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

Two Down!

Klaus returned to the treehouse after a few days, but he did not express any happiness upon seeing Ash. Since the old one had told Ash that Klaus took off to handle some personal issues, Ash figured that something was wrong, but he was not so close to Klaus, so he couldn't ask him what was the matter.

Klaus: It is good you are here. I appreciate it. I have notified all the armies, and within a week, they will gather here. In the meanwhile, if you get any visions that might help us, share them with me.

Ash: Hello, Klaus. It is good to see you too. In fact, before the army comes, we got to something together. Are you up for it?

Klaus: I am. How can I help?

Ash: I will tell you on the way. Let's go.

Klaus and Ash greeted the old one and then left. The old one also provided a horse to Ash, and since he has never ridden a horse, it was difficult for him at the start, but he soon got a hang at it.

Klaus: What is it that you wanted to tell me about?

Ash: I had a couple of visions in the past few days, and we can win the battle if all goes accordingly.

Klaus: That is good to hear. Go on.

Ash: So, the demons usually come out of the eggs, right? But they do not come out on their own. They need power in order for them to wake up, and this power is supplied to them by other creatures which lead them. You might have a question about how the power is supplied. The answer for that is, when the creatures explore the land, everything around them dies. The animals, flowers, grass, and so on, except for humans for some reason. The more the deaths, the more the power. Now, I don't exactly know how many of the other creatures are there, but if we are able to kill them, then a portion of the demon army would never even crawl out of their eggs, and therefore our chances to win the battle improves. In the past,  when the people of Solaris fought the demons, they were outnumbered. But now we have a chance to change it. I somehow can sense the location of the creatures that lead the demons.

Klaus: Well, then let us kill some beasts. Take me to the nearest one. I will slay it.

Ash: I can sense that it is approaching the altar of demons.

Klaus rode the horse very fast, and Ash could barely keep up with him, but tried his best to follow him. Ash could sense that something was terribly wrong with Klaus but couldn't figure out what it was. He was disturbingly calm and composed. As they reached the altar of demons, they began to slow down and check for the beast.

Klaus: Be attentive and agile. It can attack from anywhere.

At a distance, Ash could see something that was walking very slowly.

Ash: Look over there. There is something moving towards us.

They went forward to have a closer look at it and as soon as Klaus looked at it, he remembered something.

Klaus: I have seen this somewhere. When I was traveling through a tunnel to reach here, I saw some drawings of various monsters and it is one of them, but I couldn't read anything about it because it was written in a totally different language.

The creature appeared to be roughly humanoid in form and about the size of a child. It looked all wet as if it came out of a lake or pond. It is greenish in color, and slimy skinned, with webbed hands and feet, and a turtle-like carapace on its back.

As the creature walked, the surrounding nature instantly died. All the green grass turned grey, all the fruits became rotten and all the trees dried off. Klaus immediately took out his bow and arrow and fired at the creature, and the arrow couldn't pierce the slimy skin of the creature.

Klaus: It is robust and more durable than it looks. We cannot defeat it with weapons like these. There has to be another way. 

Ash got off his horse and looked at it closely.

Ash: Wait, I think this creature is called Kappa. It is one of the creatures of Japanese Yokai. Thank you, Izumi, for your week-long explanation of these creatures. It has now come in handy. Kappa are aquatic, reptilian humanoids who inhabit the rivers and streams. Clumsy on land, and they are at home in the water, and thrive during the warm months. Kappa are generally the size and shape of a human child, yet despite their small stature, they are physically stronger than a grown man. Their scaly skin ranges from a deep, earthy green to bright reds and even blue. Kappa bodies are built for swimming; they have webbed, thumbless hands and feet, a turtle-like beak and shell, and an elastic, waterproof skin that reeks of fish and is said to be removable. Other inhuman traits include three anuses that allow them to pass three times as much gas as humans. While younger kappa are frequently found in family groups, adult kappa live solitary lives. However, it is common for kappa to befriend other yokai and sometimes even people. Possess intelligence and kappa are one of the few yokai able to learn human languages. They are highly knowledgeable about medicine and the art of setting bones. According to legend, friendly kappa taught these skills to humans. For fun, they love causing mischief, practicing martial arts like sumo wrestling, and playing games of skill like shogi. Kappa are proud and stubborn, but also fiercely honorable; they never break a promise. Kappa will eat almost anything, but they are particularly fond of two foods: cucumbers and raw innards—particularly human anuses.

Klaus: So how to defeat it?

Ash: We can only defeat it when it is on land. Can you see that it has a cavity on its head which looks like a bowl, it is called a sara that retains water or some sort of liquid, which is regarded as the source of the kappa's power or life force. This cavity must be full whenever a kappa is away from the water; if it ever dries out, or if its water is spilled, kappa loses its power and may even die.

Klaus: Should I fight with it and during the process, try to spill the water?

Ash: There are some standard ways that can be used to defeat a Kappa. You can do sumo wrestling with it, which is unadvisable at the moment or you can cut off his arms, and in exchange to give back its arms, we can ask it whatever we want or the most simple thing is we can just bow deep down and since Kappa is a polite creature, it will return the gesture, thereby spilling its water. Unless the water is filled again from the river in which it lives, it will remain in that position, and it is bound to serve the person who will refill its cavity.

Klaus: So what you are saying is, it is not harmful?

Ash: As far as I know, it is not that harmful.

Klaus: Killing it is not fair. It somehow got caught up in the cycle of violence created by the gods.

Klaus went closer to Kappa and bowed deep down. Kappa halted and waited for a second and bowed in return which made its cavity empty.

Klaus: We will let it be here until the war is over, and when we succeed, we will fill him. Is that alright?

Ash: It is better than killing. 

Klaus: Are all the creatures like this? I mean, are they innocent beasts living their lives and fighting for their survival.

Ash: Well, some are and some aren't. As far as I know some need to be put down before they can hurt a lot of others.

Klaus: Where to go next?

Ash: I sense another one nearby.

Klaus: I want to know more about this creature.

Ash: Well, I can tell all about it until we reach the next one. Kappa are revered in Shinto(a Japanese religion) as a kind of water god. It is not uncommon to see offerings of cucumbers made at riverbanks by devout humans. In return, kappa help people by irrigating fields, befriending lonely children, or competing with adults in sports and games.

Kappa can also be rude and dangerous. Lakes and rivers where they live are often marked with warning signs. Kappa particularly despises cows and horses and will attack the animals for no reason at all. Mischievous by nature, they loudly pass gas in public and love to peek up women’s kimonos. Sometimes their mischief turns violent.

Kappa has been known to kidnap or r**e swimming women, and kill people. A kappa’s preferred method of attack is to drown its victims or bite them to death underwater. Kappa also devours humans alive.

In the water, there is no escape for anyone who crosses a kappa. On land, however, it is possible to outwit one; the honorable kappa will feel obliged to return a bow. If it can be tricked into bowing so low that the water in its dish spills out, it can be overcome. Once bested, kappa has been made to swear loyalty and friendship to their victor for the rest of their lives.

Klaus: Well, it doesn't sound as good as I thought. 

Ash: When you about the other creatures of Yokai, then might sound better to you. 

Klaus and Ash did not exactly know how many creatures were there, but they decided to put down as many creatures as possible which in turn reduces the army of demons. As they progressed in the direction of the next creature, Ash got a feeling that this one might be harmful, unlike the Kappa. Ash warned Klaus about it.

When they arrived at the spot, they could see a beast which was coming in the opposite direction and the surroundings around him it just like in the previous case.

Klaus: Who is this supposed to be?

Ash: Ah, their names are so confusing. I think its name is Amanojaku. I am not sure though.

Klaus: Names do not matter. What does it do?

Ash: Amanojaku is known to be a wicked monster and are described as evil, minor oni, or yokai who cause mischief and perform evil deeds. In particular, they are known for provoking humans into acting upon the wicked, impious desires buried deep within their hearts. They spread spiritual pollution wherever they go. It is kind of like Lucifer in the series, where you'd want to tell him your deepest, darkest desire, but Amanojaku will manipulate and trick you into performing those desires. It is not advisable to go closer to him. If he gets a hold of you or me, it would be difficult for us to get out of the trance.  Amanojaku gains energy by absorbing the fear of living beings. He can channel this energy into supernatural powers such as levitation, supersonic waves, and other phenomenon to incite fear. As he absorbs power he also gains size, solidity and musculature, becoming more formidable and frightening as a result.

Klaus: How to defeat it?

Ash: I do not know if this works, but my friend told me that Amanojaku always does the opposite of what you order it to do.

Klaus: Let's give it a try then.

Klaus stepped forward and yelled, ' Amanojaku, I order you not to kill yourself. '

Amanojaku stopped abruptly and it slit its throat with its clawed fingers.

Ash: Well, that worked like a charm. Two down. The next one is a bit far and it would take a while for us to get there. If you want, I'll tell you one of the stories of Amanojaku.

Klaus: Fine.

Ash: In this story, a childless elderly couple discovered a baby girl near a tree. They took her home and raised her as their own, and named her Uriko hime. She grew into a beautiful young woman, and one day a request for her hand in marriage arrived. Delighted, her parents went off to town to purchase her jewels and prepare for her wedding. Before leaving, they warned her not to open the door for anybody, no matter what. This was the first time, they had ever left her alone.

Shortly afterward, Uriko hime heard a knock at the door. ' Uriko hime, please let me in. '

She refused to open the door. The voice replied, ' If you won’t open the door, then at least open the window a bit. '

Reluctantly, Uriko hime opened the window just a c***k. As soon as she had done so, a long, clawed finger slipped into the c***k and smashed the window open. It was an Amanojaku. The Amanojaku leaped at Uriko hime, tearing at her clothes. The young woman fought for her life, biting and kicking at the demon, but she was not strong enough. The Amanojaku snapped her neck, and she died.

The Amanojaku didn’t stop there, however. It flayed Uriko hime’s skin and wore it like a suit, hiding itself in her clothes and disguising itself as the young girl. When the girl’s parents came home, they were fooled into thinking their daughter was still alive.

Finally, the wedding day arrived. The elderly couple brought the Amanojaku-in-disguise to its husband-to-be. However, a crow in a nearby tree called out, warning the couple that their daughter was not what she seemed. They grabbed the bride tight and held her down. They washed her body until the flayed skin sloughed off, and the Amanojaku was revealed.

The Amanojaku ran for its life, but the elderly couple chased after it. More and more people joined them until a whole host of villagers chased the demon through the village. Finally, the townspeople caught up to the Amanojaku and hit it with sticks, stones, and tools. They beat the demon into a b****y mess, and it died.

Klaus: Well, they at least got their revenge.

Ash: I have been meaning to ask you something, can I?

Klaus: I prefer not. We still have a lot of work to do. Do less talking and preserve your energy.

Ash could figure that it would take time, but he was sure that Klaus would open up at one point.