144

 

144.  Subjugators

 

For the first time in a long while, Vance was all on his own.

 

Grayson had crushed them, Edward had sacrificed himself to let the group escape, Frank was alone guarding three wounded people, Averyl had vanished, and Eden's whereabouts were yet unknown, but Vance had to push it all into the back of his mind. For now, he felt rejuvenated and in control, and more importantly, he had a mission to accomplish.

 

This is where things will turn around. I'm not running from Grayson – I'm just getting ahead of him. I'll destroy the factory, regroup with everyone... We'll find Averyl, my dad, Eden, and then we'll go stop Grayson once and for all.

 

Grumpy-looking swordsmen in blue-and-white robes marched to and fro through the passageways as Vance hurried his way out of the Shinsengumi HQ. Every time someone questioned him, he simply replied that he was the son of Grayson Lee, and that Okita Soji had given him clearance.

 

He walked out of the front gate to the headquarters just as a burnt orange sun had begun to rise in the sky. Guarding this entrance were not humans, but tall ogrish creatures with bulking muscles, twitching veins and horned heads. Grafted to their red skin were sets of metal gauntlets and plates, complete with strange helmets that only covered the tops of their heads, then curved back into their necks with wires and cords.

 

A long bridge equipped with watchtowers and archers helped Vance traverse the greenish-blue moat that surrounded the citadel. As he moved across it, he could see more and more of the strange city beyond. Buildings constructed out of clay and wood had been sectioned off by dirt and stone paths, yet people zoomed across them on motorcycles. Pipes shot out from the ground, and electricity towers stood far taller than the houses that had been enhanced with rusty metal appendages. The city was full of ongoing construction, whether it was for a vending machine or new houses with metallic automatic doors.

 

Vance started across the main street and saw another gate in the northeast, where guards were slowly letting people through. Peasants dressed in kimono moved carts of scrap metal, fishy-smelling food, and silk bundles into the city, but only after they each received an interrogation from officials clad in pristine violet robes. Each official had a sword at his waist, but Vance couldn't sense any potent auras. They looked frustrated as they fumbled with the small devices in their hands.

 

People swarmed the main street. In and out of houses moved merchants carrying boxes of coins and others carrying merchandise. As they moved from one place to another, pedestrians dodged invitations from solicitors of all sorts. Inside the entrance to a small restaurant with wooden tables and rickety chairs stood a 50-inch television, as flat as a board and attached to an earthen wall. Vance's tastebuds still prickled to attention when the scent of roasting meat drifted under his nostrils.

 

It didn't take long for him to notice the looks of suspicion and curiosity coming from those who caught sight of him. The further he moved into the marketplace, the more he was pestered by peddlers trying to earn an easy sale on an unsuspecting foreigner. With a relaxed shrug, he informed them one by one that he possessed no money – in any dimension.

 

Vance took a moment to stop and sense all that was around him, noting that the auras in his immediate vicinity felt fairly weak, which included the blue-and-white robed guards that patrolled the streets.

 

Hopefully it'll be the same at the factory. Okita told me to head to the west gate...

 

As the number of peddler carts, street entertainers, and hovercrafts increased, Vance lost sight of his path. His eyes cruised over all the bizarre weapons, trinkets, and art pieces that were for sale. In the center of the marketplace stood a fountain of light, or, as it looked to Vance, a bunch of ugly metal pipes sticking up out of the ground, spouting off different colors of neon lights. He stepped up to the grotesque monolith merely to escape the wave of people then started searching around for someone who looked friendly enough to give him directions to the west.

 

Some feet away, he spied a middle-aged merchant with short black hair and a modest mustache who smiled as he conversed with a dark-skinned, purple-braided woman. He looked down to earth, and more importantly, he seemed to enjoy interacting with foreigners.

 

Eventually, the woman left, and the merchant's stall became empty.

 

Vance took a deep breath and strode over to the man. "Hey, got a minute?"

"That depends," the merchant replied with a snort, as he picked up a dried squid leg and started to chew on it. "Say, where you from, foreigner?"

 

"Uh, Earth," Vance answered awkwardly. "Mind if I ask you a question?"

 

The merchant eyed Vance up and down, then thought for a moment. "Depends on how much the answer's worth to you."

 

"I don't have any money," Vance said honestly.

 

"What are you doing at the open-dimensional market, then?" The man's eyes twinkled. "Looking for something nice to steal?"

 

"What?" Vance scratched his head, pausing until he could come up with a good angle. "Look, I may not have any money, but I saw you doing business with a foreigner. Maybe I have some intel that could be of service to you. Are you willing to trade your information for mine?"

 

The shopkeeper broke into a laugh. "Sure, why not? I don't have anything better to do. Here, grab a chair, and I'll go get us a drink."

 

Hoping the time he spent here would be fruitful, Vance grabbed a small wooden stool and sat down on the other side of the merchant's stall. The man eventually introduced himself as Samon, a peddler of antiques and gems. He poured the contents of a larg gourd into two small lacquer cups and handed one to Vance.

 

"Yamatoan whiskey," Samon said with a smirk. "On the house."

 

The Albavitrean glanced down at the alien drink, then sucked in a breath and downed the entire cup. The strong, sour taste made him grimace, which caused Samon to burst out into another laugh. In an attempt to start off strong, Vance regaled the man with a brief account of his time at the Belmarcian Tournament. He went into detail regarding the background of the tournament, the Dark Zodiacs, the Clock that had been offered up as its prize, and its grisly end. All the while, he did his best to skip over any details that involved Eden or his own heritage, which was easier said than done. It all felt like it had happened eons ago, and remembering the time he'd spent alone with her made his body feel hollow and stiff.

 

Despite Vance's own inner turmoil, Samon listened with interest and nodded in approval.

 

"Sounds like quite the tournament," he remarked, "but I've got one better. You know the Shinsengumi?"

 

"Uh...no," Vance answered.

 

"Geez, no money, and you don't even know about the Shinsengumi? What are you doing here, anyway?"

 

"I'm looking for a big factory," Vance answered. "It's supposed to be on the west side of town."

 

"The Takeda Factory? Yeah, it's to the west alright. Just straight down that road there," Samon said, raising an eyebrow and gesturing toward the street. "Anyway, back to what I was saying about the Shinsengumi. They're the strongest men in this dimension – and that's no exaggeration, because they killed all the other ones just to prove it."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Koga held his own tournament before he formed the Shinsengumi," Samon said with a dark smile. "And it was a lot more bloody than your Belmarcian one, believe it or not. The prize was simple – survive, and you get a spot in the ranks."

 

"Seems like a stupid waste of resources," Vance muttered.

 

"Maybe," Samon shrugged. "Or a quick way to dispose of inefficient resources, depending on how you look at it. Either way, you don't want to mess with them. Especially not Takeda Kanryusai's factory. He's built his own army out there from what I hear–"

 

Samon's words cut off, and he whirled his head around. Vance followed, and was surprised to see every person present bowing and pointing their heads on the ground. 

 

"Bow if you know what's good for you," the shopkeeper whispered, then hastily did the same. "Shogun Koga and his personal advisor, Ito Kashitaro are passing through."

 

Vance watched as four armored tengu carried a jeweled, triangle-shaped palanquin out from a side street. To Vance, the creatures looked like nothing more than monstrous, black-feathered ducks armored in dulled steel, but their auras felt potent.

 

All the people within the town square bowed in reverence as the lord passed. In seconds, the noisy, bustling market had quieted. Vance slowly lowered his head, but only enough so that he could keep an eye on what was going on.

 

Then, a shout rang out, and the palanquin stopped. Vance lifted his head up a bit and peered around the somber zone. A boom sounded out as the palanquin hit the ground, and one of the rear doors flew open. Female giggling could be heard from inside, but Vance saw no smile on the face of the man who appeared.

 

He had long, spidery eyebrows furrowed over dark, thin eyes, while side locks of black hair curled out in front of his ears like horns. Wrinkles peppered his forehead, and his bulky, robed figure simmered with vitality.

 

"Shinsengumi Advisor Ito Kashitaro now passes! Lower yourselves!" he barked.

 

Ito stomped powerfully forward, forcing those in his path to scurry out of his way like mice. After a few seconds, Vance realized the man was walking straight toward him.

 

"Lower yourself, foreigner." Ito's voice sounded as sharp as a blade. "Why do you only bow your head, when everyone else bows their bodies?"

 

Vance remained still. "Does it really matter? What are they doing that for, anyway?"

 

"To honor our shogun Koga Suzunosuke, the source of all glory, peace, and prosperity that our dimension of Yamato has received – the one who was granted you the right to enter this dimension and enjoy all of its benefits, foreigner."

 

Vance raised an eyebrow.

 

"Do not think we will go lenient on you simply because you are not a Yamatoan citizen." Ito reared his head back, doing all in his power to make himself appear taller. "All those who obstruct the advance of Yamato and its culture are our enemies."

 

Patience. Have patience. Getting to the factory is all that matters. Gritting his teeth, Vance let out a sigh and slowly got down on his hands and knees. "Alright, happy now?"

 

"You don't sound the least bit sorry, foreigner," Ito continued, as he pressed a straw-sandaled foot onto Vance's head. "I want an earnest apology, now."

 

With that, all of Vance's self-control instantly evaporated, replaced by the chaos that surged through his veins. His aura flared, knocking Ito back and ripping up stone from the pavement. As an enraged expression emerged on Ito's face, the tengu guards rushed to his side.

 

"Do you have any knowledge of who you just struck, you accursed alien?!" he hissed. "I should have you beheaded right this instant!"

 

"Ito!" an older voice sounded out from within the palanquin. "What's the problem?"

 

"I apologize for the hindrance, your lordship!" Ito answered quickly. "A foreigner just attacked me!"

 

"Well, hurry up and deal with him and let's be on with it!" a deep voice called out impatiently. "I want to have breakfast at the teahouse before we head back!"

 

"As you wish, sire!" Ito's lips slid into an eager smile. "Right away!"

 

In the next instant, the four tengu converged on Vance. With a wave of his palm, a single arc of violet psynergy slashed through their defenses. As black yokai blood stained his new clothes, he leapt away and let the bodies fall. But when he looked around, he noticed that Ito Kashitaro was nowhere to be found.

 

What, did he run away? Vance closed his eyes and searched, but by the time he figured out what was happening, it was too late.

 

Vance felt something unseen slice the edge of his left ear and jerked his head to the side as fast as he could. Blood dripped to the ground while screams erupted from the crowd, nearly drowning out a deep laughter that echoed through thin air.

 

No... Vance's eyes widened as he slowly spun around, searching for the elite official and finding nothing. He's...invisible?!

 

Vance continued his search while townspeople ran into teahouses and down alleyways. Others merely stepped back and watched the spectacle from afar, chattering to each other

 

*************

 

as they sat and ate their breakfast within the Shieikan's spacious cafeteria. The soldiers of the Shinsengumi greeted their peers and superiors with calculated respect, bowing while making sure not to drop their wooden food trays. Once they moved up the counter to receive their usual miso soup, fish, rice, and vegetables, they shuffled over to the long wooden table that corresponded to their particular division and sat down on tatami mats. Aside from that, there were no particular seating arrangements, save for the captains and other elite officers, who sat at the long table that was closest to the door.

 

Today, that table was rather empty, and not just because every Shinsengumi captain who had been stationed in Kyo had failed to return to the capital. 5^th Division Captain Takeda had left his quarters early to get an early head-start on his new project at the factory, while Advisor Ito, Vice-Commander Hijikata, Head Spy Yamazaki, Head Scout Shimada and Commander Kondo were also absent for unknown reasons, leaving only 1^st captain Okita, 2^nd captain Nagakura, 3^rd captain Saito, 6^th captain Inoue and General Commander Yamanami to talk amongst themselves.

 

So far, however, the only ones who had really done any talking were Okita and Yamanami, and it still hadn't been much. Yamanami had methodically gone through the schedule for the day while Okita listened half-heartedly, only chiming in whenever with a smarmy comment every now and then when he felt like it. Although this visually exasperated the long-haired poet, he continued to go through the schedule and humor Okita since he was at least somewhat engaged. Next to him, Nagakura Shinpachi sat quietly, only nodding at Yamanami's announcements and never volunteering any sort of commentary. When Yamanami had first set sights on the tall, muscular man with his wild red hair and theatrical makeup, he'd expected more of a bombastic personality, but the powerful warrior seemed far too soft-spoken for anything like that.

 

Next to Nagakura sat Saito Hajime, who still insisted on wearing business suits from Earth instead of the squad uniform. Today he had on a grey houndstooth suit, and his eyes were focused on a small laptop – the newest toy he'd picked up on his last business trip to Earth. He would scratch his scalp through his afro every now and then, and was happy to answer when spoken to, but otherwise, he didn't seem to be interested in anything but the stocks he'd recently invested in.

 

Lastly, there was Inoue Genzaburo, who was nearly falling over at his seat, hand always fastened around his trusty jug of sake. He'd barely touched any of his breakfast, but that was the norm, along with his utter disinterest in any sort of discussion. If it wasn't for the man's unbridled strength, he never would have made it into the Shinsengumi to begin with.

 

After he finished his rundown of the day's schedule, Yamanami looked around the chamber. "Where is everyone? This place is looking deader and deader by the day."

 

"Our fearless captain must have slept in again," Okita snickered. "As for our vice-commander...well, I haven't seen him down here in days. Maybe he's been going on a diet?"

 

Yamanami gave Okita an unamused furrow of his eyebrows. "I know the vice-commander has never been one to group with others, but that's still no excuse. I worry his negligence is starting to rub off on our captain. I received word that Ito was called to escort the shogun, and took along Shimada for prudence, so I have no complaints at that. Hijikata and Yamazaki, however...it seems they can't even be bothered to give us a mere explanation for their absences."

 

"Want me to go ask?" Okita asked, before slurping up the last of his miso soup. "I'm pretty sure I know where they are!"

 

Yamanami was just about to reply when Kondo Isami came lumbering through the door. With his short hair slicked back and a wide grin on his face, he looked just as he always did, except a bit drowsy.

 

"Sorry! Sorry I'm late!" he laughed. His blue-and-white robes rippled as he slid across the mat to join his officers. "Oh, you wouldn't believe all the paperwork I had to do last night. I simply couldn't sleep without a little drink to loosen me up, and well, one thing led to another..." he said hastily, before bursting out into a warm, hearty laugh.

 

Yamanami couldn't help but smile as well, infected by the man's ever-high spirits. Kondo truly was the kind of person who seemed to be eternally positive – compelled to always look on the bright side. He truly seemed to enjoy his life, and the people he'd come to surround himself with, which made him a hard man not to like.

 

"Toshi's missing again?" Kondo widened his eyes and mouth and leaned back in shock. "I swear, one of these days, I'm gonna barge into that guy's room and drag him down here myself! What could he possibly be so busy with?"

"If only we knew..." Okita said ominously, then chuckled. "Who knows, maybe he's fallen in love with someone!"

 

"Toshi? Yeah right!" Kondo guffawed. "Well, she'd have to be one hell of a woman, that's for sure! I've never met a guy with higher standards than him! How about you, Saito? Don't tell me you managed to snag one of those Earthling women before I got a chance to!"

 

"Please, sir," Saito snorted, glancing up only momentarily to address his leader. "We're under strict orders to treat Earth with the utmost care so as not to interfere with our imports. I would never think to put such a vital relationship in peril."

 

"Aw, you're no fun," Kondo laughed. "How about you, Nagakura? Got any interesting new tales to tell from your training sessions?"

 

"I began rearing a new sub last week," he replied matter-of-factly. "She still has a lot to learn, but I can tell that she's a hard worker."

 

Okita rolled his eyes and stood up. "Okay, I think I'm going to go make the rounds, and perhaps chastise the two who failed to show up today without any notice," he said, winking at Yamanami. "I'll catch up with you all later before the patrols begin!"

 

"You've been awfully coy today, Okita," Yamanami spoke up, eyeing the lithe swordsman all the while. "Even more than usual. As your supervisor, I simply have to ask – is there something you forgot to report in to us this morning?"

Okita made an exaggerated thinking face before answering through a smile. "Nope. Nothing I forgot. I have a feeling that today'll be pretty exciting, though!"

Next: Emancipators