Of course going to “castrate” at any speed or frequency was a worrisome trait to find in a flying, zapping, magical-sword-of-light swinging oni. Even if he survived her, there was still the judgment of grandfather Katsuhito to face when he got back from his trip. Tenchi’s best bet, all things considered, was to find Natsume-sensei and hope the crazed conjurer had found a way to harness the sword hilt’s power and trap the demon again. That would deal with the immediate threat, and hopefully help smooth things over with grandpa.
It was a faint hope, especially regarding grandpa, but it was the only hope he had.
Tenchi spied the door to the library and passed through it in a final sprint, only to dive to the floor, as a hidden attacker’s weapon whistled through the space his ribcage would have occupied.
Kyusaku the Conjurer, like many geniuses, was known for being somewhat removed from the mundane events surrounding him. However, that did not make him slow to act once it was clear his house and members of his household needed him. The Great Die-Off, the following resurgence of magic, and the efforts of various people behind the scenes had aborted the development of firearms as serious weaponry in this world. Thus the phrase, “lock and load,” never entered the summoner’s mind, but the mental state invoked by those words elsewhere was clear in his stance and actions.
In truth, the “load” part of that phrase would have been quite appropriate. He had donned a vest and belt, both of which seemed to be composed mostly of pockets and pouches, and was busily filling those receptacles with tools of his trade. Vials of assorted liquids went into long pouches tailored for just that purpose, packets of herbs and powders went into general-purpose pockets, but most of the space was taken up by bits of paper.
Japan had a long history of magical applications for paper, most often seen in the ofuda wards of priestesses and devil hunters. Origami, also, had magical applications, and word of a few magi that worked solely by imbuing objects of that medium with power had reached his ears.
However, over the last few decades, many magical practitioners had moved towards thicker, heavier, paper, claiming that it was often more practical for fieldwork. Not only did it stand up to the rigors of travel, but with the proper preparation, inks, calligraphy, and artwork, this more durable material could be used to store spells and effects that could be used repeatedly. They were also easier to throw at an opponent than lighter paper objects when that was called for. Forms of magic that revolved around summoning and binding seemed to be particularly suited to this medium. Thus, most of Kyusaku’s pockets were filling up with an assortment of masterfully painted cards.
Unfortunately, those pockets weren’t filling up as quickly as the situation called for. Proper filing was not one of Kyusaku’s strong points, and finding some of his cards was proving to be a minor quest in its own right. For example, Shafts of Paralyzing Penetration had been found between the pages of the Sexxex Manuscript, marking the section on Yob Sodomy. (That which guards the back door, and grants access through it.) Finding his deck of Mi-Cum: The Fun Fungi from Yuggoth summoning cards and spells to enhance such creatures also unearthed his Rumic Tesseract, which he had misplaced months ago after completing only 17 sides.
Nuku-Nuku, who was diligently guarding the door, had likewise armed herself. In her case, she had an ofuda ward of a more traditional form. Or rather it would have been of the traditional form if it weren’t large enough to also serve as a small tapestry. After removing it from the wall, she had taken yet another step away from tradition by rolling it up into a tube and brandishing it like a club. Despite his extensive knowledge, Kyusaku wasn’t sure whether or not this approach would work, but past experience indicated that things tended to work out when Nuku-Nuku was allowed to play to her strengths in her own fashion.
His confidence in that principle dipped somewhat as Tenchi burst into the library. Under normal conditions, the bakeneko’s instincts often drove her to bat at moving objects. The tension of the situation had her walking around with wide, wild eyes and ears laid back, clear warning signs that sudden moves might provoke sudden reactions. Tenchi’s entrance was sufficiently sudden to trigger a response.
It was fortunate for the boy that he managed to dive under the swing of the paper club. Despite the flimsy construction of her weapon, Nuku-Nuku’s strength was sufficient to make wood creak and walls shudder when it struck the doorframe.
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(Posted Wed, 06 Jul 2005 17:32)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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