Chapter 10: The quest begins
"Alright then, Kibō san."
In the dimly lit room, two figures are tied onto the chairs whilst they're being interrogated. Four womens surrounds them trying to struck a deal with them.
"Just why? What's the catch here?" Nezuko questions him
"We wanted to get out of here."
"Why?"
"For years, we've been serving that man. Over here, magic aren't exactly allowed. Only a handful few are given the permission to use it." Saisho briefly explains
"Such as the one who controls this place." Yushiro adds
"Is that a problem?" Aoi wonders
"Indeed it is. Because its her who controls the place and movement of everyone in here. She answers only directly to him."
"To whom?"
"We can't say." Yushiro simply said. "I told you this ain't gonna work."
"It will. Oh it will Yushiro."
"Right, why should we trust you? We could just go out through that door you know." Mitsuri pointed out
"Trust me, if you go out there like this, you four ain't gonna be alive after this." Yushiro warns him
"He who controls us, we can't escape from him. Not without your help." Saisho simply said
"That's the same thing, you just told us that."
"Look, the people here aren't normal humans. We are actually a creature called demons."
"Demons?!" They all shouted
"Its a forbidden spell. And he did it countless of time to us. We don't eat human food, we eat humans as our meal."
"You need to shut your mouth more Saisho. You're making it worst." Yushiro scolds him
"Then why don't you tell them yourselves?"
"Alright, explain."
"Yes, we demons eat humans. But us both only needs a small amount of blood." Yushiro corrects him
"And does that makes it that you're good? I don't think so." Aoi said
"Alright, here's the deal. We help you escape and in turn you take us with you back." Yushiro spits out the offer
"Back?"
"Off this misery island."
"Why? Why do you want to abandon your own kingdom?" Nezuko asked
"We see him as a monster, trying to convince the others was no use. Many demons are worshipping him as god giving them immortality. That was the only thing I hate about it." Saisho blurted out
"Careful with your wording there. You really are pushing to the edge." Yushiro reminded him
"Damn these curse." Saisho curses
"What curse?"
"This is where we shut up." Yushiro looked at the distressed man. "So, do we have a deal?"
".......Give us a moment."
The four women hurdles together in the dark corner leaving the two men wondering what were they talking about. It seems serious from their point of view. After a moment had passed, they came back with Nezuko leading the group.
"Alright, Kibō san. If you can keep the deal, we will find a way to get you two out of here."
"Three." Both of them blurted out
"Sorry what?"
"There's three of us. A lady named Tamayo is also coming with us." Yushiro insisted
"She had been working for him to create all kind of things. Some are terrible things." Saisho explains further
"Alright, we will bring all three of you with us. In exchange, you help us escape. Your freedom for ours." Nezuko looked at both of them. "Do we have a deal?"
"Yes, we have a deal." Saisho finalize it
"Great! Then can we go now?" Mitsuri excitedly asked
"No can do." Saisho quickly answered
"What?! What do you mean?" Aoi almost yelled at them
"Its too risky. He's still here. But tomorrow, he will be busy with something else. That's our window."
"A window of opportunity."
"Then, guys?" Nezuko looked at the rest of them
"We have no choice. Whatever they do, we just follow through." Aoi advised
"Great!"
"Great." Nezuko breathe a sigh of relief
All six of them stares at each other with a blank stare. An awkward silence had filled the room and moments went by until Saisho coughed a bit.
"Um, so. Could you perhaps, ehem." Saisho tries to signals
"What, you couldn't do it yourself?" Yushiro stood up
"Eh? Since when did you-"
"You're such a freaking disgrace." Yushiro cut the rope with a small knife. "Lets go."
"H-hai. You don't have to be that disappointed." Saisho quickly follows
"Then, we will see you two tomorrow?" Nezuko wanted to confirm
"Of course. We will be back soon." Saisho said before the door closes
"There they go." Aoi simply said
"Did those two remind you of someone?" Nezuko asked
"Nope."
"Not a single clue."
"Huh, weird."
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"Are the troops ready?"
"Hai, all three regiments are waiting for your orders."
"Good, its time to show them the real deal."
"Should we deploy now?"
"Wait. Don't be so foolish. Let them sleep. Let them rest. We strike at dusk."
"Hai."
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Zenitsu's POV
I hate my life. Yesterday, I was having some rough time with mister loud person here and then, the boar head join in and it makes my head spins from the noise alone. And when we got to where our inn was, I had to share it with this loud bastard! Snoring like crazy all night! Can't I even get some decent sleep around here?!
Knock knock
"Who's there?" I answered the door
"Its almost dawn. Wake that friend of yours." That crazy butler again
I hear the fading footsteps leaving me with the loud snores. Hehe, this gave me an idea. Time for some payback.
.
"......"
Thwang!
"AAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!WHATTHEHELLMONITSU!?!?!?!?!?!"
"Catch me if you can bastard!"
"IMGONNAKILLYOU!!!!!!!!"
'Idiots.' Wan thought
After an energetic wake up call, everyone is now up and gathered in front of the inn waiting for the flamboyant man himself.
"Wow, you both look, interesting." Tatsuo noticed a huge bump on Inosuke's head and Zenitsu's black eye
"Don't wanna talk about it." Zenitsu felt the pain
"Well then, he should be here any moment now." Wan simply said
"How are you so sure about that?!" Kyoujuro yelled
"Because I've made sure of it."
"Speak of the devil, here he is."
From the empty streets, came forth a man with white hair and a diamond band on his head. He doesn't look too happy however.
"Oh Uzui san. You're here. Wait." Tanjiro was surprised
"Woah, what happened to you?" Tatsuo asked the man
"I don't know. Ask this guy for goddamn sake!" Uzui glares at Wan
"Wan san? What did you do?" Tanjiro crossed his arms
"I did what I must." Wan simply answered
"By that, you mean-"
"Putting some death threats notes and literally came at like 3 in the morning isn't something a normal person would do! I mean, how in the hell did you even find my damn house?!" Uzui shouted
"I have my sources. Also, you should wear your pants next time before you sleep."
"F*ck you!"
"We need to talk brother." Tatsuo grab on his shoulder
"Well enough bickering. Are we going or not?" Obanai getting impatient
"Yeah yeah. Just follow me."
The group began to travel through the town and finally out the kingdom itself. They continue on walking towards the coastline and a hidden dock can be seen. A boat is awaiting for them to board.
"Well then, all aboard." Uzui announced
"Lets go." Tanjiro steps in first
"Get in there Funitsu." Inosuke pushed him in
"Don't push me Inosuke." Zenitsu snarls at him
"Alright, hmm?" Uzui looked at the three butlers. "Aren't you coming?"
"Yeah Wan san. Aren't you coming?" Tanjiro asked the man
"We three have discussed about this matter. We three will go back to watch over the castle while you're gone." Wan explains
"We wish you luck on your journey your majesties." Tatsuo adds
"Come back safely! We will wait for you!" Kyoujuro finishes it off
"Is it okay?"
"Its fine. We will be fine on our own." Wan answered
"Be safe out there okay?"
".....Em. We will come back with them."
"Alright enough with this speech thing. We need to move now." Uzui get hold of the helm
"Oh, right. Lets go then."
"This is scary. We're going to the Clover Kingdom in this thing?!" Zenitsu shouted
"This baby had got me out of there multiple times. So sit back and enjoy the ride. Its gonna be a flamboyant one."
Uzui whistles a very long whistle and the boat began to move on its own. With no sails in sight, it was not driven by the winds. Instead, Uzui relies on the power of his specially trained mice called, The Buff mice. Underneath the deck, a row of buff mice work hard to spin a long shaft that drives the propeller under the water.
"Wahaha! This is quick! Let me go and see who's faster!" Inosuke took off his armour
"What the hell are you doing?! Put your damn clothes back on!" Zenitsu yelled
"Let me go! I wanna see who's faster. Me or this thing."
Just before he could jump off the boat, his vision went all over the place. The next thing he knows, he was back in the boat sitting down with his hands tied down.
"There."
"What's this?! Let me go!"
"You need to behave more. Tch." Giyuu walked off
"Ha! Serve you right!" Zenitsu laugh at him
They continue on their half an hour journey across the body of water towards the unknown island. Isolated from the rest of the Kingdoms and surrounded in thick fog. No sunlight would penetrate through them. And they were about to go into it.
"Alright, this is where you should do your magic." Uzui vaguely said
"What?" All of them were confused
"The shard. You did bring it right?" Uzui raise one of his eyebrows
"Ah, right." Tanjiro took out the shard
"What do we do with it?"
"Just open the lid and hold onto it. It should release the magic it contains." Uzui explains. "But not to much. It depends on how big and long you're gonna use it."
Tanjiro scans the glowing white tube and took notice the lid on top. He twist it and small holes revealed themselves and the magic came out. A cloak covers the redhead alone. But after he twist the lid more, the cloak size became bigger. Big enough to fit all five of them.
"This is amazing." Tanjiro gasp in awe
"Its a magic in a bottle. What's to be amazed about?" Obanai casually said
"Right, now be quiet. And hold your breath." Uzui instructed
As they enters through the thick fog, a voice, no, a whisper they hear is in the shadows. They try look for the source but only he and the yellow haired man knows where. Then, a wall of some sort, a few metres higher than them suddenly appears. On top was a man holding staff that blooms into a flower shapes at the top and another man holding a spear with three prongs at the ends.
"Yo! Sukido! Aizetsu!" Uzui greeted them
"Well well well. Look who do we have here. Coming to trade are we?" Sukido questions him
"Well yeah! What else can I do here other than getting rich?"
"Well hot damn. Do you got the payment?" Aizetsu asked the man
"Here!" Uzui throws a pouch of golds
"Its good." Aizetsu confirms the goods
"Go to the usual eh? Don't get spotted now. Or else." Sekido warns him
"I won't."
'I sure hope they would do the same.' He thought in his head
He steers the ship into shore inside a cave, hidden very well. He whistles once and his army of buff mice came emerging from below the deck and began to carry some heavy loads.
"Alright, follow me until we get to the city. From there, you're on your own." Uzui packs up
"Heh, this will be a piece of cake." Inosuke confidently said
"Let me warn you. This kingdom is a bit more advance than all three of your kingdoms combined."
"What do you mean by advanced?"
"You'll see. Oh and also, refrain from using magic gentleman. Over here, it is strictly forbidden. And for good reason."
"Got it."
"Understood."
"We have to do what now?"
"Just shut your mouth boar head."
"Then, off we go."
They began to walk out the cave and over the hills. With Uzui and his buff mice the only one being clearly visible while the other hides underneath the invisible cloak. They march on until they can see smoke. But not only that, they can hear thumping, loud noise and black smokes polluting the air. The scent wasn't a pleasant one for sure. That's when they see buildings ten storeys high, paved path with some sort of black rock. And a moving carriage? A horseless carriage carrying loads by itself. This has definitely widens the foreigners eyes as they see them all first hand for the first time.
"Surprise much?" Uzui teased
"Are we even in our world right now?" Zenitsu mumbles
"Right, as discussed. This is where we part off. I'll be back waiting at the boat by the time you return. But make sure not to cause any problems got it?" Uzui reminded them
"Hai."
"Alright, good luck then." Uzui left them
"So, what now?" Obanai asked
"This place is huge. How are we supposed to find them in here?" Zenitsu's eyes almost popping out of its sockets
"I have a way." Tanjiro shows his ring. "Here, hold this."
"Why should I follow your orders?" Inosuke refused
"Just do it you baffoon." Zenitsu slaps his back
"Show me Nezuko."
He whispers into his ring and it lit up. A beam of light showing the direction towards where they can find them. A sliver of hope to save the ones kidnapped.
"They're up north. We should get going."
"Better be quick. My queen is waiting for me." Obanai blurted
"Oh really?" Giyuu sarcastically said
"What, do you want to get punch in the face?"
"Well you're not the only one at risk losing your wife here." Giyuu blankly said
"Uh, you do mean only yourself right Giyuu san? I still don't have one." Tanjiro innocently said
"Sooner or later you will. For now, focus on the mission ahead."
"Hai."
'I can't believe they were talking about their wives. Wait for me my queen. I'll save you with my own life if I had to.' Zenitsu thought in his head
'I'm bored. When will the fight begin?' Inosuke thought
They continue on their journey following the ring as guidance through the busy streets full of weird contraptions and definitely weird looking people.
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Zzzzdakdak......ding.
Meanwhile, inside a dark windowless box, the chime of a bell rang across the room and a pair of doors slides open to reveal only one man inside an even smaller box. He step out and the second he does it, he was greeted by four young womens seeking for freedom.
"Konnichiwa Kibō san. You came here alone?" Nezuko the negotiator she spoke
"Not exactly as per say. I've came with someone else by my side." He took a step back. "Of course, you have met Yushiro."
As if on cue, the man reveals himself out of thin air and the ladies looked a bit surprised by his performance.
"Konnichiwa Yushiro san. Didn't see you there." Nezuko giggled
"Not funny. Can we get this over with already?" Yushiro felt annoyed
"Hmm? I thought you said there were three of you." Aoi took notice
"Ah yes, let me introduce to you, Lady Tamayo."
Upon hearing the name, thy woman emerges from the shadow realm back into the mortal realm. She appears to be a young woman in her thirties with long black hair, parted in the middle and tied up into a low bun behind. Eyes that possess no pupil but fades into more darker shades of purple the higher it goes.
"Hello girls. I'm lady Tamayo. Its nice to meet you." She bowed slightly
"Ah, its nice to meet you too. My name is Nezuko Kamado." Nezuko introduces herself
"I'm Kanroji Mitsuri. Its nice to meet you Tamayo san."
"First of all, I'm thankful that you even remotely accept a request from us strangers." Tamayo spoke
"Since you're the only one who can bring us out alive." Saisho adds
"Now hold up. We haven't even escape from this place yet. Maybe after we get out then, we could think about that." Aoi interrupts them
"The woman is right. We must go now Tamayo sama." Yushiro looked at her
"Then, we should go now."
"Alright then, lets hurry up."
"But first things first. Put these on." Yushiro gave them a piece of paper with a red symbol of an eye on it
"What's this?" Nezuko fiddles with her paper
"This is your way out of here. My magic is concealment magic. And I can transfer some of my magic through these mediums." Yushiro explains
"There's a lot of eyes in this place. And it is also notably easy to get lost. So its imperative that we must stick together." Saisho explains further. "If she sees us, then our chance just plummets into the abyss we were about to go through."
All the females nodded and wore the paper as per instruction from the young man that gave it to them. One by one, they disappear only to enter the shadow realm where they can see each other. Saisho being the only one visible as he needs to be in order for them to escape out of this place.
"Right, lets go."
Saisho enters the small box alone. He can't see them but he trusts them to be by his side at all time. He pressed a button and the door closes. Gravity suddenly went up pushing them down to the floor slightly. After a while, the doors open once more to reveal a total disorienting space that surrounds them.
'Trust my gut eh?' He chuckles to himself
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"Right, it should be just right- oof."
Not watching where he walks, a certain young male with red hair had hit not a person, not a carriage, but a wall this time. Ever since they began the journey, he had been too focused on his rings and didn't look forward. Resulted in a lot of damage caused by his forehead which made from god knows what.
"That was the tenth wall you've hit." The man with yellow hair reminded him
"But that wasn't just an ordinary wall. Its the castle wall. We made it." The man with black hair and blue eyes shook the redhead awake
"I see. How do we get in?" The serpent man questions
"What about follow those people?" The boar man being smart for once
"Yeah, that's our way in. Lets go."
They quickly marched to the pace of the marching soldiers entering the castle's ground. They went through many guards holding weapons of all sort. None are they familiar with. They follow right through and eventually into the castle itself. Upon entering, their gaze open wide looking at the massive fortress within these walls.
"This place. Where are we?" The redhead whispers
"Don't know. This is way weirder than your castle Kamado." Giyuu noted
"There's even people walking upside down and on the walls. The gravity in here is f*cked up." Obanai adds
"We have to keep moving. What does the ring say?" Zenitsu asked
"Right, follow me."
And so, the quests finally begins, to navigate through this mind bending disorienting palace. Having no idea of the victims whereabouts, and so are the opposite.
'Just wait for me Nezuko.'
'Wait for me Onii chan.'
'I will find you.' Both the Kamado siblings thought of the same thing. Coincidence? I think not.
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Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.