"I should have known. People don't approach strangers in English in this place." Eva furiously ranted, ripping draws open and slamming them shut in search for any scrap of evidence.
"You weren't to know, it's not your fault." I reassured her, meticulously looking for signs of a struggle around the room alongside Seth, who was still fairly panicked from our mania entering.
"She really wasn't suspicious in any way." Lucy followed up, sympathetically, popping out from the base area where she had been checking on the status of the other cryptids.
From what we had concluded, at some point while we were on our interview, Randy had been taken by Nikki, a neighbouring businesswoman, who was actually a Kitsune in human form. She would be forcing a marriage upon Randy in less than an hour and then sacrificing him to Inari, a Shinto fox deity. Honestly it probably wouldn't be the worst marriage I had attended, but it would still probably better if we nipped the problem in the bud.
"Look." I said with authority, attracting the attention of everyone. "There's nothing here. In all likelihood, Randy was taken at the froyo shop. Nikki may never have come in here. I say we investigate there, and on the way, Eva will tell us what she learned in the interview. How does that sound?"
Eva was still furious with herself but she agreed to leave this place alone. Self hating wasn't the most important thing here right this second, Randy was. So we collectively left to find the fabled froyo shop.
It didn't take too long. The building had a large frozen yogurt sign on the front, so it was fairly obvious we were in the right place. The building was obviously locked and the inside empty. Despite Sid's eagerness to charge the door down, Eva decided for the slightly more legal option of trying for a spare key and if nothing else, lockpicking. Fortunately for us, Nikki had the foresight to leave a spare key under a potted bonsai tree outside. Convenient.
"So what did your interview tell you Eva?" I asked, searching the small store just as I had done our own.
"Not actually too much. Mr. Akito met the fox when he was exploring the forest. He was drawn in by the bright Kitsunebi, or fox fire, shining through the trees. What he found was a hidden festival ground, abandoned seeming. It was then he was approached by the Kitsune. Now if I'm judging based on Kitsune hierarchy, her dark activities would suggest that she isn't a Tenko, Kūko or even Kiko. However the severity of Mr. Akito's burns and other wounds would suggest that Nikki is a very high ranking Chiko. The wedding begins at sundown. We have half an hour. I suggest we make for the woods and try to find the festival. Michael, if you come then she'll know we're coming before we arrive. But, I'm going to take the risk that she already figure we'll come. So back to the shop. Grab artillery. Drive to Mr. Akito's home. Find the festival. Save Randy."
We didn't understand what half of that meant but clearly stakes were high. Time was running short. We would have to drive incredibly quick. It didn't take very long at all for us to load up our equipment and then we were travelling. Bringing Seth would draw unnecessary attention, so I decided to keep him back in my room again. We very likely broke a hell of a lot of speed limits as we went, but we wouldn't even pull over for police at this point. The woods drew closer, a foreboding line of dark trees hardly illuminated by the quickly setting sun. Without hesitation we delved deeper and deeper into the trees, swatting the branches that seemed intent on holding us back out of the way. A warm glow, like circus lights, told us that we had found the festival grounds.
"No matter what you see here, what Yokai you see, what dream entity or purple mirror you encounter, you steel your resolve and save Randy." Eva reminded us. And so, together, we stepped into the festival clearing.
Music blared in our ears as we entered the festival grounds. Yokai of all shapes and heights walked through the plaza. The stands were primarily ran by Tengu and Bakeneko, whose catlike eyes gleamed as they carefully watched their wares. Despite my intrigue, we all kept towards the forest sides to avoid being noticed. Looking towards the stands in the centre showed the source of the music to be three Yokai that looked like instruments. There was a guitar, a lute and a harp.
"Any idea on what they are?" I hissed to Eva.
"In standing order, Shami Chōrō, Biwa Bokuboku and Koto Furunushi. Possessed musical instruments, always remember tunes played on them. Look over there, a group of Itachi!" Eva replies pointing towards a small colony of weasels, standing upright and chattering.
"Shouldn't we be grabbing these things to research?" Sid asked. Eva sharply glared at him.
"Sid, we take animals in to study. We do not hold sentient beings against their will. We will only hold a sentient Yokai captive if they accept." Eva reprimanded.
I shot a side eye over to Lucy who also vaguely saw the irony. In the air, Foxfire of all colours danced freely, keeping away from touch. An Inugami was browsing at one of the stalls, deciding whether or not to buy an antique charm. All in all it was a very supernatural affair.
Something that looked like a gong turtle, that I now know is a Shogōrō rang out at the front of the festivities, in front of a huge stage. It called out in a croaky voice.
"The proceedings will happen now."
Everyone gathered around the stage. The curtains went up to show Nikki, nine tailed and looking entirely more spiritual, and Randy, actually surprisingly well dressed. Even besides that though he looked like he'd spent the day in a cage. Besides them was another yokai known as a Suzuhiko Hime, a form of possessed bell. It appeared she was a wedding officiant. Randy went to the front of the stage and began to speak.
"Well hello. Large attendance today. Cats, birds, even those weird dogs with human faces!"
A Hōkō in the audience snarled at him in response.
"Well anyway, a few years back I would have thought it would be great to marry a Kitsune. But now it's actually happening. I met Nikki here a few days ago, so honestly this is going a bit fast for my liking. In fact this ceremony is going fairly well. A few years back I set up the wedding for my best friend at the time. Honestly I thought it went well. Nobody else seemed to and the marriage broke up a few weeks later. But anyway-"
"You're stalling." Nikki hissed, cutting him off.
"You're right I am." Randy continued. "There is little chance of escape for me in this scenario and I'm stalling to see if there's a way I can do so. So far I've calculated the chance of me surviving if I dash off to my right into the forest. It's very low. But higher than if I stay."
With that, Randy dashed towards the forest, with the now furious Nikki chasing him down. We revealed ourselves and began chasing her down too, followed by a small entourage of the audience. A sound of scuffle in front of us slowed us down, but in the time we had slowed, the other Yokai had caught up. In a flash of orange stripes a Nue had taken down Sid and pinned him to the ground. Lucy struggled in the wide white wolffish arms of the Inugami. Eva was held in place by the Shami Chōrō, though she really wasn't struggling much. Miraculously, I was left untouched. But something in me told me that wasn't an oversight, I was left alone for a reason. With nothing better to do than bargain, I approached Randy and Nikki.
"So you're here." Nikki said as I stepped into view, rifle to hand if things went awry. Randy was stood just behind her, pinned to a tree by the ceremonial dagger through the shoulder of his top.
"So I am." I replied coolly. "But why am I here if everyone else has been taken prisoner? There's clearly a reason you didn't have me pinned down too, so explain yourself."
Nikki looked down, before regaining her composure.
"We were reached out to by an association. I wasn't told their true name, or anything really. But we attained a compromise. Somehow, they knew you'd come here. We were to be given full protection from anyone who would try to attack us. I had full permission to defend my territory and my people, if I needed to. However, no matter what, don't kill the boy if he comes, that's what they told me. Do everything you can to keep him alive. And so I am. This ceremony will be completed. And when it is, your associates will have their fate decided by council. But you can go."
I was left reeling. Who, and why, contacted a Kitsune for the specific purpose of keeping me alive? What was the organisation that wanted me alive specifically? I took a step back and cocked my rifle.
"Stand down. I don't want to shoot, but I will." I called out, my voice slightly shaky from the news I had been given. Nikki's face looked dark, as if she was brooding, though she faced away from me.
"So you won't leave, despite my allowance. You'd fight for your friends."
Suddenly she turned, snatching the dagger from Randy's shoulder as he fell panting to the floor and scurried off to the side.
"Then you will fight for your friends in ritual combat!" she yelled, pointing the stone dagger towards my chest. "This dagger shall be yours to wield. Your opponent shall be me!"
With that Nikki crouched and changed. Her face elongated into that of a fox, and her limbs became thinner, houndlike. Her fingers morphed into sharp claws. Nikki, now looking more fox than human, charged at me, claws outstretched. I threw myself to the left just in time, rolling to a stand. I rushed in with the dagger but she turned and knocked my hand to the side with her clawed paw. I barely ducked in time to avoid a side swipe. Dashing backwards, I jumped to the side as her sharpened claws hit bark, cleaving a deep mark into the tree.
"That's not going to look good to the Kodama." I panted.
"Shut up and stop moving!" Nikki screamed, charging in for another flailing assault on me. Clearly she was fighting on emotion, and despite my tiredness, my calmness gave me the edge. As I sidestepped her vicious attack, I threw the dagger with all my strength in her direction. It missed muscle, but pinned the vixen to one of the trees by her scruff.
"Now order the release of my team." I ordered. A burst of flame erupted from the Kitsune's body, and the dagger fell to the floor as she lifted into the air.
"Even in a fight you're a pacifist. But all the same. I was bested. You can all leave. But never seek this place again."
As Nikki turned to leave, she turned to me one more time.
"Oh, and a message. From the organisation. I don't know what it means myself, but you might. They say, 'The Gallows was a front. The Amber-Clad still remain'."
And with that Nikki vanished in a blinding burst of flame. Eva, Sid and Lucy suddenly burst onto the scene to rendezvous with me and Randy, who finally reentered the scene from the forest.
"Michael, are you OK?" Eva asked. "You look like you've seen Hell itself."
"I... need to talk to you all..." I gasped.
Back at the shop, and after I explained everything that had transpired, the room was filled with grim faces.
"I really thought it was over." Eva muttered. "You're certain that Elizabeth didn't make it out alive when the base was destroyed?"
"People don't just live a Wyvern attack from that close a range. She was either incinerated or devoured." I solemnly stated. "But somehow, there's still a shadow organisation running everything behind the scenes. A shadow organisation that relates to those people in the yellow cloaks. I don't know who they are, but for some reason they're intent on keeping me alive."
Silence filled the room. Neither Sid, nor Randy, nor Lucy could say anything on the situation. I was left in thought, unsure of what to think.