Back in Pasar, Ginjo and Sukh met quietly and formed
a quick plan.
Based on what the bakemono had told Ginjo about the kidnapper
clan, Sukh proposed a bold move: negotiate. He wasn’t ready to march
headlong into another battle against undead hordes. And if one of the temple
gems fetched enough silver, they might be able to ransom their comrades and
avoid a lot of unnecessary bloodshed.
Sheng, the mercenary, had spent time imprisoned with Shek
and was eager to help find his friend. The five sohei, still loyal to
Ginjo, agreed—hopeful they might recover Irak alive.
The Deal
Ginjo and Sukh made contact with the kidnappers. These
bakemono were different—larger than men, covered in thick hair
like bears. They were shrewd, cautious. They insisted on selling both
captives sight unseen—no haggling, no picking. But their price was lower
than expected: 100 tael for the pair.
The party agreed.
One of the captives was indeed Shek, battered but
alive.
The other, unfortunately, was a raving, violent man—wild-eyed,
chained, and furious. The hairy bakemono rolled him down the slope like a sack
of meat. As soon as he was unshackled, he punched Sukh, grabbed for a sword,
and—when thwarted—charged back up the hill, screaming curses and swinging
his chains, intent on attacking his former captors.
Reasoning that a dog returns to its vomit, Ginjo and
Sukh took the opportunity to get Shek out—fast.
Shek’s Story
Once they reached safety, Shek told them everything.
Pana, the foreign priest, had turned on them. Irak
and Shek had been on watch, and Pana used strange magic to paralyze both
of them, then bound them and marched them through the forest by night. By the
time they reached the canyon floor, dawn was near. Shek described a scene of
chaos: dozens of bakemono, fighting and shrieking in the moonlight. They
saw Pana and the prisoners and clamored for a tatste.
The two silent acolytes had been the first to be
traded—given away to the bakemono to keep others distracted or appeased.
Then Pana had traded Shek as well—keeping only Irak,
bound and silent.
Shek didn’t know where they went next.
Next Steps
Ginjo and Sukh conferred.
It was now beyond doubt: Pana was affiliated with the
wicked men who had built their own temple lair in the cliffs above the
canyon. Possibly the same red and black caves the bakemono had warned them
about.
Ginjo was not eager to return there. The sight of undead—zombies,
skeletons, moaning spirits—had left him unsettled. But there was no other path.
If they were to save Irak, they had to go back.
And they had to go soon.
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