Tarō

Tarō watched seven friends leave the colony forever, but he hadn’t given up hope. He’d remembered something from an old story. If Cassie’s magic could do what he thought, this wasn’t the last time they’d see each other.

“Fool boy,” Koto whispered with stifled fury. Thankfully, the others had eluded the old man’s reach.

Koto’s anger was far more intense than Tarō anticipated. He knew he’d suffer for his choice, but Tarō simply couldn’t bear the thought of a permanent goodbye. Honestly, he looked forward to the harsh training Koto had in store for him—he wanted to be a mighty warrior, no matter how painful the process. Being a hero was his destiny.

Tiny Cintamani imprinted with Shew Stones hidden throughout the tunnel broadcasted action in real-time on a vast projected multiscreen. A crowd of Tsukumogami watched Cassie the bat and her friends fly from screen to screen, zooming through tight spaces and hard corners. Tarō felt no concern for her ability to navigate the tunnel; he’d personally experienced the extent of Cassie’s echolocation.

The officials were in a tizzy.

“The girl can’t be allowed to leave here alive!” Biwa said, frantic.

Shami whipped his head around, “Then why didn’t you kill her?”

“I couldn’t very well cut them to pieces in front of the whole House!” Biwa twanged her strings in irritation as she spoke. “B-besides, they’re under our protection this side of the entrance.”

“It seems we will need to relocate the colony,” Koto said, his words out of sync with the other officials as if following an internal conversation. As he spoke, he made his way towards the tunnel entrance, taking his time, one step after another.

“That won’t solve the problem; a Nightwalker like her could use the pin to find the boy anywhere,” Biwa said, but Koto wasn’t listening.

Shami considered their options. “We could do something with the boy.”

“What he did wasn’t illegal,” Biwa objected.

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“It should be,” Shami grumbled.

Tarō didn’t worry at their talk. He’d counted on his talent’s value to protect him when he gambled on this move. He watched Cassie’s progress through the screens. The Nightwatcher—Paul, right? Definitely Paul—shot a laser at the button opening the way through the Wringer so they could scrape through flying under.

Koto stopped before the tunnel and said, “Shaberu, come here.”

“At your service, sir. Always a pleasure.” A shovel foreman ran to attend the Master of the House.

While Koto’s words were conversational, no one missed his frigid undertone of steely determination, “I’d like to move up the demolition date for the western tunnel.”

“W-well, sir, there’s a bit of a labor issue with that,” Shaberu said with a nervous grin. “We can block the entrance in a matter of minutes, but it’s not a small tunnel. Collapsing it’ll take weeks of planning, preparation, and coordinated work. There’s not much we can do to hurry—”

Koto stopped the talkative shovel with an extended hand, saying, “Today. We’ll get it done today.”

A stab of fear and guilt pierced Tarō. There’d been one big hole in his plan.

He’d underestimated the old man.

“Now we’re talkin’!” Shami said as he, Biwa, and their subordinate tools shifted into cloth bolts surging forward to join their leader.

“It’s an honor, sir. Honest and truly.” Fingers trembling, Shaberu accepted his leader’s hand and shifted into full shovel form with Koto holding the shaft. A layer of Stone spread from the master’s fingers to petrify the shovel. The cave floor, walls, and ceiling rumbled in resonance with Koto’s magic.

Thousands of Tsukumogami fled in the opposite direction.

“You can’t!” Tarō shouted.

“He can!” Shami countered from his place tied around Koto’s bicep.

“Take this as a lesson, boy,” Koto said, hefting the shovel high with both hands, “For the next time you consider putting the colony in danger.”

An earthquake shook the cavern, stalactites falling and crashing into explosions of shrapnel as cracks split the ground and walls.

Then the shovel’s stone shell crumbled—revealing Shaberu’s transformation. Shale and granite replaced metal and wood; the tool’s design elevated from utilitarian simplicity to ceremonial resplendence. An intense green aura spilled from magnificent Jade jewelry set into the handle and shaft. Its magic made the boy feel young and small and weak. More, he felt inferior, his lack of polish like grime on his skin.

The Jade aura saturated the stone of the cavern, which seemed to sing in harmony. Its splendid green light illuminated the rocks and cracks from within as Koto sunk his will into every last pebble and grain of sand. Then stillness. Silence. The calm before the storm.

For an instant, Tarō glimpsed the power that earned the old man his place in the Lesser Pantheon. Add to that the strength of his elite guard, officials, and all their attendants combined. Everything focused on a single tool.

Koto Furunushi, who’d fought fallen angels and monsters and lived longer than he’d intended, considered by many to be a god, plunged the shovel down to smite the bones of the mountain.