"Not much farther Master Kingston." My guide said as she lead me through a maze of tunnels.
"I know." I replied in a matter of fact tone.
Thanks to Bone-lasher I already knew the entire layout of the labyrinth of tunnels that we were traversing. I also knew that Hideyoshi and several guards were already waiting in a cavern up ahead. The tunnels we were currently hiking through were directly under the Sadamas center.
"Do you know what this is about?" I asked myself guide.
"I know only what I am told Master Kingston. I was told to guide you." My guide said.
"A simple no would have sufficed." I drawled.
As we stepped into the cavern my eyes immediately locked in on Hideyoshi, flanked by five guards. In his hands was Kūsho, though it looked different than it had the last time I saw it. Instead of the scabbard being solid black there were veins of red all over. The hilt and guard of the blade also had speckles of red on it.
"Hideyoshi…what did you do to the sword?" I asked as I stepped into the cavern. Hideyoshi looked down at the Katana in his hands then shook his head.
"Fail to be born as the Star farm crystal bearer…" Hideyoshi replied, his voice sounding troubled and saddened. That gave me pause and put me on edge for some reason. "…Kūsho has refused to be drawn by anyone else since you drew it last and it reverted to Hoshi. I fear that it can no longer be drawn by anyone other than the star farm crystal bearer. At least while you still live."
I narrowed my eyes at him while channeling attributeless mana into the air around me. A look of confusion and fear spread across the faces of everyone in the cavern as I started doing this.
"If that was an attempt to threaten me Hideyoshi know I am more insulted that threatened…" I said in a low threatening tone. Hideyoshi's eyes widened in shock then he quickly shook his head.
"No, no, no, no! You misunderstood me! I am not threatening you or even suggesting that I want to kill you…!" Hideyoshi exclaimed.
Hideyoshi then held Kūsho out to me and let go of the scabbard. The moment he did the sword; scabbard and all; flew towards me. I instinctively held my hand up to guard from the scabbard hitting me in the face, instead it flew into my hand and I caught it.
"The fuck…?" I grumbled and looked down at Kūsho. The red veins in the scabbard started to disappear, instead turning into waves of rainbow. I gripped the hilt of the blade and drew it. A rainbow colored blade sliding free and 'singing' while glinting dimly in the low light.
"It's as I thought." Hideyoshi said then sighed. "Hoshi yearns to be reunited with its true wielder. It is no longer an artifact tied to the fate of my country, it is a weapon of war ready to cut down its wielder's enemies."
"Wait…wait, wait! What is going on here?!" I exclaimed while waving the very sharp katana in the air.
"I am relinquishing Hoshi back to it's true owner." Hideyoshi said.
"But I thought it dictated the succession of your dynasty and was the symbol of your power?" I exclaimed.
"It is. Well Kūsho is…nobody has seen Hoshi since the death of the first Shogun. A fake can easily be made to keep any questions about its whereabouts at bay." Hideyoshi said. I looked at Hoshi's blade then back at Hideyoshi then back at the blade.
"But it's a national treasure!" I exclaimed.
"Created by your predecessor. The sword acknowledges you as it's master…plus who knows if I'd even been able to draw the blade after you die. The blade might be enchanted to only allow your successors to draw the blade after you die since you were the last star farm crystal bearer to draw it." Hideyoshi rebutted.
I paused and turned to look at Hideyoshi, narrowing my eyes suspiciously at him.
"That's the real reason you're not taking the chance to try and kill me isn't it?" I asked. Hideyoshi's expression was blank and he didn't respond. "REALLY?!"
"Are you okay?" Hideyoshi asked, looking concerned.
"Yeah, just getting yelled at by my employees in my head." I replied then focused on my manacite communication ring. Hideyoshi looked amused as I focused on answering Haws.
Haws replied. I frowned at the older man even though there were no he could see it.
"I figured. Your luck always seems to lean that way." Hideyoshi replied.
I sheathed Hoshi then held the scabbard in my mouth for a moment before opening my void pocket and pulled out a scrap of black cloth; Which came from the traditional shirt that I wore during the incident at Tolapo village. I folded the jagged cloth as neatly as I could and made a makeshift sash that I wrapped around my waist and tied. I then took the scabbard out of my mouth and secured it with the sash.
"Securing our country's greatest treasure with a mere rag…" One of Hideyoshi's guards muttered with distain. I narrowed my eyes at the man.
"Well if you have a national grade sash on hand to secure it with then I'd happily use that!" I snapped, being a little harsher than I meant to. Hideyoshi shot the guard a glare which made the guard flinch and lower his head in shame.
"Pay that man no mind Master Kingston. What you do with your blade is your business and no one elses." Hideyoshi said.
"Yeah but just so you don't think I'm being disrespectful, you should know that this cloth was once part of a shirt made in Tolapo village. Given to me by an elder of the village." I said. Hideyoshi and the other guards eyes all widened.
"The legendary village of the spell shapers?!" Hideyoshi exclaimed.
"Yep," I replied casually then thought. 'I'm definitely leaving out the part that the only reason I was given that shirt was cause all my normal clothes were shredded and covered in blood.'
"You are certainly full of surprises Master Kingston." Hideyoshi said with a smirk then raised his hand and pointed to the exit "But I mustn't waist your time. You have business to attend to…as do I!"
"You're right about that…thanks for the sword!"
***
"WHY THE HELL CAN'T WE JOIN THIS TOURNAMENT? I THOUGHT IT WAS OPEN TO EVERYONE!" A American soldier yelled.
"You need to be able to control a evo or at least get one of the ones being loaned out by the company to listen to you. All of you are assholes so I doubt that will happen." Sin said with a obviously annoyed tone.
Sin was standing at the front of a mob of American soldiers, all of whom looked pissed off and ready to tear into him. The only thing keeping them from doing that was Pog and Nate's Orkands who were standing behind Sin and snarling at the soldiers.
"You son of a…!" The soldier growled and reared a fist back to swing at Sin.
"Unless you want to die, I suggest you put your hand down." I said as I casually walked towards the mob from behind. All the soldiers turned to look at me and I was met with wall of glares.
"Boss!" Sin called out then frowned when he saw the katana strapped to my hip.
"Stand down Sin, help Haws with registration. I'll deal with this." I ordered as I walked around the soldiers, not giving them any mind.
"If you're sure…" Sin said then took a couple steps back. Walked up to where Sin had been originally standing then turned to face the soldier that had been yelling in Sin's face.
"I'm sure. Go on, we have a deadline to keep." I said, shooting him a smirk over my shoulder.
"Understood. Come on Pogs." Sin said then turned and walked over to the makeshift desk that Haws made for registration. Pogs turned and followed his master. Thankfully the orkands all followed after Pogs and Sin after a moment.
"Now...what the hell is the problem?" I asked, turning my attention back to the soldiers fully. The soldier gritted his teeth and pointed a finger at me.
"Your fucking lackey told us that we can't join this little tournament of yours!" The soldier snapped.
"It's a evo battle tournament, you need to be able to control a evo in order enter. I'm guessing none of you can do that." I said calmly. This answer only seemed to piss the soldiers off even more.
"So you intentionally created a tournament that excluded Americans!" He snapped.
"Stop being self centered. Not everything is about you." I said dismissively then motioned to the building around us. "We're at Evo-cution, a convention created to sell evos to splicers. Why would anyone here make any gimmick to sell evos back to their own countrymen? If companies from America can target splicers then why can't I?"
"Spare it, you crystal cur!" The soldier snapped. I rolled my eyes then turned to face the containment cages.
"I never said that normies couldn't join. If you want to take the entrance exam then you're welcome to try. Just don't come crying to me if you lose a leg." I said.
This confused the main soldier that was screaming at me and made the ones that were backing him less certain in their support of him.
"Wait? What exam?" The soldier asked. I looked over my shoulder and smirked at the soldier.
"You think I'm letting just anyone use my evos and enter this tournament? You have to pass a test in order to receive one and join the tournament. That test is to gain the cooperation of said evos." I explained.
"If any of you want to join this tournament then you got to get one of my evos to listen to you…" As I said that Haws walked out of the Gloom hollow containment cage with a Gloom hollow in tow. It reared it's head back and let out deep billowing groan. "…and I should warn you, they have very high standards."
"WAIT THAT?!" One of the soldiers barked and pointed at the Gloom hollow.
The Gloom hollow was a quadrupedal mid-ranged attack type evo that was a total rip off of Justice Technologies Star Howler; a evo that they were showing off today elsewhere in the center. They were the combination of coyotes, cicadas, and bison. They retained most of their coyote features only it stood at six and a half feet tall with two large horns that curled around its ears before resting below it's jaw. It also had a thick shaggy coat of fur like it's bison base that was so long along the belly that it dragged across the ground.
"Crier Series: Gloom Hollow…this is one of the smaller ones." Haws said as he approached.
"THAT'S SMALLER!" A soldier in the back screamed. The Gloom hollow snorted and stomped a paw down on the ground.
"Smaller! Not weaker!" The Gloom hollow growled. All of the Americans shrunk slightly at the deep rumble of its voice.
"This is just one of the options…" I said then turned back around to see Alberto, Astrid, and Damon walking out of the Scare-adorable, Lycan Zee Jaeger, and Ogarai containment cages respectively. Each had one evo from the cage following them out. "…these are the other options."
"Hollow series: Scare-adorable, Petty series: Lycan Zee Jaeger, and Devastation series: Ogarai. They are your other options if this little sweetheart is too scary for you brave soldiers." Haws said in a teasing tone while he patted the Gloom hollow on the shoulder.
"So! Who wants to try first?!" I exclaimed and motioned to the evos behind me.