Chapter Text
Chapter 101
Blood Begets Blood
At the beginning, the men conducted themselves with humility. Whenever they addressed the Masters their speech was respectful, and they took care to offer no offenses. Therefore, Espio was surprised by the grim mood in the monastery following their departure. Sakai took counsel with the other masters, and when they returned to the main hall, it was obvious to all the students that something was wrong. When Espio asked Master Sakai in private what had happened, all that he was told was that a human company had offered to purchase the land on which the monastery resided. The offer was apparently ten times the market worth (whatever that meant).
Master Sakai had refused the humans on the grounds that the monks had lived in the monastery beside the Turvinin river for generations. While the temple had once been isolated from any other settlements, recent years had seen human communities and business steadily encroach upon the monks’ territory. Espio listened to this explanation with muted interest. He did not care for the human world, and its metal cities filled with smoke and loud noises. It was absurd to think that the monks would even consider selling the monastery as no one there had any use for human money. Everything from the food to the paper, to the handcrafted swords, were made in the monastery by the monks and their students.
However, Espio noted a tangible shift in the air following the visit by the humans. Meditations were interrupted by the distant sound of machinery. A sulfuric poison tinged the air, hinting at chemically induced fires burning somewhere just beyond the borders of the forest. One night, a week after the humans had come, Master Sakai sent a team into the forest to find out what was happening. The ninjas returned to say that human land developers were clearing the forest, and were drawing ever nearer to the ancient borders which marked the beginning of the monks’ territory.
Espio had watched as Master Sakai’s expression darkened. He and a few of the other masters had gone forth the next day to confront the humans. When they returned, they said that the humans had promised not to trespass into their land, but that the humans had made another offer to buy the monastery.
For the next month, tensions within the temple grew. Everyday the temple was assaulted by the sound of nearby industrial machines. Even from the top of the temple, Espio could see the edge of the forest steadily being cleared. Monks wept in the open, distraught by the rampant loss of life. The nearby river turned sour as waste began to flow down from where the humans were working. Fish washed up dead upon the shorebank, and many of the students started to fall ill.
Teams of ninjas were sent out every night to frustrate the humans in their steady advance. A skirmish was fought upstream as some of Espio’s brothers destroyed a chemical waste facility that was spilling foil oils into the river. As a result, more humans visited the monastery insisting that the monks had no right to attack human efforts that were taking place off the registered border. Master Sakai, sat and listened as the humans droned on about arbitrary borders and land divisions. The humans completely ignored the monks’ ancestral claims to the lands, and the stewardship they held for the entire surrounding forest.
Espio marked the change that had come over the humans in just a short amount of time. They no longer spoke respectfully or knelt before addressing the masters. Their speech was derisive and short tempered. It was clear to all that the humans considered the monastery and its residents as a nuisance and a block against progress. Espio did not understand why Master Sakai endured the disrespect. Whispers broke out amongst the students, many wondered why the monks were not preparing for a battle against the humans. “We cannot wait until there are too many of them.” Was the common refrain. “We must attack now.”
However, Espio did not give into these discussions. He trusted Master Sakai, and knew that the monk would do whatever it took to protect the monastery. Sakai submitted petitions to the local human government, insisting that the Goldstone company was attempting to strongarm them out of their ancestral land. No replies returned to the monastery.
A cold fall hinted at a harsh winter, and many in the monastery hoped that the extreme cold would push the humans away. There came a night of bitter cold. Snow blanketed the grounds and a freezing wind whipped the nearby trees. Espio went to sleep after a taxing training session in which he had utterly failed to progress in his attempts to fight without thinking. A dread had slipped into Espio’s heart, and he had been unable to push aside the mounting fear. Dark dreams tormented Espio, filling his mind with black thoughts. He woke up and tried to push away the disturbance with meditation. For an hour, he sat with his legs crossed, wrestling against his own mind.
The first hint of a disturbance was the smell of smoke. Espio stirred and slowly opened his eyes. There was complete silence and darkness all around him. He waited, listening intently, sniffing at the faint smoke. Fire? Espio rose to his feet and approached his window. He drew it back and looked out at the dark grounds of the monastery. The moon was withdrawn, so there should have been no light. However, Espio noticed a faint orange hue dancing softly on the snow.
Understanding hit him just as the ground beneath him rumbled. “FIRE!” Voices shouted from downstairs followed by the distant echo of gunfire. Espio froze. WHOOSH! He ducked down as tongues of fire spread over his window. Tap. Tap. Something had been thrown from outside and clammored onto the floor beside Espio. He had a brief second to register the grenade before it exploded. BOOM! Espio dashed behind the nearby altar, just narrowly saving his life.
Shrapnel and wood exploded in every direction. Espio dropped to the floor and rolled into the adjacent room. He sprang to his feet and seized his sword, strapping it over his shoulder. By now the entire monastery was ablaze. Espio covered his mouth with a rag as he raced into the courtyard. His fellow ninjas were attempting to escape, but the front doors had collapsed. Through every side entrance, men in thick padded clothes were pouring into the monastery. Rifles in hand, the humans gunned down the fleeing ninjas.
Espio’s heart skipped several beats as he tried to think of something to do. Glass shattered overhead, as someone had thrown a rock through the ceiling. The other ninjas were throwing ropes and climbing desperately for freedom. The humans below raised their rifles to fire at the suspended ninjas who could not move for cover. “ Kemuri!” Espio tossed a handful of smoke grenades which exploded into a thick black mist just above the heads of the humans. With only a handful of seconds of which to take advantage. Espio launched himself onto one of the ropes and started to climb.
His fellow students were waiting for him on the roof. Espio was pulled through the gap and his heart seemed to tear in two. The entire monastery grounds were now on fire. All the trees which encircled the grounds were blazing like torches, trapping them within the inferno. A hand seized Espio by the shoulder. “Sakai went into the gardens. They are trying to force open an escape route. We should go help them!”
Espio did not need to be told twice. He leapt off the roof and landed in the deep snow. Trudging forward, Espio reached the entrance of the gardens. Behind the tall hedges he could hear the clash of steel and the constant echo of gunfire. It appeared that the humans were attempting to close off the gardens as a means of escape, as it led down towards the stream.
Beyond the next turn, Espio found the source of the fighting. Several ninjas were dueling against a swarm of human invaders. The air had turned into a thick blanket of smoke, making it almost impossible to see. Espio reached back for his sword and stalked forward while mustering the courage to fight. At that moment, his foot struck something hard. Espio looked down to see Master Vinishu lying face down. His back was splotched with blood. Something snapped within Espio, like a dam that had just been broken, a torrent of rage and hatred surged inside him.
Espio drew his katana. The black steel shimmered in the red hue of the fire. Vanishing on the spot, Espio raced into the thickest section of the fighting. He moved like a spectator of revenge, cutting down humans where they stood before they had ever known he was there. Blood sprayed in every direction as his steel cut through the padding and armor of the humans. The tranquility of combat, the mindless instinct that had always eluded Espio was now replaced by a far more lethal stimulant; wrath.
Foe by foe, the gardens which had once been the most beautiful section of the monastery were drowned in blood. The human assailants cried out in dismay and tried to flee, completely abandoning their attempts at hemming in the other ninjas. Espio watched as his fellow students ran for safety. He did not care. Espio kept up his assault, running down any of his attackers who tried to flee. No fatigue or injury could even slow Espio down. He felt completely separated from his body, moving as swiftly and as shapelessly as the smoke.
At last, he had cornered the final three humans into the center of the garden. Two of them dropped their weapons and fell to their knees. That only made it easier for Espio to slice their throats apart. The last drew back until he hit the fountain and he fell backward, plunging into the water. Espio leapt on top of his chest and plunged the end of his blade into the man’s stomach.
Espio pulled back his sword and leaned against the edge of the fountain. He gasped for breath as every muscle in his body slowly started to cramp from exhaustion. His vision blurred, and Espio staggered. He moved forward slowly. There were still more humans by the monastery. Espio would not allow them to escape. The fire they had started would become their pyre. As he moved away from the fountain, Espio heard a light cough. He spun around, ready to finish the survivor, but froze in place.
Master Sakai propped himself up against one of the shrines in the center of the garden. His robe was torn and a trail of blood encircled him. Espio’s legs seemed to lose all muscle control. He hobbled forward, using his katana as a staff to prevent himself from falling. At his approach, Master Sakai’s creased eyes opened faintly. He mouthed Espio’s name as a gush of blood pooled out of his mouth. Feebly, Master Sakai reached out towards Espio. Espio took his hand and leaned forward.
“Safe…are…safe?” Sakai whispered.
Espio nodded. Sakai motioned to Espio’s blade. The black steel was so completely drenched in blood that red droplets fell steadily onto the snow. “Enough,” Sakai said weakly. “Enough.”
“No!” Espio snarled. “There are more. I…I’ll make them pay. Every single one of them.”
Sakai closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Despite his wounds, the fire, and the death all around them, Sakai appeared completely at peace. “Blood begets blood,” He said. Sakia groaned as his body started to spasm. With one final grunt, Sakai’s head dropped and he moved no more.
Espio himself seemed to die. All the energy within him fled, leaving him cold and empty. He gazed at his weapon, and the sight of all the blood made his stomach turn. Espio drew back his arm and flung his sword into the darkness of the garden. He reached down and heaved Master Sakai’s body off the snow. Something fell as Espio moved the monk. Sakai’s katana, silversteeled and redhilted rested on the floor. Its surface was crystal clear, free from blood or any semblance of corruption.
Espio took both Sakai and his master’s katana down to the river bed. None of the humans were attempting to give chase to the ninjas that had fled. Espio found a soft area beside the bank of the stream and he started to dig. It took him hours to make a hole deep enough with just his hands. The effort and the cold made his fingers numb and his arms shake, but the physical exertion kept his heart preserved against the incoming grief.
Once the hole was large enough, Espio placed Sakai within it, as well as the katana. Espio covered the mound and rested against it. He did not care if the humans found him, or if the cold killed him in his sleep. He was so tired…so very tired.
Espio woke on a soft futon. Flickering blue light shone onto his face. Sensation alerted him to the burning pain in his side. Espio groaned and rolled over to find himself face to face with a grim faced t.v reporter. “Reports from the capital today confirm the worst. President Alexander has indeed been murdered, killed within his very office. Sources from within the capital have confirmed that the assailants may indeed be in league with the so-called Metal Overlord, however the nefarious terrorist has yet to claim credit for the attack. Vice President Chambers has declared a national state of emergency and is asking the Senate to confirm GUN head commander, Argus Smith as the temporary acting president-”
The voice continued, but Espio could no longer pay attention to the broadcast. His head was throbbing terribly and his mouth felt horribly dry. Espio sat up and considered the rest of the room. He was in a narrow studio apartment. Streetlights flashed from the nearby window, and Espio could hear the hustle and bustle of a lively street corner.
Ray slept on the opposite couch. Bruises and scars covered his face and arms, but otherwise he appeared uninjured. That prompted Espio to check his own side. His torso was covered in a series of hastily applied white bandages. The wound triggered a rapid onset of memory. Espio lurched forward as everything that had happened raced into his mind. Fang had shot him, Espio had crashed into the waters below and had nearly been eaten by those robotic fish. So how had he ended up here?
“I got you out.” Mighty came up beside Espio and handed him a glass of water. Mighty’s face was purple and swollen from a series of nasty cuts and bruises.
Espio accepted the drink and gulped it down. Relief was almost instantaneous. His mind cleared faintly allowing him to pick up the words of the broadcast. “Conflicting reports suggest that the attackers were part of a criminal organization called Team Chaotix. Leaders of the gang were recently killed in a shootout with GUN agents over the theft of confidential military files. It is possible that the attack on the president was meant as a reprisal.” Espio dropped his water and the glass shattered on the floor. This caused Ray to jump up in alarm.
Pictures of Espio, Ray, Mighty and Rouge appeared on the television screen. “The assailants are known to be armed and extremely dangerous. If anyone has any information regarding their whereabouts they are advised to call their local police-” Espio tuned out the rest.
“Where’s Rouge?” He demanded, as he looked around the room.
“They took her.” Mighty sat down on the opposite couch and folded his hands together. “After you abandoned the mission.”
Espio closed his eyes and exhaled as guilt seeped into his heart. “What about the Eclipse Canon?”
“It’s unhurt. Ray was lucky to even make it out of there alive.”
Ray was trying not to catch Espio’s eye. It was clear that the two of them had been discussing him before Espio had woken up. So that’s it then. “I…I’m sorry.”
“That’s not good enough!” Bang! Mighty slammed his fist on the coffee table and it collapsed. “Who knows if we will get another shot. They will move the weapon now, and we may never find it again and Rouge…who knows what they will do to her.”
Espio said nothing. No words could excuse his actions. Blood begets blood. Espio had chosen revenge over the mission, over his allies, and in the end, he had lost all three. He rose from the couch and slowly unwrapped the bandages. The bullet wound was purple and still bleeding faintly. Espio placed his hand on top of it and braced himself. “Urureru!” Pain rocked his body and the blood was washed away.
“I’m sorry I dragged you two into all this,” Espio said with a dark glance at the television. “I don’t know if you will be able to hide from GUN now, they’ve become too powerful. We…we never should have crossed them.”
Ray lurched forward. “What do you mean? We can’t just give up.”
“It’s over. Vec and Charmy are dead, and Rouge…she’ll probably be dead soon. It’s over.”
“We can’t let them get away with this,” Ray insisted. “We didn’t kill the president, if anything I’d bet it was that Argus Smith guy.”
“It’s no use.” Mighty placed a firm hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Espio has given up. We’re on our own.”
Ray looked from Mighty back to Espio. “You can’t. They will be after us now, we have to stop them.”
“I don’t care about that anymore,” Espio answered softly. “I’m done.” With that, he started walking slowly over to the door.
“We should stick together,” Ray pleaded. “You’ll get killed for sure if you go out there, this is a safe house, we should come up with a plan before-”
“No more plans.” Espio flung open the door and stepped into the hallway.
“At least tell us where you’re going?”
“Where it all began.” He slammed the door shut without looking back. Espio wished he had not brought Mighty into his mess. Who knew how long Ray and Mighty could evade the full might of GUNs forces. Two more names for the list. How many more would die because of Espio’s failures? Just one more.
Espio could not say how he managed the journey across the country. His name and likeness were plastered all over the human world, on billboards and across thousands of digital screens. Whether by luck or by fate, Espio managed to keep himself invisible as he made his way north.
Nearly the entire forest had been cleared away, replaced by repeating subdivisions of cookie cutter homes. Sacred groves where Espio had once learned the secret arts of ninjutsu were now grocery stores. A great behemoth of a building which sported a huge cardboard cutout of a fish dominated the former training grounds. The temple itself was now a shopping mall. Espio moved imperceptibly through the human crowds. They were either oblivious or uncaring about what it had cost to bring them their bastions of consumer products.
Everything that Espio held as sacred was tossed aside, driven under, compressed, burned, repackaged and sold to ungrateful brats tugging at their mother’s skirt. There had been no honor in the defeat. A store in the mall sold novelty ninjutsu tools, foam swords, plastic kunai, and little pellets which exploded into puffs of powder. The defeat had been absolute. Espio, the masters, the monastery, everything had been utterly obliterated. What did it matter if violence only incurred more violence, surely that was preferable to erasure?
Espio bore these thoughts away from the mall. He took a brick path down towards the river which had been preserved as a nature reserve, though very little of what had made it natural remained. Espio moved past the crowds and followed the river down towards the last remaining vestiges of the wild forest. He found the mound resting beside the slow moving stream. A crown of white flowers had grown upon its surface.
Espio sat beside and placed his hand upon the warm earth. “Why didn’t you fight?” Espio asked aloud. “When I found you, your sword was clean? Why did you not raise your weapon to defend yourself?” The dirt mound gave no answer. Had it been peaceful? Was there some kind of victory in death if one did not acknowledge what was happening? “Tell me!” Espio implored. What had been the purpose of Master Sakai’s restraint, of his virtue, what had they won him in the end, but an unmarked grave beside a polluted stream?
What had been the purpose of Espio’s vow? All those years ago, when he had woken up, alive beside his master’s grave, Espio had made a promise; a promise to never employ the arts of death, and instead, to use his talents to preserve and safeguard the innocent. “So why can’t I beat him?”
Fang had no honor, no virtue or creed to guide him. He was led by greed and was perfectly content to win his prizes with the blood of the innocent. All that mattered was ability and will. Master Sakai had died because he lacked the will to fight, while the humans had stolen their home because they had not been burdened by the same weakness. Espio rose to his feet. A storm of contempt swelled inside him, until he dug his hands into the mound and started to tear it apart.
The mud and compact earth resisted him, and it took until nightfall for Espio to finally reach the bundle of cloth clinging to a set of withered bones. An empty skull glared back at him. This was the face of virtue, of restraint. It could not resist as Espio reached down and pried the sword from the dead fox’s hands. Espio would not die like Sakai, his blade would not be clean. His enemies would feel the sting of his revenge.
Lights flashed around him, as Espio had known that they would. Dozens of GUN operatives came circling towards him with their rifles raised. Espio had not gone into the human shops for no purpose, and like moths to a flame, the humans had fallen right into his trap. He had hoped that Fang would come himself, but it seemed as if the humans hoped to overwhelm him with sheer numbers.
Darkness shattered as fire and bullets sprayed into the night. Espio transformed back into a wraith, moving as a shadow from target to target. Sakai’s katana had not dulled with age. Imbued with the handcrafted steel of the monks, the weapon had taken on the revenants of the fallen. Within moments, the ambush turned into a route. Soldiers flung down their weapons in a panic and ran for safety. Espio hunted them down. He was impervious to gunfire, or to pain, and did not stop his assault until the forest was silent.
Espio crashed down onto one knee. His breath felt like hot fumes. Blood coated his side from a dozen different wounds. He dragged himself through the woods, his sword trailing behind him, leaving behind a clear trail of blood. Espio passed a set of tall oaks and wandered into the old cemetery. The gates were badly rusted and the tombstones were all covered in ivy. Espio willed himself to the center grave and propped his back up against the cold stone. His vision blurred, and his eyes drooped. I can’t fall asleep. He had to stay awake. The humans would be forced to send someone else to finish him off. Espio had to endure, he had to make himself stay alive so he could face Fang one last time.