Before Ryoma and the others departed the decimated village, the headman treated the quartet to a meal. It proved to be simple, containing only rice, yet it deeply sated everyone’s hunger. Even Yuki was allowed to eat.

Ryoma asked, “Will you need any help burying the villagers, sir?” The headman shook his head and said, “For the woman you saw attacked outside her hut, I will take responsibility to bury her; the four of you have more pressing matters to attend to, so it would seem. As for those burned in their homes, I believe cremation will have to do as I pray for rest for their souls.”

The quartet nodded together, thanked their gracious host for the meal, and resumed their journey. Exiting the remnants of the village, they continued westward until coming across a river. Yuki was simply delighted as he dove in and swam around, no longer possessing a care in the world. Tetsuo remarked, “I still find it difficult to believe that I’ve encountered a docile demon. How truly bizarre this life can prove to be.”

While the kappa swam upstream, the humans advanced by foot up the riverbank. Proving much faster than the others, Yuki swiftly disappeared from sight. Not long after, however, he rushed back to them and exclaimed, “I’ve seen the forge! It’s not much further from here, so let’s hurry!”

After another short span of walking, Ryoma, Himiko, and Tetsuo laid eyes on the forge as well. “I told you it wasn’t far from the temple.” Tetsuo said, taking note of how the dark of night still blanketed the sky. Yuki sprang out of the water to join his companions and together, the quartet walked toward and eventually into the forge.

“Hello?” Ryoma asked. “Is anyone here?” Deeper within the forge, a voice answered, “I’m in the back room. Give me a moment.” Before long, the blacksmith appeared from a doorway across the entrance. He gasped at the sight of Yuki and asked, “Is that a kappa?!”

Yuki shirked back behind Himiko, but Tetsuo stepped forward and said, “I can assure you, good sir, that he’s quite friendly. You needn’t worry about your safety.” The blacksmith relaxed himself and said, “Very well. If you can’t trust a monk, who can you trust?” Tetsuo smiled at his job well done, but Ryoma was more than a little angered that the monk had such an easier time convincing others than he did trying to convince the monk yesterday.

“What did you need from me, anyway?” The blacksmith asked. Ryoma unsheathed what was left of his katana and presented it to the forge worker. “My blade is in dire need of repairs. We were hoping you’d have the ability to fix it, if it isn’t too much trouble.” The blacksmith took the weapon from Ryoma, examined it, and exclaimed, “I’ll say it could use some repairs! The poor thing needs a complete renovation. But don’t worry, samurai, I’ve just finished my latest project, so I’ve the time to work on your sword. Give me a few hours and it’ll be ready. You can rest in the patio out back”

Ryoma happily obliged, handed the blacksmith his katana, and he, along with the others in the group, followed the forge worker to the back room. Moving beyond the smithing station, the quartet made their way to the back patio and proceeded to stretch out and relax upon the bamboo furniture. “Now this is the life.” Tetsuo said as he lounged. Ryoma nodded, surprised to be agreeing with the monk. He asked, “Don’t you think so as well, Himiko?”

Himiko, however, was transfixed by the sight of the moon, in transition from waning crescent to half-full. “Isn’t she beautiful?” She asked. Without the others commenting, she continued, “I’ve always felt a strong connection with her. Sometimes, whenever I can’t sleep, I wander out of the shrine into the night just to watch her rise into the heavens. Her pale light truly illuminates our souls. Don’t you all agree?”

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The other three weren’t sure how to respond to Himiko’s poetic inquiries. In lieu of any response, she began walking off the patio and into the grass. She raised her hands to the sky and began moving her hips rhythmically to an absent soundtrack. The others had no idea how to respond to the shrine maiden dancing in the moonlight.

Ryoma and Tetsuo watched Himiko’s dance intensely. Though neither would admit it, both were enticed by her rhythmic movements. While not particularly seductive by design, the pair found the performance to be rather erotic. Both assumed it was their vows of celibacy really choking them in the moment. Still, Himiko’s beauty alone was enough to entice even a promiscuous man.

As Himiko swayed, bathed in the softest light, Ryoma thought about the women in his life; he had a few crushes in his youth, yet none ever amounted to much. Aside from that, he knew Empress Haru and her ladies-in-waiting. The empress in particular was exceptionally beautiful, but he had more respect for her than lust. Plus, he especially respected Emperor Hiro and wouldn’t dare intrude in his love life.

Tetsuo similarly had no such luck with women. The reputation of the Takamaki name scorched his chances of ever finding true love since the older generation opposed the notion of their daughters so much as looking in his direction, so celibacy wasn’t as damning a sentence for his lifestyle. That being said, he found maidens even more attractive than the common folk due to their connection to the spiritual world, a trait he desired to emulate to the utmost degree. Himiko, however, especially challenged his vows.

And then there was Yuki. Having held no lustful desires concerning humans, he simply saw Himiko’s dance at face value, being a beautiful performance. Then, however, a thought occurred to him on how to improve the show, so he began making his way off the patio as well. Tilting his head back, water dribbling off the back of his dish, he started spewing snow out of his mouth and into the air.

Ryoma and Tetsuo cocked their heads in bewilderment before the snow started dancing itself down around Himiko and they gawked in amazement at the sight. The shrine maiden, seemingly unaware of the alteration in weather as her eyes were closed, continued her performance, gracefully bobbing and weaving amidst the crystalline cascade.

Eventually, a stray snowflake landed squarely on Himiko’s button nose and she shivered in response, finally coming back to her senses. She looked toward Ryoma and Tetsuo who were staring at her unapologetically, causing the maiden to blush profusely. Then, she noticed the blacksmith behind the pair, who began to clap for the performance.

“That was beautiful, young lady!” The blacksmith exclaimed. “And you, too, kappa; what an ability!” Yuki bowed, unlike Himiko, and revealed the ofuda in his chest. “It’s due to this ofuda that I can sway the elements, mister.”

The blacksmith gasped and exclaimed, “So, those talismans really do exist!” The plurality of the statement caught Ryoma’s ear as he asked, “Wait, good sir, did you say ‘talismans?’ Do you, by chance, know of other locations that we might find them?”

“I know of one other ofuda, indeed.” The blacksmith said. “Southwest of here, you’ll find a mountain range. According to legend, the apex of this range houses a talisman said to command lightning itself! I always assumed this was merely a fable told to those in the village, yet it must be true since I look upon its counterpart as we speak.”

“That’s wonderful!” Himiko exclaimed. “Ryoma, I know that you wanted our next destination to be the shogunate, but that was before we knew where to find another ofuda. Now that we’ve ascertained its location, may we detour to find this lightning talisman?”

Ryoma contemplated the matter before he eventually nodded and said, “Very well. Being that the mountain range is practically on our way to the shogun’s abode, we may as well find it first.” Himiko yelled in glee and hugged Ryoma for which he was very grateful. “Okay then,” Himiko exclaimed, “let’s find that ofuda!”