Part Two of clan SteelClaw Chronicles: Season two

Samurai

A SteelClaw Story

By Vashkoda
Illustrations by Kahreen and Llewelyn

glossary:

Itazura Tatsunokuchi - literally "tricky dragon-head gargoyle". A clan of warrior-thieves who prided themselves in accomplishing seemingly-impossible thefts. Many of their secrets are still preserved among ninja societies. Symbol: dragon head. Color: green.

Fuzen Furuchi - literally "wicked, impure blood". A clan of warrior-thieves who coveted only the greatest treasures of Asia. Because of this, they often competed with the Itazura Tatsunokuchi, who became their sworn enemy. They were obsessed with their appearance and material riches. Many merchants and princes were rumored to secretly be a part of their group. Symbol: drop (of blood). Color: red.

Rouzeki Oni - "demons of chaos", this group of warriors practiced dark rituals and brought death and destruction wherever they went. Many were believed to be mad or possessed. Symbol: demon skull. Color: yellow.

Uninjou Jadoku - literally "venom of heartlessness", such warriors prided themselves on being self-taught and unbeatable. Thinking themselves above the law, they carried out whatever whim struck their fancy, no matter who suffered as a consequence. Symbol: snake. Color: gray.

"Parry, then sweep the sword under your opponent's weapon and follow through like this!" cried Thaylog, thrusting the sword past Flynt's defenses and stopping the blade a centimeter from his belly.

"All right friend, I get your...er, point," laughed Flynt nervously.

Thaylog grinned as he withdrew his weapon. "Better that I teach you that move than have you learn it the hard way from your foe."

"Aye," nodded Flynt, wiping his brow and reaching for a drink. "I now see why you're so fascinated with these swords. A katana is a mighty weapon indeed."

"Even better than an axe?" asked Kahreen with a smile, knowing that it was his favorite weapon.

Flynt paused as he considered his answer. "Well, that would be like comparing ale and water. Both have their uses, depending on the situation." He winked and saluted with his bottle of beer before swallowing it down in one long gulp.

"Gargoyles don't need weapons," muttered Vash in disapproval. "That's why we were born with fangs and claws, among other things," she added, flicking her barbed tail. "If a gargoyle relies too heavily on other weapons, he becomes helpless when they fail him."

"My sword has never failed me," said Thaylog proudly, twisting his katana so that the light caught the dragon etched along its perfect blade.

Several pairs of gargoyle feet thundered down the steps to the basement. Everyone turned to look as Sabrina, Llewelyn and Silver entered the exercise room.

"Whatcha doing?" asked Sabrina, her innocent smile belying the mischievous glint in her eyes.

Llewelyn noticed the bottle in Flynt's hand. "Are you guys having a party without us?" she asked in mock outrage. "Well that just won't do!" She began searching the room for more beer.

"We were having a training session. Thaylog was reminding me how horrible I am with this thing," grimaced Flynt as he looked down at his katana.

"That's not true," said Thaylog, laying a reassuring hand on Flynt's shoulder. "You have improved much since we first started practicing. I was probably at the same level you are now when I stopped training with my master in Japan."

Flynt's ears perked up when he heard Thaylog mention Japan. Thaylog did not often speak of his past, and had made it clear that he would only reveal what he thought others needed to know, when they needed to know. So Flynt simply remarked, "You're still a lot better than I am."

Thaylog shrugged. "The rest I learned on my own. I've always believed that experience is the best teacher." So saying, he caught Llewelyn's hand as it was about to reach for his beer.

"Fire and alcohol don't mix," he growled.

"Hey, that was an accident, and besides-" she stopped when saw Thaylog's eyes start to glow. "I guess I'm not thirsty," she squeaked, escaping to the other side of the room once he had released her.

"Mind if we watch you practice?" asked Sabrina, concentrating a moment and then stepping aside as the living room couch materialized beside her. Chaz, who had been lying on the couch watching cartoons, sat up in surprise when he noticed his new surroundings.

"Wow, is this the exercise room?" the young gargoyle cried in excitement. "I've never been allowed down here!" He stared in wonder at the mounted swords and other assorted weapons stacked around the room.

"And there's a reason for that," frowned Silver, glaring at Sabrina, and then at her son.

"Put that back!" shouted Thaylog in frustration. "I should make this place off-limits to all of you!"

Chaz looked around the room wistfully before being teleported back upstairs. Sabrina and Llewelyn did their best to avoid meeting Thaylog's angry gaze.

After a few moments of stunned silence, Thaylog seemed to calm a little. "All right, you can stay," he relented. "But I expect you to behave!" Without checking to see if they agreed, he turned to Flynt.

"Are you ready for more?"

Flynt stretched and took up the appropriate stance. With a nod from the coffee-colored gargoyle, the session continued.

The spectators cheered for Flynt, until a stare from Thaylog silenced them. It wasn't long before Sabrina and Llew grew restless and began playing out their own sword fight. When Llew actually took down one of the mounted swords, Thaylog immediately took notice and stopped his fight with Flynt.

"If your goal is to try my patience, you are succeeding admirably," he sighed, taking the sword from the half-fae and returning it to its place on the wall.

"But it's not fair," argued Llewelyn. "How come Flynt can practice with you, but we can't? Aren't we also a part of this clan? Shouldn't we learn how to defend ourselves too?"

Thaylog turned to Vash just as she was about to resume her lecture on gargoyles and weapons. "I don't want to hear it!" he snapped. Vash frowned, but remained silent.

"She has a point, Thay," admitted Flynt. "It's definitely a handy skill to have."

"Then perhaps you should be the one to teach them. I doubt I'll have the patience," muttered the Leader to his Second.

"Really? Will you teach us Flynt?" asked Sabrina in excitement.

A doomed look passed over Flynt's face. "Um...."

"Bit off more than you can chew?" grinned Kahreen, patting him on the back. "So Thaylog, if they're going to practice, shouldn't they have their own swords?"

Thaylog threw Kahreen a look of annoyance. "Yes, I suppose they should." He unlocked a wall closet and removed a large wooden case. The clan gathered around him as he brushed away the dust with his hand and rested it on a table. The box itself looked new and unremarkable.

"I got these at an auction. In hindsight, I'm not sure why I bought them--I don't much care for the design. I haven't even looked at them since they were shipped to me."

Thaylog opened the case and nodded, unimpressed. The others, however, gasped at what they saw. There were four swords, each with a different symbol carved into the blade and different colored cords wrapped around the hilt.

"Wow, these look pretty old, Thay," remarked Flynt. "Are you sure it's all right for them to use these?"

Sabrina and Llewelyn each quickly grabbed a sword in case Thaylog changed his mind. They ran to the back of the room and immediately began to practice.

"At the price I paid for them, they can't be too valuable," answered Thaylog. "The owner seemed fairly eager to be rid of them."

"Heh, those two are really going at it," noticed Kah. "I wish I had that much energy."

"Then maybe we should continue with our own practice while they're distracted," grinned Flynt. Thaylog nodded and the two moved to an open area.

"Swords," spat Vashkoda. But even she couldn't resist being drawn to the box to admire their fine workmanship.

"Well, I'll admit they aren't quite on par with some of the weapons I've managed to get my hands on in the past, but I won't deny that they're useful," commented the feline mech. "I still hold on to my staff, and it's about as low-tech as you can get!"

Silver hesitated as she reached over to grab another sword. Finally giving in to the temptation, she lifted out the one with a black and yellow cord.

A change immediately came over her. Her eyes glowed green in anger as she rushed towards Kah. The biomech was too surprised to act as Silver plunged the blade into her chest. Sparks flew from the wound as Silver extracted the blade, glistening with blue fluid.

Thaylog and Flynt began running towards her. Sabrina and Llewelyn seemed oblivious to all but their own battle.

Silver turned towards Vashkoda, who was the nearest target. Vash remembered how easily the blade had pierced Kahreen's metal body, and realized that any attempt to use her stinger would likely result in it being chopped off. Silver swung her sword in a wide arc as she approached, ready to slice Vash in two. Thaylog and Flynt wouldn't reach her in time. Things seemed to move in slow motion as Vash watched the blade descend. Overcome with panic, she froze, lowering her defenses. Without realizing it, her hand reached into the box. Her fingers closed over the handle of the final sword.

The swords clashed an inch from Vashkoda's face. Noticing that her target was now armed, and seeing that Flynt and Thaylog were almost upon her, Silver raced up the steps.

Vashkoda stood unmoving, still clutching the sword. Flynt ran to Kahreen, while Thaylog cautiously approached Vash. Llewelyn and Sabrina could still be heard fighting in the background.

"I'm all right...I think," gurgled Kahreen, as blue liquid dripped from her lips.

There was a scream upstairs.

"Chaz!" cursed Thaylog. Seeing Flynt busy with caring for Kahreen, Thay ran up the stairs after Silver. Even though he had mixed feelings about the young gargoyle, Thaylog did not want to see Chaz dead. Especially not at the hands of his own mother.

His eyes immediately fell on the sofa, which had been hacked to pieces. He examined it closely, noting that there were no stains of blood. A movement in the corner of his eye made him spin around, only to find that it was a potted plant that had swayed from the breeze.

"He's safe," called down Shaiya. She joined Thaylog on the first floor, with Chaz clutching tightly to her waist.

"I didn't see her. Chaz ran upstairs to get me, weeping about a monster coming at him with a sword."

Thaylog looked down at the child. "Chaz, did you see where your mother went after she attacked you?"

"Right." Thaylog turned to Shaiya. "Look after him. I have to take care of something downstairs. And be careful, there may be more 'monsters' around."

As he climbed down the stairs, he noticed in surprise that it was getting darker.

Thay quickly grabbed one from upstairs and climbed back down, shining the light all around him as he took each step. When he reached the exercise room, he saw that it was empty except for Flynt and Kahreen.

"What happened? Are they still around here somewhere?" asked Thaylog anxiously. Then he remembered Kahreen, and saw that she was in no better shape than she had been when he'd left her.

Flynt ripped up parts of his tunic and pushed them into the wound to absorb the fluid, which now formed a small pool on the floor.

"Before she lost consciousness, she said she'd be ok if we could stop the bleeding. Then we need to hook this up to an outlet so that her body has the energy to repair itself." Flynt held out a small cord that ran to Kahreen's skull. He shivered as he held it. It felt wrong to be touching something that came from inside of her. Even when she had reached behind her ear to pull out the wire, revealing the electronics that ran beneath her skin, it hadn't broken the illusion that she was still a living creature. He couldn't think of the liquid that now emptied out from her as being anything other than blood.

"There's one over there. Let me put the flashlight on the table so that it shines that way. All right, I'll grab the legs if you can get the...okay, ready? Go!"

They carried the body over to the outlet. Flynt immediately hooked up the wire so that it would run current to Kahreen. The fluid appeared to be clotting and stopped running from the wound. Flynt said Kahreen had warned him that it could take her a few hours to regain consciousness.

Thaylog looked up in surprise, his thoughts still on Kahreen. "Oh...yes. It seems Silver escaped out the front door."

"Great," muttered Flynt. "Then I guess that's where the others went as well." He explained that once Thaylog had left, Sabrina and Llewelyn both teleported away. Vash had done something to the lights and escaped in the darkness.

"Maybe we should find the man who sold you these swords. Maybe he knows why they made the others go crazy like that."

Thay grimaced. "That would have been an option...three-hundred years ago. I doubt the one who sold them to me is still alive."

"And your old master?" This time Flynt didn't care if he angered Thaylog with questions about his past.

"You mean did I hear the voice of an old man say, 'But I have not abandoned you' ?"

Suddenly Thaylog's sword began to glow from its mount on the wall, illuminating the darkened room with pale blue light. The glow intensified around the sword, blinding the two gargoyles. When their vision cleared, the light was gone, replaced with the image of an old Japanese samurai.

"I am a ghost. My spirit is trapped in this sword, because I have been dishonored."

Thaylog's shocked expression turned into one of shame. "I tried to avenge your death, master, but I never found the assassin. I tried--"

"You were my only student. It was your duty to restore honor to my name. Instead, my enemy lived a long and carefree life. His clan grew strong, while mine has withered and died...with you."

Flynt tried to remain unnoticed in the shadows as he watched the exchange, beginning to understand one of the reasons the past brought so much pain to his friend. Hoping to spare Thay the uncomfortable silence that could follow, Flynt stepped forward.

"I have known Thaylog only a short while, but he has already proven himself to be a just and honorable leader to me and our friends. Together, we have recently fought and defeated an enemy that would have brought darkness and suffering to our world."

"Yes, I suppose my own suffering is insignificant in the grander scheme," frowned the ghost. "And it is not for myself that I have appeared to you. Your friends are in need."

"Do you know what happened to them? Do you know something about the swords?" asked Flynt hopefully.

His voice heavy with guilt, Thaylog gave a full description of each sword. His master pondered the information, then relayed what little he knew.

"The black cords around each sword means that the owners were renegade ronin--masterless samurai who did not follow a code. They had no honor. Their spirits were likely trapped in these swords just as mine has been, until they came in contact with your friends."

"So how do we get them out of our friends?" growled Flynt. "Do we destroy the swords?"

"No. The spirits no longer need their weapons, but they will keep them because they are familiar. The ronin are likely confused, and will rely on the memories of their hosts to familiarize themselves with this new world."

"But you still haven't answered my question! How do we banish the spirits?" cried Flynt in frustration.

"Peace, friend," said Thaylog, resting a hand on his shoulder. "This is still my master, and I ask that you treat him with the same respect you would show me." Flynt muttered an apology.

"It is clear that you at least are not ronin, Thaylog," smiled the ghost. "And thus you have found the answer you seek."

"These spirits cannot be destroyed--they must be set free. That which keeps them here is their lack of honor. They need to be taught the true way of the warrior."

"I'm okay Flynt, really," insisted Kahreen when he offered to help her stand. "Thanks for your help, though. This old body can't recover from wounds like that as easily as it once did. If I had lost any more fluid, I'm not sure I could have gotten back online."

"So what exactly are we supposed to be doing?" asked Shaiya. She still found it hard to believe that half of the clan had been taken over by ghosts. She could not deny the existence of the ghost before them, however.

"The ronin will only follow someone they respect--someone who can defeat them in battle. Therefore, I will make you taishou, masters of the way of bushido."

"Well, that'll be easy for Flynt and Thay, since they already know how to use katanas," remarked Kah. "But Shaiya and I are kind of new to this whole bushido thing."

The ghost nodded. "That is why they will be daimyou, your leaders. They will teach the foundation of your training."

Thaylog turned to the spirit in concern. "With all due respect, Master, I have studied with you for years, and Flynt has trained with me for only a few months. But we cannot wait even that long to teach others while these ronin are on the loose."

"Do not worry, Thaylog. I have located the four ronin, and know that they are resting to recover their strength. They will not strike for several days. That will be sufficient time to teach your friends the basics. I will take care of the rest."

Thaylog nodded in acceptance and was silent. Like his sword, his master had never failed him--and then he remembered that the two were actually linked. Thaylog realized that his master had always been there for him, watching over him.

Shaiya saw the stream of humans fleeing the bar in terror, and knew she had come to the right place. She clutched her sword uncertainly, wondering if she would be forced to use it.

There were two men on the ground--one unmoving, and the other covering the stump that remained of his hand. In the middle of the room was a mob of humans, and at its center stood Vashkoda. Her sword kept the men back a safe distance, but didn't stop them from throwing whatever was in reach. Vash deflected the objects with her katana, laughing as shattered glass flew at their faces. One man grabbed a chair and tried to sneak up behind her. Vash turned around and slashed it with her sword, slicing off all four wooden legs in one move.

The humans had enough, and quickly fled back into the street, helping the wounded escape. A few tried to pull Shaiya away with them, thinking she was an a human woman. She growled and flashed her fangs at them, and they backed away in fear.

The bar was now empty except for Vash and herself. Shaiya approached her cautiously.

"It isn't wise to show yourself to them. You should have remained cloaked and hidden beneath your magic hood."

Vash smiled. "Why should I hide? If they find my greatness threatening and are stupid enough to challenge me, then they deserve their punishment."

Shaiya's thoughts flashed back to the humans she had seen on the floor. She stared at Vashkoda in disbelief.

The gargoyle shrugged. "Cowards like that are not worth my time." She looked down at Shaiya's hand, noticing her sword.

"Though perhaps you would pose a more interesting challenge." Vashkoda smiled and unsheathed her katana, flashing the image of a coiled snake carved on the blade.

"A true warrior only draws steel for defense, never for personal glory," Shaiya intoned, reciting the words Thaylog's master had taught her

Vash snarled. "A coward's words!" she cried, lashing out with her sword. Shaiya barely had time to dodge the attack. The gargoyle struck again, and this time Shaiya was forced to use her sword to block the blow. The dragon etched onto her own blade began to glow, and Shaiya felt the presence of Thaylog's master in her mind. The ghost helped guide her, orchestrating the moves that had begun to feel familiar over the last couple of days.

"You are skilled," admitted Vash. "But you are still outmatched!" With those words, the gargoyle slammed the edge of her sword near the base of Shaiya's blade. The angle was such that the sword flew from Shaiya's hand and tumbled across the floor, landing behind Vashkoda and out of reach.

"You call me a coward, yet you stoop to using cheap tricks to disarm me, knowing that you could never beat me fairly," criticized Shaiya.

Vash laughed. "I would have won easily. But this match bores me and isn't worth my time." She approached Shaiya with her sword aimed to strike. "Admit that I am the mightiest warrior, and I will grant you a quick and painless death."

Shiaya waited until Vash was close enough, then tore off her cloak and threw the fabric at Vash's face. With her wings and tail now free, Shaiya crouched low and swept Vash's feet out from under her with her tail. Vash screamed in fury, swiping the cloak aside as she tried to get back up.

Shaiya didn't give her the chance. She pinned Vashkoda to the ground, applying painful pressure to her arms so that she was forced to release the sword. Shaiya then took the weapon and pointed it at Vash's throat.

"Who's the mightiest warrior now?" she asked, very conscious of Vash's own tail, which was still free and could paralyze her if it managed to touch her skin. But Vash appeared both surprised and helpless, at a loss as to how to defend herself without her sword.

"Then I will become your mentor. You will be my student and obey the laws of bushido. I have just taught you your first lesson, which is that a warrior must be more than a swordsman. He must know how to use his body as a weapon, so that he is never helpless." Shaiya rose up and let Vashkoda stand, then offered her back the katana.

"I now return your sword, which you will use only when defending the helpless. Thus, shall you also regain your honor. You are ronin no more."

As Vashkoda accepted the sword, the black cord crumbled and disintegrated. She swayed as if unbalanced, and Shaiya quickly grabbed a chair for her to sit in.

"Are you okay, Vash?" she asked, watching her warily. Vashkoda seemed to be in a daze, as if she had just woken from a dream. Then she saw the sword in her hand, and quickly dropped it in revulsion. It tumbled onto the ground.

Shaiya clicked her tongue in disapproval as she retrieved the sword and her own that she had lost during the battle. "It seems I have a thing or two to teach my pupil about how to take care of a sword."

Llewelyn explored the second floor of the Newbridge Museum, her eyes searching for one item in particular.

She came upon a room of ancient armor and weaponry. Her gaze instantly fell upon a mannequin carrying a scarlet samurai uniform with a matching helm. Embroidered along the sleeves and hem was the teardrop that symbolized her order--the Fuzen Furuchi.

Llewelyn reached for the helmet. As she lifted it from the mannequin, she heard something snap, and looked up in time to see a net drop from the ceiling and fall right on top of her.

"Tatsunokuchi," she cursed, struggling to free herself. On cue, Sabrina appeared from around the corner.

"I knew that you would see the same signs I did, advertising this special display, and come to investigate," smiled Sabrina, as she approached with her sword drawn. "And I knew that you could not pass up the opportunity to steal an item such as this one."

"So you trap me in a net?" sneered Llewelyn. "I should have expected such trickery from one of your kind. You rely on traps and deceptions to defeat your prey, because it is the only way you know how to fight. You have no honor."

Sabrina laughed. "What does a Furuchi know about honor? You are thieves, as are we. At least we Tatsunokuchi do not hide what we are. We have no reason to be ashamed."

Llewelyn screamed in fury, and the net burst into flames and broke apart. She stepped away from the ashes unharmed, drawing her blade in preparation for an attack.

Sabrina sat perched on the beams near the ceiling, watching the entrance to the dead-end corridor where she had left the red armor as bait. It was an obvious trap, but one she felt her opponent would be unable to resist. And if it didn't work, she still had many tricks left to try. The Tatsunokuchi were nothing if not persistent.

"How do I look?" cried a voice directly below her. The ronin looked down in surprise and saw a strange felinoid creature--Kahreen, her host's memories told her--modeling the armor. "I'm not sure it's my color, though."

"Take that off and put it back where you found it, or I will kill you and carry your corpse there."

Kahreen looked slightly affronted. "Don't you want to know how I took it out from under your nose without you noticing?"

Kah smiled in amusement. "Is that a threat? From what your friend said, I've come to think that you aren't really much of a fighter. Have you ever actually used that sword you're carrying, or is it only for decoration?"

Sabrina cried out as she rushed her. Kahreen dodged the move easily, and started to think that her initial assessment had been correct. But then Sabrina began to attack in earnest. She managed several times to slip past Kah's defenses, but the biomech never gave her the opportunity to land a crippling blow. Kahreen also put to use a few tricks she had learned from using her electronic wrist blades, and managed to draw first blood. Overall, however, it was clear that the two were evenly matched.

"I grow tired of this--my fight is not with you," said the ronin. With those words, she vanished into thin air.

Kahreen wondered if Sabrina had really teleported, or if she had simply turned invisible. Sab's powers were limited, and Kah knew that if she had recently teleported the armor and herself to escape from Llewelyn, she probably didn't have the energy to do so again this soon.

"Why are you always running away?" Kahreen called out, knowing that Sabrina was still nearby. "Are you afraid of losing?"

"That's only because you pick and choose your battles," said the biomech, slowly inching towards the source of the voice. "You don't want to risk failure. You'd rather play it safe."

Kahreen kept track of the gargoyle's location from the sound of her footsteps, maintaining a position between Sabrina and the exit. "You feel a need to be in total control of every situation."

She waited until Sabrina tried to move past her and make her escape. Kahreen then threw herself at the sound and managed to tackle Sabrina to the floor. The half-fae immediately became visible, and Kah could see the fear in her eyes.

"Here's a lesson for you. In real life, no one is ever in total control. It's an illusion, and if you let yourself believe in it, you're only setting yourself up for a really big fall." Sabrina struggled, but Kahreen used the metal weight of her body to keep her pinned.

"Yield!" Kahreen growled. "I have defeated you. You have failed. And I now declare myself your master."

Sabrina's struggles ceased, and the katana fell from her hand. She looked up at Kahreen with a mixed look of hatred and terror.

Kahreen drew her own katana without realizing it, and saw that the dragon symbol on the blade had begun to glow. She gave in to the master's control, and heard herself saying, "A true warrior acknowledges his fears, but does not let himself be ruled by them. Failure brings no shame if one learns from his mistakes. And if failure brings death, know that death comes to us all. It is the warrior's trade, and only one who can face the possibility of his own death is worthy to deal that fate to others."

Kahreen picked up Sabrina's sword and rose to her feet. When Sabrina was also standing, the biomech returned the sword to her.

"You will now face your opponents without fear, and finish any battles you start. Thus, shall you regain your honor. You are ronin no more."

Llewelyn glanced casually at Flynt, her eyes pausing briefly on the katana at his belt..

"You are not my enemy, so I will not fight you. Now let me pass." She walked towards the doorway from which the larger gargoyle had just entered. He quickly moved to block her path.

Llew watched him expectantly, but Flynt was uncertain as to how he should proceed. He had hoped she would challenge him, and had looked forward to their battle. But she said she would not fight, and honor forbade him from drawing his sword without reason.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" he asked, trying to stall her as he rethought his plan.

"I seek the Tatsunokuchi. The fact that one of their kind still lives is a great insult to my clan. Only when he is gone will our honor be restored, and my soul can finally be set free."

Flynt stared at her surprise. What if the ghost really was trapped in this plane--not for some personal failing--but because his clan had been dishonored? It was for just that reason that Thaylog's master claimed to inhabit his sword.

However, there was one big difference between the two ghosts. The black cord was clearly visible dangling from Llewelyn's katana. There was no such cord on Thaylog's.

"You are ronin," affirmed Flynt. "The debt of honor you owe is not only to your clan, but to yourself as well."

Llewelyn's eyes narrowed in anger. "Who are you to judge me? In my time, songs were sung of my great deeds. All warriors modeled themselves after me, trying to follow the difficult standards that I lived by. My honor was legendary!"

"Honor should be a means, not an end," Flynt spoke, beginning to understand the ronin's failing. "A true warrior does not seek praise for doing the right thing. He follows the code because it is just, even if it is difficult and and brings no greater reward."

The two gargoyles glared angrily at each other, each resting a hand on their sword, but unable to draw them.

Flynt felt a presence touch his mind, and heard the ring of steel being unsheathed. He looked down and saw the katana glowing in his hand.

"You draw your weapon on one who has promised you no harm?" asked Llewelyn in disdain. "Dishonorable dog!"

She drew her own sword and leapt up. At the peak of her jump, she unfurled her wings and dove down at the larger gargoyle. Flynt ducked as the ronin's blade sliced the air where his head had been, then spun around as Llewelyn landed behind him.

"Who said I was challenging you?" asked Flynt innocently, as he prepared himself for the next attack. "I was just examining my sword."

Both opponents stopped in their tracks and turned to look at the source of the cry. Kahreen stood at the entrance to the room, still wearing the red Fuzen Furuchi uniform.

"It's mine now," declared Kah smugly. "My prize for defeating the owner of this sword." She extended its hilt, which now bore only the green cord. The black one was gone.

Llew stared at the biomech in shock. "You defeated the Tatsunokuchi...but I am still here. I have not been set free." She lowered her gaze and her sword.

"You spoke the truth. The debt of honor is my own. But now I am a ghost, with no means of redemption. I will remain trapped here for eternity. Unless--" She looked at Kahreen hopefully. "Unless you can do me the same favor you granted your opponent. Slay me and end my suffering."

Kahreen shook her head. "I didn't slay him. I only showed him where he had failed, and taught him the lessons he hadn't learned in life. As his master, I could restore his honor to him."

"Then please, be my master as well. Teach me what I must know," begged Llewelyn, bending to one knee as she offered Kahreen her sword. Kahreen noticed Flynt's frown, and tried to keep from smiling.

Llewelyn turned to Flynt, who accepted her katana and reflected on what she had said.

"A warrior's worth is not judged by how many battles he has won, but by which battles he chooses to fight. To defend one's beliefs, one's family, the innocent--it is for these that a true warrior takes up the sword--never for glory."

"Then rise and take back your sword. Heed my advice, and you shall regain your honor. You are ronin no more."

The black cord crumbled. Flynt and Kahreen caught Llewelyn just as she was about to hit the floor. They carried her to a corner to rest and recover her strength.

"Is it over?" asked Sabrina, hobbling into the room. She noticed Llew and took a seat next to her friend, leaning against the wall for support. "Being possessed sure takes a lot out of you."

"Here's your sword back, Sab," smiled Kahreen, offering her the weapon. Sabrina took it reluctantly, and put it on the floor as far away from her as possible.

"Perfect timing, Kah," grumbled Flynt, upset over having his battle end prematurely.

The biomech laughed. "Weren't you telling someone only a second ago that you should only fight when there's need?"

"Yeah, and I need the practice," he quipped with a smile. "Oh well, I'm sure Thaylog's putting his sword to good use."

"I am," replied the ivory gargoyle, resting his sword on the wall-mount. "You should focus your powers on the others--they will need your guidance more than I. And if Silver is indeed nearby as you have sensed, someone will need to stay here and watch over her son. The automated defense systems will offer some protection, but even so, this is the most secure place in the mansion."

For once, Chaz didn't seem happy about being in the exercise room. Especially since he was forbidden from touching anything...and would be locked inside with a ghost.

"The Oni are ferocious and bestial, and some possess dark magic. Yet despite all this, they are still human. You must appeal to that humanity if you are to succeed."

Thaylog nodded. He glanced down at Chaz, who was trying hard not to look scared.

"I will bring your mother back, boy. I promise." Then he swung the heavy steel doors shut and bolted them tight.

Once outside, Thaylog began his hunt. It was not long before he stumbled upon a strange set of tracks, made by a large animal. The paw-prints were unlike anything he had ever seen.

Thaylog remembered that Silver had the power to shapeshift. Perhaps Chaz had been telling the truth about what he saw.

A shadow fell across him. Thaylog looked up and saw what at first looked like a giant white bear, standing erect. Its muzzle, however, was long and full of teeth--like a wolf's, and two great horns protruded from its forehead. The fangs and horns were the color of dried blood.

The monster raised its face to the sky and bellowed a challenge, the noise sounding like the shriek of a bird of prey over the howl of a winter wind. Thaylog felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"Can you speak?" Thaylog cried out, trying to sound braver than he felt. "Or are these sounds the best you can manage?"

The creature smiled, exposing the rows of sharp teeth. "I will feast on your bones, little mouse. I know who you are--" the Oni pointed at its own head, "--she, knows who you are. And you do not scare me."

"You're right, you have no reason to be afraid. I don't want to hurt you; I just want to help," said Thaylog, trying to sound reassuring. The gargoyle heard a sound that might have been the creature's laugh.

Thaylog growled in outrage. "Destroy this place, and you destroy yourself as well. What could you possibly hope to achieve from that?"

The Oni's golden eyes cleared for a moment, and in a voice that sounded almost human, Thaylog thought he heard it murmur, "Peace."

So it's true, something human does remain in that creature, realized Thaylog. But it wasn't long before the madness seemed to once again sieze control over it.

"You're trying to trick me!" the Oni screamed, lashing out at Thay. The gargoyle noticed that its front paws almost looked like human hands, except for one finger, which ended in a long black claw. It was this claw that the Oni used to attack him.

Thaylog began to regret leaving his sword behind, but knew that it wasn't with a sword that he would win this battle. He felt evil forces at work within the creature, and suspected that a demon had bound itself to the ronin's spirit; feeding off of it, as it would do to Silver's spirit in time. If Thaylog was to free the ronin and rescue Silver, he would first have to separate them from the demon.

"Come and get me if you can!" the gargoyle called out, escaping into the forest. The Oni roared and gave quick pursuit, trampling everything in its path.

Thaylog had a lead of only a few seconds, but it was enough to carry out his plan. He paused over a patch of soft soil and carefully drew a five-pointed star, muttering the necessary incantation. He only had time to scatter a few leaves across it when the Oni appeared, panting heavily. Its drool steamed as it hit the forest floor.

Thay limped as he slowly backed away from the beast, pretending to have injured his leg. The Oni smiled and moved forward, quickly closing the distance between them.

The moment it stepped over the symbol, blue lightning arced from the ground and struck the monster, causing it to howl in pain.

"I may be a mouse, but you're the one caught in the trap," smirked Thay. He watched as the light pulsed and seemed to draw something out of the body. In moments, the spirit of the demon could be seen hovering over it, held fast by the powers Thay had summoned. The body, meanwhile, slowly shrank and became human. The long black claw turned into the ronin's sword.

"Not yet," frowned the gargoyle. "To be truly freed, you must repent the evil you have done."

The ronin bowed his head in shame. "I was wrong to have trusted a creature of darkness. My master said that I wasn't ready to learn the more powerful techniques, but the demon promised to teach me. I didn't know that it would become a part of me, until it was too late to stop it. It forced me to kill and...to do horrible things. I knew that I would not find peace until it had killed everyone, or until I myself was dead." The human paused as his sobs robbed him of the breath to speak.

"Then warriors like yourself came, and after a long battle, I lost consciousness. They must have carried me to your home, because when I next awoke, I found myself there. The demon quickly took control and we fled into the woods. Then you found us, and delivered me of its evil." The man fell to his knees. "Thank you, master. I have been given a second chance. Please, allow me the honor of serving you so that I might repay your kindness."

He doesn't know that he is dead, realized Thaylog in surprise, feeling pity for the human. Because of Silver's powers, he thinks he is back in his own body.

"I agree to be your master. But you must learn that a true warrior remains disciplined and controlled no matter the circumstances, never allowing himself to fall to temptation. All roads have their obstacles; the 'easy path' is simply more enticing because its traps are complex and deceptive, and one often doesn't know he has been caught until it is too late."

"Yes, I understand master," nodded the man, rising to his feet. "Oh thank you master! You won't regret this! I promise I will--" A look of surprise crossed his face as the black cord crumbled to dust, and Silver's body began to revert to its true form.

"You are ronin no more," finished Thaylog. And then the spirit was gone. At last it was free.

"What a pity; that human and I shared some memorable times together," laughed the demon, who was still trapped in the energy field. "Oh well, I'm sure this new host will be a lot more fun."

Thaylog growled, realizing that there was no way--short of killing her and releasing her spirit--that he could free Silver from the pentagram without also releasing the demon. And once that was done, the Oni was sure to return to Silver's body.

"Demon!" shouted Thaylog, taking a step towards the field. "I offer you an alternative. Take me in her place!"

The Oni smiled as he seemed to consider Thaylog's offer. "I don't know...this one can transform herself to my true form. I enjoyed feeling like my old self again."

Thaylog grimaced. "I can also change my appearance," he said, turning himself into a human. "And I am immortal, whereas this young one is not. With me, you wouldn't have to worry about finding a new host."

Thaylog muttered a few ancient words, then wiped away one line of the pentagram. The field disappeared and the demon was released. At first, Thaylog was afraid that it would return to Silver anyway despite their bargain. But the Oni headed straight for Thaylog, and he felt its evil surround him and seep into his skin. His vision blurred and his body burned like it was on fire.

Now the world will know fear. I will bleed the life from its heart and revel in its cries of pain.

"I don't think so," said Thaylog, still in full control. "Remember my words to the human? The 'easy path' is simply more enticing because its traps are complex and deceptive, and one often doesn't know he has been caught until it is too late. I've trapped you again, demon, but this time you can't escape."

"Perhaps you've heard of the Alkyrians?" Thaylog asked, his voice filled with pride. "My people come from a different dimension. Demons like you have no power over us. Now you are trapped in my body, where you can't harm anyone else."

You are only half Alkyrian. I will find a weakness, and I will control you and your power.

The gargoyle closed his mind to the demon and ignored its presence. He knelt down and made sure Silver was all right. She was still unconscious, so he picked her up and gently draped her over his shoulder. Seeing the ronin's sword in the grass, he leaned down to pick it up as well.

The clan was reunited; abashed and shaken, but safe. None of the possessed gargoyles remembered much of what had happened, and those they had fought decided that it was best not to reveal all the details. Silver knew from the way Chaz clung to her that something terrible had happened to him, and that frightened her even more.

Flynt approached the master with a question. "You made me draw my sword on the ronin even after he had called a truce. That wasn't very honorable, was it?"

The ghost nodded, looking ashamed. "I thought it was necessary to initiate combat in order to defeat your opponent. Do not be concerned; it was my honor that was tarnished, not yours." The ghost seemed to look far into the distance and sighed.

Thaylog overheard the conversation, and asked to speak alone with his master. He brought the sword with him and walked over to the balcony.

"I've let you down, and I've let your clan down. And all I can do is say that I'm sorry."

"If you weren't sorry, there'd be a black cord around that sword in your hand," the ghost reminded him.

Thaylog shook his head. "I shouldn't even be using your sword; I don't have the right."

"Nonsense. Who else would I give it to? You were my only student, and now my clan is nothing but a memory."

The gargoyle pondered his words a long moment. "You have helped not only myself, but my friends as well. We are as close as family, and already consider ourselves a clan. If you would allow it, perhaps we could also become a part of your clan, and make the name Steelclaw more than just a memory."

His master smiled. "Thaylog-san, you have always been a part of my clan. Thus, one could say that those who follow you have always been as well. I know that you will take good care of them."

"I have always considered you more than just my student. Because I had no children of my own, I also think of you as a son." Thaylog bowed his head, acknowledging the honor.

"It is too late to save me, so in my stead, I would like you to watch over your real father. Whatever acts of kindness you share, it will be as if you are doing them for me."

The ghost and the gargoyle walked back inside, where they were welcomed by friends, and together watched the sun dawn upon a new day.