http://clampfix.fanworks.net/kenichi/essen10.txt </head><body><pre> "Another race is the Deep Ones who are a type of amphibious creature resembling a mixture of a fish, a frog and man. The Deep Ones worship a god called Dagon. Dagon is a deity resembling a giant Deep One. Dagon and the Deep Ones seem to be Allied in some way with Cthulhu." - Parker Ryan "Necronomicon Info Source" Chapter Ten I awoke not much later after Ken's punch. Much later, as by now the sun had long since set; I guessed the time to be around eight in the evening. Reclining in a Jeep, as I found, was not the most comfortable things to do when one is unconscious. My body felt warped as I tried to sit up. A muffled grunt rose from my gut as I dragged my frame upright, with all the pains that cramped shoulders and aching joints produced. My teeth bit down fiercely upon each other while I struggled to a standing position. It was the pressure of teeth upon grit teeth that brought the pain of my jaw back to the fore. A reminder to all who cross Kenichi Kaeda's path. <The boy is dangerous... To the both of us...> Seishirou's words. Liar, liar... Of course, the way the boy punches, I would venture that he would be dangerous to everybody when angry... A gruff snore jolted my senses. I whirled my head to the back of the jeep. Richmond, snoring snugly as he huddled tight the baseball bat he carried, as if it were a priceless heirloom. I felt a light chuckle escape me as I peered over the sleeping american. Somehow, it was difficult to imagine Richmond this quiet and peaceful when awake. Something's missing... I frowned as I noticed that Ken and Rio were not around... ...As well as our unexpected 'hostage', Jake... "Richmond-San!!! Wake up!!!" I grabbed the snoozing Gaijin by the shoulders and shook vigorously. "Wake up! Where did Rio go, and where is that...?" The gaijin bolted in annoyed wakefulness. He yelled out curses similar to Rio as he tried to shake the sleep from his weary head. "Damn it all, Can't you see I'm trying to get some sleep?" "Forget sleep! Where are Rio and Ken?" The still-drowsy American hissed. "Ken who?" "Never mind. Where are they?" Richmond by now had successfully brushed off his idyllic stupor and stretched as he slid off the Jeep's back. "Oh, Mister GI joe and the kid. They took off after that kook..." He jerked a thumb to a swarm of loose cords... The same cords we used to tie our prisoner with. "Just upped and ran away." Ran away? "What do you mean 'just ran away'? He couldn't have broken free of those ropes so easily..." Richmond scratched his head. "Damned as I'll ever be, I have no idea how he slid them off..." He picked one sliver of rope, sniffed it, and then grimaced. "Damn, it stinks..." Out of the corner of my mind came a memory. I instinctively grabbed the swatch of rope from Richmond's startled grasp and smelled it. I instantly recoiled from the stench. It was like the stench of rotting fish... Oh, no... I dropped the rope and began to head for the woods when Richmond grabbed my shoulder with a viselike grip. "What the hell did you smell that blasted thing for, anyway?" I had no time to argue. "Richmond-San, you can stay if you like, but I think Rio might be in for some serious trouble..." The Gaijin smirked contentedly. "Don't worry. That big baboon can take care of himself..." "If my hunch is correct, he'll have a LOT to worry about..." A slight stutter to my voice as I nervously considered the possibilities. "Lots more...more than even he can handle..." He sneered even deeper. "What, ghosts and spirits gonna get him?" I firmly shook away from his grip. "Ghosts are the least we have to worry about right now..." My quick pace took me into the woods in a heartbeat. The muffled strides of another man echoed behind me. I was thankful Richmond decided to join me. Bat included. The full moon illuminated our crossing as we trod aimlessly through the woods. Richmond held the bat ready at every turn as we crept, as quietly as we humanly could, through each outcropping and bush. Still, we came up with nothing as we proceeded. Somehow, I was thankful of that...so far... Curiosity, maybe, spurred me to make conversation. "Richmond... What did Rio mean about your 'Occult expertise'?" He grunted, but I knew he heard me. Sure enough, his answer spewed forth. "...Ever wonder why I HATE this Occult shit? It's because..." He paused an instant to traverse over a rock. "...It's because I was once a sucker for that bullshit. Me and Robby Walker... The big guy's little brother..." I paused, standing my ground, as Richmond sat on a rock and pulled out some cigarettes. "...Smoke?" I nodded, and he lent me the pack of Marlboros. I bit heartily into the butt of one, despite the fact that it was not my preferred brand. Richmond lit up, and I joined him, savoring the white film as it coated my lungs. It took a few good puffs on our sticks before Richmond was finally ready to talk once more. "...Robby and I... we were best friends in high school. Me, I came across this...group...that professed to know everything on the occult. I was sold on the idea, and, knucklehead that I was, duped Robby into joining with me...hell, we were both just fifteen or so..." Another strong breath on the cigarette. "...Well, one idiocy led to another, pretty soon, we were both brain- washed into believing all the crap they fed us..." I shook my head. "Cult." Richmond spat a curse into the night sky. "Yep. pretty soon, Robby and I were doing all sorts of weird rituals. Then came a time that the 'master' told us to do something... It's stupid, now that I think of it, but Robby and I... we were just so damn gullible." He paused a good three minutes before he continued. "...He wanted 'proof' of our loyalty, and the two of us were practically brainwashed zombies... asshole told the two of us to go and kill Robby's big bro, Rio..." I shuddered, but Richmond had more to say. "Well, the two of us, happy little angels that we were, went over to Robby's house, and we tried to kill his big brother. We failed, of course, you can see that stupid gorilla's still alive and kicking... Not much later, Robby wanted out, and I did too." He looked to the earth, as if seeking an answer. I waited awhile, then asked him more. "...What happened then?" Richmond hissed like a snake. "'Master' said no can do, and told us to commit ritual blasted suicide right then and there. I refused, and I ran. Robby tried to split, but..." He stubbed out the remainder of his cigarette with a repressed violence upon the rock he sat upon. "...Rio had the Marines after that sick SOB, but it was too late; The entire Cult had packed and upped somewhere else... But not without a goodbye present... Robby had his guts cut open... Now Rio blames me for it all." A cult killing. No wonder Richmond had such a hatred of anything he percieved as arcane, occult, or magical. And Rio's loss of his brother...no wonder he was so protective of Kenichi... "I'm... Sorry..." The american hunched over his bat. "Not as sorry as I am..." Rustling. The bushes nearby quivered like a frightened child. Richmond drew to his full height and readied the bat. My hand was already on the Ofuda slips I carried in my coat, then I silently chided myself, as I realized that they may be worthless against a human opponent. Assuming what we were up against was human to begin with. I let out a sigh of relief as we saw a small squirrel scamper away. Richmond's tension eased. "Damned scariest squirrel I ever saw." For some reason, neither of us laughed at the joke. Another rustling, this time more distant. Richmond motioned for me to circle behind, and I followed. Underbrush ceased rustling. Almost immediately, A large human shape leaped out... from Richmond's right side. A blasted ambush. I had no idea what Richmond was thinking nor how he felt, but the figure was screaming as it mauled him to the ground, like a beast upon it's prey. The baseball bat rolled out of Richmond's hands as he started screaming; the figure was desperately trying to tear his face off. A rush of fear and panic set me in motion. I seized the bat and heaved it at the figure with my full strength. My own shoulders felt a blast of pain as the weapon landed squarely on the man's head. The metal bat bounced off like a ball, and the figure went down, still screaming. Still conscious. Richmond scrambled away as quickly as he could. He bled from deep cuts ensued from the struggle, and from the look on his face, he was still stunned... but coherent. The attacking figure turned to face me, and In the moon's dim light Richmond and I both saw the object of our search. Jake, Rio's friend... No, more accurately, what was once Rio's friend. What I saw had only the vaguest resemblance in face to our quarry. This one... He had a lizard's eyes... Deep, piercing... Like a snake about to strike... I panicked and threw the bat at the Jake-thing, which it merely swatted away as one would a mosquito. No choice... Physical strength will get me nowhere in this situation... Concentrate. Seishirou's voice, half-concerned, half-mocking, ran in my head. <Are you afraid, Subaru-Kun...?> I strove not to let the fear and fury interrupt my casting. <You should be...> I tossed three Ofuda...very special Ofuda... at the creature. An oft-repeated chant was on my lips as I called upon the depths of my own soul to strike. My thoughts... The chant was precise. Yet, I sensed a lack of innocence or gentleness in this cast. Unlike the ways of long before. "<<Shuku you dou>>!!" The images of three doves sprouted from the slips in flight, as if the paper itself gave birth to their existence... Screaming. Doves screaming hatred. "<<Hikuu>>!!" The trio of doves...My Shikigami...struck lightly upon the Jake- thing's skin, successfully calling its attention away from Richmond and myself. I let the Shiki do their work as I helped the stricken american to his feet. For the first time, I saw what seemed to be awe in Richmond's wounded face. "Holy... How the hell did you... That was..." I grunted as I pulled him up to a standing position. "Tricks. Nothing serious, but we'd best get out of here." I felt a bite out of my soul. A slight gasp escaped my lips as it happened, and a weakness came over me. Like someone tearing off a part of my own sanity. Shiki... I looked and saw that the creature was chewing on one of my three Shikigami... The remaining two kept their pace and attacked, but were as easily dealt with. I recanted my chant, if only to save myself the pain of the Shiki's "deaths". But how could... It was like the creature was eating my very soul when he...it... bit into my Shiki... The weariness crept on me as I saw the creature approach, almost mindlessly, toward us. For this moment alone, I wished I had the strength left to call upon. Yet it all failed me. Because... Because I am afraid. I looked at the thing and froze. My legs did not run, though every beat of my heart demanded it. Afraid of this... Was Ken right? Am I like Seishirou because I wield Onmyoujitsu...? Or is he wrong... And the reason I cannot defeat Seishirou... Is because I am afraid...? The creature grinned maliciously as it approached. Malice. Mockery. A voice. "Tekli-Li... I speak." The hissing was like that of a snake, and I stood transfixed in dread. My heart screamed at me to move, yet I was dumb to its wiser heed. The American soldier's face cracked open... Like an egg opening... Or a chrysalis splitting open... The smell of putrefaction... of dead...rotten fish... "JAKE...!!!!!" Rio...? Rio's bloodcurdling scream, anger and terror mixed in a shuddering yell, broke the creature's attention and snapped me back to coherent thought. Ken and Rio stood, just as transfixed in awe and horror as I, just some distance away. I could barely make out the weapon Rio bore... a kind of military rifle. The face slewed off as it turned. Like a snake shedding its skin. Hair, cheeks... All of Jake's face slid off smoothly... Leaving behind sleek, scaly flesh. Like what I saw in my dream. Like a fish... Kenichi's scream tore through the woods and I realized that this must have been the creature which he saw in his home the other night. The horror in Ken's voice must have been etched on since that night... Horror...? Or hatred...? Kenichi dashed in blind rage at the creature, screaming pure fury. I vaguely heard Rio's scream of warning as I reflexively dropped Richmond's limp form and attempted to intercept the enraged boy. The boy must be insane... Crouch. Dash. I threw my body forward, succesfully tackling Ken as I went. All of a sudden, the pain in my ribs jabbed me, even before the two of us hit the ground... I landed my full weight on Ken, who was still struggling to get up. As a measure, I held his two arms down with both my hands, all the while wrestling with him desperately as he valiantly tried to break free. The crack of a rifle shot burst just inches over my head. Ken froze, as did I. I rolled off him and saw the creature fall. Bleeding. Red blood. It never occured to me that such an inhuman creature could have the same color blood as I did. But he... Jake... Was he ever really human...? Gurgles. I could not understand what it spoke, as Rio walked slowly toward it, rifle still at the ready... and not just a little frightened. Richmond painfully dragged himself to his feet, and his face paled as he and Rio listened to the creature's speech. The thing collapsed... Laughing and chanting it's mad incantation in spite of the injury and the blood. Grinning madly at all of us. "Tekeli...li...! Teke...li...li! Te...ke...li...li..." And then it went silent. The blood that stained the forest floor smelled of rotten fish. Enveloping us in stench... And in fear. I picked myself off the grassy floor. Rio and Richmond were pale still... Neither moved, but stared dumbly at the creature. Ken angrily heaved himself off the soil and ranted. "Damn you, Rio! He killed my mother! I should have..." Just as suddenly, he stopped. As Rio turned to him, nervous and pale. Ken's temper tantrum ceased as he saw the fear in his friend's face. Something akin to regret and pity flashed in the younger boy's eyes. This affair frightened the Sergeant, a thing that destroyed the very roots of his belief and sanity. Rio lowered his rifle. "What Jake... It... said... Oh my god..." Richmond swallowed heavily. "Can't be... that... whatever the hell that was... no..." The white Gaijin reached for his bat and cradled it, but without the air of bravado as he did before. I tried to muster courage, but failed. "L...Look... We're all afraid, I know... but..." "DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND, SUBARU? THEY'RE BACK!!!" Rio's howl was fierce and timid at the same time. "They came back...they were here all along...!" I was dumbfounded. "Nani...?" Ken looked around nervously, expecting attack. It was Richmond who explained. "It's the cult... The same one I told you about..." "You mean..." Kenichi turned violently around. "Guys... We're not alone in here anymore..." Rio, Richmond, and I all faced outward, backs to each other and Ken. Slowly, figures crawled silently out of the woods. Smelling like rotten fish, all of them. All wearing cloaks of some kind of religion. All chanting the same, maddening tone. "Tekli-li Tekeli-li Tekli-li Tekeli-li Tekeli-li..." </pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>