Promise #2 You Lose Your Blade, You Lose Your Life

She brushed her hand on the ground. A thick layer of dirt coated a rough stone floor. She waved a hand in front of her, but it was too dark to even see it. No sound echoed through the room and reaching out around her didn’t show how large the room truly was. The scent of wet moss was the only sign that she wasn’t in the yomi-no-kuni and walking amongst the dead.

"Hello?" she called out through a dry throat. No response.

Her head hurt, trying to think of anything before the last few seconds. Images of rice scattered across the floor and a cloaked man looming over her flashed through her mind.

Footsteps echoed through the darkness. It sounded more like a large cat than any human. It stopped a short distance from her.

"What's your name, girl?" It was deep and echoed through the room.

"My name?" Her head pounded more, trying to think of what her name was. It was so simple. Yet it flew away every time she got close to it. "I-- I don't remember..."

"Good. From now on, your name is Shizu, for you will become silence."

Shizu. It felt strange on her tongue. It was not her name from before. She moved her head back and forth, trying to find where the person stood. Shizu reached out for the person, her fingers burying in thick, soft fur.

Something touched her hand and she jumped. It was cold and thin. Metal.

"Take it, girl."

Shizu obeyed and took the piece of metal gently in her hands. She moved her fingers across it, avoiding any sharp edges.

"Stand up."

Something lifted her into the air and held her in place. She couldn’t move nor breath without whatever held her in place allowed it. She grunted and gasped for release. This wasn’t normal. It echoed in her mind that magic shouldn’t exist, and yet all she knew was the darkness and the captor. A nightmare. All she needed to do was wake up, and it would be over.

"Do I have to tell you everything? Hold the knife in the air between your two forefingers and your thumbs."

The control vanished, but she knew better now to not disobey and did as she was told.

“That's it. Now stay there." He fell silent.

She counted the seconds and recounted until she lost track of the number of cycles she went through as she held the knife in front of her. The feeling of someone near her vanished and she drooped her arms, thinking he was gone.

A low growl came from behind Shizu. "Did I say drop it, human? You dare disrespect me?"

"No, sir!" Shizu squeaked out and put her hands back up. Her arms slowly dropped again as her muscles screamed for release.

"Good. Don't do it again. This is your only warning. Next time I will put blades under your hands so you can’t lower them without cutting your skin open.” His voice dripped with poison.

Shizu wanted to cry. To collapse where she stood and wait for the nightmare to end.

“How could he have paid for you so willingly? You’re trash. Worth nothing more than a bed in a brothel. Yet they ask the kitsune to train you.” His hot breath brushed across her cheek. “Worthless.”

Shizu turned to where she last heard the man. “Will you feed me to the kitsune then? If I’m worthless?” A lump grew in her stomach.

"No," the voice was in front of her now. "We won't eat you. Not enough meat for us to enjoy on your flesh. Worthless even as a meal." Voices surrounded her, all hissing worthless in the air. "Hold the knife up, girl!"

The wind cracked and something sliced at her arm followed by her shoulder and back. Shizu released the knife and screamed, reaching for every strike. Her skin ripped where the impact occurred. Another whip on her lower back forced her to straighten back up with a roar of exasperation.

"I said don't lower the damned knife! Do you enjoy this? We will keep you here until you learn to hold that until I order the drop.”

Fur-covered hands grabbed her under her arms and lifted her. Claws dug into her flesh. Something softer and more flexible like a tail lifted her arms back up. "Don't think about dropping it again."

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Shizu took in a deep breath and held her arms outward. She shifted the weight between each arm in small movements to relieve the pain. The burning in her arms kept her focus on the knife. Fire coursed through her skin. They didn't care that she had fallen to the ground. Only that she lowered her arms. That's all she had to do. If her legs got tired, she would sit but never drop the blade. The cloaked man praised her for something she did, this would be no different. If only the pain in her head would stop so she could remember what she did to receive the praise.

"I can do it!" Shizu cried out. Roars of the invisible crowd filled the room as if in sync with her determination. They were there and cheering her on even if they had plans to devour her later if she failed.

The pain from the lashes faded, placing focus directly on the strain from her arms being held up. She bit her bottom lip to pull her focus elsewhere so she wouldn’t droop her arms from the pain in them.

She relaxed the muscles in her legs and sat down on the cold stone underneath her. None of the kitsune around her attacked.

"Get up, girl," the kitsune said. It had no malice this time, and she obeyed. "Drop the knife and follow my voice."

Shizu lowered her arms and released all the muscle tension in her hands. The knife fell with a clack on the ground, and she let out a sigh. Blood rushed through her arms, bringing feeling back to the tips. The tingling pain was a relief compared to what she had endured.

Every few steps, the kitsune let out a sharp bark. She recoiled from them, not wanting to get too close. Shizu lifted her hands to follow the walls next to her. It kept her balanced when the darkness threatened to turn her without notice.

She counted each step, losing concentration whenever a kitsune brushed against her. After a few miscounts, one of the kitsune let out a loud bark. He was only a few feet away from her. She stopped next to him. His thick fur brushed against her fingers. She wanted to caress it and find comfort in the fur, but the image of its sharp claws and teeth filled her with dread at what kind of beast was leading her.

"Eat," he growled.

"Eat what?" Shizu asked.

She sniffed the air, still not smelling anything. The kitsune let out a high-pitched bark, and a flame erupted in front of her. It burned her eyes and even when she closed them, the bright lights forced their way through her eyelids. She hissed out in pain and covered her face with her hand, sealing herself back in darkness.

The light dimmed and Shizu opened her eyes. The flames, which had erupted just moments ago, were now small flickerings of their past self. Her vision was blurry, but she was able to see that the room she was in was made of almost all stone. In the center sat a low table made of dark wood with empty plates scattered across. Clean, dark red cushions lined each side, ready for a multitude of guests.

The far walls were a combination of stone and trees fused into the wall and growing back out of the room. Dozens of kitsune sat huddled next to the tree trunks, staring at her. None of them had more than three tails with most only with one. She couldn’t determine why the variety, but imagined it was related to age as the ones with more tails looked more mature in stature.

The one who had led her here was the largest of the group. He had six tails all fluttering behind him. His head reached hers without having to stand on his hind legs. His fur in the light glowed a brilliant yellow with flecks of white on his paws and tips of his tails.

The room fell dark again, but the fact that Shizu had seen the kitsune made her uneasy. Any of them could jump out at her and attack, and she wouldn’t know until it was too late. At that point, it wouldn’t be her problem anymore as she would be dead.