As calmly as if nothing unusual had happened, the Dire Wolf picked up a linen napkin from a table and wiped the silver blades of his daggers carefully before returning them to the sheathes beneath his sleeves. "That was a nasty one," he said casually. "I think that was one of the water demons who turns its victims inside out."
"That.. that was Etsuko. I knew her family. She has worked for me two years..!"
"No, I'm sorry. Etsuko was already dead, and the demon was impersonating her. Her body is probably hidden nearby. It won't be a pretty sight, I regret to say. Well, now I have to hunt down Uzawa. He knows this kind of spell is forbidden." Bane stepped around the mass on the floor. "I suggest your men wear gloves when they clean that up. It'll dissolve further but it will smell pretty ripe in a few minutes."
"Wait. Stop. I must speak." Mishioka rose to his feet and slowly, reluctantly gave the slightest of bows. "I am trapped by giri. You saved my life as everyone saw. I owe you a debt and I cannot allow you to leave without my repaying it somehow."
"I know," Bane said. "It would lead to bad blood between us if I just said to forget it. Tell you what. Take tonight's proceeds from your nightclub. Donate it anonymously to that hospital I saw by the airport. Will you do that?"
Mishioka looked as apalled at this thought as he had been when he saw the water demon coming at him. "But... you yourself?"
"That will be my reward. Think of it as my earning good karma, if you like." The Dire wolf straightened his jacket. "Is there some rear exit? I'd just as soon not have to march through those rooms of tempations again, if I don't have to."
6/19/2013
