The Destiny Of Solaris(Book 2 of "The Planets In Exile")

The Deception

' What if we will not be able to end all the beasts? What happens then? '

' I notified my soldiers and also the kings of surrounding kingdoms to assist us in the fight. If we fail, then they will be the second line of defense. '

' That is comforting. '

' That doesn't mean we can rest. It is still our priority to end all of them. I don't want my people to fight the demons, many of them would die. '

' Yeah, I understand. And I will not rest until I help you in finding all of them, okay? I sacrificed my world and I am here to help you in saving yours, right? If I cannot do that then there is no meaning to what I had done. I think we have found our next creature. '

Klaus and Ash could hear a loud ringing in their ears, and the land was trembling. Then at a distance, they spotted a giant skeleton that was fifteen times bigger than them. For a moment they lost their minds after seeing such a huge creature.

' Please tell me you know what it is and how to kill it. '

' It is a Gashadokuro, and killing it would be a pain in the a*s. It is all up to you now. I will tell the technique, but one wrong move, and you are dead. '

' Do not worry about me. Just tell me how to do it. '

' Alright. To begin with, you need to cut off one of its legs which kind of stuns or paralyzes Gashadokuro for a while, and during that time, you got to hit its head and break its skull. You cannot do it in a single go, the legs would soon recombine, and you'll have to repeat the process. Did you get it? '

' s***h legs, smash skull, and repeat. It is easy but hectic. '

Klaus got off his horse and ran in the direction of Gashadokuro. The demon was too big that it hadn't noticed Klaus until he did his first hit. Since it was huge, its movements were extremely slow, while Klaus was agile. He rapidly dodged and sliced Gashadokuro's legs, and soon the beast fell down. This process was repeated three times, and the monster did not wake after the third time. Klaus was panting heavily but he did it finally. That was their third monster.

Klaus laid down beside Gashadokuro for a while. He deserved to take a rest after fighting such a huge monster. After a while, they started traveling to their next monster.

Klaus: Would you like to tell me about this monster?

It kind of became like a thing where they kill the monster and then Ash tells Klaus about it.

Ash: I'd love to. Gashadokuro are the spirits that take the form of a skeletal giant, which usually wanders at night. If they should happen to come across a human out late on the roads, the gashadokuro will silently creep up and catch their victims, crushing them in their hands or biting off their heads.

Usually, in the olden days, soldiers whose bodies rot in the fields and victims of famine who die unknown in the wilderness rarely receive proper funerary rites. Unable to pass on, their souls are reborn as hungry ghosts, longing eternally for that which they once had. These people die with anger and pain in their hearts, and that energy remains long after their flesh has rotted from their bones. As their bodies decay, their anger ferments into a powerful force – a grudge against the living – and this grudge is what twists them into a supernatural force. When the bones of hundreds of victims gather together into one mass, they can form the humongous skeletal monster known as the Gashadokuro. The more victims that combine the stronger and taller it would become.

Gashadokuro maintains their existence until the energy and malice stored up in their bodies have completely burnt out. Their occurrence is rare these days because, in the present times because  there are no wars in recent times.

The earliest record of a gashadokuro goes back over 1000 years to a b****y rebellion against the central government by a samurai named Taira no Masakado. His daughter, Takiyasha-hime, was a famous sorceress. When Masako was eventually killed for his revolt, his daughter continued his cause. Using her black magic, she summoned a great skeleton to attack the city of Kyoto. 

Klaus: Pretty good stories, huh.

Ash: One more interesting thing is if you ever help a Gashadokuro, it will tell you its story about how it died.

Klaus: How can you help something that is already dead?

Ash: I don't know, maybe that is why it is interesting. I also what to know something.

Klaus: What is it?

Ash: What happened when you went to your home? From the moment you returned, you seem different from the one that met me.

Klaus: I am alright. I am just worried about what is going to happen next.

Ash: I will not lead you to the next monster until and unless you tell me what is going on.

Klaus: I do not have time to think about anything else other than saving the world. If you understand the significance of our journey, you will not waste time on your assumption that I am not well.

Ash couldn't argue after hearing that statement so he stopped bothering Klaus.

Ash: Fine then. I will not bother you anymore.

Klaus: If you want to talk about anything, then I hope it is regarding these monsters otherwise I wish to travel in silence. Also, all the monsters that we came across are the ones that I had seen in the tunnel. I wish I knew the language, so I could have understand it. 

After a few hours, they reached the next monster.

Ash: I sense another one here.

Suddenly they could hear the bushes rattling. Klaus drew out his sword, and Ash was standing behind him. Through the bushes came a beautiful woman.

Woman: Thank God, someone is here. I got stranded here and was hiding in the bushes.

Ash: Why were you hiding?

Woman: There were some wild dogs roaming around, and I got scared.

Klaus: It is not safe here. There is a village nearby. Go there, and they will take care of you.

Woman: Thank you so much for helping me.

She thanked them and started going in the direction Klaus suggested.

While she was going, Ash could see something weird on her body. When he looked closely, he could see the tip of her tail between her legs.

Ash whispered, ' Klaus, it is one of them. It must be a shape-shifting Yokai. '

Klaus: What is its usual form?

Ash: It can be a cat, dog, or many other things, but definitely an animal. Restrain it. I hope it is not strong enough to get out of them.

Klaus removed a net which is basically used by hunters to catch animals and used it on her. As soon as the lady was trapped, she immediately turned into her base form and tried to break free but could not.

Klaus: It is a fox.

Ash: Makes sense. It is called Kitsune and it is afraid of dogs.

Klaus: How do I kill it?

Ash: It is not dangerous. I mean it is dangerous, but they don't really harm the humans very much. It is just a wild animal that possess supernatural abilities.

Klaus: Even if it is not dangerous, we need to stop it. Can you tell me how to do it?

Ash: Yes. We can cut off its tail which is the source of her power and without it, it cannot transform.   

Klaus: It has three tails, which is the main one?

Ash: In ancient times, people weren't sure which one was the main tail so they used to chop off all the tails to ensure its death. But the main tail is larger than the other ones and the difference in length can be minute, but it is definitely larger. I hope you can find which one is larger.

Klaus observed it for a while and then cut off the big one and Ash asked him to cut off another tail so it can appear like a normal fox. Klaus then helped the fox to come out of trap and it ran away into the woods.

Ash: Well, it is a win-win. We stopped it without killing it.

Klaus: Let us hear about this Kitsune.

Ash: Alright. Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and possess magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. According to Yokai folklore, all foxes have the ability to shapeshift into men or women. While some folktales speak of kitsune employing this ability to trick others but some stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, lovers, and wives.

The more tails a kitsune has—they may have as many as nine—the older, wiser, and more powerful it is. Because of their potential power and influence, some people make offerings to them as a deity.

Conversely, foxes were often seen as "witch animals." Chinese folk tales tell of fox spirits called huli jing that may have up to nine tails.

Kitsune are believed to possess superior intelligence, long life, and magical powers. They are a type of yokai or spiritual entity, and the word kitsune is often translated as fox spirit. However, this does not mean that kitsune are ghosts, nor that they are fundamentally different from regular foxes.

There are two common classifications of kitsune. The zenko are literally good foxes and they are benevolent. On the other hand, the yako tend to be mischievous or even malicious.

Physically, kitsune are noted for having as many as nine tails. Generally, a greater number of tails indicates an older and more powerful fox; in fact, some folktales say that a fox will only grow additional tails after it has lived 100 years. One, five, seven, and nine tails are the most common numbers in folk stories. When a kitsune gains its ninth tail, its fur becomes white or gold. A nine-tailed fox gain the ability to see and hear anything happening anywhere in the world.

A kitsune may take on human form, an ability learned when it reaches a certain age—usually 100 years, but it might not be correct. Common forms assumed by kitsune include beautiful women, young girls, or elderly men. These shapes are not limited by the fox's age or gender, and a kitsune can duplicate the appearance of a specific person. Foxes are particularly renowned for impersonating beautiful women. Traditionally, this facial structure is considered attractive. Even though they transform they retain other foxlike traits, such as a coating of fine hair, a fox-shaped shadow, or a reflection that shows its true form.

In some stories, kitsune have difficulty hiding their tails when they take human form. Kitsune may also be exposed while in human form by their fear and hatred of dogs, and some become so rattled by their presence that they revert to the form of a fox and flee.

More abilities include flight, invisibility, and the creation of illusions so elaborate as to be almost indistinguishable from reality. Some tales speak of kitsune with even greater powers, able to bend time and space, drive people mad, or take fantastic shapes such as a tree of incredible height or a second moon in the sky. Other kitsune have characteristics reminiscent of vampires or succubi and feed on the life or spirit of human beings, generally through s****l contact.

Klaus: That is a lot of information. You have good memory.

Ash: My friend, Izumi. He forced me to listen to him and I was very irritated so I memorized everything to get off his back. And because of him, we are able to win a fight. 

Klaus: I would like to meet him one day and thank him for the wisdom he imparted.

                                                                            ----*----

Tron: Have you found out any new things?

Izumi: Since we know more about Solaris now, I was able to extract more information than I could before. If my research is right, then Ash must be facing the Japanese Yokai about which I discussed with you guys a while ago. If he remembers what I had taught him, then he can help save Solaris. 

Tron: He remembers them, Izumi. I do too. Because that was the only way to escape from you, so we memorized about them completely.

Izumi: Well, I am glad that I helped save a world.